by Donna Grant
Lucan nudged Fallon as Logan moved past them into the village.
“I know,” Fallon said, answering his brother’s unspoken question. “We need to keep an eye on him.”
Galen stepped in front of Fallon, his gaze on Logan’s retreating back. “We’ve all got pasts we deal with. They’re like spirits that never leave. Whatever haunts Logan is his own to carry.”
“Maybe so,” Fallon said, “but I want him to know we’re here for him.”
Galen turned his head to Fallon. “Logan knows that. He wouldn’t have come if he didn’t. Right now, he wants what the rest of us want. He wants to fight Deirdre.”
Lucan grunted. “I’m sure he’ll get his wish again soon enough.”
“Aye,” Fallon said, and looked at Larena. “Deirdre willna have given up on Larena that easily.”
“Not after having lost Cara,” Lucan said. “Though I’m not sure she’s given up on having Cara either.”
Galen shook his head. “Deirdre doesn’t give up on anything. If she wants something, she’ll try again and again until she acquires it.”
“Then we have to make sure she doesn’t capture me or Cara,” Larena said, before following Logan through the village.
Fallon grinned at her confidence.
Galen chuckled. “I don’t think Deirdre would know what to do with Larena if she did capture her.”
“I don’t intend to find out,” Fallon said. “Let’s get to work.”
They moved from cottage to cottage inspecting the damages and considering what would need to be rebuilt and replaced. Larena, Logan, and Galen began to haul out debris and pile it in the center of the village to be burned.
Of the twenty cottages, only five were salvageable. The others were beyond repair, just as the nunnery was. Fallon gauged the distance from the village to the castle.
It would be a good sprint to reach the castle gates, and that was if they were Warriors. The villagers had been afraid of MacLeod Castle and that was why the community had been moved so far away.
“It needs to be closer,” Fallon murmured to himself.
Lucan came to stand beside him and dusted off his hands that were black from hauling burned wood. “I agree. The five cottages that can be restored are the farthest away from the nunnery, which helps us.”
“Aye,” Fallon said. “How many do you think we should build?”
Lucan looked over his shoulder at the remaining cottages. “Two. Maybe three. We can always build more if we need it.”
Fallon didn’t want to waste their time and resources building cottages that might not be used, but he also wanted to have them ready if they were needed.
Logan, Galen, and Larena walked up while passing a skin of water among them. Their faces and clothes were smeared black, and strands of Larena’s hair had come free and stuck to the side of her face.
“What did you decide?” Galen asked.
Fallon pointed to the five cottages. “These five are the only ones worth rebuilding. We’ll start on them first as we finish cleaning the village.”
“And after?” Logan asked.
“Lucan has suggested two or three more cottages be built.”
Logan wiped the hair that stuck to his sweat-stained face and looked about him. “Three would be good, but I think I might build a fourth. Also, when we’re building, we should think about ways to secure the cottages.”
Fallon raised a brow. “Secure?”
“Aye.” Logan shifted his stance. “I agree that the Warriors should live in the cottages. We all know that Deirdre likes to attack quickly, and we saw how the traps we set in the castle slowed the wyrran to give us time to prepare.”
“That’s a good idea,” Lucan said. “I hadn’t thought of securing the cottages.”
Fallon agreed. “Logan, can you come up with some ideas?”
Logan nodded. “I’ll see to it.”
“Good. Let’s burn the rubble.”
Lucan clapped his hands together. “I’ll start gathering the wood I need to make the furniture.”
“And I can begin reconstruction of the five cottages,” Galen said as he accepted the water from Larena.
Fallon exhaled and nodded. It was all coming together. At least he would have something to occupy him as he waited for the fake Scroll to be finished and he could free Quinn.
He turned his head to look at Larena. She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand and laughed at something Lucan said.
After seeing her at court, he hadn’t expected her to want to get dirty. But then again, she was a Highlander. He grinned. He couldn’t help it. He liked having her in his life. She brought the sunshine with her. And, there was something about her presence that made him want to be a better man, a man his father would have been proud of.
Suddenly, her smile vanished and her eyes grew round. Fallon whirled around to find the winged Warrior landing several paces away from them.
In an instant, Galen and Logan had shifted into Warrior form. Fallon held up his hand to stop them. He wanted to know what the Warrior wanted before they attacked.
The dark blue Warrior looked at each one of them before he focused his gaze on Fallon. “Fallon MacLeod, I’ve come with a message from Deirdre.”
“Who are you?” Fallon asked. The more he could find out about the Warrior the better. His father had always told him to know his enemies better than he knew his friends.
The Warrior folded his wings against his back. The tips could still be seen over his head and beside his legs and looked to be made of something that resembled leather. They were the same dark blue as his skin. “I’m Broc.”
Fallon eyed the wings. “What is her message?”
Broc cocked an eyebrow, but refused to answer. After a moment he said, “Quinn is well.”
“How can we believe you?” Lucan asked.
Broc shifted his gaze. “Ah, Lucan MacLeod. The middle brother. I know Quinn is well because I saw him before I came here.”
“What does Deirdre want?” Fallon repeated. “Surely she didn’t send you here for just a message when she knows we can kill you.”
Broc smiled, flashing his long white fangs. “You can try to kill me. Many have. None have succeeded.”
“I’ll succeed,” Galen said and started for him.
Fallon jumped in front of Galen and shoved him back. Fallon ignored Galen’s roar of anger as the green Warrior flexed his claws. “Leave it for now,” Fallon whispered.
Once Galen had fallen back, Fallon turned to Broc. “Is there more to the message?”
“Aye,” Broc said. “She knows you will come for Quinn. It was why she captured him. She wants you to know that it is her wish to have all three MacLeods under her control once more.”
“Never,” Lucan ground out between clenched teeth.
Fallon fisted his hands as rage surged through him. He could feel the tingle of his skin and knew he was transforming, but didn’t care. “We will come for Quinn. We will free him. And we will kill Deirdre in the process.”
Broc shrugged. “It’s been a long time since you were in her mountain. Do you forget the control she has over the stones? There is no way you can come into that mountain and free your brother.”
“What about a trade?” Larena asked.
When Broc’s gaze slid to her, Fallon bared his fangs and growled. Broc’s knowing grin sent Fallon’s rage soaring. The need to kill him and defend Larena made Fallon take a step toward Broc.
“I’m glad to see you have healed,” Broc said.
Larena put her hand on Fallon’s arm to halt him. “No thanks to your friend.”
Fallon didn’t want her talking to Broc. He didn’t want her anywhere near the Warrior, but Fallon wasn’t fool enough to tell her to leave. Larena was a Warrior, and Fallon needed to remember she had powers and could take care of herself.
Still, his protective instincts couldn’t be contained.
“Larena,” he growled in warning. There was only so much more he wa
s going to listen to before he attacked Broc.
She glanced at him, her smoky-blue eyes silently beseeching him to trust her.
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her he would trust her once she began trusting him. But he kept silent.
Broc grunted at her words, drawing Fallon’s attention back to him. “James is no friend of mine. Deirdre was quite upset at what he did to you. If she didn’t need her Warriors so desperately, I do believe she would have killed him.”
Larena was thankful that Fallon had allowed her to speak to Broc. She could tell by Fallon’s tense body and the way his skin changed from normal to black every heartbeat or so that he battled his urge to release his god and attack.
Before she could ask Broc more, the winged Warrior turned his attention back to Fallon. “Attacks will begin soon.”
Fallon glared at Broc. “How do I know you speak the truth?”
“You don’t, but you’ll find out soon enough. Wyrran are on their way. Deirdre intends to keep you occupied here instead of forming a plan to free your brother.”
Larena’s stomach clenched in dread, and she looked between Lucan and Fallon. Lucan had already transformed, as had the others, and they stood waiting for Fallon to give the order to attack.
Fallon snorted and shook his head. “If that is Deirdre’s plan then she needs time with Quinn.”
“You’ve the right of it. She has plans for your brother,” Broc said.
“Just whose side are you on?”
Broc smiled. “That is a question, isn’t it?”
Then Broc’s grin faded as he lifted his face to sniff the wind. In a blink, he leaped into the air, his wings spread wide. He flipped over backward and landed on the roof of a cottage, his fangs bared.
Larena saw the dagger sail through the air toward the spot Broc had just been. She ducked and felt arms come around her and jerk her against a hard body before being pulled to the ground.
Fallon.
When she raised her head it was to find a man with long black hair, his skin, fangs, and eyes the color of darkest brown.
“Shite,” Fallon bellowed as he gained his feet. “Who the hell are you?” he demanded of the new arrival.
The newcomer turned his gaze from Broc to Fallon. “I’m Camdyn MacKenna.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Larena regained her feet, her blood pounding in her ears. She was startled to find her claws had extended without her knowing it. Her emotions were in a whirlwind, and if she didn’t get control soon, she would be no help to the others when the wyrran attacked.
Unlike Fallon, Larena believed Broc. Why the winged Warrior would give them that information she didn’t know, and didn’t care. It gave them an advantage. And they needed every advantage they could get.
Broc didn’t move from the rooftop. His gaze was narrowed on Camdyn, his growl of rage reverberating around them. Fallon and the others had their attention on Camdyn as well. It was the perfect time to ask Broc some questions she wanted answered.
Larena backed away from the men. Once she was clear, she ran and jumped onto the roof. Broc whirled around to face her, his fangs bared.
“What do you want?” he demanded.
“I want to know why you didn’t attack me in Edinburgh.”
He shrugged. “Why does it matter?”
“There were two of you. You could have easily overpowered me.”
“My duties were to deliver James to the castle so he could subdue you. After that, I was to take you to Deirdre. My orders didn’t include attacking you.”
Larena studied Broc. His navy skin was so dark it appeared almost black. There was something in the way the Warrior spoke that made her realize he thought out each word carefully before he replied to anything.
“Did you know James had the blood on his claws before you arrived in Edinburgh?”
Broc’s navy gaze sparked with anger. “Nay. Though it doesna surprise me. James thought the idea of a female Warrior ludicrous. He believed you would be weak and unable to fight. When you bested him, he couldn’t stand it.”
It was the reaction Larena always expected from Warriors. “And the drough blood? How did you know its reaction to us?”
“You’ve never been in Deirdre’s prison or you wouldna be asking me that. Deirdre has ways of torturing that you’ve never dreamed of. She can stretch out pain for months and years until you’re begging for death.”
Larena swallowed at the cold loathing in his voice. She, like Fallon, wondered just whose side Broc was on. It was obvious he hated Deirdre, but why then didn’t he escape from her as the others had? “And once James had subdued me? Why didn’t you take me to Deirdre?”
Broc sighed loudly. He kept his attention on the men below him, but he glanced at her often. “I knew from the way your wound bled and the pain you were in that you needed help immediately. I can fly fast, but not fast enough to get you to Deirdre before you died.”
“And you knew Fallon could?”
“Aye.”
He said no more, and Larena had to bite back her groan of anger. She opened her mouth to ask another question when the first wyrran came out of nowhere to land beside her on the roof.
Larena didn’t hesitate to transform. She was used to fighting naked while she was invisible, but there wasn’t time for that. And her skirts hampered her.
Fallon shouted her name, but she couldn’t answer him as a second wyrran joined the first. Larena jumped back to dodge claws as the second bit her leg.
Larena let out a shriek of fury and sank her claws into the chest of the wyrran that had bitten her and ripped out its heart. The first wyrran gave an ear-piercing scream, but before she could kill it, Broc ripped its head off.
“Stay vigilant,” he urged before he flew away.
Larena wasn’t able to watch him as more wyrran poured into the village. She took a step to jump from the roof and heard the distinctive sound of wood cracking. In the next heartbeat, she was falling through the roof to land with a thud on the ground.
Her head jerked up as the door was kicked in and Fallon came into view. Dust swirled around his black skin, making his fangs gleam.
“Are you all right?” he asked as he helped her to her feet.
She nodded. “Just dazed. I can fight the wyrran.”
He hesitated and she saw he was warring with himself to let her stay and fight or to order her to leave. There was no way she was going to run off, not when she could help. And they didn’t have time for an argument.
When Fallon took her hand and turned toward the door, Larena gave a sigh of relief. She knew it was ingrained in Fallon to protect women, but she wasn’t just any woman. She was a Warrior. And she would prove it to him.
Larena spotted the wyrran coming for Fallon before he did. She pivoted and leaped in front of the yellow-skinned creature. All around her the sounds of battle filled the air. The screams of frustration and pain from the wyrran, and the bellows and roars of anger from the Warriors. It was so deafening she couldn’t hear herself think.
Her claws sank into the wyrran’s neck, the sickening sound of flesh giving way and blood splattering on her hands and arms reminding her how easily life could be taken away.
Larena didn’t stop to ponder it though. She extracted her claws from the dead wyrran and turned to look for another. Her eyes scanned the village to find Galen and Logan with the last two wyrran. The Warriors made quick work of the evil yellow beings.
“Where are the rest of you?” Logan asked before he threw back his head and let out a loud roar, blood coating his silver skin.
Galen and Lucan were grinning at each other like young lads who had just felled their first deer. Camdyn stood off by himself and already had reverted to his human form, but even he had a gleam of satisfaction in his dark eyes.
Only Fallon stared down at the dead wyrran in silence. His black skin, claws, and fangs melted away as if they had never been. Larena walked toward him and pushed her goddess back down. He raised his head
as she approached, and one side of his mouth lifted in a smile.
She loved that lopsided grin. “What is it?”
Fallon shrugged. “I canna help thinking over Broc’s words. I hesitated to believe him about the wyrran. Why would he tell us, do you think?”
“I’m not sure. When I was on the roof with him, he killed a wyrran that was about to attack me.”
“Interesting,” Fallon murmured. “It would be nice to have a spy in Deirdre’s mountain, but I know nothing of Broc.”
“And you cannot chance trusting him.”
Fallon nodded. “The attack is making me reevaluate everything he told me however. I think we need to heed his words, or at least be prepared for any event.”
Larena cupped his jaw and smiled. They stared into each other’s eyes, lost in the moment. It was shattered by the arrival of Ramsey and Hayden.
“What in the name of all that’s holy happened?” Hayden demanded.
Logan clapped him on the back and smiled. “Wyrran attacked. After we had a visit from one of Deirdre’s Warriors named Broc. Then, Camdyn arrived and tried to kill Broc. It was very interesting.”
Larena chuckled when Hayden sent a murderous glare to Logan.
Hayden cursed long and loud. “I missed an opportunity to kill wyrran?”
“Doona worry,” Fallon said. “I have a feeling you’ll get your chance again soon enough.”
The teasing ended when Galen walked to Camdyn and held out his arm. The men clasped forearms and exchanged a few whispered words.
Galen turned to them, his lips peeled back in a wide smile. “I’d like to introduce Camdyn MacKenna.”
Larena remained by Fallon’s side as Galen named each of them off to the newest Warrior. Camdyn was tall and thick shouldered. He didn’t bother to wear a saffron shirt beneath his kilt, and despite being a Warrior, he had several daggers attached to his waist and one in the top of each boot. She guessed a few others were hidden as well.
