by Donna Grant
Gwynn squeezed her eyes closed when Logan drew back from the kiss. He pressed her head against his chest and simply held her, his heartbeat sounding in her ear.
“I’ll be back,” he whispered into her hair.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I never do.”
Gwynn bit her tongue to keep from calling Logan back as he stepped out of her hold and walked to Fallon and the others. Logan winked, and she forced herself to smile.
The Warriors all had their hands on each other’s shoulders except for Fallon, who stood at the end of the line.
“Think of Declan’s mansion,” Galen told Logan. Then he looked at Gwynn. “And only Declan’s mansion.”
At Galen’s nod, Fallon laid his hand on Galen’s shoulders. They were gone in a blink.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
By the time Logan exhaled, Fallon had jumped them to the grounds outside Wallace’s mansion. Just seeing the huge white and stone building rising out of the snow made Logan’s rage begin to boil.
Declan had meant to kill him. And he had almost taken Gwynn’s life.
The broken windows had already been replaced. But Logan saw that part of the huge double front doors was still splintered. Declan hadn’t been able to cover up everything. Yet.
Galen whistled long and low. “You were no’ kidding, Logan. This place is like a palace.”
“Doona let the outside fool you,” Logan said. “It’s pure evil.”
Larena shivered. “Aye. I can feel it.”
“It will get worse once you are inside.”
Hayden growled. “You’re right. It’s drough magic, but it’s different from Deirdre’s.”
Fallon turned Larena so she faced him. “You doona have to do this.”
“Aye, I do,” she said softly. “This is for all of us, my love. For our future, for Logan and Gwynn, and everyone else in the castle.”
Logan felt Fallon’s frustration as he let out a breath.
“I’d go in your stead if I could,” Fallon said.
Larena smiled and rose up on her tiptoes to kiss him. “You know that even if I were able to give you my power, I wouldn’t. I’m a Warrior, Fallon. You know this.”
“But you’re also my wife.”
Larena placed her hand on Fallon’s cheek and stared deep into his eyes. “Nothing will ever change that.”
“Aye,” Fallon agreed. “Nothing.”
In a blink, Larena’s skin turned iridescent as she released her goddess. With one more smile to Fallon, she became invisible until all that remained were her clothes. All but Fallon turned their backs to her so she could remove her clothes.
“I’ll give you fifteen minutes. If you are no’ out here, we’re coming to get you,” Fallon said.
Larena chuckled. “I’m going to have a look around. Everywhere. The more we know about Declan and what’s inside his home, the better. It will take me more than fifteen minutes.”
“Larena,” Fallon growled in warning.
Hayden and Logan exchanged grins, because they knew who the winner of this argument would be.
“She has a point,” Broc said. “She can no’ be seen, Fallon.”
“We doona know that!”
Logan turned around at the same time as Hayden and Galen. “Wallace does no’ have any Warriors. Just mercenaries.”
“I’ll be careful.” Larena’s disembodied voice sounded around them. “I’ve always returned to you, Fallon.”
“You better,” Fallon ground out.
Several long moments ticked by until Fallon let out a curse. “God help Wallace if anything happens to her.”
There was nothing that could save Wallace from Logan’s wrath, but there was no need to tell Fallon that. Logan would take out his vengeance on Wallace with precision and pain. He would suffer terribly for what he had done to Gwynn.
“Care to talk about the kiss we witnessed between you and Gwynn?” Hayden asked.
“Nay,” Logan stated.
Broc let out a long-suffering sigh. “As much as I’d like to be involved in this conversation, I must take to the skies.”
Logan glanced at Broc, his blond hair now cut to his nape. Broc hadn’t bothered to wear a shirt like the rest of them, because he’d just have to remove it or ruin it when his wings sprouted.
Broc’s massive wings unfurled, matching the dark blue skin of his Warrior form. “But I’ll be listening,” he said with a grin just before he leaped into the air.
Logan, Hayden, Galen, and Fallon all waited, hidden near the front gate by a group of shrubs laden with snow. Logan glanced down at his black pants, boots, and shirt. He still couldn’t get over how much had changed.
None of his brethren wore their kilts. Instead, they sported the same type of clothes Gwynn had picked out for him. When they had dressed for this mission, Hayden had brought him the gear he had on now. Fatigues, he had called them.
Logan had to admit the pants were easier to move in than the jeans, and wearing all black worked well to help them blend into the night.
That is until they would release their gods and become Warriors.
“Gwynn is pretty,” Galen whispered into the silence.
Logan rolled his eyes because he knew there was no way he could convince them not to talk about her. “Aye.”
Hayden nodded. “And courageous.”
“Intelligent, too,” Fallon added.
“She’s all those things and more,” Logan admitted.
Hayden swiveled his head to him. “How much does she mean to you?”
Logan hadn’t allowed himself to think along those lines. He certainly didn’t want to give Hayden an answer.
“By that kiss, I’d say a lot,” Galen said.
Fallon shifted his feet, his gaze locked on the mansion. “Whatever you might think, Logan, everyone deserves to find happiness. Including you.”
Logan frowned. What was that supposed to mean? Did they know he’d gone to Deirdre to become a Warrior?
Impossible.
“Before you left for this time, we all saw a darkness growing inside you,” Hayden said.
Logan squeezed his eyes shut. He’d thought he had kept it from them. He’d been so careful.
“It’s still there,” Hayden continued. “But it does no’ seem as great.”
Logan met the dark gaze of his closest friend. “There are things I did in my past.”
“We’ve all done things we’re ashamed of,” Fallon said. “We’re your family, Logan. Regardless of what it is, we willna turn you away.”
But Logan wasn’t so sure of that.
Hayden must have seen his doubt, because he laid a big hand on Logan’s shoulder. “Fallon speaks for everyone. I’ve always thought of you as my brother. You’ve kept your secrets, but then we all have.”
Logan felt as low as a snake’s belly. These men were the best men he knew. He didn’t belong in their company, didn’t deserve to call them friends or family.
Even knowing that, he couldn’t walk away like he knew he should. He needed them more than they would ever know.
* * *
As soon as Larena stepped inside Declan’s mansion she choked on the vile stench of evil that surrounded her. She was cautious with every step she took.
Declan might not have Warriors, but he wasn’t a fool. He would have magic in place that could alert him to her presence. Luckily for her, however, all Warriors could sense Druid magic.
Larena quickly stepped to the side as one of Declan’s mercenaries walked out of the room she was passing. He carried an Uzi and had two sets of ammo straps crossing over his chest like an X. One carried regular bullets while the other held red-tipped bullets that glowed.
She glanced into the room and grinned when she saw the destruction inside. That must be the office Gwynn and Logan had destroyed.
Larena continued forward. Her search of the ground floor didn’t take as long as she thought it would. She was about
to start up the stairs when a door was thrown open and two men walked out.
One had the same look as the other mercenaries, but the other was dressed in an expensive Gucci suit. He was clearly used to wearing custom-made clothes.
Declan Wallace.
Larena curled her lip as she watched him walk past. Not even his devastating good looks, golden hair, and bright blue eyes could conceal the malice within him.
“Did you learn what you needed to?” asked the dark-headed man beside him.
Declan smiled. “Enough. She doesna like to give me the information I seek. But I make it worth her while, Robbie.”
Fury ripped through Larena. Did Declan have a woman here? A woman held against her will?
And that’s when Larena felt it—the mie magic.
It was faint, barely discernible through the drough magic that permeated the mansion, but there was no denying the presence of a mie.
Larena watched Declan and Robbie walk away from her. She was torn between following them and finding the Druid. Larena squeezed her eyes closed as she tried to decide what to do.
If there was a Druid in trouble, she needed to save her. Yet she had found Declan. She should follow him and see if she could learn anything.
It was the muffled scream she heard through the door with her enhanced hearing that made her decision.
Larena waited until Declan was out of sight and no one was around before she reached for the handle on the door and opened it wide enough that she could slip through.
She found herself at the top of a narrow set of stairs that led down into what could only be a dungeon. She set her jaw as anger flared anew.
Larena made not a sound as she descended the stairs to reach the bottom. Cell after cell lined the hallway.
Were they all occupied? Or was Declan merely preparing to fill them? Either way, Larena wasn’t going to allow him to succeed.
There was another scream to Larena’s left. She ran down the corridor until she reached the very last door. Larena skidded to a halt before the bars and grimaced when she saw the woman, her arms held away from her body by chains hanging from the walls.
The Druid was flinging her head from side to side and using her hands as well as she could to brush against her skin.
“Declan, you bastard. Get them off me!”
Larena looked, but there was nothing but chains on the Druid. It must have been Declan’s magic that made the Druid believe that something else was there.
The Druid screeched, huge tears falling from her eyes. “Please! Declan, I swear I won’t hold back again. Just get the spiders off me!”
Larena had seen enough. She didn’t know how she was going to get the Druid out, but she had to try. Yet when Larena reached for the bars to wrench them open, she felt magic, which made her pause.
She braced herself and reached for the metal bars, only to be pushed backward by the force of the magic.
It was going to take more than just Larena to release this Druid.
As much as she didn’t want to leave the mie, Larena had no choice. But she would return, she silently promised the Druid.
Larena turned on her heel, the screams of the mie following her as she left the dungeon. Larena set her jaw and started up the stairs to the second floor.
There were many rooms to investigate. She thought she might find the book in the library, but that would have been too easy. The next six rooms were empty as well.
It wasn’t until she came to the seventh door that she paused outside. She could hear a man moving within, muttering to himself. Her head tilted to the side as she heard the sound of pages flipping.
Larena stepped closer to the door until she was all but pressed against it. She smiled as she raised her hand and knocked.
“What?” grated a harsh voice.
Larena waited until she heard the chair scoot back on the carpet and hard steps start for the door. As soon as the man yanked open the door, she slid past him into the room.
The man looked first one way then the other before he cursed and slammed the door shut. “Just what I need,” he said to himself. “More distractions. As if I didn’t have enough already.”
His American accent, so much like Gwynn’s, caught Larena’s attention.
So this was Gary Austin.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Gwynn sat at the table and twiddled her thumbs. Literally. Her mind was creating all sorts of scenarios where Logan and the others were hurt. Or worse, killed by Declan.
“They’ll be back,” Reaghan said as she tossed another log on the fire.
Gwynn forced a smile but didn’t comment.
Cara slapped her hands on the arms of her chair and rose. “Well, I have the perfect thing to take our minds off waiting.”
“What’s that?” Marcail asked.
Isla laughed and started up the steps. “I’ll get the boxes down.”
“Oh,” Marcail said with a huge grin. “Wait for me. I’m coming to help.”
Reaghan quickly followed. “Me, too!”
Sonya merely gave Gwynn a wink and began to move furniture around the great hall with Cara.
By this time she found herself more than curious. She stood and hurried to help them lift a heavy chair. “What are y’all doing?”
Cara smiled, her mahogany eyes alight with mischief. “It’s December twenty-first. We need to set up the Christmas tree.”
Gwynn had completely forgotten about it being December. She’d been so worried about finding her father, then keeping Logan alive, that the time of year had meant nothing to her.
Yet when the others came down with boxes and boxes of decorations and a fourteen-foot artificial tree, she couldn’t help but get involved.
Gwynn laughed as Cara and Reaghan climbed the two ladders and began to set up the top of the tree while the rest of them worked on the lower half.
“I’m just glad we finally got a tree that was pre-lit,” Isla said as she plugged in the tree and clear lights came on.
“Me, too,” Sonya said.
Reaghan asked, “What colors are we using this year?”
“I vote for red and silver,” Marcail said.
Gwynn smiled. “That sounds pretty.”
“Then red and silver it is,” Cara declared.
With the tree fluffed and ready, the boxes of ornaments were next. Gwynn was helpless to stay out of the fun. She loved Christmas, loved decorating her apartment, so she wasn’t about to let this opportunity go.
While she, Cara, Sonya, and Marcail decorated the tree, Isla and Reaghan put up the numerous lengths of garland all over the great hall, and the biggest wreath Gwynn had ever seen over the fireplace.
Everything was adorned with clear lights and red and silver ornaments of all shapes and sizes.
It wasn’t until they were hanging the last of the ornaments on the garland that Gwynn realized with all the laughter and conversations she had forgotten about her worry over Logan.
She stood back and looked around the hall. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”
Marcail wrapped an arm around Gwynn and squeezed. “We’re very glad you were here to help us.”
“Definitely,” Sonya said.
The others nodded and smiled.
Gwynn took a deep breath and realized she hadn’t had so much fun decorating for Christmas since before her mother got sick.
The only thing that would make the night complete was Logan.
* * *
Logan’s nerves were strung as tight as a bow. Larena had been inside the mansion for almost two hours.
“We’d know if something happened,” Galen told Fallon.
Fallon nodded, his jaw clenched.
Logan flexed his fingers. He’d released his god as soon as they had arrived at Wallace’s mansion. His god was eager to see the blood of the enemy and to smell their death.
A whoosh of air pushed by them, and for a moment Logan thought it might be Gwynn, since she could communicate with the wind. Then Broc
landed behind them and tucked his wings behind his back.
“We need to leave. Now,” Broc said as he produced the book.
Fallon growled. “No’ without Larena.”
“I’m here,” she said. “Get us home, my love.”
Logan glanced at the mansion as he heard Declan’s bellow of fury. He barely had time to smile before he was standing in the middle of the castle’s great hall.
He blinked at all the small white lights everywhere, but what really took his breath away was the massive tree in the back corner.
“You’re back,” Reaghan cried and flew into Galen’s arms.
Fallon had immediately taken Larena to their chamber so she could put her clothes back on. Logan heard the others talking to their wives about the mission, but all he wanted to do was find Gwynn.
When his gaze landed on her and he saw her smile, he couldn’t stop himself from going to her. He ignored a question someone asked him as he strode to Gwynn.
He stopped in front of her and drank in the sight of her black hair pulled away from her face and her violet eyes watching him.
“We got the book,” he said.
Relief poured over her face. “Thank God.”
“But we were no’ able to get your father.”
She shrugged. “The book is more important.”
“Is it?”
“You know it is.”
“Maybe.” He glanced at the tree to the right of them. “What is that?”
“A Christmas tree. Remember when I showed you how people decorated their houses and trees?”
He nodded slowly. “Aye. And where people put presents to others under the tree.”
“Right,” she said with a bright smile. “You were paying attention.”
“I always pay attention when you talk.”
Her violet eyes sparkled. “Did you fight Declan?”
“Nay. Larena was in and out of the mansion before Wallace knew what had happened.”
“Good.”
Logan snorted. “I’d have liked to have another go at him.”
“Not when he can stop you with his magic and those bullets.”
Suddenly, she turned as Larena and Fallon came down the stairs. Gwynn started toward them, her gaze on the book Larena held in her hands.
