Midnight's Warrior

by Donna Grant

  “Ah. On the left side of the castle, about two hundred yards out?” Ramsey asked.

  Charon smiled. “That’s the one. The land naturally dips, and with a little help in making the hole larger, then covering it with snow, it could be used.”

  “I’d rather just use our powers,” Arran said.

  Ramsey shook his head. “Nay. There could be too many witnesses. If we can get away without calling forth our gods, then that’s what we need to do.”

  “Besides, Ramsey has magic,” Charon replied with a sly grin.

  Ramsey pushed back from the table and stood. His chest had tightened at their words, but he kept his voice normal when he spoke. “You better hope we can get Tara away so I doona have to use my magic and my power.”

  Arran rose to his feet. “Why?”

  “I’m going to get some rest,” Ramsey said.

  Charon and Arran exchanged a worried look as they watched Ramsey walk away.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Declan stared out the window of the inn, his anger growing with every beat of his heart. The weather had changed rapidly. Too rapidly.

  “They’re saying this is the worst snowfall we’ve seen in decades,” Robbie said from the chair where he listened to the radio.

  “Are they now?” Declan saw Robbie’s reflection in the mirror as he lifted his head.

  Robbie frowned. “What is it?”

  “Just a feeling, cousin.”

  “About Tara?”

  “I find it suspicious that we got such a nasty snowstorm as I was on my way to Tara.”

  Robbie rose and walked to stand beside Declan at the window. “You think the Warriors are involved.”

  It wasn’t a question. “I do.”

  “I can take care of them with the X90 bullets.”

  Declan turned his head and smiled at his cousin. “For all the Warriors’ strength, the power of their gods, and their immortality, seeing what a bit of drough blood does to them is priceless.”

  “And how much pain.”

  Declan chuckled. “At least we killed one of them during the last battle.”

  “The one who was trying to reach Saffron, that huge hulking Warrior the color of brown?”

  “Aye. He’s the one.”

  “One down and how many more to go?”

  Declan’s smile vanished. “That’s the problem. We doona know. Deirdre had a suspicion of how many were there, but she would never tell me.”

  “I still can no’ believe Malcolm betrayed her.”

  Declan fisted his hands. “I’m going to make him suffer for what he’s done.”

  “We’ll have to find him first.”

  “Oh, I’ve no doubt we’ll find him. But first, Tara. Once I have her undergo the ceremony to become drough, we’ll begin taking out the Warriors one by one.”

  “It’s taken too long to reach Tara. She could have already run again.”

  Declan tapped his finger on the windowsill. He wanted Tara to know he was coming for her. He wanted her terrified, and he knew Tara well enough to know just how to go about that.

  He spun on his heels and knelt in the middle of the room. With his palms held facedown, he leaned back on his heels and closed his eyes. He kept Tara’s face in his mind as he began to chant the spell that would allow him to reach her mind if she was close enough.

  Declan had tried this many times since Tara had run away, but he’d never gotten close enough to her. They were only about forty miles away from Dunnoth Tower. That was on the fringes of where the spell could reach, but it was worth a try.

  Anticipation grew as the spell reached out its fingers and searched for the one he sought. He poured more of his black magic into the spell, urging it to search harder, farther.

  And then he smiled as it found her.

  “Tara,” he whispered.

  * * *

  “Tara.”

  Tara bolted upright in the bed as Declan’s voice echoed in her mind. Her heart pounded in her ears as her stomach fell to her feet.

  She had heard him, as clearly as if he had been standing beside her. Tara, still fully dressed, looked around her room. She must have fallen asleep because the light was still on, and it proved she was alone.

  At least in her room.

  She swallowed, trying to wet her now-dry mouth as she ran her hands up and down her arms. Declan was close, possibly at the castle somewhere. There was no more time to waste. Tara had to leave.

  A glance outside told her she wouldn’t be leaving in her car. There was no way she would make it on the road, much less out of the castle’s drive.

  “Damn,” she muttered as she jumped from the bed.

  Tara opened her window, thankful she was on the bottom floor. She gasped as the frigid air slammed into her. Her teeth chattered, but her coat and scarf were in the entryway. And she wasn’t about to brave the dark corners of the castle to try and reach it if Declan was there.

  With her shoulders set, Tara sat on the windowsill and swung her legs over. She slid off the sill and sank into snow that now reached almost to her hips. It took some effort, but she was finally able to close the window.

  She was soon shivering as she looked around. The clouds hid the moon, which would thankfully hide her, but it also meant there was no light to help her find her way to the road.

  Tara shuddered as the thick snow continued to fall. It clung to her hair and eyelashes, making it even more difficult to see. But she wasn’t going to give up. Declan might be hunting her, but she wouldn’t ever stop running.

  The snow quickly penetrated her jeans, and she wasn’t even twenty steps away from the castle. Desperation kicked in. Tara used extra effort to try and walk through the dense, hip-high snow.

  She worked her way around the castle to the driveway where the snow shouldn’t be nearly as thick. It was a huge chance, because if Declan was there, he might see her. But if she didn’t get away from the castle, he’d catch her soon enough.

  Tara could see the driveway, but no matter how desperately she wanted to reach it, her body was exhausted. Her knees buckled and she fell face-first in the snow.

  As much as she wanted to lie there and catch her breath, Tara pushed herself up and started forward. She heard what sounded like a crunch of a shoe on the snow, so she halted and listened.

  For several moments she didn’t move. There was no other sound, and even though she looked around she didn’t see anything. But she knew something was out there.

  Tara continued on until she reached the edge of the castle. Across the drive was Ramsey’s cottage. She could go to him, ask him for help, but as soon as the thought entered her mind she dismissed it.

  She checked to make sure there were no lights on in the cottage before she made a dash to the driveway. She had taken just two steps when a large form stepped in front of her.

  A scream lodged in her throat, and a hand quickly covered her mouth.

  “Tara,” Ramsey whispered in her ear as he pulled her against him. “It’s me.”

  She nodded her head as she found herself clinging to him.

  “Shite, you’re shivering.”

  The adrenaline spike as well as the cold air had her body shaking uncontrollably.

  Without asking her permission, he lifted her in his arms and stalked to his cottage.

  “Fool of a woman running around in such weather without a coat. Are you trying to kill yourself?” he demanded angrily.

  Since her teeth were chattering so badly she couldn’t talk, Tara shook her head.

  “What were you doing out here?”

  She glanced at him, thankful she couldn’t speak, because she was liable to tell him everything. It was the first time since leaving Declan’s that she felt he was nearly upon her. And it was the scariest thing she had ever felt.

  Tara laid her head on Ramsey’s shoulder, amazed to find he still didn’t have a coat on, nor did he appear to be affected by the cold.

  He nudged his door open with his foot and shouldered his way
inside before shutting it with his elbow. Nothing else was said as he set her in front of the roaring fire and draped a thick blanket around her.

  She snuggled beneath the warmth, grateful to be out of the cold. Beneath her lashes, she watched Ramsey as he took one of her feet in his hands and gently pulled off her boot. He set it beside the fire and repeated the process with the other shoe.

  “You’re soaked through.”

  The rough tenor of his voice made a thrill go through Tara. She lifted her eyes to his face. “A little.”

  “Soaked,” he repeated. “You need to get out of your clothes before you catch a chill.”

  “I will. Just give me a moment to warm up, and I’ll go back to the castle and change.”

  He shook his head, and that’s when she saw his hair was loose around his face. It hung black as midnight just past his shoulders.

  “No’ until you tell me why you risked your life tonight.”

  Tara looked away and focused on the flames before her.

  A moment later Ramsey stood. She heard him in the kitchen, and she took that time to look around the small cottage. The kitchen and living room were one large open room. She did spot a door that she suspected led to his bedroom and bathroom. The cottage was sparsely decorated with just enough to offer the occupant comfort.

  “Here.”

  She jerked when she found Ramsey squatting in front of her holding a cup of steaming coffee. “How do you constantly sneak up on me?”

  “Drink,” he urged.

  Tara eagerly wrapped her numb fingers around the hot cup. She had to take turns holding it because it hurt her fingers to have the feeling return to them so quickly. But the coffee tasted delicious and helped to warm her.

  Ramsey had taken a seat in the chair beside her, and he watched her silently. His look wasn’t unkind, but it was disapproving.

  She had to admit it wasn’t one of her smarter plans, but then again she’d never heard Declan’s voice in her head before.

  “I didna mean to upset you earlier,” Ramsey said.

  Tara released a breath and looked into her coffee mug. “I shouldn’t have gotten so defensive. I’ve been alone for so long that I don’t always react well to people.”

  It had been different with the children she taught. They had been young, curious, and full of laughter. They hadn’t cared about her past or wanted to know everything about her. All they had wanted was her attention and to have fun. Those were two things she had been able to give.

  But being with those kids had made her come to terms with how dearly she wanted a child of her own.

  It took a moment for her to realize her fear of Declan had vanished almost as soon as Ramsey had picked her up. How could a man she hardly knew make her feel safe?

  “You aren’t going to tell me, are you?” Ramsey asked.

  Tara thought about returning to the castle and held the blanket tighter. She wanted just a few more moments with Ramsey, just a few more moments where she felt safe.

  She set down her mug and looked at him. “There is a man after me.”

  “What does he want?”

  “Me,” she answered, and laughed at how absurd it sounded. “I once thought him a friend, but I learned he was anything but.”

  “That’s who you’ve been running from?”

  Tara didn’t want to lie, but she wasn’t quite ready to tell everything. “Partly.”

  Ramsey leaned forward so that his elbows were on his knees. A soft smile pulled at his lips. “That wasna so difficult, was it?”

  “Actually,” she said with a choked laugh, “it was.”

  His smile slowly melted away and his brow furrowed. “Tara, you could have frozen to death out there.”

  “I know. I just…” She trailed off as words eluded her. She swallowed back another rise of tears and shrugged.

  “Stay here tonight. Nothing will harm you here, and you need to rest.”

  She wanted to tell him no, but she was so damned tired of looking out for herself. Just this once she was going to give in and allow someone else to carry some of her burden for her.

  “All right.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Ramsey had expected a fight. The ease with which Tara relented proved just how terrified she was. What had made her run off in the middle of such a storm without a jacket?

  “The man you say is chasing you, you think he’s here? At the castle?”

  Tara shook her head slowly. “I did, but maybe I was wrong. I don’t know anymore.”

  “What made you think he was here?”

  Her blue-green eyes turned to him. “You’re going to think I’m daft.”

  “Nay,” Ramsey said with a small smile.

  She licked her lips and adjusted the blanket around her. “I heard his voice.”

  “What did he say?”

  “My name. It sounded as if he were right beside me, but I think maybe it was just a dream.”

  Ramsey let her lie to herself and him, but he knew Declan was anything but a dream. He might have stopped Declan from reaching the castle, but he hadn’t prevented Declan from using magic to get to Tara.

  “Take my bed,” Ramsey said. “I can find you something to wear.”

  “The couch will be fine.”

  “But the bed is better,” he said as he rose.

  Ramsey held out his hand and helped her to her feet. As soon as her skin touched him, magic shot through him like lightning, sizzling his skin until his entire body craved more of her.

  He reluctantly released her, and then fisted his hand as the tendrils of magic swarmed over his skin. Ramsey didn’t need to look down to see them anymore. He knew the feel of it, of her glorious, exquisite magic.

  It took a great amount of effort to walk ahead of Tara into his room instead of letting his fingers skim down her face to her neck.

  Ramsey thought turning away from her was difficult, but once in his room with the bed so near, his body hungered for one thing. Tara.

  He pulled out the first shirt in the small bag he had yet to unpack and tossed it on the bed. The longer he stayed near her while her magic swam over his skin, the more his control slipped.

  Tara might be beautiful, and he might be attracted to her. But keeping her alive was his only duty. Ramsey hadn’t thought that would be a problem. Then again, he hadn’t felt Tara’s magic at the time.

  “The bathroom is there,” Ramsey said, and pointed to the closed door. In two steps he was at his bedroom door. Just before he closed it behind him he said, “If you need anything, let me know.”

  “Thank you,” Tara said as he shut the door behind him.

  Ramsey took a deep breath, then another before he realized his hand was still on the doorknob. It would be so easy to give it a little twist and be back in the room with Tara.

  “Nay,” Ramsey whispered, and released the doorknob.

  He stumbled to the couch and plopped down, his gaze on the hand that had touched Tara. As he expected, the white tendrils were thicker, more solid from touching her skin.

  As with any Warrior, he had the ability to sense magic. It allowed a Warrior to find and track Druids. But there was a connection that neither the Druids nor the Warriors had realized when the Druids first called up the gods.

  There were instances where a certain Druid’s magic would affect a Warrior more deeply. He could feel her emotions in her magic.

  The fact a Warrior could do that was magic itself, but what it signified was a strong bond between Warrior and Druid. That bond had formed eight times at MacLeod Castle, and each time the Druid and the Warrior fell in love.

  Ramsey had felt the intensity of Tara’s magic miles before he arrived at Dunnoth Tower. Then he had grabbed her arm and watched as her magic swirled around his hand.

  But what had him in complete shock was that it was the stark fear he had felt in her magic that had led him outside. There hadn’t been time to analyze why he had sensed her distress. He had simply reacted and gotten her to his cottage as q
uickly as possible.

  Yet, while she had been with him, he’d tried to discern more of her emotion through her magic. Unfortunately, he’d sensed nothing. It was as if she had somehow cut it off.

  Ramsey held up his hand. The magic moved with the grace of white smoke while it danced upon his skin. It moved around and over, swirling slowly.

  “Well, fuck me.”

  Ramsey jerked his head around at the sound of Charon’s voice. He found both Charon and Arran staring at him, so he lowered his hand. “I’d rather no’.”

  Arran chuckled and shoved Charon forward so he could shut the door. “Care to explain what’s going on with your hand?”

  “No’ really.”

  “Too bad,” Charon said. “We want to know.”

  Ramsey flexed his fingers and watched the tendrils move with him. “I touched Tara’s hand.”

  “Damn,” Arran said, his eyes wide.

  Ramsey shook his head and held his finger to his lips. “We’ve a visitor.”

  “The lovely Tara,” Charon murmured with a smile.

  Ramsey rose and walked over to them so they could talk. “She tried to run away. She said she heard Declan’s voice in her head.”

  “Shit,” Charon ground out as he ran a hand through his hair. “We covered the entire estate three times. He’s no’ here.”

  Arran frowned. “Wait. She told you about Declan?”

  “Nay,” Ramsey admitted with a sigh. “She did tell me there was a man chasing after her, and that same man is the one she thought she heard.”

  “Careful you doona slip up then,” Charon warned.

  “I know. She said he only spoke her name, but it was enough to send her out into the night without a jacket.”

  “In this weather?” Arran said, his face wide with shock.

  Ramsey nodded. “She’s verra afraid of him.”

  “So was Saffron,” Charon said.

  Arran snorted. “She still is, but Camdyn is there to protect her.”

  “Tara does no’ know about the two of you yet. I wouldna put it past her to leave if she saw both of you.”

  Charon blew out a long breath and braced his hands on the table. “I’ll keep watch on the road. The fact that Tara allowed you to bring her here, and is staying, says you’re making progress. We doona want to muck that up.”