Soul Scorched

by Donna Grant

  In an effort to keep a low profile, he’d left his ice blue McLaren Spider in Perth. He walked to the black Mini and climbed behind the wheel before he drove away.

  * * *

  Warrick was on his way up to Darcy’s room with a tray when he heard voices coming from the entryway. He paused and listened, picking out Lucan MacLeod’s voice as well as Charon Bruce’s and Phelan Stewart’s.

  Damn. He’d wanted some time with Darcy before the Warriors and Druids spoke with her, but it looked like he wasn’t going to get his wish.

  He took the steps three at a time to her room. Balancing the tray in one hand, he knocked on the door. A moment later and it opened to reveal Darcy’s face.

  Warrick smiled and held out the tray. “Hungry?”

  Her answering smile was weak. “I think I could eat.” She opened the door wider so he could walk in.

  Warrick carried the tray to the bed and set it down. He took the chair while she gingerly climbed on the bed and inspected the food. He waited until she chose a cracker, a piece of cheese, and some cold chicken.

  “I should’ve known Con would react the way he did,” she said after she swallowed her bite.

  “Ulrik has done some horrible things.”

  She nodded and turned the cracker around in her hand as she stared blankly at the tray. “My magic would vanish if I was helping an evil person, Warrick. It’s part of what we’re taught on Skye as well as the spell we put on ourselves.”

  “Could you have reversed the spell on yourself?”

  Her gaze jerked to him, her expression wounded and angry. “You think I would?”

  “It’s just a question. Perhaps Ulrik convinced you to do it without your knowing it.”

  “Not possible. The spell can’t be removed or reversed in any way. Do you think I helped Ulrik commit his crimes?”

  Warrick shook his head. “The only way you’re involved is in unbinding his magic.”

  “But that is enough to condemn me in most people’s eyes. I see the way they look at me here. They’re not sure what to do with me.”

  Warrick wouldn’t lie to her. It wasn’t going to be easy, but Darcy had to know the truth. “Many of them have had their own run-in with Ulrik. The mates are no’ just taking the word of the Kings.”

  “I see people’s futures. I didn’t see Ulrik’s. I saw a part of his past, but not the recent past. I need to know what all he’s done.”

  He had been hoping that was what she would ask of him. It was going to be hard for her to hear, but it might be what she needed to prevent her from helping Ulrik unbind the rest of his magic.

  “You know why he hates us,” Warrick began.

  “Ulrik hates Con. He’s angry at the rest of you,” she corrected.

  Warrick wasn’t sure there was much of a difference. “He has a network of spies that I suspect far exceeds that of MI5 and MI6 combined, or any other government intelligence agency for that matter. We try no’ to engage with the mortals, even when they’re after us. However, Ulrik uses them often. He has a ring of ex-military mercenaries that he calls upon.”

  Darcy took another bite of food, nodding as he talked.

  “We suspected something was going on when a company named PureGems trespassed on our property.”

  Darcy shrugged and said around her bite of food, “Perhaps they didn’t know it was Dreagan.”

  “They knew. Elena, who you have no’ met yet, was with her boss. Sloan insisted that Elena go caving with her and brought her directly to Dreagan. Sloan died in the middle of their caving. She went down a hole looking for something and the line broke. She fell to her death, leaving Elena in the mountain alone.”

  “Obviously Elena didn’t die,” Darcy pointed out.

  Warrick shifted to get comfortable in the chair. “Guy and Banan found her. They got her out alive, fortunately. There is a magic barrier around Dreagan to prevent people from stumbling onto our land like that, which is why we were so concerned about their presence. The only place that magic is absent is around the distillery.”

  Darcy put together another cracker, cheese, and meat. “What happened to Elena?”

  “They questioned her involvement.”

  “Sounds familiar,” Darcy mumbled.

  Warrick hid his grin. “Guy believed in her though. Elena came up with a plan to return to London and PureGems to discover who had sent Sloan. Three Dragon Kings went with her.”

  “And?” Darcy urged when he paused.

  “Elena learned that PureGems was working to find anything they could on us. Attention pointed to the CEO. We needed to get close to him, so the Kings began following Jane, who was his secretary. Banan was tasked with uncovering what he could on Jane.”

  “I’m seeing a pattern here.”

  Warrick ignored her comment. “Jane overheard a conversation the CEO had with Ulrik. It put Jane’s life in danger since Dreagan was mentioned. She was kidnapped to lure us out. Since she was Banan’s mate, he and Rhys had to shift into dragons to rescue her. She heard Ulrik, but she never saw him.”

  “Heard him?” Darcy asked. “What’s that mean?”

  “Ulrik uses a different voice. He drops the brogue and has a cultured British accent. He kept just out of sight so Jane couldna see him.”

  Darcy finished off another cracker and began to make another. “Jane became Banan’s mate, just as Elena became Guy’s?”

  Warrick held her gaze for a moment before he nodded. “That’s right. After that incident, things got quiet for a wee bit. Or so we thought. We had no idea there was a faction within MI5 that was working with Ulrik and the Dark. They put together a two-person team to infiltrate Dreagan. They chose a cave of a dragon who had been sleeping for over twelve centuries.

  “Denae was sent in with a partner, who was supposed to wound her once they were in the cave. Their plan was that they would then see a dragon come after her, apparently to eat her.”

  Darcy’s eyes got big. “Go on.”

  “Denae didna go down without a fight. She killed her partner, though she was gravely wounded. Kellan woke during Denae’s fight, and he carried Denae out of the mountain to be healed.”

  “Oh, let me guess,” Darcy said with sarcasm. “As well as interrogated.”

  “Questioned,” Warrick corrected.

  “Hair splitting.”

  He shrugged. “Regardless, Denae finally agreed to help us. While trying to get her out of the country with another identity, MI5 and the Dark attacked. Eventually, the Dark took both her and Kellan prisoner looking for a weapon. It was Rhi who facilitated in getting the both of them out of the Dark prison.”

  “And Ulrik was responsible for the MI5 focusing on Dreagan as well as the attack on Denae and Kellan?”

  “Aye.”

  “And the weapon?”

  Warrick glanced away as he considered his words. “He told the Dark about the weapon. That’s the only way they would know. It was a secret Con held all these years. The rest of the Kings only recently learned of it ourselves.”

  “That weapon could be a game changer, I’m guessing.”

  Warrick sighed. “Aye. Ulrik didna give up. We suspect he is either a part of, or runs the Mob. They targeted Jane’s half-sister, Sammi. They blew up her pub and shot her.”

  “How do you know that was Ulrik?”

  “The bullet Tristan pulled out of Sammi’s shoulder had a dragon etched in it.”

  Darcy released a breath. “Oh.”

  “The Dark then stepped in and took Sammi prisoner, hoping it would be enough that Tristan would tell them where the weapon was. During that time, Ulrik tried to convince Tristan to join him. Luckily, Tristan was able to get Sammi out.”

  “That’s quite a list.”

  “I’m no’ done,” Warrick said. “Bordering Dreagan is a fifty acre piece of land that has belonged to the Campbells for generations. They made a pact with us to watch over the border between their land and ours.”

  “Why?” Darcy asked as she dusted off her
hands and opened the soda. “Why would you get that close to humans who might spill your secret?”

  Warrick hated talking about this part. “There is a spot on their land that is an invisible doorway onto ours. We can no’ detect anyone who walks through the doorway. However, it can only be seen by moonlight.”

  “What genius put the doorway there?”

  “We did. It’s the spot where we killed Ulrik’s woman.”

  Darcy lowered the can slowly.

  Warrick wanted to finish the tale before they were interrupted, which would be any moment. “Iona was raised on that land. Her father was murdered in an effort to get her back to Scotland. It also turns out that the company she worked for was a front put together by Ulrik to track her through her electronic devices.”

  “Please tell me that’s the end of it,” Darcy said.

  “I wish it were. When Rhys went to Ireland to help Kiril while he was spying on the Dark, Rhys was hit with a combination of dragon and Dark magic. He couldna heal the wound. He had to make a choice to remain in dragon form forever, or human form. He wouldna be able to shift again.”

  Darcy looked down at her hands. “You told me about Rhys. So did Rhi and Lily.”

  “I didna tell you about Lily.”

  “She did,” Darcy said as she looked back up at him. “She walked me up here and told me Ulrik’s part in what happened to her.”

  Warrick paused for a moment. “Then there’s you.”

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  “You think he’s using me?” Darcy asked Warrick.

  She was still trying to absorb and sort through everything Warrick had told her about Ulrik. It was too gruesome and awful to be real, and yet there was no denying the Dark were after her.

  Warrick’s cobalt gaze was steady. “I do.”

  “He needs me. He told both of us that.”

  “Aye, and once you have unbound the last of his magic? Do you think he’ll need you then? He’ll kill you. He willna want a Druid around who can touch dragon magic.”

  She swallowed, her stomach rolling as she realized the truth in his statement. Why had it taken her so long to figure that out? Because Ulrik had warned her that danger was close? Why hadn’t he told her it was Dark Fae? Why did he leave that part out?

  “I honestly didn’t think Ulrik had anything to do with the Dark after me, but now I don’t know,” she said.

  “You believe me now?”

  “I do believe all of that happened, yes. Did anyone see Ulrik?”

  Warrick rose to his feet, his frustration clear. “There couldna be anyone else, Darcy.”

  “Just for a moment, put that thought aside and consider it. We were thinking along those lines while trying to figure out who sent the Dark after me. I have my doubts about a lot of things now. What if there’s someone who wants to make everyone think it’s Ulrik doing all of this?”

  “Because he is.”

  Darcy drew in a deep breath and grasped the last shred of her patience. “What if it’s not all Ulrik? What if he’s only part of it?”

  “We would know.” Warrick stood at the foot of the bed. “There are only so many Dragon Kings. We watched all the dragons leave except for the four Silvers we’re holding in the mountain. The only one who can use dragon magic is a dragon. Every King has been accounted for, including Ulrik.”

  Well, when he put like that, and in such a confident tone, Darcy didn’t see the need in continuing her argument. The Kings might be arrogant, but they weren’t foolish. They would check every King on Dreagan to see if he was the culprit. That only left Ulrik.

  There was a small piece of Darcy that wished the rest of them could’ve seen the Ulrik she had in his memories. They might not hate him so much.

  Then again, it seems he deserved their loathing.

  “If Ulrik is such a bad person, why didn’t my magic stop?” Darcy asked.

  Warrick’s lips parted to answer when a knock sounded. He turned and opened the door to reveal Kellan. They both turned to Darcy.

  “We’ve no’ had a chance to properly meet,” Kellan said as he nodded to Darcy. “I’m Kellan.”

  Darcy licked her lips and set the can of soda on the tray. “Warrick was just telling me your and Denae’s story. I’m glad both of you came out of that.”

  Kellan bowed his head. “I appreciate your words. If you’re up to it, the Warriors and Druids are downstairs and would like to talk to you.”

  “Look at me,” she said as she glanced down at the fluffy white robe. “I don’t have any clothes.”

  Kellan glanced in the bathroom. “There’s some there.”

  “I was in those for days. I’d rather remain in the robe.”

  “Nay,” Kellan said and pointed. “I see the pile on the floor, but there is another set on the stool.”

  Darcy walked into the bathroom and stopped as her gaze landed on the clothes. They were stacked neatly, but more importantly, they were her clothes.

  She turned and looked at Warrick. “Did you bring these?”

  “Nay,” he said with a frown. “I think Rhi might have.”

  Kellan remained near the door. “What should I tell the Warriors and Druids?”

  “I’ll be right down,” Darcy said as she walked to the clothes. She waited until she heard the door close behind Kellan before she asked Warrick, “I know about Druids, but I’ve heard very little about the Warriors. Should I worry?”

  “No’ at all. They’re good people despite having primeval gods inside them. They’ve fought for their freedom against droughs.”

  Darcy dropped the robe and lifted the bright pink long-sleeved shirt to find panties and a bra. She hurriedly put them on, and then tugged on the jeans and shirt. When she turned around, Warrick’s gaze was heated, the desire blatant.

  “It’s a good thing they’re expecting you downstairs,” he said in a thick voice. “Otherwise, I’d throw you on the bed and have my way with you.”

  Chills raced down her spine at the image his words created. Despite the past few hours, she found herself grinning up at him. “Don’t tease.”

  “That’s a promise.”

  Darcy reached for him at the same time Warrick closed the distance and brought her against him. She melted against him as they kissed. His arms held her tight while he plundered her mouth.

  All too soon, he pulled back and looked down at her. “We can no’ tarry. They’ll come looking for us.”

  It wasn’t until Darcy was in the hallway that she remembered she hadn’t looked at her hair. She felt around for the frizz and groaned.

  “It looks great,” Warrick said with a lopsided grin.

  “I bet it does,” was her sarcastic reply. There was nothing she could do about it now.

  She was nervous about meeting the Druids, but it wasn’t until she stepped off the final stair that her heart began to pound in her chest.

  Voices were coming from a room off to her right. Warrick led the way, only stopping once they reached the parlor.

  “It’ll be fine,” he leaned down and whispered.

  After the welcome Darcy had received from those at Dreagan, she wasn’t so sure.

  All at once, every eye in the room turned to her. Darcy imagined this was how an insect felt beneath the lens of a microscope.

  It sucked.

  “Thank you for whisking me out of Edinburgh,” Darcy said. “I’m not sure I told any of you that.”

  A woman with golden blond hair and smoky blue eyes who stood beside Fallon smiled and said, “It’s quite all right. That’s as close to the Dark as we’ve gotten.”

  Darcy nodded at Fallon. They had shared exactly twelve words after he’d told her his name and that he was getting her out of Edinburgh. She had simply replied, “Okay.” What else was she to say to him?

  “This is my wife, Larena,” Fallon said as he glanced down at her. “And the only female Warrior.”

  Larena beamed up at him.

  Darcy looked over to Warrick, but he
was staring at another Warrior with very long dark hair and blue-gray eyes.

  “Phelan,” Warrick said.

  The man nodded. “Warrick.”

  “I expected all of you to be here,” Warrick said to the room.

  A man who looked similar to Fallon with sea green eyes and long black hair as well as a torc around his neck said, “We thought it might be too much for Darcy after all she’s been through.”

  “Lucan’s right,” Fallon said. “We can be a bit overwhelming when we’re all together. We kept it to just us six. For now. The others are anxious to meet Darcy.”

  Darcy hadn’t had time to count when they all appeared on the rooftop, but it hadn’t been a small group. She was glad they weren’t all there.

  “Perhaps introductions would be good,” said a woman with chestnut hair beside Lucan. “I’m Cara, Lucan’s wife. You’ve already meet Fallon and Larena. The other two are Phelan and Aisley.”

  Darcy said hello to each of them. It wasn’t until she looked at Aisley that Darcy shifted under the intense fawn-colored stare.

  “Are you really from Skye?” Aisley asked.

  Darcy wondered why that mattered. “I am.”

  “Who’s in charge there?”

  “Corann. As always.”

  Aisley and Phelan glanced at each other. Then Aisley asked, “Why did you leave Skye? I would think a Druid would never want to leave.”

  “You wouldn’t think that if you were from there.”

  “Actually, she is,” Phelan said.

  Aisley put a hand on his arm. “I wasn’t raised there, Darcy. My parents were from Skye.”

  Another Skye Druid. No wonder Aisley was so interested in her. “Have you returned to Skye?” Darcy asked.

  “A short trip,” Aisley said evasively. “Will you go back?”

  Darcy looked down to see her bare toes. “One day, perhaps.”

  “What of your family?” Phelan asked.

  Apparently they had done some checking on her. So much for privacy. “I talk to them every week.”

  “What keeps you—” Phelan began.

  But Aisley cut him off. “It’s none of our business.”

  “It is if she’s helping Ulrik.”

  Darcy felt everyone’s stare. She was tired of everyone condemning her. She nodded stonily, looking at each of them. “Thank you again for helping. There’s nothing else to say.”