by Donna Grant
“The land is theirs. They have kept up the documentation to prove that it is theirs.”
“Passing it down through the centuries,” Dani said as understanding dawned.
Isla nodded. “I’ve heard them speak of building a home on their land.”
“Did none of you ever think of lowering the shield during all those centuries Deirdre was gone?”
“All the time,” Isla confessed. “A week rarely went by that we didn’t debate the issue. However, I also used the shield to keep everyone immortal inside it.”
“Couldn’t you have done that without hiding the castle or the village?”
“Of course. Deirdre knows where the castle is, but we weren’t keeping it hidden from her. We were keeping it hidden from any other evil that might try and come here.”
“I’ve only been in this battle for a few days and already I’m anxious for Deirdre to be gone forever.”
Isla chuckled and moved her hair over one shoulder to begin braiding it. “It’s a wish we all desire greatly. Soon, Dani, very soon I suspect it will happen. Just be lucky you haven’t met Deirdre yourself.”
Danielle shivered at the thought of facing Deirdre. As much as she wanted to finish Deirdre, Danielle had a feeling she would get to meet the drough before all this was over.
And Dani didn’t look forward to it.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-ONE
Ian heard a commotion in the great hall above him. He longed to rush up the stairs and discover what it was, but then he recalled the five slashes on Danielle’s arm and he knew he had to stay where he was.
The sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs made Ian lean toward the door and peer through the iron bars to see who was coming.
Relief flooded him when he saw it was Arran and not Danielle.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Arran raked a hand through his hair and leaned against the cell opposite Ian. “Broc found Malcolm. Malcolm is a day and a half outside of Edinburgh.”
“A day and a half,” Ian repeated and frowned. “Why is it taking him so long to get there?”
“He’s walking.”
“Walking? Why in God’s name is he doing that?”
Arran shrugged. “I’ve no idea. Broc didna talk to him, but he said Malcolm didna look to be in a hurry.”
“That could be good news. Do you think Malcolm is having second thoughts about killing the children?”
“No’ in the least. He could have taken the train or the bus to Edinburgh. He could have even hired someone to drive him, but he’s walking. There’s a reason for that, but I’ve no idea what it is.”
Ian rubbed his jaw, his mind racing with possibilities. “When is Larena going after him?”
“She wants to leave immediately, but Fallon has bade her to wait.”
“Tell me he’s no’ leaving the castle defenseless.”
Arran rolled his eyes. “You know he’s no’. Charlie asked to be one of the Warriors to stay behind and guard the Druids and the castle.”
“I doona like the sound of that.”
“Neither did any of us. Fallon agreed, but Ian, you doona need to worry. We are all going to be watching him.”
“Doona watch just him. Keep your eye on Kirstin as well. I have a bad feeling about this.”
Arran raised his hand and let his long white claws extend from his fingers. “It’s been a long while since I’ve seen battle. I’m more than ready for it.”
“We doona know if Deirdre and Declan are working together. Be wary, my friend.”
Arran’s claws disappeared, and he dropped his hand as he raised his eyes to Ian. “I will. I have no’ waited this long to kill Deirdre to make a mistake.”
“Who all is staying behind?”
Arran pushed off the wall, his gaze on the floor. “Fallon asked that I no’ tell you.”
Ian gripped the bars in his hands and squeezed. He wanted to throw back his head and bellow his frustration. Instead, he held his gaze steady on Arran. “Fallon doesna trust me.”
It wasn’t a question.
Arran’s brows snapped together as he jerked his eyes to Ian. “You know that isna the case.”
Ian knew no such thing, but then again, he couldn’t blame Fallon for not wanting him to know. Ian had locked himself in the dungeon because of his god.
“I’ll return when I can,” Arran said as he sprinted to the stairs.
Ian blew out a breath and turned his back to the bars. Slowly, he lowered himself to the cold, damp ground. He’d thought being in a dungeon once again would drive him daft, but the knowledge that his friends were around him helped to calm the anxiety that threatened to take hold.
It was the silence, the long intervals with nothing but the darkness for company once again, that was the worst.
“You can do this, Ian,” Duncan’s voice sounded in his head.
Ian closed his eyes, comforted more than he cared to admit by hearing Duncan’s voice. It only proved how close to madness he was, however.
“Duncan. I thought you’d left me.”
“I will soon, when you need me no more.”
“I’ll always have need of you, brother.”
“There are others who will be brother to you. They already are.”
“Aye, but they are no’ you.”
Duncan chuckled. “It’s my sour disposition you miss so much.”
It was much more than that, so much that Ian couldn’t put into words. “I doona know how to get control of Farmire.”
“Aye. You do. Listen to your heart. You conquered him once, you can do it again.”
“I conquered half of him. The other half you had.”
“Exactly. We conquered him. You were the calm one, Ian, the one who looked for logical ways to any problem. There is a way in this. Find it.”
“How?”
“You know how.”
“A little help would be appreciated.”
Instead of an answer, Ian had only more silence.
“In all the months I spent by myself in the cave, I never spoke to myself. I spoke to Duncan, which could be just as bad, but never to myself. It seems Danielle has rubbed off on me.”
The thought of Danielle with her silver hair and emerald eyes sent his balls tightening. Ian longed to hold her in his arms once again, to kiss her, caress her. Love her.
His nights with her had shaken him to his core. She was passionate, open, and so very giving. Danielle was everything he had wanted in a woman and more. He didn’t deserve her, but he wanted her more than life itself.
Ian leaned his head back against the iron bars and sighed wearily. Maybe he hadn’t made such a good decision in locking himself in the dungeon.
He squeezed his eyes closed when Danielle’s wound flashed in his mind. He had vowed to keep her safe from any harm. The possibility that he had hurt her made him sick to his stomach.
Ian put his fists to his head when Farmire began ordering Ian to give him control, demanding a battle filled with blood and carnage.
“Nay,” Ian said. “Nay! Nay!”
He shouted it over and over until his voice was hoarse and his throat was raw. Only then did he realize Farmire had quieted.
But for how long?
* * *
It had been over twenty-four hours since Ian had cast himself in the dungeons. And it had been the longest, roughest twenty-four hours Danielle had endured since her parents’ deaths.
She had stopped begging to see Ian. Fallon had given his word he would allow her to see Ian on his return. Danielle, however, had no intention of waiting that long.
As Fallon, Larena, Broc, and Sonya prepared to depart in an effort to stop Malcolm from killing innocent children, Dani stood in the great hall with everyone else.
Kirstin had found a friend with Reaghan. The tall, auburn-haired Druid was rarely seen without Kirsten. Danielle was glad of that. Maybe Reaghan would be able to discover if Kirstin was the threat or just a messed-up girl.
&n
bsp; Danielle herself hadn’t been left alone except to sleep. She knew part of the reason was because of Ian, but the other part was that they didn’t fully trust her either.
“Good luck,” Hayden said as the four readied to leave. He grabbed Isla and gave her a long, heated kiss before they said quiet words to each other.
Broc and Hayden exchanged a look that didn’t go unnoticed by Danielle. She wondered what it was all about. Her attention was soon diverted as Larena placed her hand on Isla’s shoulder who placed her hand on Broc’s, who in turn placed his hand on Fallon’s shoulder.
“Ready?” Fallon asked them.
“Ready,” the three answered in unison.
With a nod Fallon placed his hand on Larena’s shoulder and they were gone. Danielle stared at the spot for several moments. She didn’t know what she had expected upon learning that Fallon could teleport, but she hadn’t expected it to be so quiet.
“I bet I had that same look on my face,” Gwynn said with a laugh.
Danielle chuckled and slowly shook her head. “All the things we see in movies that were never supposed to be real.”
“You mean like magic? And Druids?”
“Yes,” Danielle agreed with a smile.
Gwynn looped her arm with Dani’s and steered her away from the others. “How long are you going to wait?” she whispered.
“Wait?” Danielle repeated and cut a glance at her.
“To see Ian.”
Danielle sighed. “Only until no one is looking.”
“No one is looking.” When Danielle eyed her, Gwynn smiled and gave her a nod. “Go on.”
Dani didn’t need to be told twice. She inwardly laughed when she realized Gwynn had walked her to the door which led down to the dungeon.
She squeezed Gwynn’s arm in thanks and hurried to the door. It squeaked a little as she opened it and slipped through. When the heavy oak door closed behind her, Danielle found herself in the dark.
After all these years she thought the Warriors would remember the Druids couldn’t see in the dark. Then Dani caught the faint glow of a light at the bottom of the stairs.
She began her descent slowly, reaching for each step carefully. Her hand never left the railing. The closer she came to the bottom of the stairs the more the light shone until she could take the rest of the steps with ease.
When her feet touched the ground, Danielle paused. The dungeon was much larger than she had expected. She looked to the left and found several sets of open doors. To the right she found a path with barred cells on either side.
Danielle turned to the right and started down the center. As she walked she recalled Cara’s tale of hiding here in the first attack by Deirdre and how Cara had nearly been taken by an ash-colored Warrior.
As she passed every cell Danielle looked inside to find them empty. She wasn’t surprised to discover Ian toward the end on the left side. He sat in the corner against the stone wall with his feet resting on the ground and his arms draped casually over his knees.
“Ian?”
She licked her lips when he refused to answer.
“Please, Ian. Talk to me.”
“You shouldna be here.”
Danielle sighed, overjoyed to hear his voice again. “No. You shouldn’t be here. How could you think you hurt me? You would never hurt me.”
“I saw the marks.”
“Marks I think were made by Charlie.” She gripped the iron bars and gave them a shake.
“You think.”
Danielle rolled her eyes. Ian’s voice was flat, emotionless, and he refused to look at her, his attention focused elsewhere. “Yes, I think. I’ve gone over and over it in my head. That’s the only part of the entire day that is fuzzy. Why is it so hazy?”
“Because I injured you.”
“No!” she yelled. “Dammit, Ian. Listen to me, please. Charlie told the others his power is over the wind, yet no one made him prove it. What if he lied? What if he was able to confuse me and he was the one who cut me?”
Ian pulled in a long breath and slowly blinked. “Those are a lot of ifs.”
“I need you, Ian,” she whispered, and put her head on the bars.
A tear fell from her eye when she squeezed them closed. He didn’t respond, but she was undeterred. He might not want to hear what she had to say but she was going to say it regardless.
“I missed you in bed beside me last night. How is that possible? We’ve shared two nights together, yet it feels as if I’ve known you my entire life. I’ve come to rely on you when I swore I would never do that again. I don’t want to feel the pain of losing someone again, but at the same time, you’ve made me feel things I didn’t think were possible.”
Danielle opened her eyes hoping to find Ian at least looking at her. Now, he sat with his head back and his eyes closed.
She wiped at her eyes and straightened. “There’s no doubt in my mind that you weren’t the one who cut me. You’ve locked yourself in here, Ian. Who is going to protect me from Charlie?”
CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO
It took everything Ian had not to respond to Danielle. He’d felt her glorious, astonishing magic as soon as she’d entered the dungeon. The excitement and urgency that had filled him rocked him to his very core.
He had hoped she’d come to him and prayed she wouldn’t. He wanted to hold her sweet body against his, but he didn’t want her to see him locked away.
When she stopped in front of his cell, her words had reverberated through him. He’d refused to look at her, because if he had, he’d have gone to her. Until he knew for certain he had control of his god, he didn’t want to be near her.
Her words cut through him sharper than any blade. He wanted to believe her, needed to believe her. But there was so much doubt in his mind.
Ian had felt her defeat and her resolve through her magic. He never expected to find someone who believed in him as much as she did, regardless of how much danger he posed to her.
He hadn’t been able to keep up the façade of uncaring bastard. Every instinct demanded he go to her, that he hold her and promise everything would be all right.
Instead, he sat there, his eyes closed and head back against the damn stones.
Eons passed before he heard Danielle exhale and walk away.
Her question had been valid. What was he going to do from the dungeons if Charlie attacked her? Ian opened his eyes and launched to his feet to pace the small confines of his cell.
His only option was to gain control of Farmire. Quickly.
Ian stopped in the middle of the cell and called for his god. Farmire answered swiftly. Ian glanced down at his skin to find it pale blue.
Farmire had always answered his call with haste, but since Ian had taken all his power, forcing Farmire back down took more time than before. Which proved how much Farmire fought him.
Ian urged his god back down, and as expected, Farmire battled to stay. Again and again Ian wrestled for control. Sweat broke out over his skin, and his entire body shook by the time Farmire relented and retreated.
After just a few moments’ rest, Ian repeated the process again. His thoughts were on Danielle, of holding her, of kissing her, of falling asleep beside her.
He would do this for her, for Duncan, and for all those he called family.
Those were his last thoughts moments before he blacked out as Farmire took complete control.
* * *
Declan swirled the dark red wine in his glass. He brought the glass to his nose and inhaled the aroma of oak, black cherries, and a light citrus flavor. With a tip of his hand, he sipped the expensive wine and closed his eyes as the flavors exploded on his tongue.
His life was good, albeit not complete. Yet. He still had to get Deirdre, but he knew that was simply a matter of time.
The sound of his office door opening had Declan lifting the lids of his eyes. “Ah, Robbie. Care for a glass of wine?”
“I prefer whiskey, as you know.”
“I do k
now, but it wouldna hurt for you to refine your tastes a wee bit.”
Robbie drew in a long breath and slowly released it.
“What is it?” Declan asked wearily.
Robbie rested his hand on the hilt of the dagger he wore at his waist. “It’s been two days. Should we no’ have heard from your little Druid?”
“Kirstin?” Declan asked with a laugh. “Nay, cousin. She wasna sent there to do a quick job. She will worm her way into their hearts and give me everything I need to know.”
“And if Deirdre is plotting something sooner?”
Declan sat forward and lowered his wine glass to the table. He regarded his cousin silently for a moment. “I’ve no doubt Deirdre does have something planned. It isna in her nature to sit back and wait. I, however, have more patience. Kirstin will take care of whatever threat Deirdre may throw at the MacLeods.”
A slow smile spread over Robbie’s face. “Verra smart.”
“I am the brains of this operation.”
“How soon until we hear from Kirstin?”
Declan shrugged and ran his finger over the edge of his wine glass. “It depends on how soon they let her into their trust. Until then, we sit back and wait.”
“I’d rather take action.”
“Then tell me, is there movement out of Cairn Toul?”
Robbie crossed his arms over his chest. “A few comings and goings from that blighter I spoke about before.”
“Ah, the muscle man Deirdre captured. He’s no’ a Warrior though.”
“Nay. He just does her bidding. The burgundy Warrior, however, has no’ returned yet.”
Declan rubbed his chin. “Interesting. Deirdre would only send him away for so long if she had some mission for him to do. I’ve no doubt we’ll hear of it soon. I would love to see Deirdre’s face when she discovers Druids are no’ as plentiful as they used to be. That will put a wrinkle in her plan.”
“She had to know Druids would one day be no more.”
“I’ve no doubt she did, but she’ll have expected to have had much more magic by then.”
Robbie walked to the sideboard and reached for the crystal decanter of whiskey. He poured himself a glass and lifted it toward Declan before he tilted his head back and drained it in one swallow.
