Embrace the Highland Warrior

by Anita Clenney

  The nurse moved closer, staring at Shay. “Is she pregnant?”

  “I don’t know.”

  She looked at him as if he were a worm. “You don’t know?”

  “She’s not married.”

  “I thought you were her husband.”

  He shook his head.

  “Who are you?”

  “A friend.”

  “Humph,” she said, as if he’d tricked her. “Well, go on, now, and let her rest. You can come back later. You should get some dinner.” She touched her nose. “And take a shower.”

  She was right. He could smell his own sweat. He’d spent every spare moment near her, trying to outlast Jamie, who was doing the same. Both of them bounced back and forth between sitting with Shay and standing guard. What would he do if Shay was carrying Jamie’s child? His stomach knotted up just thinking about it. Cody pulled two Rolaids out of the packet he kept in his pocket since Shay was back. His phone rang. It was his FBI contact.

  “Someone’s opened the grave.”

  Cody walked down the hall to his room. “Shay’s grave?”

  “And they opened the casket. The body’s gone. Want to tell me why someone would open a twenty-five-year-old grave?” Sam asked.

  To see if a body was inside? “You’re better off not knowing. When did it happen?”

  “Probably dug it up during the past thirty-six hours. Police are blaming vandals.”

  Cody kicked off his boots. “We both know it’s not.”

  “You might. I don’t know what the heck it is. This stuff’s getting old. I could lose my job.”

  “I know. I appreciate all you’ve done for us.” Sam wasn’t even a buffer, one of the humans who knew about the warriors and helped hide their secrets so warriors could fight evil without fear of being arrested by the ones they fought to protect. They had buffers at all levels, local, state, and international. In this day of information and technology, the warriors needed help covering their tracks. Usually an entire generation served as buffers, which helped keep the knowledge contained. Sam was more effective than most of them. Cody should make it official.

  “Enough to tell me what it’s about? I’ve covered up stuff I can’t even explain. Like that drug bust in Albany. Those men in that hotel weren’t… normal. I feel like I’m the freakin’ X-Files.”

  “I know. If you want me to, I’ll explain after all this is over, but you might wish I hadn’t.” The clan wouldn’t like it either, but Sam deserved some answers.

  “Nothing would shock me concerning you. I’ll try to keep the grave robbing away from the press, but I can’t promise anything. This stuff stirs up public interest, and it’s getting close to Halloween.”

  Cody hung up, took a quick shower, and headed back toward Shay’s room before Jamie got back and monopolized her time. All the while, Cody thought about Shay’s fake grave and how close she’d come to having a real one today. He had just replaced the brake pads and rotors on his truck the week before. Had he screwed something up? If this was his fault— His train of thought was interrupted when he ran into Lachlan, Marcas, and Ronan on their way out.

  “Heard from the mechanic yet?” Lachlan asked.

  “No. He towed the truck. He’s checking it out now.”

  The nurse appeared at the top of the stairs, carrying a tray. She glared down at Cody, who had one foot on the bottom step. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  The woman acted like it was her bloody house. “To check on Shay.” He glared back, daring her to stop him.

  “You can’t. She has someone with her. He requested a few minutes of privacy.”

  Cody bounded up the stairs, head exploding with visions of the blond intruder. He heard his brothers and Ronan behind him.

  The nurse planted herself in the way, and Cody stopped, rather than plow her down, which is what he would have preferred to do. The door was cracked. Cody saw Jamie lean over and press his lips to Shay’s forehead.

  “What the hell is he still doing here?” Cody asked. “I thought he left.”

  “He’s her boyfriend,” the nurse said, as if Cody had misled her into believing he was Shay’s husband.

  “Boyfriend, my ass.” He started toward the door, but Marcas grabbed his arm.

  “Give him a break,” Lachlan muttered. “Jamie’s a good guy.”

  “If he’s a good guy, why did he take advantage of her? He was sent to protect her, not—”

  Marcas lifted one brow, the way he always did when he knew more than he let on, which was most of the time. “Sure you want to go there, little Brother?”

  Cody had sometimes wondered if Marcas knew the truth about him and Shay.

  “Yeah,” Lach agreed. “Who went and told Shay her whole life was a lie, before the clan even had time to prepare her?”

  Cody looked at Jamie, feeling the knife twist inside. Shay had spent months with Jamie, talking with him, sharing her life with him. He gritted his teeth. Sleeping with him. Maybe getting pregnant by him. “I’m going in,” he said, brushing the nurse’s hand aside. “Time’s up, Waters.”

  Marcas and Lachlan followed. Ronan put his hand on the nurse’s back. “We’ll just be a minute,” Ronan said, winking at her. “What can it hurt? She’s sleeping.”

  The nurse flushed, looking at all five men dwarfing the room. She rolled her eyes. “Five minutes, then I’ll toss all of you out. I don’t care how big or how good-looking you are.”

  ***

  “Come on, Cody, we don’t have all night.” Shay glanced over her shoulder as she ran toward the barn. The weather was warm for October, and the smell of fall reminded her of pumpkins and the haunted trail they used to make every Halloween. They had grown too old for monsters and demons and fake swords. She missed it. Missed the closeness. They were all growing up, and it scared her. She was afraid she would wake up one morning and they’d all be gone. How would she live? They were her family, her whole life.

  “I thought Nina already checked the barn,” Cody grumbled behind her. He was home from college for a few days. He seemed different, older, as if he knew things she didn’t, and it bothered her. They’d always shared everything. He looked different, too, taller, his shoulders broader, and muscles popping out everywhere. He was also grouchy as a bear. He had barely spoken two words since he arrived. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought he was avoiding her. It made her sad, since he was all she had thought about for months.

  “She didn’t check the hayloft. The cat might have gone there to have her kittens.”

  Cody held the narrow ladder for her and then followed. “You check this side; I’ll check over there,” he said when they reached the top. He turned away, but not fast enough. Shay didn’t miss his quick glance at her breasts.

  That was strange. The last thing Cody MacBain would be interested in was her breasts. She was the one with the obsession eating her alive.

  They spent several minutes searching. “There’s no cat here,” Cody said, leaning over a stack of hay bales, stretching his faded Levi’s across his rear.

  She was so preoccupied with his butt, she caught her foot on a piece of twine and fell flat on her face.

  “You okay?” Cody asked.

  “Just winded.” She rolled to her back, trying to catch her breath. She realized how stupid she must look and glanced up at Cody, expecting to see him laughing at her. He wasn’t.

  The muscles in his jaw tensed as he leaned down and stretched his hand out to help her up. She slipped her hand in his, gave a nervous laugh, and tugged, hoping if he fell too, it would wipe that somber look off his face. Caught off balance, he tumbled forward, landing on top of her. Once again, her breath whooshed out. His eyes were dark, and she could see a muscle ticking in his jaw. His gaze dropped to her mouth and he licked his lips a moment before lowering his head.

  Shay woke to voices, one of them Cody’s. At first she thought it was the dream, and then she saw the men arguing near the bed. Cody and Jamie were in the middle of the fray.<
br />
  “Stop it,” Shay said softly.

  Cody whirled at her voice, and both he and Jamie rushed to her side. Lachlan, Ronan, and Marcas were behind them.

  Shay’s eyes sought Cody’s, mentally comparing this version with the Cody in her dream. It was like comparing a tiger to a house cat.

  “How are you feeling?” Cody asked, stepping in front of Jamie.

  “I’m fine.” It took a few seconds to shake the heaviness of the dream. In the hours since the accident, every time she closed her eyes, she had jumbled dreams; the accident, the past, Renee, and the glowing man she couldn’t see, who wanted her to do something she couldn’t understand. She couldn’t do anything about the accident or the past, and she couldn’t make sense of the glowing man, but she could do something about Renee.

  Jamie stepped closer, edging Cody aside. “Do you want something to eat?”

  “Thanks, but not now.” Shay threw back her covers and stood.

  The scar above Cody’s eyebrow deepened with his frown. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “I’m getting up.”

  “You need rest,” Cody said, glancing at her stomach.

  “You hit your head,” Jamie added, also looking at her stomach. “You have a concussion.”

  If she had a concussion, why were they looking at her stomach? She touched it, and Cody and Jamie clenched their jaws in an alarmingly similar fashion. “It’s not the first concussion I’ve had. I doubt it will be the last. Did someone call Renee’s parents?”

  “They’re not answering,” Marcus said.

  “You still think you saw Renee’s car?” Ronan asked.

  Shay knew they didn’t believe her. “I know it was. She has a little rainbow sticker on the bumper.”

  “Did you see her before or after you hit your head?” Lachlan asked.

  Shay scowled at him.

  “If it was Renee, she would have stopped,” Cody said gently.

  Jamie nodded. “Renee wouldn’t have left you there.”

  At least they were agreeing on something, but Shay knew what she had seen. She picked up her clothes. “She would have if she didn’t have a choice.”

  Marcas frowned. “You didn’t actually see her?”

  “No. Her side windows are tinted.”

  “Whoever it was drove off after seeing them crash,” Cody said.

  “Who would drive past an accident with someone trying to wave them down for help?” Jamie asked.

  Ronan rested a thumb in the pocket of his jeans. “Someone who didn’t want to be seen.”

  “I think she’s in trouble and couldn’t stop. Where’s my cell phone?” Shay asked.

  “It’s probably still in the truck,” Cody said. “Get back in bed. We’re trying to track Renee down.”

  “It was only a bump on the head.” She ruined the declaration by swaying. Cody and Jamie both leapt at her, as if she teetered on the edge of a ten-story building. “What’s wrong with you two?” One or the other, sometimes both, had been there every time she woke up. “Am I dying?”

  “No,” Cody said.

  “Then get out. I’m getting dressed. I’m going to check on Bree, and then I’m going to find Renee. You can help me or not.”

  “We brought your rental car back from Jamie’s, but surely to God you don’t think we’re just going to let you walk out of here with a stalker after you,” Cody said, glaring at her.

  The warriors moved in closer, creating a wall of muscle.

  “What are you going to do? Handcuff me to the bed again?”

  “What?” Jamie’s eyes narrowed.

  “He was just trying to restrain her,” Marcas said.

  “With demon shackles,” Lachlan muttered.

  “Demon shackles!” Shay said, gawking at Cody.

  Jamie’s eyes widened. “You used demon shackles?”

  “I needed something fast. It was either that or knock her out. I didn’t think she’d appreciate that,” Cody muttered. “She doesn’t realize how dangerous this is.”

  Shay would have to find out later what demon shackles were. Right now, she wanted out of this room.

  Lachlan nodded. “Cody’s right, Shay. It’s not safe. You can’t be alone.”

  “You can come home with me,” Jamie said.

  “She’s staying here,” Cody said.

  “Okay, boys, you’re not dogs, and she’s not a bone. Everyone can stay here. We have plenty of room.” Marcas put a hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “You’re involved in this. There was a reason Renee sent that table to you.”

  Shay reached for her jeans. “If all of you don’t get out now, you’re going to see more of me than you want.”

  “I doubt that, darlin’.” Ronan grinned, earning frowns from both Cody and Jamie.

  “Don’t you all need to go hunt demons or something?” Shay asked. After a minute, she gave up and headed to the bathroom. When she came out, Cody was the only one waiting. “Where’s Jamie?” she asked.

  “Don’t worry. I didn’t kill him. He went to check Renee’s shop again for her laptop.”

  “I’m going to see Bree.”

  “I really think you should—”

  “Are you sure there’s not something wrong that you’re not telling me?”

  “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

  “I’m fine.”

  They ran into Ronan outside Bree’s room. She stood by the bed, glowering at Faelan, who was planted in front of her and appeared to be blocking the door.

  Bree’s eyes lit up when she saw Shay. “Thank God, a female.”

  “I’m just trying to keep you safe,” Faelan grumbled. “Which you’re making damned hard. Are all the women in this century like this?”

  “I just hit my head,” Bree said. “You hit your head plenty of times. Instead of protecting us, maybe someone would be kind enough to offer us food while Shay and I talk. Girl talk.”

  The men looked uncomfortable and quickly turned to leave. “What do you want to eat?” Faelan asked from the doorway. “You had dinner not an hour ago.”

  Bree considered. “Olives… and… Cody, do you have chocolate ice cream?”

  “I think so,” Cody said. “Uh, you sure about the olives?”

  “That sounds bloody awful,” Faelan said. “Are you feeling all right?”

  “Just hungry,” Bree said.

  “How about a salad and a glass of milk instead?” Ronan suggested.

  “Good idea,” Cody said. “I’ll bring Shay the same.”

  Since when had she liked salad and milk? She was beginning to think the men were the ones who hit their heads.

  “He’s killing me,” Bree said, after the men left.

  “He loves you.” Shay couldn’t bear thinking about the anguish Faelan would have suffered if something had happened to Bree, after everything he had already lost.

  “Don’t.” Bree squeezed Shay’s hand. “I see that look. It wasn’t your fault.”

  “It was. I shouldn’t have rushed out like that.”

  “The men deserved it, the way they were carrying on. Stop blaming yourself. Something went wrong with the brakes. It happens. Besides…” Bree’s eyes clouded. “If it hadn’t been you and me, it would’ve happened to Cody and Faelan. It could’ve been worse. You know how men drive.”

  The two women stared at each other as the weight of Bree’s words sank in. The thought seemed to deflate Bree as much as it did Shay. “Do you think that’s what you sensed about Cody?”

  “I don’t know, but for now, I’m fine, you’re fine, and the men are safe. If we only knew where the book was.”

  “I heard Cody and his brothers talking about it,” Shay said. “What’s so important about the book?”

  “It belongs to Faelan’s clan. The book has a list of battles fought between warriors and demons. It went missing from Scotland in the mid-1800s, around the time Faelan was locked in the time vault. I found it in my attic a few weeks ago.”

  “You found Faelan and the b
ook? I guess the clan was happy to see you.”

  “They suspected Faelan had the book with him in the time vault.”

  “They thought he stole it?”

  “They weren’t sure what to think, but most of them believed if he did steal it, he must have had a good reason. He was highly revered in the clan, even back then.”

  “If he didn’t take it, how did it get to America?”

  “We think the Keeper brought the book when he traveled with Faelan’s father and brothers to help him battle Druan. Faelan said there were threats against the book then. The Keeper may have been moving it to protect it.”

  “How could it have gotten inside that table?” Shay asked.

  “I don’t know. My ex-fiancé, Russell, stole it from my house. He was helping Druan.”

  Shay had thought she had it tough. At least the people who lied to her thought they were helping. Maybe that was why she felt such a bond with Bree. She understood the heartache of betrayal.

  “What are you going to do about Cody and Jamie?” Bree asked.

  “I don’t know, but I have to sort it out before they kill each other.”

  “Are you in love with one of them? Or both?” she added quietly.

  She did love them both, but not in the same way. “I don’t know what I feel, beyond wanting to wring both their necks.”

  “I know that feeling well,” Bree said, smiling. “Living with a man from the nineteenth century, I guess I got my piece of history. I swear he’s driving me crazy with all this hovering. I’d climb out the window and run away, if it weren’t for the baby—”

  “Baby?”

  Bree pressed her lips together, staring at the door. She leaned closer and whispered, “I’m pregnant.”

  “Pregnant?” Shay grabbed Bree’s hand. “The baby, it’s all right?”

  “It’s fine.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes. Stop worrying.”

  “How far along are you?”

  “Not far. I wasn’t even sure until a couple days ago. You can’t say anything to Faelan. He doesn’t know.”

  “Why?”

  “If I tell him, he’ll worry about me and the baby and won’t focus on this battle. I can’t take that chance.”

  “Ronan knows, doesn’t he? That’s the reason for all the secret looks between you, why he’s trying to make you rest and eat healthy.”