Midnight's Master

by Donna Grant

  Logan smiled and held out his arms. Gwynn stepped into them and wrapped her arms around him. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

  He tilted her head so he could kiss her, a kiss that drew applause from those around them.

  Gwynn, laughing, broke the kiss. Logan winked at two old ladies watching them. He looked down at Gwynn and asked, “Are you ready to go to the castle?”

  “I’m ready to go home. Our home.”

  EPILOGUE

  December 25th

  Logan couldn’t stop smiling as everyone at the castle sat around the tree. He’d heard from Gwynn what Christmas was, but being back with his family and having Gwynn by his side made Christmas even more special than it would have been.

  He’d hid his nervousness as Gwynn opened her present. When she held the black handbag, she had let out a whoop and thrown her arms around him.

  “It’s Logan’s turn to open his presents,” Hayden said.

  Logan shifted uneasily.

  Gwynn, who sat between his legs on the floor, smiled at him over her shoulder. “I agree. And he opens mine first.”

  She moved out of his arms and reached for a large present under the tree before turning and handing it to him. Logan looked down at the red sparkly paper with the silver ribbon and merely held it.

  No one had ever given him a gift, and he wasn’t sure if he knew how to react.

  “Open, baby,” Gwynn urged.

  Logan swallowed and undid the bow before tearing into the paper as he’d watched the others do. When he opened the box and saw the Hamilton tartan, new and perfect, his throat closed.

  Gwynn’s hand cupped his cheek, and when he looked up he saw her crying. His own vision swam as he tried desperately to find his voice.

  “This is perfect,” he finally managed. He pulled Gwynn into his arms and kissed her.

  “There’s more,” Isla said as she began to stack boxes in front of him.

  With Gwynn by his side he opened boxes to find new boots, a sporran, and several shirts. He was overwhelmed, but immensely grateful.

  “Oh,” Cara said sadly. “That’s all the gifts.”

  Logan looked at Gwynn and said, “No’ exactly.”

  Gwynn frowned and glanced around her. “Logan, all the presents are gone.”

  “I kept one aside.” He pulled the ring from his pocket and held out his palm so she could see the three-carat garnet. “I doona know how I lived before you, but I can no’ live without you. There will be danger, battles, and evil we must destroy. Yet, there’s no one I’d rather have by my side. Gwynn Austin, will you be my wife?”

  Gwynn’s entire body shook. She looked down at his hand, tears filling her eyes. Carefully, she picked up the garnet and slid it onto her left ring finger before raising her gaze to him. “Yes, Logan. My answer is yes.”

  Shouts and clapping erupted in the hall as Logan pulled her into his arms. Which was the only place she ever wanted to be.

  Who would have guessed that traveling to Scotland would give her everything she’d ever dreamed of? She had her own Highlander, the family she’d always wanted, and even her castle.

  Regardless of the days ahead of them, Gwynn would treasure each moment with Logan.

  * * *

  Camdyn smiled and clapped, as joyous as the others at Logan and Gwynn’s happiness. He heard Cara happily announce that it had been four hundred years since the last wedding at the castle, and it was time for more.

  Camdyn looked at Ramsey and Arran. Those two he could see finding their mates. As for him … there wasn’t a woman for him. Not anymore, at least.

  His gaze was then drawn to Saffron, who sat between Isla and Larena. He’d heard her screams in the middle of the night as the nightmares assaulted her. The other Druids were doing what they could, but whatever Declan had done to her so far evaded their magic.

  As for her blindness, he’d been staggered to learn Declan had been the cause of it. He’d spelled her somehow that took away her sight, yet for that handicap, she managed well.

  Her being a Seer, and now living at the castle, was a boon none of them had expected. How it would play out in the coming weeks and months was what interested Camdyn.

  * * *

  Deirdre drummed her long nails on the stones in her chamber. She’d been busy creating new wyrran and finding another Warrior since her defeat at Eigg. She’d also been punished.

  Her master had been furious. Even now she could feel the flames along her skin from his anger, but it didn’t stop her planning her next move to acquire the artifacts.

  Regardless of what her master told her, she had to stop Laria from waking. No matter the costs. When she had gathered the artifacts and proved herself to diabhul once more, he would see she’d been right.

  “You wanted to see me,” Malcolm said as he strolled into her chamber.

  She looked the Warrior up and down. “I have a chore for you. On the winter solstice I cast a spell that finally revealed there was a Druid near Edinburgh. I did not see her face or discover her name, but there is a way we can draw her out.”

  “How?”

  “There is a school of children where she works. I want you to kill every child there.”

  For an instant Malcolm couldn’t breathe. He knew the evil inside him. He knew what Deirdre was. But killing children was another matter entirely.

  “Why do you hesitate?” Deidre asked. “I’m sending my newest Warrior to MacLeod Castle in order to kill them and get the artifacts. If you want your precious cousin, Larena, to stay alive, you will obey me on this.”

  Malcolm gave a slow, single nod of his head. “I will see it done. But if Larena is harmed—”

  “Do not think to threaten me, Warrior,” Deirdre said as she rose, her hair lashing out and wrapping around his throat. “You have been useful, but don’t think you cannot be replaced.”

  Malcolm yanked Deirdre’s hair from his throat, but only because she allowed him to. “I need the address to the school.”

  Deirdre’s smile was cold and calculating as she handed him a piece of paper.

  Malcolm turned on his heel and walked from her chamber and out of her mountain. If there had been the smallest thread of feeling left in him, by the time he was done with the children, it would be dead.

  Just as his soul was.

  * * *

  Ian opened his eyes in his dark cave and groaned when he saw the claw marks that scored the stone. Had he gotten loose from the cave? Had he done the unthinkable and killed an innocent?

  There were no answers, only a hole in his memories that frustrated him.

  His stomach rumbled in hunger. Did he have time to hunt before his god threatened again? Did he dare take the chance?

  Since he had no idea how long it had been since he last ate, or even how long he had been unconscious, Ian knew he had to keep up his strength to fight his god.

  He pulled himself up and took a deep breath before he left the cave. The snow that fell was thick and heavy as it blanketed the slopes of the mountains. He hadn’t gone far when he found the tracks of a stag.

  The thrill of the hunt coursed through Ian as he ran through the thick snow tracking the stag. When he found it standing beside a frozen loch, Ian used his speed to sneak up on the deer and slice its throat with his claw.

  The stag was dead before it hit the ground.

  Ian peeled back his lips, his fangs filling his mouth as he roared in triumph. He loved hunting, and it had appeased his god—for a short time.

  Now, Farmire called for more hunting, more blood. More death.

  Ian tried to ignore his god and lifted the stag on his shoulder. But Farmire was persistent. He raged inside Ian, his rage palpable as it burned.

  Ian struggled to keep walking, desperate to make it to the cave before Farmire took over. He was just a few steps from the entrance when Farmire’s roar inside his mind deafened him.

  His knees hit the ground, the snow cutting his skin. Ian let the stag drop as he clutched his head.
Fear spiked within him as he realized Farmire’s control was growing. He was able to take over Ian faster each time.

  As the darkness began to close in on Ian, he wondered how much longer he would remember who he was before Farmire took over completely.

  Read on for an excerpt from

  MIDNIGHT’S LOVER

  the next exciting installment in the Dark Warriors series

  Coming next month from Donna Grant and St. Martin’s Paperbacks!

  Danielle stumbled in the snow. She had been fighting to keep on her feet for hours, but this time, she didn’t bother. She turned as she fell and lay on her back in the snow.

  When the sun had crested the mountains that morning, she had seen just where she was. And it terrified her. She was deep in the mountains.

  With no roads or towns in sight. She kept telling herself she’d find something over the next rise, but every time there was nothing.

  Just more snow. More mountains.

  Warmth was a distant memory.

  The dampness penetrated her jacket, making her shiver even more. She was starving and wanted nothing more than to curl up on her couch and turn on the tele while sipping some hot tea.

  To her horror, several hours ago the key had spoken to her. It had urged Danielle to continue going deeper into the mountains.

  Maybe she had gone east the entire time and hadn’t known it. But if there was one thing she knew, after this event she would carry a compass with her at all times.

  Exhaustion weighed heavily upon her, and the cold only hampered things. It took more effort than she wanted to admit just putting one foot in front of the other.

  Twice already she’d had to backtrack and find another trail because she’d been so intent on staying upright she hadn’t realized she’d almost walked off a cliff or into a boulder.

  Since she was alone, she needed to be vigilant. She needed to be aware of her surroundings. If she wasn’t careful, she’d find herself frozen to death or falling off a mountain. And neither sounded very appealing.

  Danielle let out a loud sigh and climbed wearily to her feet. She looked around, wondering, waiting to hear the inhuman shrieks she had heard last night.

  Her stomach growled. She lifted a handful of snow and munched on it, as she had the entire day. It might help quench her thirst, but it was doing nothing for her hunger.

  “The next rise,” she said to herself. “I’ll find a road or a village at the next rise.”

  At least she hoped she would, since the sun was sinking fast. Danielle had walked nonstop since the accident. Her feet would probably hurt, if she could actually feel them. Which was probably a good thing since she had never walked so long or far in stilettos before.

  She needed to rest, to eat a hot meal. But that could be a long time coming.

  “They’re going to find me in the spring. I’ll have frozen to death because either my magic isn’t working or the stupid key got me lost on purpose.”

  She lifted one foot in front of the other and started walking.

  “I hope the MacLeods are the friendly sort,” she said to herself. “If I survive this and discover they aren’t, I’ll scream. Loud. And long.”

  This is what she had come to—talking to herself. But the quiet had begun to weigh on her earlier. With no one else around, Danielle didn’t see the harm in speaking to herself.

  She snorted, then wiped at her nose. “At least no harm yet. Who knows if I’ll be sane by the time I get out of the mountains?”

  She scratched her cheek, then stilled. She could have sworn she had seen movement out of the corner of her eye. The trees were thick, and the snow concealed footsteps, but she’d been sure a shape had moved quickly and quietly.

  She turned her head and peered through the trees. The snow had lessened, the flakes swirling in their dance upon the air. It was eerily quiet on the mountain, moreso than before. As if the woods knew there was a predator near.

  Again, just out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. Danielle whirled around, and this time she caught a spot of pale yellow.

  Her heart pounded in her chest. Yellow?

  She recalled the radio announcer talking about yellow creatures before her wreck. He’d called them dangerous. Teeth and claws, he’d said.

  Danielle inhaled deeply, and remembered everything Aunt Josie had told her about being a Druid. Danielle had never used her magic in defense before, but she was about to learn.

  She called to her magic. Instantly, she felt it move and expand within her. She was surprised it had answered her so swiftly. Surprised, and gratified.

  She moved in a circle, her eyes looking for the creatures. Always they were just on the edge of her vision. It was as if they were toying with her.

  “Find other prey,” she commanded, and let a small amount of her magic shoot from her hand.

  Her magic filled the silence, but there was no hiss of hurt or other sound to let her know she had hit her target. Was she so tired she was seeing things? Was her mind playing tricks on her, as it had when she was a child?

  Danielle lowered her hand and adjusted her purse on her shoulder. She was thankful no one else had seen her act so foolishly. With a sigh, she started walking again.

  She’d taken two steps when she heard the first shriek.

  It was unnatural and caused the hairs on her arms and neck to stand on end. Just as the night before, she didn’t hesitate as she began to run. It didn’t matter that she had no idea what had made that sound. All she knew was that it was strange and sinister.

  The knee-high snow hampered her from moving as fast as she wanted. To make matters worse, the shrieks continued louder and longer. And they grew closer.

  What kind of creature made that sound? And how many were there? Two? Three? Or more? Danielle didn’t want to find out. All she could think of was the yellow creatures everyone was talking about.

  She kept running, kept moving. A chance look over her shoulder showed her the nightmare was coming true. Small yellow creatures were jumping from tree to tree as they chased her.

  Danielle’s blood pounded in her ears, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. She gripped the trees and rocks to make it to the top of the mountain, sliding on the ice on several occasions. With the cold air stinging her lungs, Danielle started down the other side of the mountain with barely a glance at it. She spotted a valley below, with a frozen loch. Maybe she could find a place to hide there.

  Her knee crumpled underneath her as she started down the mountain, causing her to roll a couple of times in the snow. She managed to right herself and get back on her feet. Then her foot hit a patch of ice, and she went tumbling again.

  Her arm slammed into a boulder hidden by the snow. Pain exploded throughout her body. She wrapped her arms around her head and tried to use her body to slide down the mountain, feet first.

  The snow and the ice weren’t slowing the yellow creatures, however. They continued after her, their shrieks causing her ears to ring from the unholy sound.

  The snow was packed so hard that it cut her hands and face whenever she had the misfortune of connecting with it. She would have preferred to make the trip down on her feet, but at least she was moving fast. It might give her an advantage over the beasts.

  She was moving so quickly that she couldn’t stop herself when she saw the edge of the cliff coming at her. A scream lodged in her throat as she slid off the cliff and hung in midair for a moment before plummeting.

  Her arms and legs flailed around as she sought some kind of hold. She barely had time to register that she was falling before she landed with a small tumble in a thick patch of snow.

  Danielle had no time to make sure she was unhurt as she climbed out of the snow and began to run again. The shrieks continued, and if she lived through this, she knew she would recall the sound until the day she died.

  She made for the loch, her lungs seizing and her body protesting the abuse. She was halfway to the loch when one of the yellow beasts landed in front of her. />
  She screamed and skidded to a halt, one of her heels twisting and causing her to roll her ankle. The creature’s huge yellow eyes glared maliciously at her while it snapped its mouthful of teeth. It couldn’t close its lips around its teeth, which gave it a menacing, ugly look.

  And then more surrounded her.

  Danielle directed a blast of magic at them. It sent the creatures tumbling back and shaking their heads as if to clear them, but they rose and came at her again.

  If her magic couldn’t help her, then she was doomed. But she wasn’t about to give up without a fight. She sent another, more powerful, blast at them. This time all but one got up. With each step they took toward her, Danielle retreated.

  Their long claws snapped as if they wanted to slice her open. They began running at her one at a time to see how close they could get to her.

  For magic she hadn’t used in quite a while, Danielle was happy with how quickly it was responding to her. But she couldn’t keep the beasts away, no matter what. One got close enough to grab the strap of her purse, sending it flying through the air to land ten paces away from her. Danielle tried to reach for her purse, but the creatures kept coming at her, preventing her from doing anything other than using her magic.

  Then the sound of a roar, loud and vicious, echoed through the valley.

  The creatures quieted and lifted their heads, their eyes darting about. Danielle could feel their trepidation. Whatever had just made that roar was something that gave the creatures pause. The only question was, would its source help Danielle, or come after her as well?

  Danielle seized the moment and tried to slink away. She was almost past one of the beasts when it turned its evil eyes to her and let out a vicious shriek right before it raised its claws at her face.

  * * *

  Ian had awoken to the sound of wyrran. He’d tracked and killed four the day before. Maybe they’d come to him this time. It had felt good to kill evil again, felt right to use his Warrior abilities to help those at MacLeod Castle in the only way he could.