A Highlander's Destiny (Digital Boxed Edition)

by Willa Blair

  Abby’s cheeks began to glow. He couldn’t wait until he could make her blush that way all over.

  “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but please do hold that thought until tomorrow night.”

  It was his turn to feel heat creep onto his cheeks. While he was trying to come up with a reply, the minx laughed at him and then walked into the house.

  “That woman is going to give you fits, my friend.” The halfling had crept up on Darach again, and it was something he wished would stop. After sensing something in the warehouse, he’d hoped his abilities would return.

  He turned to Sean. “I ken, but I be looking forward to it.”

  “Can’t say I blame you. While you and Abby were at dinner, I paid a visit to the medical examiner. The young woman wasn’t a prostitute like I thought originally. She is or was a student at the university. Before she died, she was raped and tortured.”

  Darach steeled his emotions. Angus’s legacy of violence was still intact, but soon, God willing the man or demon would go down.

  “What about demon signature, could ye identity any of them?

  “No, it seems Angus is using new people every time he kills. It makes it harder to know who it is, since demons don’t have fingerprints or DNA on file.”

  “Too bad. I would bet my sword Angus’s signature was prevalent.”

  Sean kicked at the concrete foundation. “He needs to be stopped. At the rate the demon’s going, there will be more bodies to count.”

  “Aye, and I’d fight the devil himself to keep Abby’s from being one of them.”

  The halfling exchanged a look with Conner who came out of the house. “I’m with you. As I said before, we’ll just have to make sure it doesn’t happen.” Sean started off, but Darach hesitated a moment. “Look, Conner, I ken you are supposed to go with me, but I would feel a lot better if ye stayed here. I know Arianna’s good, but she seemed a bit off this afternoon.”

  “Whatever you need I will do it. But if ye do find Angus, I want to know.” Conner’s tone was serious and for good reason. What he hadn’t disclosed in front of Sean was Angus had been dominant in starting a clan dispute that had wiped out Conner’s family. Something the immortal had not known until after he’d been changed into an executioner.

  Darach clasped arms with Conner and then moved off the porch to catch up with Sean. “I know ye will do your best to keep Abby safe, and I appreciate it more than ye know. Without some of my abilities, I be a sorry help mate.” He berated himself for not being more careful that night in the alley. His ego at being able to dispatch demons had been his downfall.

  “Cut yourself some slack, Highlander. There was no way you could know you’d be stabbed with a cursed dagger. Now come on, before we go hunting, I want to talk to some of our murder victim’s friends.”

  ****

  “I never saw this guy before. Lila and I always go together to whatever club we want, when we party.” The young woman’s brown eyes teared up, as she looked at Sean. “We just wanted to have some fun.”

  Sandi pushed a strand of dirty-blonde hair back behind her ear. “Lila was so sweet. We had a pact. If we met someone and wanted to spend time with them, then we signaled the other one.”

  “So was this something Lila did often?” Sean queried.

  “Oh no. In fact since we started this a couple of months ago, Lila never ever used the signal until the last time I saw her.”

  Darach couldn’t stand it any longer. “What did the man Lila dance with look like?”

  “Wow, let me think. She talked and danced with several guys that night, as did I, but I remember she came over to me when I was at the bar. She pointed him out and said he was such a gentleman and so hot.” Sandi pushed at her hair again. “I didn’t believe he could be all that hot, you see Lila’s idea of hot was anyone who looked like something from a romance book. I figured the drinks we’d had were doing the talking, but when I saw this guy, he was something else.”

  Sean pulled a pad from his pocket. “Please describe what you remember about him.”

  “He was way tall, sorta like your friend here.” She pointed to Darach. “His hair was a light blond and he wore it long—almost to his shoulders. His eyes were a bit odd. Sometimes they looked green and then it had to be the lighting at the club, they seemed to glow.”

  “That’s good, can you remember anything else about him?”

  Sandi used the back of her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes. “Yeah, I do. The man had an accent. Something you see on television. You know, like in that Scottish Highlander series. A brogue.”

  Darach clenched his fists. The man she described was Angus.

  “Thank you, Ms. Miller. If we need anything else, I’ll be in touch.”

  “Lieutenant.” She caught Sean’s sleeve. “Please catch this guy, I mean, if he killed Lila. I know ya’ll are keeping it hush-hush because of her parents, but I have a friend that works at the medical examiner’s office. No one deserves to suffer like Lila did.” This time the tears cascaded down her face.

  “Don’t worry, when we catch him, he’ll pay for his crime.”

  ****

  Angus walked through the house and wanted to gnash his teeth. The silence was deafening. He didn’t care for being alone or inactivity. His plans of enjoying another tender New Orleans morsel had failed. He would have gone hunting himself, but felt it more prudent to keep his distance from any public gatherings. The television news channels had been full of the demise of poor, sweet, and delightfully innocent Lila. Although no mention had been made of where the body had been found, he knew Darach was suffering torments about Abby meeting the same fate. And that was what mattered. He wanted him to suffer and suffer dearly until the time came he could dispatch his cousin to death.

  Michael ushered the last angel out of his office. He was more than winding down his workload for the day. And although he could not be there in person, another forbidden no-no on his do-not-violate list, he was looking forward to viewing Darach’s and Abby’s wedding from on high. In the meantime, he needed to handle a problem in the Middle East and then he would report to God. After that he was taking the rest of the day and night off.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Abby hit the floor almost at a run. Today was her wedding day, and she didn’t plan on missing a minute of it lying in bed. She still had several things to do before their six o’clock date. Darach had not returned last night, but he did send her a message by Sean to Arianna. The small note was now pressed between the pages of her Bible. The brief, I am counting the moments. Love, Darach would be a memento she would always treasure.

  She made short work of the stairs and headed for the kitchen. Caffeine was the first item on her list, and then a shower. After that she planned on going shopping. After looking in her closet, she realized she had nothing to wear for the ceremony. And she refused to wear the dress she wore to Antoine’s. She wanted her wedding day dress to be a surprise for Darach.

  Abby put on water to boil and pulled out a pack of tea. She also made a quick breakfast of toast and jam. Once the tea was ready, she sat down and scarfed down the toast while her tea cooled somewhat.

  She wondered if Arianna was up yet. She knew she shouldn’t go out without the immortal, but she wanted to make a run on the stores before they became too crowded with holiday shoppers. Christmas was less than two weeks away. That reminded her, she needed to do some holiday shopping herself. From all she gleaned from Darach, he had not really celebrated much of anything since becoming an executioner.

  And with everything going on, there was no way of knowing how long Arianna would be in NOLA. Abby liked the idea of having a Christmas spent with friends and she wanted to decorate both of their homes with all the glorious props of Yuletide.

  However, that would have to wait until after their wedding and honeymoon. Abby couldn’t fathom how she went from being single to almost married in less than two weeks. Thoughts of what would happen tonight had teased her dreams. She was m
ore than ready to be Darach’s wife, lover, and soul mate.

  “Hi, what are you doing up so early? I figured you’d want to sleep in a bit.” Arianna’s question was thrown over her shoulder as she made her way to the coffeepot the immortal had readied the night before. The aroma of crushed coffee beans and almond did smell good, but Abby preferred her flavored tea this morning.

  “I have so much to do today. I need to go shopping.”

  “Shopping? As in for what?” Arianna looked a bit panicked.

  “A wedding dress, a nightgown, among other things.”

  Arianna took a seat opposite Abby. “Okay. I guess it won’t kill me to go with you.”

  “Well don’t sound so happy about it. Besides, you know Darach would kill me if I went shopping on my own, or for that matter, left the house period without a guard.”

  “I know. Don’t mind me. I didn’t sleep much last night.”

  “Care to talk about it?” Abby held her breath. Arianna hadn’t had a lot to say since the night she kissed Sean.

  “No, but thanks anyway. What time do you want to do this thing?”

  Abby laughed. “Well, as soon as we get showers and get dressed. It’s about…” She looked at the clock. “Seven now. Most of the shops will open around nine. I plan on having all my shopping and errands finished and back home no later than noon. And if you’re a good little immortal, I’ll buy you an early lunch.”

  Arianna’s eyes lit up for a moment. The woman could eat like a pro-wrestler, but of course she never gained a pound. Not fair at all. All Abby had to do was look at food and it jumped on her hips.

  “Okay, I’m in. Let’s do this thing.”

  “Great.” Abby stood up and dumped her plate and cup in the sink while Arianna finished the last of her coffee.

  “I’ll be ready in about thirty minutes.”

  Arianna waved her hand as she got up to pour another cup of java. “Okay, I’ll meet you back here in the kitchen.”

  Abby’s foot was on the first step of the stairs when her phone rang. She started to just let the answering machine pick it up, but it could have something to do with today’s events. She backtracked to the living room.

  “Hello.”

  Silence met her greeting before someone cleared their throat. “Abby, it’s Nate. I hate to bother you, but I didn’t get a chance to talk to you before you left yesterday.”

  Abby tapped her slippered foot on the floor. Nate was a sweetie, but time was ticking away.

  “That’s okay, Nate. Everything happened so quickly. I had no idea the school would be able to get someone to cover for me right away.”

  “Well, I just wanted to let you know, I’ll miss you. And to tell you some of us are planning a party for you. It’s gonna be like a retirement/Christmas bash. Jim is handling the details, but we really want you to be there.”

  Although Nate sounded sincere, Abby couldn’t forget the night he followed her and Arianna to the car. Then she shook her head. She’d known the teacher off and on for the last several years. He’d never said anything out of the way to her, so it must be the demon happenings making her nervous.

  “That’s awfully sweet of you guys. At the moment, however, I’m kinda tied up. I’m not sure when I’ll be free so why not make it just a Christmas party.”

  Nate’s sigh came over the phone line. “If that’s what you want, Abby, sure, but if you change your mind, will you let me know?”

  Abby’s sigh wasn’t as vocal but she felt it all the way to her toes. “Yes, I will. Please thank Jim for the idea also, and thank you, Nate. Merry Christmas early to you both.”

  ****

  Darach looked at the wildlife sniffing and then finding the food he’d put out. Squirrels scampered, rabbits hopped, and the occasional deer meandered up to feed their hunger. His house sat off the beaten path of tourists. One of the reasons he bought the place, and the other the large acreage in back of the house. The wooded area reminded him a bit of his old home.

  Arianna had phoned him with the news she and Abby were going shopping. She wouldn’t say much more but he figured the smile in her voice had to be the result of a bribe of food from Abby. Most executioners did have hearty appetites. His, however, had been reduced by his fears for Abby. As the last creature bounded away, Darach pulled out his cell phone. He had some shopping to do also, but he would deliver his order verbally and then wait on the items to be delivered.

  Food was a must. As were the bottles of champagne coming from Antoine’s. He’d placed the order for those the day after Abby said yes. As he now ordered furnishings for the rest of the house as well as rugs to cover the granite floors, he couldn’t help but wonder if their wedding would go off without a hitch.

  Angus would stop at nothing to get at him through Abby. Which reminded him he needed to have Sean check out the minister doing the ceremony.

  Darach’s cell phone rang. Speak of the devil, or the halfling, he wondered why he was calling so early.

  “Hello.”

  “Morning, Highlander. Wanted to let you know Lila’s death hit the news.”

  Darach sucked in air.

  “Don’t worry, they didn’t have the exact location of the body dump. They were told somewhere in the area of Canal Street, and since that covers a great deal of territory, no one will know it was Abby’s.”

  “Thank ye. I dinnae want anything to ruin this day.”

  “Or tonight I bet.” The halfling’s smirk came across loud and clear.

  “Right ye are and ye can help me with that.”

  “You need my help with Abby? Just say the word.” He didn’t have to see the halfling’s face to know he wore a grin.

  Darach’s snarl ripped through his house as well as finding its target in Sean’s ear.

  “Hey, you almost deafened me.”

  “I dinnae need your help with Abby. What I need is for ye to stay with Arianna at Abby’s tonight.”

  “Oh no, not me. Get Conner to do it.” The halfling’s panic was more than apparent to Darach. He wondered why Sean was so dead set against staying with Arianna.

  “Conner is going to be out scouting for Angus.”

  “That’s a low blow, Highlander. I suppose I could stay far away from her in the house.”

  Darach laughed. “It might be for the best since she cannae seem to decide to kiss or slap you.”

  “Okay, on that note, I’m ringing off. I’ll see you tonight before the ceremony.”

  Sean hung up before Darach could reply. It felt good to rattle the halfling’s cage just a bit. And although he knew his remarks about Abby were just his form of teasing, he still didn’t much care for the idea of anyone helping him with Abby in that way.

  ****

  Abby sat watching Arianna shovel food in her mouth like there was no tomorrow. Of course, the immortal’s table manners were impeccable, but she would give a man a run for his money when it came to eating. Abby on the other hand had long since finished her salad and the bowl of soup she’d ordered and turned down Arianna’s offer for half of her second hamburger.

  Between them they’d picked up the cake, some bottles of wine, and a few table decorations for the wedding. Abby had found the most delectable dress in a pale cream, street-length with a short matching jacket. She’d also picked up a small bouquet of pale peach roses and other flowers with baby’s breath. The only other woman there would be Arianna. Abby wondered what the immortal would do if she threw her the bouquet. Probably drop it like it was a baby alligator.

  “I’m finished, Abby. You ready to go?”

  While she’d been wool-gathering Arianna had chowed down the rest of her lunch.

  “Yeah, I’m ready.” Together they gathered up Abby’s purchases. She kept possession of the covered dress-hanger with her wedding apparel and the small package containing her newly purchased nightwear. The combination of colors was beautiful. She just hoped Darach thought so also.

  Once back at the house, Abby threw it into high gear. She covered the d
ining room table with a lace cloth that had belonged to Grandmere. She also sat out goblets for the wine. Darach would be bringing the champagne. Counting the minister, if he stayed for the quaint reception, there would be six of them. She would love to invite Rae from the bar, but didn’t want to pull her into the hedge of trouble she and Darach seemed to be under. Abby prayed Angus would be stopped soon.

  She pulled out china plates, silver cutlery, and linen napkins from the china cabinet. The roses Darach had given her the night before were still beautiful, and she placed them in the center of the massive table.

  Candles! She needed candles for their wedding. Since there was a fireplace in the dining room, it would give off additional light, and the ivory-colored pillars she’d also unearthed from the cabinet would make the room twinkle with their flames.

  Their wedding cake with a bride and groom standing sentinel on top sat on a tea cart with a knife for cutting the first slice. There had been no time to have napkins printed but she’d grabbed a couple of bride-and-groom goblets. A twenty-dollar incentive convinced the shopkeeper to engrave them with both their names and the date.

  Abby surveyed the room and gave a sigh of relief. It looked beautiful. She would light the candles right before the wedding and get a fire going in the cold hearth. The clock chimed four times, galvanizing her into reality. While she’d been setting up and admiring the room time had literally flown. She needed to get herself ready.

  ****

  Darach arrived at Abby’s the same time Sean did and they both walked the pathway to the house. He’d called Arianna earlier and told her their arrival time, and she’d lifted the guards right on time.

  The immortal met them on the porch and sealed the guards once again. That must mean the minister and Conner had already arrived. Reverend March had been investigated and given an all-clear by the halfling.

  Now, God willing, nothing would interfere with their wedding.

  “Immortal.” Sean’s greeting to Arianna was clipped.

  “Halfling.” Her response was delivered in the same manner. Darach hoped both their friends would put their animosity on a back burner.