by Donna Grant
“It’ll be dangerous then. I’ll go and get the Tablet.”
She laughed because she’d known he’d insist on something like that. “Unfortunately, tough guy, that’s not possible. The only one who can take the Tablet from its resting place is the Keeper. I have to go.”
“Shite.”
“We do this together. Remember?”
He nodded, but his jaw was set. “But I doona have to like it.”
“I know.” She glanced at the window through the crack in the curtains to see it beginning to lighten outside. “It’s early, but we should tell the others.”
Logan rose to his feet with the grace of a leopard. “I’ll make sure the others are up. You go ahead and take a shower. I think for this trip into Eigg we need to wait for nightfall anyway.”
“Probably,” Gwynn said and took his hand as he pulled her to her feet. “I’m going to need a week under hot water just to thaw out.”
“You should no’ have left my side last night. I’d have kept you warm.”
She smiled and lifted a brow. “Oh, you kept me warm. And exhausted. I couldn’t move for hours.”
“I’m losing my touch, then. I should have been able to keep you in bed for days. Maybe we should have another go.”
Gwynn laughed and ducked as he reached for her. She raced into the bathroom and tried to close the door before he got in, but he was too quick
Before she knew it, he had her pinned against the door, each of her wrists locked in his grip.
Her smile died as she saw his eyes smoldering with hunger. His jaw was covered with whiskers, and his long light brown hair was disheveled. And he looked incredible.
“I can no’ get enough of you,” he said.
Gwynn swallowed to wet her mouth. “I know the feeling.”
Logan’s gaze searched hers. “It frightens you?”
“Yes,” she said with a small nod. “I don’t allow myself to get close to anyone. I always get hurt when I do.”
She waited for him to promise not to hurt her, to tell her that he was different from the rest. But he didn’t.
He smiled, but she saw it didn’t reach his eyes. Then he released his grip on her wrists and took a step back. “We’ve a long day ahead of us. You should get ready.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
Gwynn moved so he could leave the bathroom, and she couldn’t help but feel as if she’d allowed something important, something vital, to slip through her hands.
She hadn’t lied to Logan. She was terrified of the feelings he stirred within her. But she wasn’t running as she usually did. It wasn’t because of the mission or Deirdre or her father.
Gwynn wasn’t leaving because of Logan.
She stepped out of the bathroom to tell him that, but he’d already left her room.
“Damn,” Gwynn muttered.
She almost ran after Logan, but she held back. It wasn’t the time to get into her feelings. As Logan said, they had much planning to do to carry out this mission. Once she had the Tablet of Orn and was back at the castle she could talk to Logan.
Maybe by then she’d know if what she felt was just a full-on case of lust, or something much deeper.
Like love.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Logan strode into his chamber and halted. He stared at the room without really seeing it. His mind, as it had been most of the morning, was on the night he and Gwynn had shared.
He’d told her things he had never thought to tell anyone. It wasn’t just the talking they had done, it had been the lovemaking.
There had been many times he’d had shared the night with a woman. But it had only been for the sex. Never for anything else. And never had he felt so different afterward.
With Gwynn, it was another matter entirely. He couldn’t think straight, couldn’t remember why he should stay away from her.
He was adrift. Aimless. Lost.
Logan had been content on his own. He hadn’t wanted or needed anyone. Until Gwynn.
She had changed everything.
“Logan?”
He turned his head slightly at the sound of Galen’s voice. “Are the others awake?”
“They’re waking now. Is everything all right? You look—”
“I’m fine,” Logan interrupted him. “Please have everyone meet in the great hall. Gwynn read the book last night. She knows where the artifact is.”
Logan had hoped Galen would leave then. Instead, his friend leaned against the doorway.
“I expected you to sound happier at the news,” Galen said.
Logan shrugged and turned his head forward. “I’m beyond ecstatic. I’ll be able to finish my original mission.”
There was a long pause, and then Galen said, “I’ll have the others waiting for you.”
As soon as Logan heard Galen’s footsteps walking away, he kicked the door shut with his foot. Logan raked a hand through his hair. He could still taste Gwynn on his tongue, still feel her silky skin beneath his hands.
It was everything he could do not to return to her chamber and make love to her again and again until she forgot her fear. And until he could get her out of his system once and for all.
Somehow, Logan knew he would never get her out of his mind. She had penetrated too deeply. She was in his soul, in his mind. In his very being. His every thought centered around her.
He should have been consoled by the fact that he wasn’t the only one befuddled by his emotions. Gwynn was feeling them as well. Or at least she was feeling something.
The way the panic had streaked through her violet eyes when she had admitted her fear had made his chest hurt. He didn’t want her trepidation. He wanted her body, her lips, and her hands.
He wanted her smile and her laughter.
He wanted to be the one she turned to and the one she trusted.
He wanted to share her past. And her future.
He wanted … her.
Logan dropped his chin to his chest and let out a long breath. He couldn’t allow himself to be softened, not now. Not when there was a chance he would be in battle soon.
Because there was no way Deirdre and Wallace would allow them to take the Tablet of Orn without some sort of fight. Logan had to be focused. He had to clear his mind of anything and everything but retrieving the artifact.
When he lifted his head, he had shoved Gwynn out of his mind. He changed clothes and ran his fingers through his hair before he made his way downstairs.
Logan wasn’t surprised to see everyone except Gwynn in the great hall. He gave a nod of greeting and found a seat at the far end of the table between Ramsey and Arran.
He was filling his plate with food when Gwynn came downstairs, her cheeks flushed and her glorious black hair falling about her shoulders.
Logan pulled his eyes from her and found Hayden watching him. Logan raised a brow at his friend, and a slow smile spread over Hayden’s face.
“Good morning,” Gwynn said as came around the table.
Logan saw the way her feet missed a step when she noticed where he sat. He wasn’t trying to hurt her. He was protecting her by distancing himself.
At least that’s what he told himself. He knew it for the lie that it was. He was protecting himself.
“What’s the news?” Lucan asked.
Gwynn took a seat beside Hayden, all too aware of where Logan sat. It shouldn’t matter. He wasn’t hers. They weren’t a couple. Yet, he had been by her side since they had arrived at the castle.
She refused to allow it to bother her, however. She’d known that getting close to Logan would likely cause her hurt, and she had accepted that. She needed to prepare herself for it though, or she would find herself in a place she had sworn never to be in again.
Gwynn accepted a plate piled high with eggs, toast, sausage, and bacon. “I read the Book of Craigan last night,” she announced.
As she expected, she had every eye in the hall. Except Logan’s. He stared at his plate.
Gwynn swallowed and looke
d around the table. “The book is a history of the Druids from the time the Tablet of Orn was given to them. It tells everything.”
“Does it tell you where the Tablet is?” Cara asked.
Gwynn nodded. “It does. It also explains that only the Keeper will be able to take it from its resting place.”
Fallon sighed. “I knew you would play a part in its recovery. I had hoped to keep you out of danger, but it looks as though you will be in it, Gwynn.”
“I’m a big girl,” Gwynn said. “I can take care of myself.”
Larena set down her fork and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “She did battle Declan.”
“Does it say what happened to the Druids?” Reaghan asked.
“It does,” Gwynn answered. “A little over two hundred years ago they began to leave the isle because people became suspicious of them and asked too many questions.”
Isla frowned. “With that many Druids together, I can imagine their magic was felt even by those who didn’t have any.”
“So they just … left?” Marcail asked.
Gwynn nodded. “I don’t think they ever thought that one day there wouldn’t be any Druids on Eigg, but over time, their history was lost just as their magic and knowledge of the Tablet’s presence were.”
“There was no threat of Deirdre, no threat of anyone,” Ramsey said. “They had no reason to believe the Tablet would be in danger.”
Camdyn grunted. “That was foolish. If the artifact was so important, someone should have been there to watch over it always.”
“I agree,” Gwynn said. “But regardless, it wasn’t. There are a handful of Druids still on Eigg, but they have little to no magic. They knew I was a Druid, but they had no idea Logan was a Warrior.”
Quinn rubbed his chin. “If their history was lost, then it’s no’ a great leap to think the story of the Warriors was lost as well.”
“Which could be good,” Hayden said.
Gwynn nibbled on her bacon and fought not to look at Logan. She should have known her admission earlier had hurt him somehow.
“We should leave tonight,” Logan said. “It will be better to make our attack in the dark to alert fewer people.”
Broc braced his elbows on the table and frowned. “Gwynn, can you find the artifact at night?”
“Yes,” she replied, daring Logan to comment.
“Wait,” Sonya said. “Where is the Tablet on the isle?”
Gwynn expected Logan to answer, but when he didn’t she said, “It’s in a cave.”
Broc shook his head then. “Nay, Fallon. I wouldna allow them to wait. Gwynn has no’ been in the cave before. It will be treacherous to go at night.”
“I can do it,” Gwynn argued.
Fallon held up his hand when she would have continued. “It’s no’ that we doona think you capable. You are a Druid, and therefore you should be protected. Since you are the only one able to retrieve the Tablet, we have no choice but to let you go. It’s when you go that’s in question.”
As much as Gwynn would rather go during the day, she knew Logan’s thinking was correct. “I think we should go at night as Logan suggested. Declan will be waiting for us.”
“I’ll bring her in under the water,” Logan said. “No one will see us.”
Gwynn’s stomach flipped when she remembered the last time Logan had used his power and taken her under the sea. It had been their first kiss, the first time she realized no matter how much she knew she shouldn’t get close, she couldn’t stay away.
“It’s a good plan,” Arran said.
Hayden gave a quick nod. “Ramsey and I will be there to watch them.”
Fallon’s gaze swung to Gwynn. “This is your life we’re putting at stake.”
“No. I’m putting my own life on the line. None of you are making me do something I don’t want to do.”
“All right,” Fallon relented. “Be that as it may, your life will be in danger. If you agree with Logan’s plan, then we’ll begin to prepare.”
Gwynn turned her head and looked at Logan. His hazel eyes met hers, silent and watchful. “I agree with his plan.”
She wasn’t surprised when Logan looked away quickly, but she wasn’t given time to think on it when Isla said, “I want to go with Gwynn.”
“Absolutely no’,” Hayden said.
Isla turned her ice-blue eyes to him and raised a black brow. “Tread carefully, husband.”
“We doona know if you are still immortal or no’.”
“And it doesn’t matter. Another Druid will be helpful to Gwynn, especially if Declan shows up.”
Gwynn smiled when Isla glanced at her. “Isla’s right. Declan’s black magic is strong. Having another Druid there could definitely be to our advantage.”
Hayden blew out a breath. “Isla, you’re going to be the death of me.”
“You’ll keep me safe,” Isla said confidently.
Gwynn watched them and the other couples around the table. They had been together hundreds of years and still laughed and loved each other. What did they know that others didn’t? What did they do that couples of her time didn’t? More people were getting divorced than married, yet, around the table at MacLeod Castle sat six couples all deeply in love.
She wanted that kind of love. To know that no matter what, there would be someone standing beside her, helping her shoulder the weight of her worries or helping her solve some dilemma.
Gwynn had always wanted that kind of relationship. She just hadn’t ever been brave enough to give it a try. Her terror of being left behind, of giving her heart to someone only to have them die, kept her alone.
Her worry over losing another person she loved, of feeling helpless as she watched them die had made her create walls around herself. Her own special prison.
How much had she missed out on? How much of life had passed her by as she sat in her small apartment and pretended she’d rather be watching movies than with someone?
Gwynn pushed away her uneaten plate and looked up to find Hayden watching her. His black eyes were too observant, entirely too perceptive.
“We have little time then,” Fallon said. “Logan, Gwynn, Hayden, Isla, and Ramsey will go to Eigg for the Tablet. While the rest of us will make sure Wallace has no choice but to fight us.”
“And if he’s already on Eigg?” Gwynn asked.
When everyone just looked at her, she shrugged. “My father has been studying the book for weeks. He might not have been able to translate it because the words moved around on him, but he—and Declan—know the artifact is somewhere on Eigg. Since we have the book, they will go to Eigg. If Declan doesn’t think of it, my father will. He cannot stand to lose.”
“Shite,” Logan muttered.
Galen smiled and rubbed his hands together. “Then we give Wallace a reason to return to his precious home immediately.”
Gwynn smiled as she thought of them destroying Declan’s home. She would like to have been a part of that. But she had more important things to do.
But once the artifact was in her hands and safely at MacLeod Castle, she had every intention of going after Declan.
And her father.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Not even the heavy coat Gwynn had borrowed from Isla could stop the cold sea wind from slicing through her. But the view had been too breathtaking to pass up. With all the planning and talking, it had taken nearly the entire day for her to get outside of the castle, but she had managed to slip away unnoticed.
She stomped through the thick snow with a scarf wrapped tight around her neck and heavy wool gloves. The land was coated with a fresh layer of blinding white snow, and the huge boulders jutting up from the ground only added to the majesty of Scotland.
Gwynn inhaled the salty air and continued to the edge of the cliffs. The sea far below her churned, its dark blue waters shifting endlessly. The sound of the waves crashing into the cliffs was calming and exhilarating.
If it had been warmer—lots warmer—Gwynn wouldn’t have he
sitated to make her way to the water and splash in the waves. She smiled as she glanced down and imagined lying atop one of the massive boulders as the sun warmed her.
“You should see it in the summer,” Cara said as she walked toward her.
“I imagine it’s just as beautiful.”
“It is. There isn’t a season I don’t love.”
Gwynn returned her smile. “Has it been hard living here for four hundred years?”
Cara shrugged and tugged on the end of her ponytail. “I won’t lie and say we don’t fight. We do. We all do. But then again everyone does. We all knew what we were getting into. The men get to leave because they’re immortal, and at least twice a year they take us out as well.”
“Is it difficult to return here?”
“Not for me,” Cara said with a smile. “We lack for nothing. Would I love to shop more? Sure. But as the years went by, we upgraded the castle to have modern conveniences.”
Gwynn bit her lip. It was none of her business, and she would be incredibly rude to ask, but she had to know. “How? None of you work. How do you pay for it?”
Cara laughed and moved her arm as she turned. “We use what the land has given us. And we’re imaginative.”
“Meaning?”
“Lucan used to build furniture. He made everything inside the castle. We sold many pieces for a time and built up quite a large sum of money. Broc had places around Scotland he had stashed money that we then brought to the castle. Isla makes the best sweets you can imagine. She sold the recipe a hundred years ago, and still makes money off it.”
“So you all do something.”
Cara nodded. “We pool our money together, though each of us does keep some separate. If we’re in need, we do what we need to do.”
“Amazing,” Gwynn said as she looked at the castle. “I used to dream of living in a castle when I was a little girl. I swore one day I’d have a castle of my very own.”
“You have a home here if you want it,” Cara said.
The sincerity in her voice brought tears to Gwynn’s eyes. But she didn’t know how to answer.
“What will you do after you get the Tablet?” Cara asked.