by Meg Anne
Lucas closed the distance and pressed his lips to hers. Her left arm snaked around his neck, burying itself in his hair as it pulled him closer.
He kissed her, and it comforted him in a way no words would ever be able to. Their mouths were a soft caress against each other, not hurried passion, but rather a soft melding of—something else. Something that bordered on an emotion he just wasn’t ready to visit yet.
Strands of her dark hair, still wet from a shower, fell through his fingers as he stroked her back, pulling her tightly against his chest.
Skye broke the kiss and rested her forehead against his. Their breaths were coming out in shallow pants, and Lucas breathed her in as if she were the only thing keeping him alive.
Maybe she was.
Chapter 42
Skye
Skye wiped the sleep from her eyes as she stepped into the living room. The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled her lungs, and she made her way over to the kitchen to pour herself a cup. James and Lizzie were already seated at the table.
“Morning,” Lizzie greeted her softly, but Skye noted the tense line of her jaw, and the way her mouth was pulled into a tight line.
“Morning,” Skye replied, taking a seat after pouring some coffee into a I Love Lucy mug. Had last night’s events not still been bothering her, she might have laughed at the joke. Apparently he’d heard it even before she’d said something that first night in his apartment. “How are you?” Skye asked Lizzie, reaching over to gently touch her hand.
The other woman tried to smile, but her bottom lip quivered, and James wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Still coming to terms with everything,” he answered for her while Lizzie leaned against his shoulder.
“Where’s Lucas?” Skye asked, looking around.
“He stepped out about thirty minutes ago. Said he had to do something really quick. Took Lucy too.”
“Maybe out for a walk.”
“Maybe.” James studied her. “How are you?”
Skye shrugged. “Alive, and enjoying the company of my friends. So, I could be a hell of a lot worse.”
“True.” James smiled slightly before turning to press a kiss to Lizzie’s brow.
“We have to figure out what our next step is,” Skye said before taking another drink from her mug.
“Agreed, and sooner rather than later,” James replied.
The door opened, and Lucas stepped in with a box of donuts but no dog.
“Where’s Lucy?” Skye asked.
“With the chief.”
“Why?” James asked, turning to face Lucas as he carried in the box and set it on the table.
“Because, I have a plan.” His eyes were a bright blue, and in them, Skye saw fierce determination shining back at her.
“What plan?” she asked.
“We leave,” Lucas said, as he opened the box to reveal a dozen glazed donuts that smelled absolutely amazing.
“Excuse me?” Skye asked, trying to ignore the way the sweet glaze was calling to her. How the hell was he going to drop a bomb like that and then expect them to devour donuts?
“We leave,” he repeated.
“Where the hell are we supposed to go?” James asked.
“Scotland.”
“Scotland?” Lizzie’s eyes widened, and her face showed more life since it had before the fire last night. “What the hell are we going to do in Scotland? Play with the hairy coos and hope no one finds us?”
“Hairy what?” James asked, his brow raised.
“It’s what they call their cows. They have bangs. It’s super cute,” Lizzie explained, giving him a quick smile before turning her attention back to her brother.
“That’s where Professor Zane said he studied, right? Which means there is probably something there.”
“He studied with the Druid, Lucas.” Skye snorted. “I hardly doubt he is going to offer us any kind of helpful information.”
“We don’t need him to; there has to be something there. Someone who can help us. We can stay at our grandfather’s house. It’s been a long damn time since we’ve seen him, and he has more than enough space for all of us at his farm.”
“And if we don’t find anything once we get there?” Skye asked.
“Then at least we’re far enough away that the Druid can’t complete his plan. He needs us here, right? He needs to kill us in those ley spots the professor marked on the spiral in order to finish the ritual.”
“And if we aren’t here, he can’t kill us.” James massaged his chin, his gaze narrowing. “We might be able to buy ourselves more time.”
“Exactly,” Lucas said with a smile, the first real one he’d had in far too long. “And what better way to stick it to the asshole than to remove ourselves from his prime real estate?”
Skye folded her arms and bit down on her cheek. “It may not work. He could still get us back here if he wanted.”
“He’d have to find us first,” James pointed out.
“You don’t think he can find a way to track us?” Skye asked.
“I think it’s worth a try,” Lucas responded, even as memories of the Druid’s vanishing act replayed in his mind. The guy certainly had a way to get around, but he had to know where they were to find them, right? And there was no way he’d think to start his search in Scotland.
Skye searched Lucas’ face for any hint of doubt or hesitation—but she found none. He was damn sure this was the way to go, and she’d follow him even if it meant risking everything.
“Fine, when do we leave?” she asked.
“As soon as possible. I’ll go online and grab the tickets. Everyone have their passports?”
The group nodded, their energy reinvigorated now that they had a plan.
“Great, get me the info, and we’ll be on the next flight out of here. Lucy has been taken care of, and I let the chief know we were both taking some personal time.” That last part was addressed to James, who nodded thankfully.
“Well then, let’s do this.” James got to his feet. “I’ve always wanted to visit Scotland.”
Sneak Peak!
Book 2: Amria- Coming Soon!
Chapter 1: Skye
She was falling in love with him, and he was going to die.
Skye knew this to be true as she watched the horrific scene play out for what felt like the hundredth time. Given that she’d only experienced the vision for the first time about forty-eight hours ago, that was saying something.
Lucas crumbled to the ground, the silver blade protruding from his chest. Blood dripped down the front of his shirt as he stared at it in disbelief.
Skye felt hot tears stream down her cheeks as she knelt to the ground beside him. As always, the Druid stood laughing over Lucas' prone body as she wept. The cackling sound was something she heard now even when she was awake. No matter how hard she tried, the horror of this vision stuck with her. Not even whiskey would curb the pain.
“Skye,” he mumbled as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
“I’m sorry,” she choked out, pushing away to wrap her arms around herself knowing that they would always be a pale imitation of his own. She couldn’t watch this. Not again.
Lucas MacConnell was going to die and there was nothing she could do about it.
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Skye shot up like a bullet, her heart pounding in her chest. Easy, she said to herself. She risked closing her eyes, hoping lingering images of the nightmare wouldn’t be there to greet her, as she tried like hell to calm the surge of panic. No matter how many damn times she suffered through it, it always affected her like it had that very first time.
Although in a way that did make an odd sort of sense. Skye didn’t think anyone who had to watch, sometimes on a horrifying loop, as the man they were falling for died in a pool of his own blood would walk away emotionally unscathed.
Skye wiped away the tears before anyone could notice.
“You al
right?” Lucas asked from his side of the cab.
“Yeah,” she grumbled back. Skye’s voice was gravely, the pain of her nightmare still fresh in her mind. Lucas gave her a concerned look but given the way their cab driver was staring curiously at her from the rear-view mirror, he apparently decided now was probably not the best time to inquire further.
They’d flown into Edinburgh and had to catch a cab to take them the rest of the way to the cabin, which was about an hour outside of the city. It wasn’t the most economical option, but given the late hour, none of them wanted to deal with transferring buses or carting their luggage around further than strictly necessary.
Skye must have dozed off shortly after crawling into the cab behind Lucas. It was big enough that all four of them could fit easily, and Skye had claimed a forward-facing window seat. Lizzie was asleep next to her, her head resting against her brother’s shoulder. James, who had crawled into the back seat with their luggage, was also peacefully snoring. It seemed she was the only one struggling to find escape in her dreams.
“We’re just about there,” Lucas said in a low voice. His eyes were still focused on her, so she nodded and turned her attention to the beautiful scenery outside.
She’d been barely coherent when they’d ridden through Edinburgh, but Skye hoped there was a chance for them to go back and explore properly. The architecture had taken her breath away and already captured her imagination. For the first time in a long while, she longed to paint landscapes rather than just her own interpretation of the stars.
“This might just be the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,” Skye whispered in awe as the last of the night’s stars twinkled high above them. It was somewhere around four am, and still dark out, but the moon provided enough light for her to see the lush wildflowers and the tall green grass that covered the hills.
“Aye ‘tis,” Lucas agreed in a heavy Scottish burr.
Skye gave him a side-eyed glance. “No. Just no.”
He chuckled.
They’d been traveling for well over eleven hours at this point, and that combined with the six-hour time difference had her all out of sorts. Not to mention the asshole Druid who was currently haunting her dreams. She knew it was a bad idea since it wouldn’t help her acclimate to the new time, but all she wanted to do when they arrived was find a bed and sleep for about twelve hours.
The cab made a turn up a long winding drive, and Skye watched a stunning four-bedroom cabin come into view. The outside was made entirely of stone and had some sort of flowering vine climbing along the side.
“Perfect,” she breathed, appreciating its seclusion. This would be the perfect hideout for the four of them.
“Absolutely,” Lucas agreed. She turned to him with a smile, surprised by the heat in his eyes. It made her wonder if he’d been referring to the house at all.
Skye’s smile faltered, and she looked away. Fate could be a real bitch.
The driver stopped and gave Lucas the fare. Lizzie came awake with a squeaky yawn and stretch. She blinked a few times and looked out the window at her grandfather’s cabin.
The house was dark without any light to give away that someone was inside.
“Does he know you’re coming?” Skye asked as she climbed out of the cab.
Lizzie shook her head. “We haven’t been able to get ahold of him. Hopefully we don’t scare him half to death when we start knocking at four am.”
Skye frowned. “That would definitely put a damper on things.”
The others got out of the cab and together they walked to the front door.
The bushes to the side of the house rustled and Skye went still just as a bright orange tabby cat came scampering out.
Lizzie giggled. “Oh, it’s Haggie! That cat has got to be almost twenty years old!”
Skye eyed the cat warily. She loved animals, but for some reason cats just did not like her. Haggie hissed, proving her theory before running away.
“Shall we?” Lucas asked, before holding up a hand and knocking on the door.
There was no answer.
“Hmm,” Lucas murmured, his brows lowering. He knocked again.
“It’s not all that odd,” Lizzie said. “He could be sleeping.”
“Perhaps.”
After about thirty seconds, Lucas pulled a set of keys out of his pocket.
“Didn’t think to start with that?” a sleepy James asked.
“And just walk in on the old guy without warning? No. I didn’t.”
“Fair point,” James said with a yawn.
Lucas opened the door and then walked in. Given the musty smell of the place, Skye didn’t think anyone had been here in quite a while, but she wasn’t about to say that. Lucas turned on a light, bringing the rustic looking space to life. Handmade quilts and furniture gave the space a decidedly homey feel. Skye loved it instantly.
“Pop?” Lucas called. “It’s Lucas and Lizzie.”
Still no answer.
“Huh. I guess he’s out.”
“He must be on one of his trips,” Lizzie said with a shrug.
“That’s normal?” Skye asked.
Lizzie nodded. “Oh yea. Grandpa Oliver travels all the time. It’s one of the reasons we have our own set of keys.”
Skye studied Lucas. He looked worried. Something told her that he wasn’t feeling nearly as calm about his absence as his sister.
“Shall we claim rooms?” Lizzie asked.
“Dibs on my old one,” Lucas said instantly.
Lizzie scowled. “No way! It’s the biggest and it has its own bathroom. You know it’s only right that one of the girls gets that one.”
Lucas shrugged. “Fair’s fair. I called dibs. Be faster next time.”
Lizzie sighed. “Fine, I’ll take the blue room. You want to share, Skye? There are two beds in there.”
“Skye’s staying with me,” Lucas said as if there was any choice.
“Uh, she is?” Skye asked, referring to herself in the third person.
“Well, aren’t you?” Lucas asked, lifting his brow.
Skye was tempted. Frankly, she slept better when Lucas' strong arms were wrapped around her. But the image of the knife protruding from his chest had her stomach rolling and she shook her head. There was no way she could hide her dreams from him if they were sharing a room, and a bed. If anything, she needed to put some distance between them to get a hold on her feelings. Now was not the time to let things go any further, no matter how badly she wanted them to.
“I rather have my own bed,” she said lightly.
“Whatever you want,” Lucas said, but she could have sworn he was calling her bluff.
That settled, she and Lizzie went to dump their stuff in their room, while Lucas and James claimed the other two. No one felt comfortable enough to sleep in the master bedroom in case Oliver returned.
“Anyone hungry?” Lizzie called out.
The guys called out with a resounding, “yes,”, but Skye shook her head.
“If I don’t get at least a few more hours of sleep, it’s not going to be pretty.”
“I hear you. I’ll get out of your hair.” Lizzie said with a smile.
“Have I told you today that you’re a goddess?”
Lizzie grinned. “I’ll take it. Sweet dreams, Skye.”
From your lips, Skye thought as she shut the bedroom door lightly. After removing her shoes, she climbed into the bed and pulled the soft wool blanket up and over her shoulders. The second she shut her eyes, Lucas’s death came back into view and she forced herself to think of literally anything else.
She thought back to a stolen night on a Chicago balcony as she snuggled down onto the pillow and shut her eyes.
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From the authors
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XOXO
Meg’s Acknowledgments
Writing can be an incredibly lonely process. Sure, you have your characters to talk with, but usually it’s just you and your computer working through the various tangles of your story on your own. Being able to share the ups and downs of the process with one of your best friends has been such an incredible experience. One that I will never take for granted. Most days bringing this story to life was more like being at a sleep over than anything remotely resembling work (seriously you guys should see our chat history… so many memes.)
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Thank you Jess, for being such an amazing partner. I could not have picked someone better to share this journey with. Your endless passion and excitement kept me on track when I wanted to sit on the couch and binge watch Netflix. Which, let’s be honest, is most days. :D I can’t wait to finish Skye and Lucas’ story with you and see what jokes we come up with next. *snickers*
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As always, I would be remiss not to send love and adoration to my tribe. Mom, Gabe, Fran, Laura thank you for all the support, whether its just cheering me on from the sidelines or staying up late to talk me through a crisis of nerves. I could not chase this dream without you.
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Jessa, Lori, Dominique thank you for helping us put the final touches on our baby. Your contributions make our stories shine.
