Midnight's Captive (Dark Warriors)

by Donna Grant

  Con scooted back his chair and stood. “First, you need to know what we are. We can no’ just go barreling into a fight like you can. For the most part, you Warriors are able to stay hidden. Though we are powerful in human form, to tap the full potential of our magic, we need to be in our true form.”

  “And that would be?” Charon asked.

  Con jerked his chin to Guy, who flipped open his phone and pressed a few keys. Charon waited for something to happen, but nothing did.

  “You’ll get a better view from here,” Con said, and motioned Charon to the window.

  Charon walked around the desk and looked out over the rolling hills. Thousands of sheep and cattle were scattered as far as the eye could see.

  He was taking in the beauty when something moved in the low-lying rain clouds. Charon lifted his gaze to see the massive form of a dragon with scales the color of emeralds.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Britt put her hands at her waist and arched her back as she stretched. Her dress was ruined, and her feet cold from kicking off her heels and walking barefoot on the floor. How she wished she had some jeans and a shirt. And socks.

  All of it would be better to run in, she mused. She adjusted herself on the stool while thinking over what she had just discovered.

  “Everything all right?” Aiden asked.

  She turned her head to him, surprised to find him so close when she hadn’t heard him approach. “Yes.”

  “I hear a bit of hesitation in your voice,” he said with a lopsided smile. “Why no’ take a break? I know you’re weary.”

  Britt shook her head. “It’s only been a few hours. I’ll be all right.”

  “Liar.”

  She laughed, her eyes fastening on his lips. Lips that had kissed her with such hunger and passion that she was still reeling from it.

  “Britt,” Aiden murmured in his deep, husky voice thick with a brogue that made her stomach feel as if butterflies had taken flight inside. “Doona look at me like that.”

  She blinked and forced her gaze up to his beautiful green eyes. The desire she saw darkening their depths caused her breathing to ratchet up another notch. “Then don’t be so damned tempting.”

  “Ah, lass.” His fingers threaded into her hair while his thumb caressed her bottom lip. “You’re the tempting one.”

  Britt knew if she didn’t stop them, they were likely to start kissing again. With so much at stake—not to mention his father in the room—it wasn’t a prudent idea.

  She licked her lips and turned her head away, missing his touch instantly. There was no denying she was more than a little freaked at all she had seen and experienced that night, but none of it diminished the incredible, crushing desire being near Aiden caused.

  “I’ve found something,” she said.

  Aiden’s stance shifted as he leaned against the table. “Tell me.”

  She glanced to find the desire gone from his eyes, replaced with an intensity that made him who he was. Appealing, daring, and fierce. “I’ve found an enzyme.”

  “Shite,” Aiden said as he turned to his father and Galen. “Both of you might want to see this.”

  As soon as Galen and Quinn reached her, Britt told them what she had just explained to Aiden.

  “I’m no’ a scholar,” Galen said. “I understand that you’ve found something important, but how does that relate to us?”

  Britt looked at each of them before her gaze came to rest on Aiden. “It means, I’ve found a way to combat the drough blood when it reaches a Warrior’s bloodstream.”

  “How?” Quinn asked.

  If Britt thought there would be a celebration for her discovery, she’d been dead wrong. She pulled the sample from the microscope and held it in front of her. “It’s the unique nature of the enzyme that causes the drough blood to essentially begin attacking a Warrior by reaching all the organs through the blood.”

  “Unfortunately, most of us know that part,” Galen said with a frown.

  Britt could only imagine how painful it must feel after witnessing it through a microscope. She cleared her throat and continued. “Let me show you.”

  She placed another slide beneath the microscope and moved so they could peer into the machine. “This is a sample of your blood, Quinn.”

  Once the three of them had seen it, Britt then put a sample of drough blood under the microscope for them to see. When they had looked their fill, she got a fresh slide and put a drop of Quinn’s blood on it before adding a drop of drough blood. Britt hastily put it under the machine and stepped back.

  Aiden was the first to look. His face was ashen as he stepped aside and motioned for his father to look.

  Quinn was silent for a long time before he straightened. “Holy hell,” he murmured.

  “This explains a lot,” Galen said as he looked through the microscope.

  Britt nodded. “What you’re seeing is how the drough blood consumes Quinn’s blood. Now, let me add Galen’s sample.”

  Aiden watched as Britt moved with efficient speed, taking the slide out of the microscope and adding in more blood before replacing the slide.

  “Here, you’ll be able to see what more Warrior blood does to the attacking drough blood,” she said, and stepped back to give them room.

  Aiden motioned for his father to look first. Quinn’s brow was furrowed when he stepped away to allow Galen a chance to view it, and then it was Aiden’s turn.

  He watched, mesmerized, as the attacking drough blood was stopped in its tracks. “I doona understand,” he said as he lifted his head. “Why couldna the blood already within the Warrior no’ stop the drough blood?”

  “I suspect because it doesn’t have time with the drough blood attacking it,” Britt said. “New, fresh Warrior blood is too much for the drough blood. Each Warrior has a god inside him giving him immortality and powers, so it’s no wonder the blood helps other Warriors.”

  Galen was the first to speak into the silence. “Can we isolate it, or can we create something to counteract the drough blood?”

  “That’s what I’m working on,” Britt said.

  “The X90s bullets they use are filled with drough blood,” Quinn said. “We doona stand a chance against them. Is there any way to have something to counter them before we get hit?”

  Aiden watched Britt’s lips compress as she began to think. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

  “Possibly,” she said. “I’ll need more time, though.”

  Aiden jerked when he heard an explosion somewhere in the building. “We need to leave. Now!”

  Quinn and Galen instantly shifted into their Warrior forms as Aiden began destroying Britt’s samples.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded.

  Aiden pushed her hands away when she tried to stop him. “It’s Jason. I can get you more samples, Britt. We can no’ leave anything for Wallace to find.”

  That seemed to spur her into action. With her help, it took no time for them to remove all evidence of her work.

  “Wallace is here,” Galen said as he ran back into the room.

  Aiden knew their time had run out. There was nowhere left for them to run, and by the way Quinn squeezed his mobile phone at his ear, he couldn’t get a hold of Fallon.

  Quinn lowered the mobile and turned to Galen. “Get my son and Britt out of here.”

  “I’m no’ leaving you,” Aiden said, furious that his father would sacrifice himself.

  Quinn smiled sadly. “You and Britt are the future. Together, the two of you can find a way to beat Wallace and any drough who dares to take his place.”

  “I need you. We all need you,” Aiden argued.

  “It’s the only way.”

  Galen stepped between them. “Nay. I’ll stay behind and create a diversion. I’m no’ the one with a child, Quinn. Take your son and Britt, and get the hell out of here.”

  “Stop it!” Britt yelled. “We can all leave if we quit arguing about it.”

  Aiden ra
ised a brow in question at both his father and Galen. When they nodded, Aiden grabbed Britt’s hand and pulled her out the door with him.

  He could hear Wallace getting closer. The maze of corridors in the building kept them a ways ahead of Jason and his gang. But would it be enough?

  * * *

  “Dragons,” Charon whispered, hardly able to believe his eyes as he tracked the green dragon meandering lazily in the clouds.

  “Dragon Kings, to be exact,” Constantine said. “We ruled this realm long before man ever appeared. Imagine dragons of every shape, size, and color in the skies, on land, and in the water.”

  Charon watched the green dragon spread its wings and catch a current that took it back into the clouds. He turned to Con and Guy then. “And when man came?”

  “We Kings were able to shift from dragon to human and back again to help keep the peace between dragons and humans,” Guy explained.

  “As with all things, it didna last,” Con said softly.

  Charon knew there was more to the story, but he wasn’t going to find out that day. “So all of you are Dragon Kings?”

  Guy nodded. “I’m King of the Reds. Hal, who you saw out there, is King of the Greens. Con is the King of Kings.”

  “And here I thought you were just some CEO,” Charon said with a grin. “Did you rule all dragons?”

  Con leaned a hip against his desk. “I was King of the Golds, as well as being leader to all Kings.”

  “How does no one know what you are?”

  “That’s a long story,” Con said, and set down his whisky. “Suffice it to say, we’ve been verra careful. We’ve never interfered in the world before, but I’ve been watching your war with the droughs. You and the other Warriors, along with their Druids, have made a good stand against evil. However, Jason Wallace is proving to be a more dangerous enemy than I ever expected.”

  “Can you help? Will you help?” Charon asked.

  Con smiled. “I wouldna have allowed you to know what we are, or told you I knew you to be a Warrior if I didna plan to offer our aid.”

  Guy rubbed his hands together. “It’s been so many millennia since I’ve had a good fight. I’m eager for this.”

  “Your secret will be revealed. You do understand that, right?” Charon asked.

  Con straightened and clamped a hand on his shoulder. “How long have you Warriors thought you were the only ones left to battle evil?”

  “Hundreds of years.”

  “It was my decision to keep my Kings from helping any of you. Our dragons are gone, Charon, and with it, a part of our souls. We’ve lived a certain way for eons, but as it’s recently been pointed out to me, times have changed. It’s time we Dragon Kings changed with it.”

  Charon wanted their help, and he knew he needed their help. Still, the idea of the world discovering the Dragon Kings made him wonder how it would all turn out.

  The sound of a dragon’s roar was louder than the thunder. So much about Dreagan made sense now, and he was loath to shatter what the Kings had built there.

  “I’m no’ sure it’s worth it,” he said. “Any of you daring to be seen as a dragon will turn attention here.”

  “It’s already happened,” Guy said. “In London, actually. We … well, let’s just say there was an incident that couldna be avoided. Two Kings had no choice but to shift to beat our enemy. No one has heard about that.”

  Charon raked a hand through his hair and paced the office. He knew all about risk. He had risked his village discovering what he was for four hundred years.

  Even now that they knew he wasn’t just a man, the illusion he had created was his armor. What the Dragon Kings had built was so much more.

  He stopped and blew out a harsh breath. “If you help, I want to make sure the only people who might see any of you will be Druids and Warriors. The Dragon Kings need to be kept from the world.”

  “I like him,” Guy said with a broad smile to Con.

  Con laughed. “As do I. I agree with you, Charon. Battles, though, have their own way of happening without any help from the players.”

  The door to Con’s office was thrown open as a man with dark hair and aqua eyes stood in the doorway. “The selmyr have struck again, Con.”

  Charon’s blood turned to ice as he recalled Arran’s run-in with the ancient creatures who fed off magic. His first thought was of Laura, until he realized her magic was gone again.

  “Where?” Charon demanded as he took a step toward the man.

  Con’s forehead furrowed as he asked, “You know of these creatures?”

  “Aye. Another Warrior was nearly killed by them when his woman accidentally released them. I thought you knew everything.”

  Con’s lips pressed into a tight line before he said, “We can no’ be everywhere.”

  “I need to know where the selmyr are at,” Charon said, his tone brooking no argument.

  “Follow me and I’ll tell you,” Con said as he walked from his office.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Laura pulled off the road and parked the SUV. She stared down the street to her parents’ house. Pots overflowed with a bright array of flowers, just as she remembered.

  But what she didn’t remember was the red paint peeling from the door. Her mother had been fastidious about keeping everything in perfect condition.

  She inhaled, both hands on the wheel, and wondered what the hell she was going to say to her mother and sister. They had her magic. There was no way for her to get it back from them. She knew nothing of magic.

  Laura recalled the drums and chanting she’d heard while she was in the forest for the brief respite when she’d had her magic. The chanting had comforted her and offered her solace in a world that seemed to have gone crazy.

  Her magic—as well as the chanting—was gone, and yet the world was crazier than ever.

  Laura leaned her head back against the seat and briefly squeezed her eyes shut. “What have I gotten myself into?”

  Though it wasn’t really her fault. She was angry at Charon for not telling her everything and for not believing her, but she didn’t blame him. She’d probably doubt her as well if she were in his shoes.

  She wished he was with her, his strong arms around her as he whispered words of comfort. Charon was always so ready and able to face whatever came his way. Now she knew part of it was because he was a Warrior and immortal.

  But another part she knew was something that was simply Charon, something that was in his DNA long before he had his god unbound. It’s what made the god chose him, what made Charon the only man who could ever affect her the way he did.

  “Damn you, Charon,” she said. “I knew it’d be a disaster to care about you.”

  Before she changed her mind, she opened the door and got out of the Range Rover. Her legs were unsteady as she slowly walked to the red front door.

  She paused before her shaking hand could knock on the door. A gust of what she thought was wind whipped by her, blowing her hair in her eyes. She clawed at the strands and caught sight of what appeared to be something pale gray swirling around her before it vanished.

  A shiver of foreboding crawled down Laura’s spine. “Mother,” she called out as she pounded on the door, her nerves forgotten as worry set in. “Lacy!”

  There was a scream from the back of the house. Laura jumped a hedge and raced to the wooden gate. Her fingers slipped on the latch in her hurry, but before she could get it open, someone grabbed her from behind.

  “Laura, nay,” Charon whispered tightly.

  She stilled, terrified screams reverberating around her. Laura focused on his face to keep the chaos she felt swirling around her at bay. “Charon.”

  “Aye.”

  “My parents.”

  “I know, lass, but we have to leave.”

  She heard the urgency in his voice, but her legs wouldn’t move. Laura tried to say Charon’s name again as something slammed into her. She jerked, her entire body feeling as if a current of electricity went thro
ugh her.

  “Shit,” Charon said and lifted her in his arms. “Her magic is returning. We have to get her out of here now.”

  Laura wanted to know who he was talking to, but her eyes were riveted on the gate. Something was on the other side. Something she innately knew was there to do her harm.

  “Go. I’ll hold them off,” a male voice said.

  Charon started running, and Laura wound her arms around his neck. She felt her magic humming through her veins once more, and it was amazing.

  She didn’t know how she had managed to get it back, but it was hers once more. And she wouldn’t give it up again.

  Charon unceremoniously dumped her in the backseat of another SUV. She scooted to her side and turned her head to ask him what was going on when she saw the tall, gangly monster with ash-colored skin bust through her parents’ gate with one swing of its fist.

  “Bloody hell,” she murmured.

  Charon slammed his door shut. “Can we leave him?” he asked the driver.

  Guy smiled in the rearview mirror, his pale brown eyes ringed in black crinkling at the corners. “I feel sorry for anyone wanting to tangle with Con. Rhys is with him, too, so he’ll be fine.”

  The SUV sped off with a peel of tires as it started to rain. Laura turned in the seat to look through the back window as Con and the ash-skinned creature circled each other while several other similar beings began to close around them.

  “What are those things?” Laura asked.

  They turned a corner so sharply, she careened into the door. With her parents’ house out of view, she turned and faced forward, her heart hammering in her chest.

  “They’re called selmyr,” Charon said, his eyes looking dead ahead. “They’re ancient monsters who hunt and feed off other magical beings.”

  Laura put her hand atop his. “My parents? I heard screams.”

  His gaze dropped to her hand before he looked at her. His long dark hair was in disarray, and his eyes were filled with sorrow. “They came for your mother. They felt your magic in her, Laura.”

  “Why didn’t you try to save her?”

  “There was nothing to save,” Guy said from the front. “The selmyr move on the wind. If you feel them, it’s already too late.”