Midnight's Captive (Dark Warriors)

by Donna Grant

  She braced a hand against her forehead. “I came to make them return my magic.”

  “Her death did it,” Charon said. “The selmyr took your sister as well.”

  Laura nodded numbly and lifted her head. She felt sorrow in losing her mother and sister, but it wasn’t the anguish she should feel toward her family. “And my father?”

  “The selmyr doona bother anyone without magic. Your father will be fine unless he gets in the way,” Guy said.

  Charon moved his arm so that he took her hand in one of his. She wanted to cry for the loss of her mother and sister, but couldn’t do it.

  “How did you find me?” she asked.

  Charon’s thumb moved in small circles on the back of her hand. “Lacy was found about forty miles away.”

  “By who?” she asked.

  Charon and Guy shared a look in the rearview mirror. Finally Charon said, “By one of Con’s men.”

  “We guessed the selmyr might look for the closest magical being,” Guy added. “Which brought us here.”

  Laura looked at Charon’s large hand against hers. “You saved me again. If you hadn’t of been there…” She trailed off, unable to finish.

  “Nay.” He put a finger beneath her chin to lift her head. “Doona cry over your mother and sister. They got what they deserved after what they did to you. And your father … he deserves the same for standing by and allowing them to treat you that way.”

  She tried to nod but was ensnared by his dark chocolate gaze. His hand slid sensuously along her throat to the back of her neck. His fingers were firm but soft as they sank into her hair.

  Laura had never been able to deny the attraction she felt for Charon. With him as close as he was, and looking at her with such heat and longing, she couldn’t have pulled away had her life depended upon it.

  Each beat of her heart caused her blood to heat and desire to pool within her. All too easily she remembered how it felt to be in his arms, how he had touched her, kissed her.

  Loved her.

  Charon’s head dipped to hers, his long eyelashes lowering as his eyes slid closed. Laura’s did the same a second before his lips touched hers.

  And passion consumed them.

  Her hands were on his chest, feeling every hard muscle beneath her palm as if it were the first time. She could feel his body straining to get closer to her. Laura unbuckled her seat belt as Guy took a turn in the road, throwing her on top of Charon.

  Charon’s hands cupped both sides of her face as he searched her eyes. “Are you hurt?”

  “No.”

  “Good,” he murmured before he claimed her mouth again.

  Laura groaned softly when he slid down the seat so she was lying on top of him. His hands gripped her butt and squeezed as he deepened the kiss.

  “Um … you might want to put your seat belt on,” Guy said.

  She lifted her head and looked at Charon right as the SUV hit a huge hole, jostling Laura several inches into the air. In less than a heartbeat, Charon had her sitting up and her seat belt buckled before she knew what he was doing.

  “Where are we?” Charon asked.

  Guy chuckled. “Dreagan land. We’re just taking a bit of a shortcut.”

  “Shortcut?” Laura repeated as sheep scattered away from the SUV.

  “We needed reinforcements.”

  Laura looked at Charon for clarification, and all she got as a response was a shrug.

  Guy cleared his throat then and caught Laura’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “I know you’ve seen a lot over the past few days, lass, but it looks like you’ll get to see a wee bit more.”

  She frowned, gripping the handle above her as the SUV bounced them around over the rough terrain. Laura opened her mouth to ask what Guy was talking about when she looked through the windshield at a dark shape in the sky that was drawing closer.

  “I’ll explain it all,” Charon said as he took her hand.

  Her breath locked in her lungs when she realized it was a dragon she saw in the sky. She followed its flight through the moonroof, and then turned to watch it out the back window.

  “That was a dragon,” she said, and looked at Charon.

  He grinned as he met her gaze. “Aye, it was.”

  “Dragons are real?” she whispered. “I thought the legends were only stories.”

  Guy said, “We’re much more than legend.”

  Laura realized then she was sitting in a vehicle with a dragon. Before she could even begin to wrap her head around that, Guy let out a warning shout.

  Suddenly Charon had his arms wrapped around her, and in the next second something slammed into the SUV, sending it skidding sideways before it began to roll down the hill.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Aiden knew he gripped Britt’s hand too tight, but he wasn’t going to chance losing her. His shoulder slammed into a corner when he glanced behind him and spotted Jason Wallace.

  “Go!” Quinn bellowed from behind Aiden.

  There was a loud crash ahead of them, and they turned a series of corners to find Galen had kicked in a door. Just as Britt started to go into the room, Galen grabbed her and pointed to the stairs ahead, his finger over his lips.

  Aiden pushed Britt ahead of him. He’d never envied his father’s abilities as a Warrior. Until then. If he were a Warrior, he would have been able to use his speed to get Britt away from Wallace.

  But Aiden was just a mortal. He had magic, but it was nothing compared to being a Warrior.

  Britt’s foot caught on a step, causing her to pitch forward. He wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her. She gave him a nod to let him know she was all right before she continued upward.

  The steps were steep, and Britt was fast losing steam. Before Aiden could help her, Galen lifted her in his arms.

  “Time to go,” Galen whispered with a grin.

  Aiden was happy to see Galen use his speed to get Britt to safety. Then, to Aiden’s surprise, his father hefted him over his shoulder and did the same.

  Though he didn’t particularly care to be saved in front of Britt, he knew their lives were more important than his ego. In just moments, Quinn deposited him on the roof.

  “What now?” Britt asked as she walked to Aiden.

  He took her hand in his, noting how cool her skin was. Aiden looked around him, noticing that they were far from Edinburgh.

  “Now we wait for Fallon,” Quinn said.

  The words had barely left his mouth when Fallon appeared beside them.

  Galen moved away from his position at the door, which led to the roof, and glared at Fallon. “About bloody time.”

  Fallon didn’t say anything as he waited for them to get in a circle. Once each of them had laid a hand on the other, Fallon would teleport them away to safety.

  Except nothing happened.

  “Uncle Fallon?” Aiden said.

  A muscle in Fallon’s jaw jumped. He dropped his hands from Quinn and Britt and took a step back. In an instant he was gone, and then returned.

  “Holy hell,” Quinn mumbled.

  Fallon let out a harsh breath. “The bastard has done something. I can no’ take any of you away from here. At least no’ with my power.”

  Aiden released Britt and walked to the edge. He spotted a ladder leading down the side of the building. “This way then,” he called out.

  “And then where?” Quinn asked when he reached him.

  Aiden looked at his father. “We keep moving. I’m no’ going to stay here and watch you or Galen sacrifice yourselves. Nor am I going to allow Wallace to get his hands on Britt.”

  Quinn glanced at Fallon before he lifted Britt in his arms. “Hold on, lass,” Quinn said before he jumped over the side to land softly on the ground.

  When Aiden looked at Galen, Galen was smiling.

  “Your turn,” Galen said.

  Aiden rolled his eyes and hurried to get on the ladder. “No’ on your life.”

  Fallon and Galen were with Quinn and Britt by the t
ime Aiden reached them.

  “Our only choice is to get far away,” Galen was saying.

  Aiden nodded in agreement. “We have no other option but to keep moving.”

  “And Britt’s research?” Quinn asked. “That’s important to us all.”

  Fallon rubbed the back of his neck. “We need Phelan. He can use his power to distort reality.”

  “Will that work?” Aiden asked.

  Quinn shrugged, smiling wryly. “We doona have another choice. Phelan is our best chance right now.”

  “That’s if you can find him,” Galen said.

  Fallon flipped open his phone and pressed a number. “If Phelan doesna answer his phone, Charon will know how to get ahold of him.”

  “It’s been over three hours,” Aiden said. “We should’ve heard from Charon by now.”

  The way Fallon wouldn’t look at him told Aiden he hadn’t heard from Charon either.

  A moment later, Fallon hung up his phone. He compressed his lips in a tight line as he stared off into the night. “We’re forty minutes outside of Glasgow. Keep heading west toward Oban.”

  “The old cottage of mine,” Galen said with a grin. “It’s all but run down and hidden on a farmer’s land. I’ll get them there.”

  Fallon nodded and teleported away.

  “We need a car,” Quinn said.

  Aiden turned his head to get Britt, only to find her gone. “Britt!”

  “Here,” she called from down the street.

  He spotted a car door open and then saw Britt’s shapely leg sticking out. A second later, and the car roared to life. Britt sat up, a smile on her face as she motioned for them through the windshield.

  “I’m liking her more and more,” Galen said as he jogged to the car.

  Quinn slapped Aiden on the back. “She’s certainly handling things well.”

  “Aye,” Aiden mumbled, his grin growing by the moment at how she had calmly broken into a car and hot-wired it.

  Britt moved to the passenger seat as Galen climbed behind the wheel. Aiden and Quinn jumped into the back, the doors slamming closed as Galen drove away.

  “I’m looking forward to hearing how you know how to hot-wire a car,” Aiden said to Britt.

  She looked over her shoulder and winked at him. “I wasn’t always a doctor, you know. I was quite the bad girl in my little town in California.”

  Aiden looked through the back window when they merged in traffic, but there was still no sign of Wallace.

  “How long will it take him to know where we’ve gone?” Aiden asked.

  Galen gunned the car and changed lanes, then turned the corner. “He knows Fallon can no’ teleport us away, so we’re limited to where we can go.”

  “He’ll suspect we took a car,” Britt said. “At least I would. It’s the only viable option for a group who needs to get far away.”

  “Maybe too viable,” Quinn murmured. “Maybe we stay in Glasgow.”

  Aiden was shaking his head before his father finished. “We can no’ chance it. Wallace’s magic is too great. He’d find us. And quickly.”

  “I agree,” Galen said. “We keep moving. We willna have long once we’re at the cabin, but perhaps it’ll be enough time for Britt to get some work done.”

  “And for my brother to find a way to teleport us,” Quinn added.

  Even with miles lengthening between them and Wallace, the knot of dread in Aiden’s gut didn’t lessen.

  * * *

  Phelan walked out of the dance club, the loud music cut off with the closing of the door. Yet, the steady beat of the bass could still be heard outside.

  He walked to his Ducati motorbike parked next to the curb and sighed. Why hadn’t he heard from Charon? Or anyone? He’d tried taking his mind off things, but not even the two beautiful women vying for his attention had helped.

  Instead of going home with one of them to ease his body, he’d walked away from both. Not something he did.

  Phelan raked a hand through his hair and glanced at the sky. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds. More rain was on the way.

  He pulled out his mobile to check for messages and saw he had a missed call from Fallon. There was no message, so Phelan quickly dialed his number.

  “Fallon,” he said when the line connected.

  “Where the fuck have you been?” Fallon demanded.

  Phelan’s brows rose. Fallon rarely lost his cool. He was a natural born leader, meant to be laird of the MacLeods. When Deirdre destroyed the clan, that legacy ended. But Fallon had found his way by leading the Warriors.

  There was a rush of air sounding through the phone as Fallon sighed. “We need you, Phelan.”

  “Is it Charon?” he asked, his worry intensifying.

  “Partly. We’ve no’ heard from him, and Laura is gone.”

  Phelan rubbed the back of his neck. “Is that why you called?”

  “Nay. I’ll fill you in on that later. Right now, we’ve a more immediate need of you. How far are you from Oban?”

  He swung a leg over the seat of his motorbike and reached for his helmet. “Doona worry about that. Just tell me where you need me and when. I’ll be there.”

  “There’s a farmer northeast of Oban. On his land toward the back is a run-down cottage that Galen used centuries ago. He, Quinn, Aiden, and Britt are on their way there now.”

  “Why didna you just jump them there?”

  “Wallace.”

  That’s all Phelan needed to hear. “I’m on my way.”

  He pocketed the phone and secured his helmet before he started the bike. A moment later and he gunned the Ducati, tires squealing on the pavement as he raced out of town.

  * * *

  Charon stared out the window of Dreagan Mansion while Laura lay unmoving on the bed. He could still hear the crunch of metal as the Range Rover went rolling down the hill.

  He’d tried his best to take the brunt of the impact, but by the time the vehicle came to rest upside down, Laura had a fractured leg, two broken ribs, and glass embedded along one side of her face.

  The crash had been caused by the selmyr, but the dragons quickly drove them off. Charon hadn’t wanted to move Laura and cause her more pain. He had reached for his phone to call Phelan so he could use his blood to heal her, but Con had extended a hand through the busted window and covered the phone.

  “She needs to be healed,” Charon had said through clenched teeth.

  Con merely moved his hand from the mobile phone to Laura. The magic that filled the area was stronger than anything Charon had ever felt before, but it was completely different from Druid magic.

  It was … dynamic, omnipotent. Supreme.

  Before his eyes, each bit of glass fell from Laura’s skin to drop with a soft ping upon the cracked moonroof. Soon, even the cuts were healed. It was a few minutes more before Con removed his hand and looked at him.

  “You can move her now. She’s healed.”

  A white G-class Mercedes SUV pulled up then. Charon gathered Laura in his arms and kicked the Range Rover’s door off its hinges. In no time they had all piled into the Mercedes and were on their way to the mansion while several dragons still flew above them.

  “We’ll patrol the sky and grounds,” Con had promised.

  Even now, an hour later, Charon couldn’t stop watching the dragons. Con had vowed Laura would eventually wake, but it wasn’t until Charon checked her broken bones himself to make sure they were healed that he believed Con.

  He braced his hands on either side of the window as fat drops of rain began to hit the glass. The three hours he’d asked Aiden to give him had long ago come and gone.

  Charon’s mobile had been broken in the accident, but Guy had brought a new one by thirty minutes earlier. The fact no one was answering at MacLeod Castle, he couldn’t reach Phelan, and Aiden’s phone went straight to voice mail didn’t bode well.

  The door opened and Banan walked into the room. He glanced at the bed before he came to stand beside Charon.

/>   “Any news?” Charon asked.

  “We have no’ found Aiden. Fallon and most of the Warriors are in Edinburgh, trying to contain what Wallace has done.”

  “And the Druids?” There was no way the Warriors would leave their women unguarded. Charon knew that for fact.

  Banan stuffed his hands in his front pockets. “There are a handful in Edinburgh. The others … they seem to have disappeared.”

  Charon jerked his head to Banan. “What? That’s impossible. The castle is the safest place for them.”

  “Is it?” he asked. “How many times did Deirdre and Declan send in spies? How many times did Deirdre attack it?”

  Charon pushed off the wall and faced the Dragon King. “The Warriors won those battles.”

  “But no’ you.”

  He clenched his jaw, hating that the bastard was right. “I wasn’t part of all of those battles, nay.”

  “The castle is empty, Charon.”

  There was no way Charon could believe Banan, yet the King had no reason to lie. There was something more going on, and he feared it could very well destroy all of them.

  “I can no’ stay while my friends fight this evil. I came here for help.”

  “Of which Con has said we would give,” Banan said softly. He sighed heavily. “The selmyr have complicated things. We can stand against them.”

  Charon rubbed his hand over his jaw. “How? I thought they fed on magical creatures, and you are the biggest magical creature there is.”

  Banan chuckled. “Aye we are, but we’re also the most powerful. The selmyr are dangerous. They were trapped before, we just need to do that again. Until that time, we’re battling two different enemies at the same time.”

  “Can we win?”

  “Aye.”

  He frowned when he heard the slight hesitation in Banan’s voice. “But you are no’ happy about others knowing your existence.”

  “We’ve lived in secret for hundreds of thousands of years. What do you think?”

  Charon started to answer when he glanced at the bed and found Laura’s beautiful moss green eyes opened and looking at him.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO