“Stop,” Thorne said, pulling his horse to a halt.
“What is it?” Lothaire asked, powerful eyes scanning our surroundings. His muscles twitched at the ready, but Thorne just lifted his hand to stay him.
“We’re here.”
It was only then I realized we approached the side of a large lake. From what they had gathered from the little available information, the Picts were living here on a hidden island in the middle of this lake. It took me some time to process that a magical barrier concealing an entire village of people was even a possibility, but one look around at the six-hundred-year-old vampires surrounding me and I realized anything was possible.
This proud people, after having their pact with Aiden’s clan implode, had taken what was left of their tribes and conglomerated on an island. Instead of having immortal guardians to protect them from the clans slowly eradicating them, they had used their powers to hide away their island. It was invisible to anyone who wasn’t a Pict, keeping them hidden away.
Thorne scanned the surroundings again. “This is the lake. They should be in here.”
“You’d better be right,” Lothaire grumbled and cast a glance to Aiden, who faded fast. “We don’t have much time.”
“Get the rafts.” Thorne hopped off his horse and gestured for the rest of us to do the same.
Mark hopped down and pulled the yellow inflatable rafts out from the bag behind the cantle of his saddle. Annella flashed to his side, and in moments, they had the rafts unrolled and blown up. Watching Mark move with vamp speed still stole my breath away.
“We’re here,” I said, moving to Aiden’s side. His blue eyes blinked open at me and he forced a smile. Lothaire stepped up beside me and put his arms around his brother’s waist.
“I’ve got you,” he said, lowering Aiden from his horse and pulling him into his arms. I stayed at his side while Lothaire carried him to the raft now sitting at the lake’s edge. Settling down onto the rubber floor first, I waited as Lothaire laid him down, his head now resting in my lap.
“We’re almost there, baby. Just hang on,” I whispered and brushed a lock of hair from his face.
“I love you,” he whispered back, his voice barely audible.
“I love you more. Just stay with me.”
Lothaire pushed our raft forward, the gentle waves lifted us as we slid off the beach. He hopped in beside me and Thorne climbed in beside him. Mark, Grizella and Annella climbed into the other raft and pushed off after us. Thorne grabbed the paddles and rowed us out into the lake. We floated across the water, the moon shimmering white over the ripples our boat made while we continued farther and farther from the shore. Aiden rested in my lap, and I watched his chest rise and fall, praying it would continue and that we weren’t too late.
A cool mist crept across the water and swirled around our rafts. A shiver of fear slithered down my spine and goosebumps rose on my skin. I wasn’t sure if it was the coolness of the fog or the eerie feeling settling into my gut causing them. With each push through the water the fog thickened until I couldn’t see Mark’s boat just feet away from us.
“We’re here,” Thorne said.
“Now what?” Lothaire asked, shooting a glance to Aiden. “We’re running out of time.”
“We wait.”
Lothaire growled. “We don’t have time to wait. He’s dying!”
Thorne glanced at Aiden and nodded, his eyes acknowledging the urgency. “Hello!” he called out into the mist. “We need your help! Please!”
We sat bobbing on our rafts, all eyes searching the fog surrounding us on all sides.
“Please! We know you’re there! We need help! We are your descendants and he will die without your help!” Thorne called out again.
Only the slapping of the waves on our rubber boats answered.
Lothaire rose, remaining steady as the boat rocked beneath him. “I am Lothaire Mackay!” His voice rumbled through the chilled air. “Son of Donnghail Mackay and chief of Clan Mackay! You did this to us! It is your curse that brings us to you now. Now show yourselves!”
I held my breath while I waited for a response. A gust of wind blew across the water, sending the mist swirling around us before it pushed apart the fog. A breath trapped in my lungs when the lifting fog revealed the beach of an island just in front of us.
“Holy shit,” I whispered. “It’s real.”
“Come on,” Lothaire said wasting no time. Thorne dug his paddles into the water and pushed us forward until we slid into the sand. The other raft glided up beside us. One by one we climbed over the edge and stepped onto the beach, all eyes scanning for life and finding none.
“I’ve got him,” Lothaire said, reaching down and lifting Aiden back into his arms. He looked so fragile clutched against his brother’s chest. I didn’t know if I could wait any longer before I begged them to change him. But we were so close... I owed him every chance to live the life he wanted.
A small figure stepped out of the trees lining the beach. A long wooden spear tapped the ground with each step as she approached. When she came into full view under the bright glow of the moon, I struggled to exhale the breath trapped in my lungs. Blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, and several pieces knotted into dreadlocks fell around her tanned face striped with blue paint. Black smudges of paint surrounded blue eyes so light they almost glowed in the moonlight. Worn leather fashioned a bra and skirt but left the rest of her tanned body exposed. She looked as lethal as she did beautiful.
We stood side by side in silence as she approached. Lothaire lowered his eyes and widened his stance when she got closer. I could feel the protective energy for his brother pulsing off him.
“You should not be here,” she said. Although she spoke English, her native accent made it sound like another language entirely.
“You speak English. Good,” Thorne said, stepping forward.
She lifted her spear and stopped him with the point in his chest.
“Understood.” He flashed his playful smile and stepped back. “We need your help.”
“Why would we help you?” she snapped.
“Because he’s dying,” Lothaire’s voice rumbled. “You need to fix him.”
She glanced to Aiden and then back to Lothaire’s expectant gaze. “We do not need to do anything. You are abominations. You should not be here. It is good he dies.”
Lothaire snarled, and I heard his fangs pop.
“Calm down.” Thorne pressed a staying hand against his shoulder then turned his attention back to the Pict woman. “Let’s start over. I’m Thorne. This is Lothaire and Annella from Clan Mackay. That is Mark and Grizella. And this is Aiden and Emilia. We are here for your help. Aiden didn’t want to be what you made him anymore. He chose a human life to be with the woman he loved and now he’s dying. And he doesn’t deserve it. He’s a good man. Please. Just hear us out.”
I watched her face twist while she contemplated his words. She looked over to the other group who stood motionless beside their boat. Even Mark held his sassy tongue understanding the seriousness of the situation.
“Not you.” She waved a hand to Mark and Grizella. “You not Pict. You go.”
“What?” Grizella stepped forward.
Lothaire nodded his head. “It’s okay, love. Clan Mackay is descendants of Picts. You both are not. We’ll be okay. Just take Mark back to shore with you,” he said, giving her a comforting look.
“Are you sure?” Grizella asked.
“I’ll find you when we’re done. We’ll be fine. All that matters is saving Aiden.”
With a nod she stepped over to us and leaned up, pressing a long kiss against his lips. They pushed their foreheads together for a moment before she turned and walked back to her boat.
“Be careful, Emilia,” Mark said, coming over and giving me a hug. “And take good care of our boy.”
“I will.” I closed my arms around him. “I’ll see you soon.”
“She go too,” the Pict woman said.
&nbs
p; My head snapped around to see her finger pointing at me. “What? No! I’m not leaving him.”
“You not Pict. You go.”
“Emilia,” Lothaire started.
“No!” I shouted back. “I’m not leaving him. I won’t! He goes... I go.”
I clenched my teeth and stepped closer to Aiden. No one, not even this little Pict warrior woman was taking me from his side.
She raked me with curious eyes and then looked to Aiden. Her eyes moved back and forth between us and then I saw a flash of recognition in her face, though I wasn’t sure why. She looked back to me and then nodded. “Fine. She comes.”
Blowing out a breath of relief I looked to Lothaire. He gave me a nod of approval.
“Follow me,” she snapped and turned, pushing her spear into the ground as she stepped off.
“I’ll see you soon,” I said to Mark and pecked him on the cheek.
“You’d better.” He winked before turning away.
As we followed the woman up the beach I turned before we went into the woods. Mark and Grizella floated away from the sand. He held up a hand and waved before blowing me a kiss and disappearing into the mist. I turned back and jumped when I saw other warriors stepping out of the woods. The woman had not come alone, and I didn’t think even the vampires had sensed them hidden amongst the branches.
They all wore the same war-paint and tattoos, each with different patterns and colors covering their tanned faces and bodies. The men’s impressive sizes rivaled Aiden and Thorne, but none stood as tall as Lothaire. Each wore a primitive loincloth made of the same leather that the woman wore, each in various shapes of revealing dresses and outfits similar to our guide. Though their clothing and tattoos varied between them, each one shared one identical trait... menacing stares that sent shivers rippling across my skin.
They followed us as we pushed past them down the trail into the forest. One look at Aiden and I shoved back the fear threatening to send me running back to the raft to leave with Mark.
No. I wouldn’t leave his side and these people were our only chance.
We reached a small village surrounded by thatched huts that looked similar to the ones we’d stayed in when we were in Bora Bora. The warriors filed in behind us and we all followed the woman to the last hut on the end. She pushed open the door and turned back, gesturing to us to follow her in.
We exchanged worried glances before following her inside. This was Aiden’s chance, our chance, and I wouldn’t lose my nerve now. His eyes opened and met mine, and that familiar flutter danced around inside me. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him... and now was my chance to prove it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Aiden
I STRUGGLED FOR BREATH while Lothaire set me down on the ground of the small hut. Emilia appeared at my side, and I settled my head back into her lap. I was slipping. The small amount of life left inside clawed at me to leave, but every time I felt my body submitting to its demands, I looked at her.
Her face, her eyes, the promise of a lifetime of kisses from those lips and I felt the fight return. I clung to every breath, willing my chest to rise and fall and demanding that my heart keep beating. It beat for her and I didn’t want to leave her. I’d just found her, and I wasn’t ready to leave her.
My eyes moved between Thorne and Annella and finally settled on Lothaire. I’d never seen fear in his eyes until now. He saw me fading, and his desperate expression screamed to change me back before the last ounce of lifeforce slid from my body... before he said goodbye to another brother. But I was so close... I was so close to the life I wanted that I couldn’t give up now. I gave him a look and reassured him with my eyes. Told him that he needed to wait. I wasn’t going to let go.
Not yet.
Our stare broke when he lifted his head to the movement behind me. I tried to follow his gaze but the pain in my body wouldn’t let me turn my head. With a breath I settled deeper into Emilia’s lap and waited.
“Who are you?” Annella asked, her eyes fixated on someone behind me.
A woman’s voice, shaky from age, spoke in a language I hadn’t heard in centuries. It was the Pict language that I’d only heard several times in my life before the change. If the stories were true, then she was likely the matriarch, the one powerful witch amongst them. Legends said one Pict held all the power... all the magic. When they died it passed to the next woman chosen by fate to carry on the magic. The power would transfer at the moment of death, and a new leader would be reborn.
“I’m sorry,” Thorne said, looking to the young warrior woman who brought us here. “We don’t speak your language.”
“Liùsaidh says you are not welcome here,” the young woman said.
“Liùsaidh is her name? What is your name?” Thorne said, his naturally charming demeanor coming through.
There was a pause before she answered. “Catrain.”
“Catrain, a beautiful name.” I couldn’t see him, but I knew he showed her the smile that had melted many a woman in our day. “Could you please translate for me?”
Her silence hung over us. “Yes.”
“Please tell her we need her help. We are desperate to save him. Please,” Thorne continued.
After another pause Catrain spoke in her language, passing Thorne’s message to the woman I still could not see. When Liùsaidh responded, she spat out the sharp and pointed words I didn’t understand.
Catrain translated. “She says no. You are abominations and should be dead. You go now.”
“You need to fix him!” Lothaire stepped forward, but an invisible blast sent him slamming backward into the wall. I couldn’t see her, but I knew it had come from Liùsaidh, confirming the rumors I’d heard as a child of the power of Pict witches.
“No! Stop!” Annella shouted, shooting to the space between them. “Please, we mean you no harm.”
Lothaire growled and crawled up to his knees, shaking the debris from his hair while he stood.
“This is not productive,” Thorne said, trying to calm the tension in the room. “Will you not help him?”
“Please.” Lothaire softened his eyes and raised his hands in submission. “He needs your help. He wants to be human. Please... let him.”
Catrain translated again. The witch’s response held the same anger and condemnation.
“She say no. Now go,” Catrain snapped.
“Dammit!” Annella shouted. “Lothaire, we’re running out of time. He’s dying... we need to do this. Now.”
“We have no choice. It’s time. We need to change him,” Lothaire agreed. His eyes settled onto mine and I could see the regret hanging heavy in them. “We did everything we could, Aiden. I’m so sorry.”
“You could have stopped this,” Thorne growled at Catrain.
Emilia sobbed and traced her fingers down my face.
“It is not my decision,” Catrain answered. “Liùsaidh has spoken.” The roughness in her voice softened, and for a moment I thought I heard remorse.
“Do it, Lothaire. Do it now,” Thorne said. His words trailed off at the end, and I could hear the defeat in his voice. “Aiden... hang in there. Don’t you dare leave us. You’d better come back after we change you.”
I could feel my hope slipping and with it my will to live. Emilia fought her tears and I knew they weren’t just about the risk of losing me... they were about loss of her humanity when she followed me into the darkness. No matter what, she lost. She either lost me if I didn’t survive the transition, or she lost her life as a human. All I ever wanted was to give her everything, and instead I’d be taking everything away. I couldn’t bear the thought of being the one to destroy her.
With a groan I willed my body to move. It felt like fire ripping through my skin, but I fought through it and struggled to my knees, turning to see the woman who wouldn’t give Emilia the life she deserved. Pale eyes so light they looked translucent stared through me. Weathered skin hung from her gaunt frame and grey hair twisted into knots on top of her head. W
orn and faded tattoos covered her face, an array of colors and shapes that only intensified her appearance.
“Please,” I begged, crawling toward where she sat in an oversized chair made of sticks and branches. “Don’t force me to change back. If I change, she will change. Please don’t take her life away. I love her. Please.”
Her eyes raked over me and then moved to Emilia. Though she didn’t speak my language she seemed to understand my meaning. Catrain whispered in her ear and both sets of eyes settled back on me and then moved in sync back to Emilia.
Liùsaidh crooked a finger to Emilia to come forward. She responded and knelt by my side. Our fingers tangled together, and we looked up to Liùsaidh as one. Those ancient eyes bore through us and I could feel her tearing through my soul, searching and drawing from me. A transcendent power washed over me and for a second the pain subsided. I inhaled a sharp breath and relished the moment before it crashed back down over me and refilled every inch of my body. I collapsed on the ground.
“Aiden!” Emilia screamed and her face was over me. “Please!” she looked up with tear-filled eyes to the woman sitting above us. “Save him! Someone save him!”
Lothaire appeared above me before I could blink an eye. “I’m sorry brother,” he said, and bit his wrist. The blood oozed from the wound and he lowered it to my mouth. I used all my strength to grab his hand and stop its descent. “Wait,” I whispered.
I moved my gaze up to meet Emilia’s. “I love you. More than anything.”
“I love you, too,” she cried.
“I would choose this... and you every time. Over and over and over again I would choose you. You gave me the happiest days of my life. And I want you to know that you saved me, Emilia. You saved me from a life in the dark and I don’t want you to give everything up for me. I love you too much to take away the things that you love.”
Into The Light (Immortal Hearts Book 1) Page 28