by Kate Keir
“I might not be in a position to tell you off too fiercely right now, Flora, but be assured I am furious with you for taking the risk you did to get Sluag’s blood. However, I am grateful you did.” She was looking better by the minute.
“Do you feel as though you’re healed, Pen? We weren’t sure there was enough.” Finlay asked worriedly.
Pen shrugged. “I don’t know. I feel better, but I think we will have to wait for the doctor to tell us if I’m completely free of the aneurysm.”
“Perhaps we’ll be able to get you out of here before too much longer.” Lyall was enthusiastic.
Pen smiled morosely. “I’m in no rush to get to that railway terminal. I’m sorry it’s not what you’re used to, Flora.”
“I don’t mind it. I just want to take our castle back from the Supers,” I said angrily.
“There is something I need you to do, before you do anything else,” Pen admitted.
“Whatever you need, we’ll do it.” Finlay beamed at her.
Pen sat up a little straighter in the bed, and I was delighted to see a flush of colour in her cheeks.
“A week or so ago, I came across some information in one of the manuscripts I was studying. Apparently, there is a box stored in the Edinburgh library that can capture souls.”
I blinked. “So, we can capture all of the rogues inside it?”
“Not quite,” she admitted. “It can only house one soul at a time.”
“No offence, Pen, but that doesn’t sound massively useful to us.” Lyall said what we were all thinking.
“If that one soul was Sluag’s, then I think it could be extremely useful to us,” Pen said hopefully.
My eyes were wide. “Do you honestly think that’s possible, Pen? I mean, how do we even kick Sluag’s soul out of his body?”
Pen gave a small shrug. “I hadn’t got that far, which was why I hadn’t mentioned my discovery to any of you yet.”
“But you think it might be possible?” Lyall’s voice held a tremor of excitement.
Pen nodded. “I do. I definitely think Flora will need you to share your energy with her, Lyall. But, the reason I’m telling you about this now is because the manuscript that gave me the information is still inside Castle Dion. If Sluag’s Draugur are in control of the castle now, they might find the information and try to get hold of the box themselves.”
“We need to get to it before they do,” Finlay said determinedly.
“We do. Although, I’m afraid you won’t be able to go along, Finlay.” Pen didn’t look my best friend in the eye when she spoke.
“Because of this body?” Finlay gestured at himself with a look of disgust.
Pen nodded sadly. “I’m afraid the storage facility for the manuscripts is spelled to prevent a Draugur from entering. I know you don’t have the soul of a Draugur, but you do have the body of one, Finlay.”
“It’s not a big deal. I should stay here with you anyway, Pen.” His face was flushed as he spoke, and my heart hurt for him.
“So, Flora and I need to leave as soon as possible.” Lyall stood up.
“Not so fast, you should take two of the other Dion with you. If the Draugur are headed to the library, then you might run into them on the road.” Pen held her hand up in a stop gesture as she spoke.
“Fair enough,” Lyall conceded. “I’m not taking Freya and Bear, though. They are a nightmare together.”
I snorted laughter. “The problem is that they aren’t together. If they were, then I think they’d both be a lot happier.”
“Tell that to Freya,” Finlay grinned.
“Okay, Artair and Enid it is then. Freya and Bear can continue to hunt Draugur in the mortal world, and Finlay will stay with me,” Pen said, settling the debate.
“How do we know we’re going to be able to put Sluag in the box, though?” Lyall said, voicing what we all thought.
“We don’t, but right now, this is the closet I’ve got to finding a way to stop him permanently,” Pen admitted.
“All we can do is hope that it works, I guess.” I watched a grimace of pain move across Pen’s face, and I raised an eyebrow. That was not the face of someone who was totally cured.
Pen noticed my concern and smiled valiantly. “It’s going to take a while for the symptoms to subside. Give it time, Flora.”
I smiled, unconvinced. “Okay. We should let you get some rest, and we should probably do the same ourselves.”
Lyall hooked his fingers through mine. “You must be exhausted. You haven’t slept in a day.”
“I’m not going to leave Pen’s side. Hopefully we might get out of the hospital before too much longer.” Finlay sounded positive.
My eyes met Pen’s, and she held my gaze longer than I would have liked. We both knew it wasn’t enough. I hadn’t cured her, just given her a little longer. My mind ran frantic with thoughts of how I could get more of Sluag’s blood.
“Neither of you are to take any unnecessary risks, do you understand me?”
I knew she had read my mind and was warning me not to go back to see Sluag again. In reality, her warning was pointless. I was certain he knew I hadn’t taken enough blood, and I was certain he was expecting me to go back with my tail between my legs. The problem was, he wouldn’t let me get so close next time—or if he did, he would be ready to crush me.
“I understand,” I said quietly.
“You know I won’t let anything happen to her, Pen.” Lyall’s easy confidence made me thankful for him.
“In the meantime, Pen and I can try and work out ways to possibly support you with extra energy so that you can try and dislodge Sluag’s soul without hurting yourself,” Finlay said, sounding determined.
I smiled at him. “Thank you.” I looked around the room at each of them before continuing. “But I want you all to know that I will do whatever it takes to end Sluag and stop him from getting into the world.”
Lyall gripped my hand tightly as he spoke. “Except dying, love. You’re not going to be doing any of that.”
I held my head high and fixed my most determined look on my face, before replying. “If it comes down to me or him, then yes, Lyall, even dying is on the agenda.”
“It’s not going to come to that,” Pen insisted before Lyall could reply.
I smiled warmly at her and my heart hurt. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to this amazing woman, who had spent so long in my life. I didn’t think I would ever be ready to let her go.
“Let’s hope it never comes to that,” I agreed.
Chapter Thirteen
We were both silent on the drive back to the terminal. I was lost amongst thoughts of losing Pen. My mind kept trying to think of ways to get hold of more of Sluag’s blood, but every single idea ended up with me getting myself killed this time around. I’d had my window of opportunity, and I had completely screwed it up by not getting more.
Tears welled up in my eyes, and I rubbed them angrily.
“Flora, just so you know, I’m not quiet because I’m angry with you. What’s wrong?” His voice was filled with concern.
If he didn’t realise Pen was still sick, I wasn’t going to be the one to make him face it just yet. “Nothing, I think I’m just really tired. It’s been a hell of a night.”
He nodded and seemed to be trying to decide whether or not to speak again. Eventually he seemed to come to a decision.
“I’m your Dion, Flora, and apart from that, we’re bonded. I know I’ve only known you for less than a year and compared to how long you’ve been friends with Finlay, that’s no time at all.”
I started to interrupt him, wanting to tell him we didn’t need to go through the whole Finlay argument again, but he growled at me and carried on talking.
“No, Flora. I need to tell you this because you need to know how important it is that you live.”
I nodded silently and gave him my full attention.
“I know you want to go back and try to get more blood. I’m not an idiot, love. I know it wa
sn’t enough and so does Finlay.”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. I had misjudged both of them.
Lyall gave me a wry smile. “We’re not as stupid as we seem, sometimes. But, the problem is that there’s no guarantee you’ll come back next time, not now that Sluag knows what you want and what you’re prepared to risk to get it.”
He said the words that had been plaguing my mind since we had left the hospital. “I know,” I whispered.
“We’ll do everything we can to help Pen, love. I swear it. But, your safety isn’t just important to us, it’s paramount to the protection of the whole world. I can’t let you take a risk like that again. If I had been here, you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to try.” He frowned as he concentrated on the road.
I wanted to fire back a smart-ass comment about how I was a modern-day woman, and I’d do what I needed to, but I bit it back. Lyall was right; this was so much bigger than my ego.
“I won’t go back for his blood, Lyall. I swear.” I said it honestly, knowing it was pointless to try anyway.
He nodded, seeming satisfied. Then he spoke again.
“I know it seems as though the only way to stop Sluag could mean you killing yourself, trying to force his soul of his body, but I can’t let that happen, Flora.”
“That’s different,” I argued. “Getting his soul in that box will save humanity from him, Lyall. If it comes down to giving up myself or the world, then I choose me, every single time.”
His hands went white at the knuckles as he gripped the steering wheel, and I felt tears burn my eyes again.
“Not going to happen, love,” he ground out through a clenched jaw.
I blinked through my tears.
“I don’t want to die, Lyall. I only just found you, and it’s crazy because I’d never even really thought about falling in love with someone before. I’d always just assumed that would happen in the future—you know at some point during one of those decades that I had left to experience in life.”
I watched a single tear trace down his cheek as he determinedly kept his focus on the road ahead, and I fought back my own tears to continue.
“I know how much energy it takes to push a Super from its body, and Sluag’s soul has been locked inside him for thousands of years. I don’t even know if I’m going to be strong enough to do it. But, I do know that I have to try, and I have to give absolutely everything when I do, Lyall. If I can’t get rid of him and the veil breaks, he’ll destroy the world and everyone in it. I can’t let that happen to anyone, including you.”
“You know I’m going to give you every single, last drop of energy I have to try and stop you from killing yourself, don’t you?” His voice was hoarse.
I nodded. “I know. You can’t force me to take it, though. I’ll stop before it hurts you.”
He punched the steering wheel, and I flinched at his anger.
“Flora, without you there’s no life for me. My whole existence has consisted of a dead father, a mother who despised me, and a man I murdered before his kid could get to know him. If you die, I want to die too. There’s nothing for me in this world without the brightness of your soul in it.”
I bit my lip as he pulled the car up outside the front of the terminal, and we both climbed out. I was grateful to notice it still wasn’t raining.
We stood facing each other, an unspoken agreement passed between us that the others didn’t need to hear this, so we stayed where we were.
“I love you, Lyall. I never imagined anyone could make me feel the way that you do. It’s as though I could take on a thousand Sluag’s with you next to me.” I reached out with my hand and wrapped his fingers in mine before continuing.
“That’s why I have to do it. If Sluag breaks through the veil, he’ll come for you before anyone else, because he knows what you mean to me. So, if I don’t stop him, then I lose you anyway.”
He frowned. “You’ve already accepted this haven’t you?”
Trying to calm my aching heart, I stepped toward him, and he captured my face with his hands before leaning down to rest his forehead against mine.
“Yes,” I whispered. “I’ve realised that no matter what happens, I was always going to have to say goodbye to you. It’s just a question of which way it ends. But, I will trade my life to make sure that you don’t lose yours.”
His wolf eyes burned into mine. “I can’t let that happen, love,” he growled.
I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his before whispering. “I won’t let you die. I love you too much.”
He pulled back from me and narrowed his eyes at me. “Ditto,” he said softly.
My green eyes stared unblinkingly into his amber wolf-eyes for what felt like an eternity. It was a stalemate, and we both knew it. He finally dropped his gaze from mine, and catching my hand, pulled me toward the terminal.
“We need to sleep if we’re going to Edinburgh.” His sudden subject change sent relief flooding through me.
He tugged me through the door of the terminal. It was quiet inside, and I realised the others must still be asleep. Lyall pushed open a door to a bedroom and stepped inside, still holding on to my hand.
I resisted a little. “I should probably find my own room.”
He tilted his head. “So you can run off and try to get yourself killed again. No chance, Flora. From now on, you don’t leave my sight.”
I began to half-heartedly argue. The truth was, I didn’t want to spend a second of the time we had left apart, anyway.
He cut me off. “Non-negotiable, love.”
I nodded and allowed him to close the door on the rest of the world, determined that for a few hours, I would forget about everything except my wolf-eyed Dion, whose soul was and always would be mine.
Chapter Fourteen
I woke up in a haze of confusion and darkness. I had no idea where I was or what time it was, before I suddenly realised Lyall had his arms wrapped around me, pulling my body against his chest, and I relaxed.
The reason it was so dark was because I was in the railway terminal, and the room had no windows. I picked up my phone and checked the screen to see what time it was, and I was surprised to see it was seven in the evening. My sleeping pattern was clearly wrecked.
I unwrapped myself from Lyall’s arms and stood up to flick the switch on the dim light. The movement woke him, and he grinned up at me. “How did you sleep?”
“Better than I thought I would,” I admitted.
He nodded. “We needed it, love.”
I heard noises from the main room and nodded to the door. “We should catch up with the others and let them know what’s going on.”
“Lead the way, love.” He crossed the room as he spoke, and we followed the smell of coffee until we were surrounded by the others.
Freya was lounging in a rickety wooden chair as we walked out of the bedroom, and she fired me a smirk before sipping from her cup. I rolled my eyes and ignored her, choosing to head toward the kitchen and pour myself a coffee. Lyall sat at the table and started talking with Artair.
“There’s a few things we need to tell you all,” I said as I sat down at the table.
“There’s something we need to show you,” Artair replied.
I frowned, not knowing if this was going to be good or bad. “Do you want to go first?” I asked.
Artair and Enid stood but Freya stayed seated. “I’ll leave you guys to it. I’m going to grab a shower.”
Artair and Enid led Lyall and me through the front door and around the back of the terminal building until we reached a large shed that must have housed trains way back when this line was still in use.
I looked at Lyall questioningly, but he just shrugged and followed the other two Dion. Artair reached the shed door and started to push it open.
“They just started showing up last night, while you were at the hospital,” Enid said.
As the door pushed completely open, my eyes went wide with shock as I took in the figures of dozens
of Draugur milling around the huge open space inside the shed.
“What the hell?” Lyall managed to find his voice.
“They all came to the terminal and swore their allegiance to Flora,” Enid replied as she stepped into the shed.
The Draugur seemed to suddenly realise we were there, and every one dropped to their knees and bowed their heads. The one nearest to us spoke up on behalf of the others.
“We are here to sserve you, Ssoul Keeper.”
I looked around the room in amazement. “My blood, it worked then?”
“It must have,” agreed Artair.
“So, what do we do with them?” I asked as I approached the Draugur that had spoken. He was standing now, waiting patiently to hear what I would say.
Lyall was grinning. “They’re your army, love. They might not be able to kill Sluag, but they can protect you when it comes down to getting his soul into that box.”
“They can also kill Sluag’s mortal world Draugur, just like we can,” Enid supplied.
“Wait a minute. What box?” Artair gave us a confused look.
I felt a rush of positivity that had definitely been missing last night. Finally, something had happened in our favour.
“That’s what we need to tell you. But we need everyone together. Let’s go back to the terminal,” Lyall answered.
“Will they be okay here?” I gestured at the Draugur as I spoke.
Artair nodded. “No matter what side they’re on, they’re still dead, Flora. They only need basic food or drink, and they don’t care about whether or not we are nice to them. They just want to sserve you,” he joked.
I punched his arm lightly and laughed. “Hey, don’t upset my army.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it. Now tell us about this box?” Artair said curiously.
Freya collected Bear—who had still been in bed—and we all sat down at the long, spindly-legged table in the main room while Lyall and I recounted everything that had happened the night before.
The only thing we failed to tell the other Dion, was that Pen was still sick. Before we had gone to sleep, we had agreed to keep it between us for now. It seemed pointless to upset the others when we had so many things to focus on.
