by Donna Grant
It wasn’t that she wasn’t ready and willing to help the others end Deirdre, because she was. It was the thought of having to go underground that had her quaking in her boots.
Literally.
Everyone was bundled warmly since the wind whipping off the two lochs along with the already frigid temperatures would make things very uncomfortable.
Several of the Warriors had backpacks filled with water and food, and everyone had PowerBars stuffed into the pockets of their coats just in case.
Saffron raised her scarf so that it covered her mouth to just under her nose so no one could see her teeth chattering. With her jacket no one could see how she was near to hyperventilating, either.
It was appalling that the mere mention of going underground could terrify her. Just another reason to hate Declan. For three petrifying long years she had been deep under his house in his dungeon. Tortured in ways that she could hardly wrap her mind around.
Tormented by her greatest fears.
Starved for days at a time.
Beaten until she finally begged them to stop.
But the worst …
Saffron mentally shook her head. She wouldn’t venture down that road and open herself up to those memories. Not now.
Not ever again.
“Everyone ready?” Fallon asked as he glanced around him.
“I’ve been ready for over seven centuries,” Quinn replied.
Lucan smiled at his brother and nodded. “Hell yes, little brother.”
The other Warriors cheered, but as Saffron looked at the Druids, they weren’t as joyous. They were more worried than their husbands.
Someone bumped into Saffron on her left and she glanced over to see Kirstin, Braden, and Aiden. Saffron rolled her eyes at the way the two guys were falling all over the young Druid, though Kirstin was certainly enjoying the attention. When it didn’t appear as if her mind was taking a small vacation.
Isla stepped forward into the circle beside Fallon. The hall quieted almost immediately. “As before, the shield will stay in place protecting the castle. But just as before, whenever we leave here we won’t be immortal.”
“I’m hoping we awaken Laria before Deirdre gets there,” Fallon said. “But if the worst should happen and one of the Druids becomes injured, get them to Sonya immediately so she can heal them.”
As Fallon began to group people together, something slick and evil slid over Saffron. For a moment she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, as she recognized the feel of that malevolence.
She swallowed and tried to step to the side only to collide with Logan and Gwynn.
“Are you all right?” Gwynn asked, her brow puckering in worry.
She turned her head to them and gave a small shake of her head. “Need. Away.”
Logan and Gwynn didn’t ask any questions as they each took an arm and led her into the kitchen. The farther Saffron got from the evil the better she began to feel.
“What happened?” Logan asked, his brows knit over his hazel eyes. “You were white as death.”
Saffron shuddered. “I felt Declan’s evil. It’s here. In this castle. On someone.”
“Are you sure?” Gwynn asked.
“I’d stake my life on it.”
“That’s good enough for me,” Lucan said from the doorway of the kitchen.
Saffron hadn’t realized he had followed them into the kitchen. But he wasn’t the only one. Ramsey stood on one side of Lucan and Camdyn the other.
Camdyn didn’t utter a word, simply watched her with his hooded eyes and blank expression. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and that worried her. Especially after their kiss at the beach.
She began to sweat and jerked off her mittens, scarf, and jacket. Still it wasn’t enough to calm her stomach. Saffron leaned over and braced her hands on her knees.
“What do you need?” Gwynn asked.
Saffron squeezed her eyes closed and tried to rid herself of the terror. “To kill Declan.”
“He’s next,” Ramsey said.
She shook her head, her brown hair hitting the sides of her cheek. “He’s here. Somehow he’s here.”
“Who was she standing near?” Camdyn demanded.
It was Logan who answered. “Aiden, Kirsten, and Braden.”
The kitchen grew quiet, and it didn’t take long for Saffron to realize what she had to do. Slowly she straightened and took a deep breath to calm her stomach.
Her gaze met the startling green ones of Lucan as she said, “There’s only one way to be sure who it is. I need to get near all three again. Preferably one at a time.”
Lucan gave her a nod and turned on his heel as he stalked from the kitchen. A glass of water was shoved into her hand. Saffron looked at the water and suddenly wished for something much stronger.
As if reading her mind, Camdyn took the water and gave her a glass with a dash of whisky in it. “Drink it. You’ll feel better.”
She tilted her head back and drained the contents. It burned down her throat before it settled in her stomach, its warmth spreading through her.
Saffron covered her mouth with the wrist of the hand that held the glass as she coughed. She blinked rapidly to stop her eyes from watering.
“Next time, try sipping it,” Logan said with a grin.
She set the glass on the worktable as Fallon and Quinn walked into the kitchen with Lucan. Quinn’s mouth was set in a hard line, his eyes trying to hold in his worry.
Fallon held out his hand to her. “Lucan filled me in. Are you ready?”
“No,” she replied, but put her hand in his anyway.
“We willna allow Declan to harm you,” Ramsey promised.
“I’m going to hold all of you to that.”
Lucan gave her a wink of encouragement as they followed her and Fallon out of the kitchen. Saffron’s steps faltered when she saw everyone seated around the table watching her.
Marcail sat beside Aiden stroking his hand as Aiden’s gaze was locked on Saffron. Saffron prayed it wasn’t Aiden for Marcail and Quinn’s sake.
“In order for Saffron to determine who holds magic from Declan inside them, she’ll need to stand alongside each of us individually until she finds it,” Fallon told the great hall.
Saffron sighed. She was glad he was going about it this way instead of naming the three she knew had to hold it.
Fallon turned to her. “Do you feel Declan’s magic on me?”
Saffron shook her head. Next was Lucan, then Quinn. After the MacLeods came Logan, Dani, Ramsey, and Camdyn. A small thrill went through Saffron when Camdyn’s hand brushed hers as he came to stand beside her.
“No,” she whispered, and dared to meet his chocolate gaze. To her surprise, he squeezed her hand before he walked away.
One by one the rest of the castle came to stand beside her. When it was Aiden’s turn, it was all Saffron could do not to look at Marcail or Quinn who stood off to the side holding each other.
Saffron held her breath waiting for the awful feel of Declan’s magic. But there was nothing. She smiled and shook her head at Aiden, who returned to his parents with a bright smile on his face.
Next came Fiona, who Saffron knew wasn’t part of it. But it was when Kirstin began to draw near that Saffron felt it. She stumbled backward until she hit the wall, holding up her hands to stop Kirstin from coming closer.
“It’s me?” Kirstin asked with confusion.
Saffron nodded, and had to swallow twice before she said, “Yes.”
Kirstin looked around her with wild blue eyes. “How? I’ve never met Declan Wallace.”
Fallon stepped toward her. “Are you sure?”
“Yes!” she shouted.
“Where are you from?” Quinn asked as he drew closer.
“Kinlochleven.”
Lucan walked to the other side of Fallon. “But you know who Declan is?”
“Everyone does,” Kirstin answered.
Ramsey moved behind her, and that’s when Saffron realized th
e men where boxing Kirstin in.
“You were walking along the side of the road when I found you,” Ramsey said. “How did you get there?”
Kirsten shrugged. “That’s the oddest thing. I have no idea. The last thing I remember before I woke up there was being at work.”
Her words sealed her fate.
Reaghan’s arm wrapped around Saffron and pulled her away from the wall where she had supported herself and walked her to the table. She, along with the rest, watched as the Warriors held Kirstin while Dani used her magic to delve into Kirstin’s mind.
Almost immediately Dani jerked her hands away from Kirstin. “My, God,” Dani whispered and shared a startled, shocked look with Saffron. “He’s almost as deep into her mind as he was yours.”
“Nay,” Kirstin yelled and tried to break free.
Saffron couldn’t watch anymore. She turned her face away and buried it in her hands. How had she not realized Declan’s magic was in Kirstin before now? How had she missed it?
Had Saffron spent more time with the young Druid she would have recognized the feel of Declan’s magic instantly. Because she hadn’t, there was no telling how much information Declan knew about the goings-on at MacLeod Castle.
It was no coincidence that Declan had chosen Kirstin. She had very little magic, and obviously her mind was easily controlled. But what had he wanted?
Saffron’s stomach roiled as she realized how much they had spoken about the artifacts and Laria in front of Kirstin. They had even taken her to the Ring of Brodgar because Saffron had said she would be needed.
Bile rose in her throat as she realized their mission had been compromised. She lifted her head at the same time Dani released her hold on Kirstin.
“We’ve been compromised,” Saffron and Dani said in unison.
Camdyn’s nostrils flared, his gaze on Saffron. “Explain.”
“It’s fairly easy to put together. Kirstin has little magic, and Declan must have manipulated her brain in order to spy on us,” Saffron said as she rose from the table and walked to Kirstin.
Tears poured down Kirstin’s face, but she no longer struggled against the Warriors holding her.
Dani blew out a breath and nodded. “That’s exactly what Declan did. I felt his magic where it touched only certain parts of her mind.”
“He knows where we’re going,” Saffron said. “He knows about the Ring of Brodgar.”
Arran let out a string of curses and slammed his fist into the wall and stone crumbled around him as his fist went through it.
“Which means Deirdre knows,” Broc said.
“Fuck,” Galen growled.
Saffron couldn’t have said it better herself.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Camdyn couldn’t shake the fear that had clawed at his belly when he had felt the dread in Saffron’s magic. It had slammed into his gut, wrapping around him like a vise. For a moment, he’d been so shocked by the assault of her magic that he’d been unable to move.
Then he had seen Gwynn and Logan helping her to the kitchen.
Every fiber of his being told him she wasn’t his concern, but he found himself quickly hurrying after Lucan and Ramsey as they strode to the kitchen.
The last thing Camdyn had wanted was to see her put through feeling Declan’s magic again, especially because of how pale and shaken up she was after the first brush. But he should have known Saffron would pull it together and face what was asked of her. Her resilience, her strength, made pride well inside him. Pride and … pleasure.
She’d stood with her shoulders back, her chin high, and her gaze determined. It was only when Aiden stepped forward that Camdyn spotted the slightest flinch from her. It was so faint he doubted anyone else saw it.
But he’d been looking for it.
Then when it was Kirstin’s turn, she had taken just two steps toward Saffron before everyone could see she was the one being used by Declan’s magic.
Yet none of them had really understood what Declan had done until Dani, with her ability to search a person’s mind, and Saffron had put it together.
It had already been deduced that when Reaghan had tried earlier to use her magic to see if Kirstin had lied, Reaghan’s magic had been stopped by Declan’s magic somehow.
The fact that Declan had invaded the castle in several ways brought a worry, an alarm to Camdyn he didn’t want to feel. He’d told Saffron she was safe from Declan, but it had been a lie.
Camdyn wanted to bellow his fury to the heavens. They had all worked so hard to have a place where they and the Druids were safe, but it appeared there was no such place.
Which put extra strain on every Warrior there. Camdyn could see it in their faces, the apprehension and nervousness about protecting what was theirs. The fact they were protecting not just Druids, but women who were mated to them was another matter entirely.
Camdyn was lucky that he wasn’t bonded with anyone. But as soon as that thought went through his mind his gaze locked on Saffron.
Warriors were powerful. They were immortal and could heal wounds quickly. They were given special powers from their gods, but no matter how potent the god was, a drough’s magic—and even that of a mie—could stop a Warrior in his tracks, if their magic was strong enough.
Deirdre’s drough magic had hampered all of them at one point or other.
“We need to get to the stones,” Marcail said, a small tremble in her voice.
Hayden nodded. “The sooner the better.”
“It won’t matter what time we get there if we miss the alignment. We have to time it perfectly. Now that we know Deirdre is going to be there, arriving early might not be a good idea,” Reaghan said.
Arran jerked his chin to Kirstin, who he still held. “What do we do with her? She can no’ come with us, and I doona want her hearing any more of our plans.”
Braden rose to his feet, a muscle in his jaw working. “I’ll escort her to her chamber. She willna harm anyone from there.”
But Camdyn wasn’t so sure. Still, it wasn’t his castle. Fallon gave his consent and Kirstin was released to follow Braden up the stairs.
They all waited until the pair was out of sight before Fallon said, “Broc, I need you to locate Declan and Deirdre. I want to know where they are before we arrive at the stones.”
Broc gave a nod and sat, his hands braced on the table as he closed his eyes. Camdyn still had trouble getting used to some of them being able to use their power without calling forth their god.
Because he, Ian, Logan, Ramsey, and Arran had been brought forward in time, the others had had centuries to hone their skills as Warriors. He was looking forward to the time he could do the same.
And though he hated to admit it, he was worried about how Saffron would react when she saw all the Warriors with their gods unbound. She had been around them when they had done so, but that was when she was still blind.
The last time he had cared what a woman thought of him was when he had been with Allison. Now, he found himself worrying about what Saffron would think when he released his god. And he hated the anxiety of it.
“Mother!” Braden’s panicked voice filtered down from the upper floors.
Fiona rose and started toward the stairs, but Galen was quick to stop her.
“Let us go first,” he told her.
Camdyn glanced at Saffron to see her hands gripping the table so hard her knuckles were white. He started after Galen when Fallon’s voice halted him.
“Galen, Lucan, Ramsey, Hayden, Larena, and Logan, come with me,” Fallon barked. “Camdyn, Ian, Quinn, and Arran, stay with Broc and the Druids.”
Camdyn gritted his teeth, but did as commanded as the others raced up the stairs.
“We shouldn’t have left her alone,” Saffron said.
Isla frowned. “Why?”
“If Declan knows we have discovered what he’s done to her, there is no telling what he’ll make her do.”
“Make her do?” Camdyn repeated, the knot of wo
rry in his stomach growing larger. “I doona understand.”
It was Dani who sighed heavily. “He was controlling her,” she explained. “Not all the time, mind you, but he was controlling her. I don’t know what he was after, but he sent her here to spy is my guess.”
“Just like Deirdre sent Charlie,” Arran said.
Ian crossed his arms over his chest as he stared up the stairs. “Did Deirdre and Declan make a pact, you think?”
“Hard to tell,” Gwynn answered.
Saffron rubbed her hands up and down her arms. Camdyn shifted so that he was in her line of sight. “What else do you think?” he asked her.
She lifted a slender shoulder. “Declan is devious. He will do anything, and I mean anything, to achieve what he wants. He doesn’t mind using a young woman who is expendable for his cause.”
As soon as she finished speaking they heard Braden bellow a “nay,” and then silence.
A few moments later, Larena, her eyes red, appeared at the top of the stairs. “Kirstin jumped from the tower into the sea. She apologized and said she had known something was wrong with her, but she hadn’t known what. Braden tried to catch her and nearly fell himself. Hayden and Galen barely caught him in time.”
Fiona’s soft crying filled the hall. But Camdyn’s gaze was still on Saffron. He could see how the touch of Declan’s magic, even on someone else, had affected her. It made him want to know all she had gone through at Declan’s hands even more.
And he feared what that knowledge would do to him at the same time.
Fallon and the others walked back into the great hall subdued, but determined. “As soon as Broc tells me where Deirdre and Declan are, I’ll start jumping everyone to the stones.”
Time stretched as they waited for Broc to open his eyes. The only other time it had taken him this long was when Declan had pulled Deirdre into the future, and Ian with her.
Camdyn’s nerves were stretched taut, his god growling inside him, eager for a battle and bloodletting.
After what seemed like an eternity, Broc opened his eyes and his shoulders slumped. “Deirdre is still on Cairn Toul, but Declan … I couldna find him.”
“Damn,” Lucan muttered.
Fallon’s jaw muscle jumped. “Everyone stay alert. I want a mix of Druids and Warriors each time. I’ll jump us as near to a stone as I can to give us some shelter. The sun is going down, so that will help. Are all the artifacts ready?”
