Midnight's Promise_Dark Warriors

by Donna Grant

  By the time she reached the last set of stairs, she discerned another voice she didn’t quite recognize. The door to the morning room opened and Evie saw the group gathered within.

  She met Con’s gaze as he stood in the doorway. There were no words spoken. Instead, he held out his hand to her. Evie descended the last few stairs and walked to him.

  His face was set in grim lines, his brow furrowed with concern. “I was hoping you had woken.”

  She looked past him into the room and saw Fallon standing with Larena. There was a man with blond hair who stood near them, anxiety coming off him in waves. He looked vaguely familiar, and she realized he was a Warrior.

  “Fallon jumped Broc here in the hopes of finding Malcolm,” Con explained.

  “A dragon needed help?” She hadn’t meant it to sound so callous, but she was afraid to give in to the emotions filling her lest they take her soul.

  Con smiled wryly. “Nay, but there was no stopping Larena. And before you ask, Brian is safe. He’s with Kiril and Hal in the caves. He’ll remain there until this is over. No Druid magic can penetrate the caves of a Dragon King.”

  Evie nodded stiffly. At least Brian was safe.

  Broc’s head suddenly lifted and in his dark brown gaze was sadness and grief. Evie wanted to cover her ears and sing loudly to drown out whatever was coming next, but she wouldn’t. For Malcolm—for their child—she would be strong.

  Con gently guided her into the room as Broc pushed away from the wall and strode to her. A muscle ticked in his jaw when he stopped before her.

  Guy cleared his throat and led her to a chair. “You might need to sit.”

  She wasn’t sure how her legs were holding her up now, but if she sat, she might give in to her need to cry. By remaining upright, it helped her keep her strength in place. Though she had a feeling that was about to be tested.

  “We found Malcolm’s mobile phone,” Con said into the silence.

  Evie looked at Broc. She recalled Malcolm telling her he could find anyone, anywhere. Now she knew why he had been brought to Dreagan. “Where is Malcolm?”

  “Wallace has him.”

  CHAPTER

  FIFTY-TWO

  Evie felt the room tilt around her, but she refused to faint again. She had to stay strong.

  “There were signs of a fight,” Con told her.

  She turned her gaze to him. “Like what?”

  Con clasped his hands behind his back. “Trees split in half and burning.”

  “Malcolm,” she said. “It was his lightning.”

  “Our thoughts as well. There was also blood found. It’s Malcolm’s.”

  Anger began to simmer, and though she wanted to lash out at someone, she kept it directed at the individual responsible—Wallace. “I thought no one could get onto Dreagan land without the dragons knowing it.”

  The pity in Con’s eyes made her stomach roll. “Wallace never touched Dreagan land.”

  “Then how did he get to Malcolm?” she demanded to the room at large. “We were safe here. Isn’t that what we were told?”

  Larena hurried to her and took her hand. “There is only one reason Malcolm would’ve left. He thought you were in danger. Jason must have done something to convince Malcolm of that. Otherwise, Malcolm would be standing next to you now.”

  Evie placed her hand on her stomach as nausea set in. How could she do this without Malcolm? How could she face what was to come without his reassurance and strong arms?

  She sank onto the chair as something was pressed into her hand.

  “Drink,” Elena said.

  Evie didn’t even look at the glass as she raised it to her lips. As the liquid slid down her throat, it pooled like golden warmth in her belly, snapping her out of gloom, but not chasing it away altogether.

  “Your color is returning,” Larena said with a smile. “That makes me feel better.”

  Evie drew in a shaky breath. “Why did Jason come back for Malcolm?”

  “It was probably his plan all along,” Fallon said. He gave a shake of his dark head. “Malcolm suspected as much, but we were all lulled by the fact he released you.”

  “I trusted what Jason said. I should’ve known better.” Evie fisted her hand and slammed it on the arm of the chair as tears threatened and anger grew. “That bastard has taken everything from me.”

  The magic that welled inside her was dark and nefarious. It promised wickedness and sin, retribution and triumph. As if it knew exactly what she wanted, an image of Jason Wallace writhing in pain flashed in her head.

  “Evie!” Larena shouted.

  Evie blinked. She looked down at her hand and felt the black magic pool there, sinister and lethal. She could go to Jason and inflict damage upon him. She could make him hurt as she hurt.

  “Let it go,” Ramsey said as he knelt before her. “Let the anger go, Evie, or it will consume you. This is what Wallace wants. He wants your fury. Doona give it to him.”

  Evie thought of Malcolm. He’d warned her decisions would have to be made. Here was one. Did she give in to the black magic and get him back? Or did she turn away from it and hope the others could find him?

  “What would Malcolm tell you to do?” Guy asked.

  Evie bit back a sob as she looked at the Dragon King who stood next to her. “Follow my heart.”

  “And that is?” Larena prodded.

  “To not give in to the evil inside me. But if I did, I could get him back.”

  Con walked to the couch across from her and sat. “Do you really think that?”

  “It’s what I feel.”

  “The evil will take you,” Ramsey said. “You’ll become Wallace’s. There willna be a chance for Malcolm.”

  Trust. She had always been a trusting person, but recently she had been burned by it—twice. She wasn’t sure who to trust anymore, not even herself.

  “Malcolm said that just because I was drough didn’t mean I was evil. That came with decisions a person made. He said I would always make the right ones because I wasn’t evil.”

  Ramsey’s silver eyes were kind as he stared at her. “Malcolm knows you well. Has he ever lied to you?”

  “Never.”

  Evie drew in a deep breath, and as she released it, she let go of her anger. The surge of black magic dissipated like smoke.

  Malcolm was right. She had to trust herself and follow her heart. The black magic felt wrong. Just that small bit of holding it in her hand had made her soul wither.

  “Do we go to Wallace’s to get Malcolm?” she asked.

  Fallon leaned a hip against the back of the couch Con was on. “That’s the rub of it. He didna take Malcolm to his house.”

  “Then were is Malcolm?”

  “I can no’ find him. For days I’ve had a difficult time locating Malcolm. There were instances I couldna find him at all.” Broc ran a hand down his face. “I thought for sure it was Wallace, but Guy says Malcolm was with you.”

  Evie frowned. “That’s right. The only time Malcolm was near Jason was at Urquhart and then at the mansion.”

  “I doona believe it was Wallace hiding him,” Con said as he stared at Evie.

  She lifted her brows the longer Con stared. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m say, lass, that your magic is stronger than you realize,” Con stated. “I think you were the one shielding Malcolm from view.”

  “All I did was pray that Wallace didn’t find us.”

  Fallon shrugged one shoulder. “With a Druid, sometimes that’s all it takes.”

  “That explains earlier,” Broc stated. “It doesna explain now.”

  “I thought you said he was with Wallace.” Evie was trying not to get anxious but it was proving difficult.

  “He was. Whatever Wallace did to Malcolm left an … imprint, for lack of a better word, in time. I saw that imprint.”

  “And what was Jason doing to Malcolm?” Evie asked.

  Everyone looked away but Guy, yet he couldn’t quite manage the words. It was
Rhys standing quietly in the corner until then who drained his glass of whisky and said, “He gave Malcolm two drops of his blood.”

  “Drough blood,” Evie murmured. Suddenly she understood why the stones had been shouting death. They weren’t proclaiming someone’s demise, but of Death itself. “Malcolm is in Death’s control again.”

  “I shouldna have taken him out there,” Rhys said. “He looked like he could use a little time to ease his mind. He wanted to run, so we were to race to the cabin. I’d no’ have left him, if I’d known.”

  Evie rose and walked to the Dragon King. “We all know that. Ease your mind, Rhys. We’ll get Malcolm back. I’m sure of it.”

  “Do you have a plan?” Larena asked.

  Evie faced the rest of the room. “Jason will expect me to contact him now.”

  “If you do, you’ll let him know we’ve figured everything out,” Con said.

  Fallon shifted as Larena sat on the couch. “Aye, but if she doesna, we may no’ discover why he has Malcolm.”

  “I have no choice.” One wrong move could land Evie in Jason’s grasp once more. “I’m going to give Jason a call. I’m sure it’s what he’s expecting.”

  Every Dragon King in the room visibly winced at the same time. Con’s gaze jerked to her, his nostrils flaring as he removed the silver dragon-head cuff links and rolled up the sleeves to his dark purple dress shirt.

  Rhys walked around her and jogged out of the room, Guy fast on his heels.

  “What’s happened?” Elena asked Con as she stood and stared after Guy.

  Con’s eyes remained locked on Evie. “You doona need to contact Wallace.”

  “Why?” she asked as fear snaked down her spine.

  “Tristan found Malcolm.”

  Larena stood and called up her goddess, her skin going iridescent. “What are we waiting on? Let’s go to him.”

  It was Fallon who walked around the couch and took his wife’s hand. “We’ll return with the others in quick order.”

  “What?” Larena gawked at Fallon with wide eyes full of shock and anger.

  Con nodded. “Elena, Cassie, and Jane will be here. They can tell you where we’ll be.”

  Evie met Fallon’s eyes before he grabbed Larena’s arm and jumped her out of the manor.

  “Come,” Con ordered Evie as he stalked from the room.

  Evie hurried after him, her heart pounding a sickening beat. She was afraid to ask what kind of condition Malcolm was in, afraid that Wallace had killed him. And if he did, there was no amount of magic, dragons, Warriors, or Druids who would stand in her way of killing Jason.

  She followed Con outside expecting to get into a vehicle. Instead she came to a halt when she spotted a massive dragon with metallic red scales watching her as he stood beside the manor. The red was shaded lighter on the underside of his neck and massive wings that ran from his shoulders to his tail.

  “It’s Guy,” Elena said as she walked up beside Evie. “He’ll fly you to Malcolm.”

  “Guy,” Evie repeated. She looked at the large head of the dragon to see a mane of spines sprouting from the back of his head.

  He held out a front limb with four closely mounted digits and claws of black. Evie looked into Guy’s dragon eyes and saw patience and kindness, but also a willingness to take out their enemy. The Dragon Kings had been there for Malcolm as well as her. They’d sheltered them, fed them, and protected them. The least she could do was trust them now.

  Evie walked to Guy and waited as he carefully wrapped his dragon hand around her. She rested her arms atop his humongous hand. Elena gave them a wave, and with a jump that made Evie’s stomach plunge to her feet, Guy took to the air.

  The wind whished around her while Guy’s red wings beat loud and steady. Evie gripped the hand holding her, amazed to find his scales warm instead of cold as she’d expected.

  A roar near them had her head turning to the side to see a gold dragon as well as a blue and a yellow dragon. They flew on either side of Guy, their great wings stirring the air with as much force as a tornado.

  The ground was a blur beneath her. Each beat of Guy’s wings ate up the miles and brought her closer to Malcolm. They passed over valleys full of sheep, mountain peaks still capped with snow, and thick forests.

  But she saw none of it. She kept her gaze on the distance, searching for Malcolm. Evie caught a glimpse of an amber dragon just before Guy tucked his wings and dove.

  She clutched one massive digit and closed her eyes on a squeal of fright as the ground rose up quickly. At the last minute, Guy’s wings opened once more and he glided low over the ground before he landed softly. He gently set her down.

  Evie stumbled out of his grasp and held her stomach as a bout of nausea set in. She bent over at the waist and closed her eyes to try and keep from vomiting.

  “I’m sorry,” Guy said from behind her. “I tend to forget how fast the descent is.”

  She frowned. Could dragons talk? She looked behind her to find Guy in human form buttoning a pair of jeans. She glimpsed a dragon head coming over his right shoulder to breathe fire across his chest. “It’s all right,” she managed.

  Evie straightened to see Con walk out of a clump of trees with only a pair of jeans on as well. He turned to say something to whoever was still in the trees, and that’s when Evie saw the tattoo on his back.

  It was done in black and red ink with the dragon lying down and his wings spread wide, covering Con’s entire back. The dragon’s tail wrapped from his left side around his front to end once more on his back on the right side.

  Rhys strode out of the trees and her gaze was riveted on the tattoo on his chest she had glimpsed the night before. It was done in the same black and red ink with the head of the dragon on the right side of his chest and the dragon leaning to the side with its wings tucked. The tail of the dragon wound over his left shoulder and down to his elbow.

  She turned back to Guy. With a knowing grin, he turned around so she could see the rest of his dragon. Its wings spread from shoulder to shoulder with its tail wrapping around to his front.

  “All Dragon Kings have a tat,” he said as he turned back to her.

  “Do you choose what design?”

  “Nay,” Con answered. “It’s chosen for us. Just like what dragons we rule.”

  She nodded numbly as her mind took it all in. “Just a few weeks ago I thought I was the only Druid left. Then, Malcolm found me, and I learned of Warriors and Dragon Kings. It’s surreal.”

  “I know,” Guy said as he came to stand beside her. The smile was gone. His mouth was set in a hard line now.

  Rhys pointed to the sky. “Tristan has been keeping watch since he found Malcolm. There’s been no movement, but the stench of Wallace is gagging. The bastard is around somewhere. Keep vigilant.”

  “But Jason can’t hurt me while I’m on Dreagan land, right?” Evie asked.

  Con gave a nod. “Just remember that, Evie. He somehow convinced Malcolm to cross the boundary. He’ll try the same with you.”

  “Let him,” Guy said in a low, dangerous voice. “His magic can no’ hurt us.”

  “Show me Malcolm,” she demanded of the Kings.

  Rhys took her left side and Guy her right as they walked her into the forest and down the mountain. It seemed wrong that everything was so green and vibrant when her heart was breaking so violently and her world was tearing apart.

  “Does he know you love him?” Guy asked.

  Evie shook her head. “Not yet.”

  “Doona be afraid to tell him,” Rhys urged. “He feels the same. Anyone can see that by the way he looks at you.”

  She opened her mouth to reply when Rhys’s hand shot out to halt her.

  Guy pointed through the trees below. “There. Just a hundred feet from our border.”

  It took her a moment to see the crumbling stone cottage because it melted into the forest so well.

  And chained to the outside stone wall was Malcolm.

  CHAPTER


  FIFTY-THREE

  Jason Wallace smiled as he watched the amber dragon make another pass over the cottage. He spotted the others flying toward him. Any minute now they would surround him.

  The boundary around Dreagan was one of magic, but not any magic he knew. Could it come from the dragons themselves? It was the only explanation. Not that he was worried. No one’s magic was stronger than his.

  After all, Death was a part of him. And he used it to his advantage.

  Along with the dragons, the Warriors and Druids would arrive soon as well. In one fell swoop he would wipe them all from the earth. Malcolm and Evie would remain in his control, and everything Deirdre—then Declan—had aspired to would be his.

  The plan was so simple and flawless he couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it sooner. The anticipation of it all kept the grin upon his lips.

  The only thing missing was Mindy. How she would have loved to be standing beside him to witness the destruction of the Warriors. Jason was particularly interested in bringing the most pain to Phelan since he had been the one to kill Mindy.

  Then there was Aisley who dared to betray him and fall in love with Phelan. The couple would know the horrors Malcolm was even now enduring.

  “How fitting,” Jason murmured with a chuckle.

  Jason moved from his position in the shadows. He walked beneath the caved-in roof and around the crumbling wall to where Malcolm was chained.

  “Evie will come for you. She’ll take one look at you and come racing to your side. I willna have to force her to return to my home. She’ll make that decision willingly just to be by your side. But while she’s with me, I’ll slowly and surely erode every ounce of good that remains inside her.”

  His smile grew as he turned and spotted Evie and two men walking toward him. Just as they reached the Dreagan border, one of the men stopped her.

  The concern on Evie’s face for her precious Malcolm made Jason want to pat himself on the back. Everyone was so predictable. The Warriors thought they were smart, but he had outwitted them this time. And how wonderful it felt.

  He glanced at Malcolm’s body and chuckled. Malcolm’s chin rested on his chest, his long blond hair hiding his face from Evie. Not that it mattered. Malcolm was gone, locked in a never-ending battle with Death. No one could reach him this time.