by Tara Nina
“Aye.” He nodded.
“With a car, the engine is its stomach and it eats fuel in order to work.”
“And ye drive it instead o’ guide it with reins like a horse,” Padon added and she sensed he seemed more at ease as they spoke.
“Yes. The steering wheel is how I guide it and I use the foot pedals to make it go and stop.”
Again he nodded and she noted his unease lessened even more. If she kept the conversation going, hopefully he’d be more comfortable with the car by the time they reached their destination. With only a few hours of night left, the first stop in this rescue mission was Travis’ place in Edinburgh. They needed a location to hide Padon during the day and be closer to where Timothy claimed Lonnie had taken Fin’s grandfather.
Out of the corner of her eye, she checked the side mirror then shot her gaze to the rearview. Nothing shone in the night. No additional headlights followed them. Still, she couldn’t shake the sensation someone or something was back there. She breathed deep, trying to calm the unease. It had to be the situation that kept her nerves taut and on edge. She did her best to focus on Padon and their conversation, which helped make the time pass quickly.
She enjoyed listening to his sexy brogue as he spoke of his family. The dedication and love couldn’t be missed in his voice. Keeping him talking about his home seemed to ease most of the tension from him, but she sensed a deep sadness laced every word. It had to be difficult to wake up and learn life passed you by while you slept, cursed in a stone tomb. Lynn tried not to dwell on that aspect as she did her best to keep him focused on a subject he knew and understood, his family. Before she knew it they were pulling into the driveway of Travis’ home in Edinburgh.
The sun threatened to breach the sky as she hurried Padon into the cottage behind Travis. He motioned to the first open door off the hallway. It was the bedroom where she’d left her things before they’d started their camping trip to find a ghost with a secret. She eyed Padon. What a hell of a secret Jasper had protected for centuries.
Chapter Ten
It hurt her heart to watch him fall to the curse again. He stood proud and staring at her with a heat that warmed her to her toes. A longing to hold him, kiss and make love to him grew in every fiber of her being. She wanted desperately to learn how to break this curse for good. Lynn pressed her palm flat to his chest and swore she felt his heartbeat. Even if it wasn’t possible, it didn’t matter. As long as she believed it, then to her it was true. His heart still beat beneath that heavy stone tomb and that gave her hope that he was alive.
Travis and Fin locked Timothy in a closet just to be safe. Neither of them trusted Timothy even though they doubted he had the capability of planning an escape without his cohort Lonnie. Even with him locked up, Lynn still had a dreadful feeling in the pit of her stomach something wasn’t right. The look Timothy shot her right before they’d closed the closet door gave her chills.
Lynn tried to relax. She took a shower and lingered in the water until she was pruned. Still it didn’t help ease the nagging discomfort that something balanced in the wings, waiting to happen the moment her guard was down. Wrapped in a towel, she crossed the room, passing Padon in the process.
Could he see her? She stood in front of him, dropped the towel and did a sexy stroll around him. Her fingertips lightly caressed him as she moved, giving her a sensation of closeness even though a thick layer of stone separated them. Unable to resist, she jiggled her breasts, wishing Padon would touch them, hold them and taste them until she couldn’t take it anymore. When he didn’t, disappointment settled in her gut even though she didn’t expect him to move until sundown.
She turned, drew the shade, shutting out the sunlight, and then closed the curtains for an added measure of darkness. Lynn slipped on her pajamas. The moment she snuggled under the covers, she realized it appeared as if Padon stood watch over her. His hands were crossed at his waist. His back straight, chin lifted and his gaze—though frozen—still focused on her, never letting her out of his sight. Silly as it may seem, a sense of security flowed within her, lulling her to sleep.
Complete exhaustion didn’t keep her from dreaming of Padon. If she had her way, he’d be beside her, wrapped around her instead of standing guard across the room. His heat would keep her warm. His lips would turn her on and his cock… Oh how his cock would satisfy her every sexual need.
Deeper into sleep, she hungered for his touch to the point her dream made her believe he was right beside her. Touching her. Caressing her. Kissing her. Tongue upon tongue, lip upon lip. His flavor inspired her hunger to crave more and more of his kiss. Her body responded. Both nipples hardened. Her abdominal muscles flinched as the phantom sensation of his fingers’ featherlight touches teased her. Moisture formed between her thighs as her hidden bud tightened with a desperate ache.
In slow motion, his fingers worked their magic, drawing tiny circles on her lower abdomen along that sensitive skin without dropping lower where she wanted them. Lower. She wanted him to touch her between her folds and finger her to completion. But he didn’t.
His lips never left hers. His hands caressed and touched, teasing and strumming her flesh to perfection until every uncovered section of skin sizzled from his ministrations. Lynn’s moan broke their kiss. Unable to take any more, she grabbed his wrist and guided his hand where she desperately needed his attention. He cupped her mound and she sighed, breathing deeply as her legs opened wide.
His fingers needed no further guidance. Back and forth, he slid them along her slit, causing her to become more and more wet. In. She wanted him in her. Cock. Fingers. She’d take whatever he’d give her for some form of relief. Time after time, he came close but didn’t enter her. Lynn lifted her pelvis from the bed, urging him to fulfill her need. Unwilling to take any more teasing, she intertwined her fingers with his and showed them what she wanted.
In deep. Out until just the tips hovered within her entrance, then in deep again. Over and over, she helped him set the pace as she held his wrist while his fingers did the walking. She needed. Faster and faster, she pumped her pelvis in tune to his fingers while wishing it were his cock. One solid swirl of his thumb to her clit and she bit back the scream of ecstasy as her back arched and a wave of pure pleasure took her over the edge. Her clit throbbed as her cream soaked his fingers.
At last, she groaned. Release at last.
He stood watching her masturbate. Was she dreaming? Apparently she was, but he really didn’t care. What he came for wasn’t her. It stood in the corner, poised and quite ripe for the taking. His boss would be proud.
Ignoring her passion-riddled moans in the background, he perused his prize. Frozen. Lifeless. This was easier than taking candy from a child. The statue looked extremely heavy. But that mattered not to him. He had plenty of support to carry out his plan. And it had been easy enough to convince his partner to go along with it. The idiot listened to every word and absorbed them as if they were his own to act upon. The plan had gone without a hitch and here he stood ready to redeem his reward.
A smile tugged at his lips but he refused to allow it. Not yet anyway, not until the job was done. Slow and deliberate, he walked toward the bed. She lay entangled in the blankets. Her face was flushed from her dream. It must have been a really hot one. If he had the time to spare, he’d help her with her little horny problem.
But time was something he didn’t have. They’d been hired to find a particular group of statues. Through dumb luck, they’d stumbled upon one with Fin’s inadvertent help. They were supposed to have delivered the statue by now. Brother Leod was becoming impatient. But what was he to do? His partner was incompetent and unreliable so he’d had to make other arrangements, which no longer included him.
What a shame, they’d been friends for years.
With a damp cloth in hand, he silently closed the distance to the bed. She never knew what hit her. Just like what happened with Travis and Fin. Neither had had a chance to respond before the drug claimed him.
Her eyes opened wide, but he doubted she had time to focus before the chloroform took effect and slammed them shut. With the last one out of the way, he pulled the cell phone from his pocket and made the call.
“Transport needed. Problem secured.”
* * * * *
“Lynn, wake up, lass.”
Someone shook her hard while calling her name. Her head felt like a sack of bricks sat on it. And when she swallowed, her mouth was the driest it had ever been and a horrid taste coated her tongue. What the hell happened?
A face appeared behind her eyes and instantly she bolted upright. Unbelievable. Grasping for any form of saliva she could muster, she sputtered, “Timothy. He—”
“We know, lass,” Travis replied coldly. “He got the drop on all of us. Fin and I just woke from whatever he used on us.”
Lynn stared at the empty corner. “Padon?”
“He took him,” Fin stated from the doorway. “But don’t you fear, lass. We will be getting him back.”
“How’d he get out of the closet?” Lynn questioned in a panic as she tested her legs before she stood. Her head spun but she managed to gain her balance.
“Seems we were duped.” Travis cupped her elbow for support. “From what we’ve figured out, Lonnie was hiding in the trunk of Fin’s car. We found the backseat pushed out. They must have loosened it in order for Lonnie to escape from the trunk, then he freed Timothy from the closet. Apparently, our capturing Timothy was part of their grand plan.”
“Gentlemen.” She looked to the doorway to see an older version of Fin standing behind his left shoulder. She could only assume he was Fin’s grandfather. With a nod in her direction, he added, “And lassie. We have a problem. Seems Timothy cut his ties ta Lonnie.”
They followed Thicket MacIntyre into the kitchen. “Lass, you may want ta be looking away.”
When she shook her head, he opened the pantry door. Lonnie’s lifeless body lay crammed in the small space. His neck was obviously broken. Lynn gasped and said a prayer for his soul. Timothy’s face was the last she’d seen before she’d been drugged. The nagging little voice in the back of her head whispered, I told you so. I told you something wasn’t right.
It surprised her that her brain functioned enough to form a sentence. “Where were you?” She posed her question to Fin’s grandfather.
“The bastards knocked on the door. Since I knew them from the society ta protect the MacKinnons, I made the mistake o’ opening the door. They overpowered me and used the same drug on me as they used on you. When I woke up, I discovered I was in a car trunk. I just kept pounding on the lid until Fin and Travis here found me.”
She looked from Fin to Travis. “He was in your trunk the whole time,” Travis answered. Her jaw dropped. She knew she’d felt like something or someone was behind her last night as she drove, she just didn’t know how close he truly had been. They’d never even considered opening the trunks. They’d had no reason to. And Timothy had played them for fools. He’d given a prize-winning performance in her opinion. The idiot at their mercy wasn’t an idiot at all but the mastermind behind the pair. Damn. She felt like such a fool and now Padon was in jeopardy.
In his current condition, he had no defenses. Lynn’s gut flipped and knotted. They had to find him before Timothy turned him over to this madman or worse, smashed him while stuck in statue form.
* * * * *
“Well done, Timothy,” Brother Leod commended as he circled the MacKinnon. “You have succeeded where others have failed before you.”
“Thank you, master,” Timothy replied. He held his stance taut and his face showed none of the excitement that roared through his veins. It was all he could do not to smile at his own achievement.
“You have proven your worth to me and you shall be rewarded.” He watched Brother Leod continue to peruse the statue as if looking for a particular mark to prove its validity as being the right one.
Brother Leod turned to face him. Timothy shuddered inwardly at the sight of the marred left side of his face. It was crinkled as if he’d been caught in a fire. There was no eyebrow above his left eye and that gave him an eerie appearance. Those golden, wheat-colored eyes seemed to swirl as their stares met. The sensation of falling filtered through him and he actually grabbed the wall beside him for support. But he wasn’t moving. Timothy couldn’t pull his gaze from Brother Leod’s powerful control. A presence entered his head, tapping into his thoughts, shuffling through them like a deck of cards.
When he was done, Brother Leod turned away from Timothy, releasing him from his mental snare. Timothy physically shook, trying to regain his composure. Anger built him a backbone and he lunged toward Leod and grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to turn back around.
“What the hell was that about?”
Leod’s right eyebrow arched. “I had to know if you were trustworthy or if this was a trick.”
“I got rid o’ Lonnie ta prove my devotion ta the cause,” he snapped. “That should have been enough. That and the fact I brought you the damn MacKinnon you asked for.”
A wicked smile upturned Leod’s lips. Timothy forced his eyes not to meet Leod’s magical gaze again. He looked at his nose, lips or his chin but not his eyes. It bothered him that this man had some sort of magical power of mind control.
“And for that you shall be paid.” Brother Leod nodded toward the big redheaded goon of a guy, who stood stoic beside the only piece of furniture in the room, an old wooden desk. “Roy, give our loyal follower of the Brotherhood of the Sons of the Servant of Judgment his due payment.”
Roy opened a briefcase on the desk and pulled out a manila envelope. He walked over to Timothy and handed it to him. Timothy quickly peeked inside and saw two neatly bundled stacks of money. Both were for him. With Lonnie gone, he didn’t have to share.
“There’s more where that came from,” Brother Leod stated, “if you find me another MacKinnon statue. From my calculations, there are three cursed brothers left. You have proven yourself to be an asset to our cause. Don’t let me down.”
Timothy no longer tried to hide his smile as he folded the envelope and shoved it in the inside pocket of his jacket. “Consider the statues as good as found.”
“Roy here will walk you out.” Brother Leod waved a hand at Roy then turned back to studying the statue.
“Don’t you worry. I’ll find you another one o’ those statues,” Timothy boasted as Roy escorted him through the door.
When Roy returned, he stood beside him. “I don’t see why you like that one.”
“I don’t,” Brother Leod replied coldly. “But he got the job done.” He shot a sideways look at Roy. “Now don’t you worry, Roy. You’ll get your chance to do with him whatever you wish once the last cursed MacKinnon is in my possession.”
Roy snickered as he punched his fist in his palm and Brother Leod knew from past experience Roy liked to inflict severe pain before he killed.
“Do I get a chance at him too?” Doc stood in the doorway, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses and grinning as if waiting for his cue to go after the young man. Strands of white hair hung in his face and his frame was so thin it looked as if he hadn’t eaten in a decade. His beady black eyes seemed to sparkle in delight at the thought of the things he’d like to do to Timothy if given the chance. Fucking him raw would be the first on Doc’s agenda. Leod didn’t doubt that for a minute.
“I’m sure you and Roy can work something out.” He nodded at Doc. “As long as you make it painful.”
“Painful pleasure, oh yes.” He practically drooled as his voice squeaked.
Brother Leod shook his head, watching Doc turn and leave. Between the pain Roy would inflict by beating Timothy and the sexual pain Doc would treat his patient to, Timothy would either die happy from the ass fucking or die a broken and beaten man. He cared neither which way as long as Timothy didn’t fail to bring him another MacKinnon. If he did, his days would be drastically numbered when he unleashed those two on him.
“Lea
ve me,” Brother Leod commanded and Roy did as ordered.
Dragging his hand along the stone as he circled it again, excitement brewed inside him. It had been a long time coming. Three failures so far. He’d come so close twice. Those attempts had cost him his pretty-boy looks. Absently, he touched the taut, twisted left side of his face then dropped his hand to his hip. The third time, he’d never even gotten near the statue before it had been set free. He’d felt the sizzle in the air and knew another MacKinnon had been awakened, but it wasn’t until he saw the idiot arrested on the news that he knew of that one’s location.
By then, it was too late.
The MacKinnon had met his mate and the curse was broken. But not this time. Leod snickered, looking at the dead eyes of the statue. This time he had succeeded and captured a statue. According to Timothy, someone had spoken the anti-curse and set him free. Leod couldn’t help but grin. That was half a freedom.
What will he think when he awakes and sees me? Nightfall couldn’t come fast enough.
“Ah,” he sighed. Things were finally falling into place. The prophecy would be fulfilled and the Book of Shadows would be his to command.
Power rippled through his veins and his fingers warmed and glowed. Flames danced on his fingertips then disappeared as quickly as they’d been summoned. Mind control and keeper of the eternal flame were his specialties. So far, those tricks had not been enough to gain him the book.
He had to fulfill the prophecy set in motion over two hundred years ago by his great ancestor and namesake, Hume Leod MacGillivray. Leod’s new strategy seemed to be his best. Find and steal the remaining cursed MacKinnons and use them as bait to capture the other MacKinnon brothers. Having them all locked up in one location would make it so much easier to kill them.
