by Ann Gimpel
Chapter Eleven
“Can you do anything?” Her voice held anguish. Lachlan gathered her as close as he could, given the small shelf sitting between them.
“I doona know, lass. Ye know your grandmother. Ye have an imprint of her energy. If it’s one of us who might reach her, ’twould be you. I will lend my magic to whatever ye wish to try.”
“All those years I spent moldering away in college, medical school, and residency were nothing but a colossal waste.” She raised her head and banged a fist down on a ridge that ran across the front of the car behind its steering wheel.
Lachlan chose his words with care. Since the Celts knew about Mary Elma, it was a good bet Rhukon and the Morrigan did as well. “Gwydion and Arawn were aware of your grandmother—”
Maggie jumped on his line of thought before he finished getting the words out. “Of course they did. My grannie is one of the most powerful witches alive today. Whatever happened to her plane was no accident.” She pounded her fist into the car’s steering wheel, winced in pain, and flexed her knuckles. “When Rhukon and them couldn’t kill us, they switched gears to easier prey.”
“Explain radar to me, lass?”
She exhaled raggedly. The sound broke his heart. The lass was in pain, suffering terribly, and there was nothing he could do to ease her anguish. “Radar is an invisible electronic beam that tracks airplanes—and other things. If the plane had crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, radar would have followed its trajectory down.”
“But the fellow said the plane disappeared, which means it dinna crash.”
“Exactly.” Maggie bit off the word. “Those bastards did something.” She shook her head; he heard her teeth grind against one another. “I wish I knew more about magic.”
“Are we anywhere near to Loch Lomond?”
“Not far. Maybe fifteen minutes. Why?”
“Do ye know Castle Balloch?”
“I’ve seen it. Never took the tour, though.”
He blew out a breath. Tour? Whatever did she mean by that? “Thank the gods the castle still stands. There does not appear to be any sense in going to Glasgow. Take us to Castle Balloch.”
“Why?” she asked again.
“Magic is strong there. Once upon a time, there were a series of magical nodes strung betwixt the castle and the far side of the loch. ’Tis a strong possibility I can secure help from there.”
“How?”
“I canna explain the whole of it. But the location will intensify my abilities. Yours, too.” He paused, wondering whether to give voice to his next thought. In the end, he did, to underscore the urgency of their predicament. “Even with Kheladin’s strength at my disposal, I couldna have freed us from the cave without your help.”
“And you’re hoping for a much stronger infusion of power from these nodes?”
“Aye, lass.”
“All right. I don’t have any better suggestions. To tell you the truth, I feel woefully out of my league.” Her phone trilled. Maggie made a grab for it, peered at its illuminated display, and said, “Aunt Chloe.”
Lachlan watched Maggie as she spoke with her kinswoman. Her features were carved into bas relief by pale moonlight. Mayhap it was a trick of Artemis’ moon, but Maggie had an ethereal beauty that glowed, illuminating her from within.
Mostly escaped from her braid, thick, golden curls fell around facial bone structure that would have done a goddess proud. His groin stirred. He wanted her, plain and simple, but now wasn’t the time. The small taste of her hot, damp core, when he’d been crazed with lust and hadn’t lasted five minutes, had been the merest of appetizers. He shifted in his seat and tried to move his more-than-hard cock to a comfortable position. He caught himself gazing longingly at the full curves of her breasts and the enticing swell of her rump where it rested against the seat. His heart beat faster. Lachlan forced himself to look out the window before he threw prudence to the four winds and simply ravished her in the dirt next to the car.
While he heard her side of the conversation, he couldn’t make out the rest, despite using Kheladin’s acute senses. Aye, and the aunt must be shielding things with magic.
“Here.” Maggie thrust the phone at him. “She wants to talk with you. I’ll get us moving toward Castle Balloch and the loch.”
Lachlan took the phone. Feeling odd, like he was trespassing on someone else’s magic, he held it to his ear as he’d seen Maggie do and said, “Aye?”
“My name is Chloe,” a strident female voice said without preamble. “Margaret is my niece. You will help her find out what has happened to my mother.”
“Aye. She is my mate. Of course I will help.” Because Chloe seemed overwrought, Lachlan experimented with a calming spell.
“Don’t waste your magic on me, dragon shifter. Save it for what’s important.”
“Certainly. Of course.” Apparently, the witch knew far more about him than he did about her. Lachlan stilled his racing mind and focused on what he saw as paramount. “’Tis as I told Maggie, I am not familiar with your mother’s energy. ’Twould be best if one or more of you could travel here.”
“Not likely any of us would trust the airlines after tonight.” A hesitation, then a sly note crept into Chloe’s voice. “You’re connected to the Celtic deities.”
“Ye dinna ask a question, but aye, that I am.”
“Could you rustle one of them up to help?”
Lachlan hesitated. “’Is it possible for someone to overhear our conversation?”
“Not from my end, dragon shifter. I have no idea what magics you’re conjuring on yours.”
“Lass.” He aimed for a placating tone since his magic appeared to upset her. “I have been ensorcelled—asleep, if ye will—for hundreds of years. The world I woke to is still passing strange to me.”
“Excuses!” she snapped. “They’re an indulgence. Get over it.”
Lachlan couldn’t help himself. A laugh rumbled up from his belly. “’Tis a feisty one ye are. In my day, a woman wouldna speak so to a man.”
“What a good thing customs have changed,” she said dryly. “Now, what are you going to do to retrieve my mother?”
“Do ye ken where she is?”
“Not exactly, but she’s still alive. I’d know if she were dead.”
“Excellent news. ’Tis what I meant by her kin having a feel for Mary Elma’s energy. I am not hedging, but I am reluctant to disclose my thoughts since I have no idea how to shield this type of conversation from those who seek to harm us.”
“But you will do something. The state the world is in, we need Mary Elma. Her loss would be a grievous blow.”
“Aye. I willna desert Maggie. She needs my help.” Lachlan considered trying to talk around the ancient prophecy regarding himself and Maggie.
He’d just opened his mouth when Chloe said, “I already know about it. Our entire coven does, so I assume our enemies do as well. Margaret tried to escape her destiny, but that never works.” A brittle laugh. “In any event, you aren’t the only one with foes who’d just as soon see you out of the way. Give the phone back to my niece.”
Lachlan complied. Apparently niceties such as greetings and farewells had gone the way of prehistoric beasts. Moments later, after a flurry of I know and I understand and Yes, Auntie, Maggie slid the phone back into her bag. “Sorry about that,” she murmured. “My aunts can be intense, even when things are going well.”
Lachlan chuckled. “When things have gone to hell, they’re a wee bit overbearing.”
“You’re being kind. Chloe was a bitch on wheels, but she’s worried sick about Grandma. For that fact, so am I.” A sign for Loch Lomond flashed past, and Maggie pulled off the main road onto a smaller one where the cars didn’t travel as fast. “What do you want me to do once I get to the loch? As I recall, we’ll reach it before we get to the castle.”
“Is there a deserted area where ye could leave this beast, and it wouldna be disturbed?”
“Well,” she cocked her head to one
side. “It’s still the middle of the night, so all the parking lots should be pretty much empty. Do you want to be closer to the loch or the castle, or does it matter?”
“It doesna matter. We can walk to where we need to be.” Lachlan turned his thoughts inward. “And do ye have any ideas?” he asked the dragon.
After a silence so long, Lachlan figured Kheladin was annoyed about something, the dragon finally said, “The world is vastly different. Were this a more familiar time, I would say we should shift, and I could talk with the creatures in the loch. Sea creatures are full of information.”
“We doona even know if the loch has life in it.”
Sounding uncertain, Maggie broke in. “Since I can hear you, I thought I’d shed what light I could. Pollution has been a problem here, just like everywhere. There are fish in the loch, but they’re planted by the government.”
“Planted?” Lachlan spoke aloud. “Whatever do ye mean?”
“Fishing is a sport. People don’t have to fish to eat, at least not most people. So the government grows fish in hatcheries, and when they get old enough, they move them into the lake, er loch. I’m not certain how they do it here. Back in the States, they often drop them from airplanes.”
“Forget I suggested it.” Kheladin sounded shocked and disgusted. “Such creatures surely have no ancestral memories left.”
“He can hear us if we don’t use mind speech?” Maggie asked.
“Aye, if he chooses to listen. The best way to get his attention, though, is silent speech.”
Maggie turned into a large gravel area, pulled the car to its far end, and turned it off. Lachlan reveled in silence. He didn’t fully appreciate how annoying the car’s motor was, always nagging at the edges of his hearing, until it wasn’t there anymore. He got out and sent his mage senses spinning outward. No point in walking into a trap in case Rhukon—or the Morrigan, who was much smarter than the black wyvern—had anticipated his next move.
“What’s next?” Maggie had walked to his side while he was hunting for danger.
“Grand news, lass. We’re alone.”
“Of course we are,” she began and then nodded. “I understand. You were looking for something … invisible.”
“Good lass. Ye never know which ears might overhear.” He gazed about them. Loch Lomond was about fifty paces away, water lapping gently against its rocky shore. The castle was on the far side of the loch, maybe an hour’s walk. It was lit up like a holiday festival tree. “So people yet live in the castle?”
“Not nobility or anything like that.” Maggie gazed at the lights. “If anything, there might be a staff of caretakers.”
“Do ye think it would be hard to get inside?”
She snorted. “Oh my, yes. I’m sure it’s alarmed from here to Sunday.”
“Which means?”
“There are electronic beams that set off alarms if anyone tries to break in. The alarms might be silent here, but you can bet they’d alert someone at the police station in the town.”
“Once we are not sore pressed, I want you to explain these electronic beams to me. Ye canna see them, yet they seem immensely powerful.”
“Sure.” She stood, hands on her hips, gazing at the loch. With her blonde tresses and ramrod straight stance, she could have been a Viking maid. Because he couldn’t help himself, he bent toward her and brushed his lips over hers. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Their breathing escalated as their bodies strained toward one another. Her nipples pressed against his chest, and the scent of her arousal was thick in his nostrils. His cock, desperate for release, rubbed against the rough fabric of his breeks.
Much more of this and I’ll spend without her laying a hand on me. With a great deal of effort, Lachlan broke away from their kiss. “I want you more than is good for me, lass.”
“I know. Me, too.” She stepped back, but he felt the heat of her even across the distance between them. In a rush of chivalry, he grabbed her hand and pressed his lips to its back.
Lachlan forced his mind away from his swollen member; being lost in lust was not conducive to clear-minded thought. Since the castle was occupied and guarded by something he couldn’t see, it would be a last resort. Even if he could work his way into its lower levels, where earth magic was strongest, it would still take time to cast a spell and hold it long enough for it to yield information. He shut his eyes and reconstructed the location of the nodes ancients had used to concentrate their magic. One was quite close. He opened himself to sense its pull. “This way.”
“Where are we going?”
He drew a hand through her arm and propelled her forward. Even so small a touch was like an aphrodisiac. He wanted to spin her and crush her to him, lower his mouth to hers and sink onto the mother goddess earth to take his pleasure. “’Tisn’t easy to explain, lass, but there are places where magic congregates.”
“I know about them,” she cut in. “We call them power points, and magic is easier to access there because of harmonics.”
“I doona understand harmonics, but I know what I feel and how power flows through me. Into this grove now. Careful, someone’s erected a fence.”
He helped her over wooden rails. Once on the other side, they moved deeper into thick undergrowth, among friendly trees. Thank the goddess, even today’s version of humans had left the sacred grove intact.
“Is this what I think it is?” She kept her voice low.
“Aye. See the stones,” he pointed, “and the trees. Come stand in their center.”
Lachlan laid a hand on a standing stone and mouthed a prayer. The strength with which the goddess, Ceridwen, rushed into his mind was a surprise. Like everything else he’d seen in modern times, he’d expected earth magic to be faded and weak.
Numinous light rose from the standing stones and hovered. “Gwydion and Arawn told me ye were near.” Ceridwen’s voice had a multi-tonal aspect, as if two women spoke simultaneously.
“Blessings, lady, on you and your grove.” Lachlan bowed. “I would introduce my mate.”
“Aye, and well I knew her mother and grandmother. Stand tall within my grove, Margaret Hibbins.”
Maggie squared her shoulders, eyes round as small moons. She groped for Lachlan’s hand. “Which of the goddesses are you?”
“In olden times, ye would not have lived to mouth the last words of that thought.”
“Forgive me.” Maggie bowed low. “I can’t see you, only light.”
“Use your third eye,” Lachlan murmured.
“Even if I saw her face, I wouldn’t recognize her.”
“Child.” Ceridwen’s voice was sharp. “Why have ye abandoned the power within you?”
Maggie cleared her throat. “Because I was stubborn, willful, and grieving.”
“And are ye still?”
Maggie shook her head. “I’m feeling humble and stupid right about now. Whichever goddess you are, if you knew my mother, you’ll understand why I grieved her loss as a child. If you know my grandmother, could you help us find her please?”
Lachlan draped an arm around Maggie and pulled her against his body. “Forgive her, Ceridwen. She is of the modern world and does not understand one does not ask boons of the gods.”
Tinkling laughter trilled. Lachlan relaxed his hold on Maggie. He’d been afraid the goddess would strike her dead for impertinence.
“Lady. May I speak?” Kheladin forced Lachlan’s vocal chords to his bidding, something he’d only done a time or two before.
“Dragon.” Ceridwen inclined her head.
“Do my kin yet live anywhere?”
The numinous light pulsed and took form. A tall, robust woman with long, black hair mingled with gray, and piercing dark eyes stood before them. She was clothed in flowing white robes and carried a carved staff. Gold rings circled most of her fingers. A heavy golden torc went around her neck; strings of pearls wound through her hair. “Aye, dragon. Would ye have them return to the world?”
“Of course. I am
lonely. I slept for long years and wakened to find no one to fly with.”
“Lachlan?”
He recovered his voice with effort. “Aye, my lady.”
“I will aid all of you, but first I require a sacrifice. The earth is parched, hungry for the essence of life. Humans no longer pay homage to me. No one has prayed in this grove for many a long year.”
“Of course.”
“No.” Maggie twisted in his arms. “No sacrifices. I can’t believe you’re even considering such a thing. We aren’t going to harm—”
“Sssh. She dinna mean what ye think. She wants us to make love here in her sacred grove and let the juices from our bodies soak into the earth.”
The sky was lightening in the east. In its glow, Maggie’s eyes widened. “In front of her?”
Ribald laughter crashed around them. Ceridwen laughed so hard her eyes streamed tears. When she could talk again, she said, “Humans have turned into a horde of withered prudes. Yes, daughter. In front of me. Ye asked a boon of me. ’Tis a small enough price to pay.”
An idea bloomed around Lachlan’s rising urgency to plumb Maggie’s lush body. They had the goddess’ blessing, after all. He risked meeting Ceridwen’s dark gaze. “Would ye consent to wed us?”
Maggie, who’d been half-leaning against him, wrenched herself out of his arms. “Too soon. This is all happening too fast. Sleeping with you is one thing. Tying my life to yours forever is quite another. My God, I barely know you.”
Shocked, Lachlan stared hard at her. After what they’d shared in Kheladin’s cave, it wasn’t possible the lass could wish for another. Or was it? Heart aching, he tamped down the magic that would force her to his will. She had to come to him freely—or not at all.
Chapter Twelve
Unfamiliar emotions buffeted her. Lachlan was all the things she thought she wanted and needed in a man, so why was she on the verge of spinning and running down the lakeshore path for all she was worth? She tried balancing pros against cons.