by Donna Grant
Ronnie smiled sadly. “It’s obvious you care for Charon, Laura, but maybe it’s because you haven’t seen how very close to death he’s come.”
“But I have,” she argued. “He faced Jason and his group alone for me. I watched as magic was used against him and Jason put the drough blood in Charon’s wounds. I watched Charon die. Don’t tell me I don’t know what it feels like.”
Dani took Laura’s hands and turned her to look into her eyes. “We know all of that. It’s just … loving a Warrior is maddening, frustrating, and frightening. They’re protective of the ones they care about, and sometimes that doesn’t allow them to see we can help.”
Laura knew they meant that in order to feel as they did, she had to love Charon, and because she didn’t feel as they did, she obviously didn’t love him.
How very wrong they were.
She loved him so much, it hurt. To know he was out there putting his life on the line once more made her want to scream. But she also knew he needed to be focused to carry out his intricate plan.
He couldn’t do that with her there. Regardless of how much she thought she could help or wanted to be by his side.
Instead of arguing with the Druids, Laura pulled her hands out of Dani’s grasp and faced the window once more. The silence that followed was drowned out only by the storm.
“You must love him very much indeed,” Tara said.
Laura’s chest tightened as she thought of Charon’s teasing grin, of his beautiful dark eyes, of his amazing kisses. If she were honest with herself, she’d loved him from the moment she walked into his pub and he smiled at her.
“This battle isn’t just about killing Jason,” Laura said. “For Charon, it’s about redeeming himself in his own eyes. If I go out there, I’ll distract him. I can’t chance ruining all of this just because I want to see him.”
Laura turned around to see the rest of the Druids in the doorway. She wasn’t sure how much they had heard, and it didn’t matter. For too long, she had hidden her feelings from everyone, even herself.
“I’ve an idea,” Isla said as she stepped forward, her ice blue eyes intelligent and kind as they focused on her. “It’s going to take all of us.”
Reaghan’s amber eyes were alight with excitement. “We are going to help our men and the Dragon Kings. No one said we had to be near the battle in order to use our magic.”
“I don’t really know how to use my magic,” Laura said when Isla pulled her into the large circle the Druids made. Laura wanted to help, but feared she’d be more of a hindrance than anything.
Isla tucked her long black hair behind her ear and winked. “We’ll guide you to the ancients. From there, you’ll learn quickly.”
“The ancients?” Laura whispered as she sank onto the ground and crossed her legs as the others did.
Gwynn squeezed her other hand. “Close your eyes, Laura, and think of your magic.”
Laura glanced up and caught sight of Jane, who stood off the side. Jane gave her an encouraging smile before Laura closed her eyes and her magic welled up inside her.
* * *
“Oh, shit,” Elena said as the car slid on a patch of wet earth.
She glanced in the rearview mirror to see Britt go skidding in the backseat before Elena could straighten the car.
“Maybe I should’ve driven,” Cassie said from beside her.
Elena rolled her eyes. “I remember all too well the story of your first day in Scotland. It’s better for all if I drive.”
“I’ve gotten better,” Cassie said defensively, and then ruined it with a smile. “Well. A little.”
“Wee bit,” Elena said, mimicking the Highland brogue.
“Not that I’m not grateful for all you’re doing,” Britt said as she grabbed the handle above her and held on as the Range Rover soared into the air and came to a bone-jarring landing before it continued down the hill. “But how the hell can you joke at a time like this?”
Cassie looked over her shoulder and laughed. “Stick around for a while and you’ll find out.”
Elena caught sight of a dark shape coming toward them. “I think I see Hal.”
“About time,” Cassie said.
Britt looked out the window in the steel gray sky but saw nothing. She thought she’d be a lot safer with Cassie and Elena, but she was beginning to think it would have been better to stay with Aiden.
Suddenly, something huge came out of the clouds and straight toward them. Britt’s mouth fell open when she saw the spread of large wings and the long body and tail.
“That’s…” She couldn’t get the words out.
Elena turned a sharp curve, the Range Rover jerking to the side before the tires found their grip and the SUV roared forward. “That’s a dragon. Your eyes aren’t deceiving you.”
Britt couldn’t take her eyes off the brilliant green scales of the dragon. How her two fellow Americans could be so nonchalant about it confounded her.
She turned as the dragon flew over them and straight into what looked like a massive gray ball of ash. The ball dispersed the instant the dragon flew through it.
“That’s my Hal,” Cassie said and let out a whoop.
Britt’s head jerked to the women. “What just happened?”
“I suspect that’s the selmyr Hal just saved us from,” Elena said.
“Selmyr,” Britt repeated, testing out the word.
“They feed off magic, but they’re pretty pissed right now, so they’ll attack anything,” Cassie explained.
Britt rubbed her forehead, not sure if her head ached from hitting it on the roof of the SUV as they bounced their way over the land, or because of everything she was learning. “What’s a selmyr?”
“Ancient creatures that were woken a short time ago by accident,” Elena explained.
“But we don’t have magic.”
Cassie’s smile was gone as her lips compressed tightly. “Like I said, they’re pissed. And they’ll attack those without magic when they get hungry enough.”
“Great,” Britt said right before she was thrown to the left and crashed up against the side of the SUV.
There were going to be bruises all over her. She really should have put on her seat beat. It was a mistake she hastened to correct, but it took several tries before she got the seat belt clicked in place.
A moment later and Elena slammed on the brakes. The seat belt locked, preventing Britt from being tossed forward. Before she could get her bearings, Elena had the Range Rover in park and the ignition turned off.
Britt fumbled with the seat belt. “If I’d have known,” she mumbled.
Finally, she got it undone and quickly followed the girls out of the SUV and through a front door of a mansion. Where Britt came to a halt as she took in the grandeur before her.
“Welcome to Dreagan,” Elena said with a wink.
Cassie took Britt’s hand and pulled her forward as she began to walk. “Let’s find the others.”
They had gone through the foyer when a woman with short auburn hair and kind eyes came to meet them. She hugged Cassie and Elena before she turned to Britt.
“You must be Britt. I’m Jane,” she said in a refined British accent. “There’s a lot going on, so please let us know what we can do for you.”
“Where are the Druids?” Elena asked.
Jane pointed to the right. “Since the Warriors wouldn’t let them near the battle, they’re doing what they can to help.”
Britt quietly followed the three women as they spoke in hushed tones. She peeked around the door when they reached the parlor to see a group of women sitting on the floor in a circle with their eyes closed.
“Druids,” Cassie whispered. “I never thought they could exist.”
Neither had Britt a few weeks earlier. The same could be said for immortal Warriors and now dragons. What else was out there she didn’t know about?
She found herself dragged into another room that looked like an office of sorts. It was very male, by all the dark wo
od and deep coloring. The large desk was another indication of masculinity, but its impeccable desktop showed it was for looks and not use.
Everywhere she looked there were dragons. They were carved in the wood of the legs on the chairs, a metal dragon came out of the wall, a light hanging from its front claw, and then there was the tapestry hanging on a wall featuring a gold dragon in flight.
Some of the dragons were easy to spot, others—now that she knew what to look for—were more difficult to find. Anyone who took notice of all the dragons would think the residents of Dreagan were more than a little obsessed with dragons.
Britt found herself standing in front of a cabinet where several crystal decanters sat filled with liquor. Jane poured three glasses of some dark amber liquid and held one of the glasses out to her.
“Drink. You look like you need it,” Jane said.
Britt accepted the alcohol with hands that wouldn’t stop shaking. “I’m usually just a wine drinker. Every once in a while I’ll go nuts and drink a martini or margarita.”
Elena smiled as she lowered her glass from her lips. “This has a bit more of a kick. But trust us, it’ll make you feel better.”
Britt shrugged and did as they suggested. The first touch of the liquid on her lips was a little spicy, and it burned a trail down her throat to her stomach.
After she was able to stop coughing, Britt found her hands had all but stopped shaking as warmth filled her.
“We told you,” Cassie said as she lowered herself down on a chair, where she turned her gaze out the window.
Britt saw her reflection. The smiles from the women were gone, replaced with lines of worry. “This is worse than Aiden led me to believe, isn’t it?”
Elena finished her whisky and gently set the glass down. “Yes.”
Just one simple word, but Britt went from edgy to downright panicky. The women of Dreagan didn’t pull any punches, that was for sure. “Aiden is still out there. Why is he still out there? Couldn’t Hal or one of the other dragons get him in?
The three women simply looked at her with sad, pitying expressions. Britt’s stomach plummeted to her feet.
“Oh, God. Aiden’s bait to get Wallace here. Why didn’t I see that earlier?”
Jane was instantly at her side, an arm wrapped around her to steady her. “Banan won’t let anything happen to Aiden, but Aiden was insistent that you be kept safe above all else. Your knowledge and findings are too valuable to his family.”
“That stupid, idiotic man,” Britt said, and blinked away the tears that filled her eyes. “He should’ve told me.”
“He knew you wouldn’t leave him,” Elena said.
And Britt wouldn’t have. “I feel so helpless. I’m not a Druid. I have no magic or anything to help them.”
“Neither do we,” Cassie said softly, and turned to look at her. “All we can do is pray. But you have something to do.”
Jane nodded eagerly. “There’s a space set up for you to continue your work. Aiden made a list of everything you might need and then some.”
Britt wiped her eyes and squared her shoulders. Aiden was right. There was one way she could help. That was to find a way to not only combat the drough blood, but for the Warriors to have something to use against Wallace.
“Show me,” she said.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Charon’s gaze was locked on a group of five selmyr through the rain as they were kept at bay by a black dragon. He wished he knew who the Black was, but as forthcoming as the Kings had been about who they were, they were careful not to shift in front of him.
Except for Banan.
Charon would think about that later. For now, he had to stay focused on the selmyr. And Wallace.
By the way the selmyr occasionally glanced behind them, Charon knew Quinn, Galen, and Aiden were closing in. Which meant so were Wallace and his group.
Ranmond’s roar filled Charon’s head as his god lusted for death and battle. Charon wasn’t sure where Ranmond’s need ended and his began.
Deirdre had turned Charon into a monster, imprisoned and tortured him. Declan had dared to harm his friends. But it was Jason who had done the unthinkable by trying to get to Charon through Laura.
Charon peeled back his lips to show his fangs and growled as one of the selmyr lunged at him. It got no farther because the Black dived right at the ash-colored beast.
A smile pulled at Charon’s lips when he saw the dragon’s wings crash into one of the selmyr that didn’t get out of the way fast enough. The force sent the creature tumbling to the ground.
An instant later, the selmyr was on its feet. It glanced down at its chest where the long gnash was healing quicker than anything Charon had ever seen.
“Ballocks,” he whispered.
Every creature had a way to be defeated. The selmyr were no different. Finding a way to kill—or trap—them might be more difficult than Charon had first thought.
Suddenly, the five selmyr near Charon turned, and as one, began to run toward a large grove of trees. Charon glanced up at the Black to see the dragon had its eyes trained on the ash-skinned bastards.
Something had gotten their attention. But what? Quinn, Galen, and Aiden were due to drive on one of the back roads near there shortly. But it couldn’t be them, because Charon didn’t see the yellow dragon Con had said would herald their arrival.
The roar of a Warrior got Charon’s attention. He ran after the selmyr into the trees and glimpsed the gold skin he recognized instantly. Charon launched himself at one of the creatures who had sunk his long, sharp teeth into Phelan’s arm.
Charon severed the selmyr’s head from its body with one swipe of his claws. Before he could turn to the next, the other four had latched on to Phelan, blood running past their lips as they drank.
Phelan’s gold Warrior eyes caught his. Charon threw back his head and roared before he attacked again. This time he wasn’t alone. The black dragon crashed into the trees and clamped its huge hand around two of the selmyr. A second later, the Black was once more in the air, its great wings beating against the wind and rain.
Charon knew the only way to stay alive was to make sure the selmyr didn’t bite him. Somehow when they took a Warrior’s blood, they took his power as well, leaving him too weak to combat them.
If they did that to a Warrior, what could they do to a Druid?
Charon ducked and rolled as a selmyr rushed him. He came up behind the seven-foot creature and put his hand through it, hoping its heart would be where a human’s was.
He was wrong.
The selmyr jerked back his elbow, banging it into the side of Charon’s head and his horn. Charon stumbled back, but regained his footing. He bent forward slightly before he jerked upward, spearing the selmyr in the back with the tip of his horn.
The beast screamed its fury. Charon used his other hand and sank his claws into the selmyr’s back near its spinal column. And then wrapped his fingers around the bones.
With one yank, Charon jerked out the beast’s spinal column. The selmyr fell lifeless to the ground.
Charon turned to attack the last one when something sharp and piercing sank into the top of his shoulder. Almost instantly, his blood began to burn as if acid had been injected into him. The pain was ten times what drough blood felt like.
And with the burn came the weakness. It became a chore just for Charon to stay upright. He could still feel the rain pelting him, but it was a distant sensation. Just as he couldn’t focus on the world around him.
Laura.
The thought of never seeing her, touching her … kissing her again made him want to bellow his rage. But it took too much effort.
The more blood he lost, the weaker he became. Still, it wasn’t in Charon to give up easily. He twisted and fell to his knees, hoping to dislodge the selmyr.
It caused the beast to loosen its hold. That was enough for Charon to focus once more, and he used that time to slam his elbow into the creature’s side. The more he fought, the more
blood the selmyr took.
Of a sudden, Charon found himself on his back, blinking through the torrential rain that fell upon his face. His blood still burned agonizingly, but the selmyr no longer drank from him.
Dimly, Charon heard something to his side. After two tries, he was able to turn his head and see Phelan fighting the creature. Charon knew it would take both of them to kill the beast.
Charon rolled to his stomach and pulled himself to his hands and knees. Phelan was struggling to hold off the selmyr’s attack, the ash-skinned beast’s large fangs getting closer and closer to Phelan’s neck.
Charon was able to get a hold of a fallen tree and drag himself to his feet. He flexed his claws and slashed the back of the selmyr.
The creature turned its eerie black eyes to him, its stringy white hair plastered to its face. Charon reared back his hand, but just before he grabbed for the selmyr’s spine, a shift in the rain caught his attention.
Charon glanced at Phelan, and they both knew more selmyr had arrived. He gritted his teeth and used the last of his strength to take hold of the selmyr’s spine and jerk it out.
With the bloody spinal column still in his hands, Charon fell to one knee as it gave out. He nodded to Phelan as his friend tossed aside the dead selmyr and jumped to his feet.
Charon had no sooner dropped the spine than they were surrounded by dozens of selmyr.
“I think this is it!” Phelan shouted over the roar of the rain.
Charon once more pulled himself to his feet. It was getting more and more difficult just to stay upright. “It looks that way.”
“I killed Wallace’s lover,” Phelan said with a tired grin.
Charon exchanged a smile with his friend, which soon turned into laughter.
“At least we’re going out with style,” Phelan said.
Charon wasn’t sure how much strength he had left. It had never taken him this long to recover from a wound before, even drough blood. But whatever was in the selmyr’s bite had done a lot of damage.
They stood back to back as the selmyr started to close in. Charon had seen a lot of ugly things in his life, but these new creatures were the ugliest he had ever laid eyes on. It wasn’t just their ash-colored skin or the long, stringy hair. Nor was it their height or long limbs.
