Embrace the Highland Warrior

by Anita Clenney

  Shay nodded, feeling her face flush. She considered and discarded the pretense of going for a glass of water and headed straight for Cody’s room. He was stretched out in the middle of the bed, clothes folded on the floor. The sheet was crumpled around his waist, one leg sticking out from under the covers. His battle marks rose and fell with soothing steadiness. He stirred, and the sheet dropped lower. Shay was too tired to care whether or not he wore underwear. She hugged her arms around her body, shivering, as she moved closer to the bed. She should leave. She didn’t want him distracted, but she needed to touch him. She started to turn, and his eyes flew open.

  He sat up quickly. “Shay? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I wanted to make sure you were here. I had a dream.”

  “I’m here. Are you okay?”

  She nodded, but then shook her head. “No,” she whispered.

  “Come here,” he said, pulling back the covers and scooting over to make room.

  She didn’t hesitate, but crawled in beside him, settling in the spot already warm from his body. He flipped the blanket over her and pulled her close, tucking his body around hers. She snuggled into his chest, letting his warmth and scent comfort her. He wore underwear, and it almost made her cry, because she knew he’d left them on in case he needed to go to her.

  She was tired. She had to sleep. Just for a minute.

  She woke several times during the night, once screaming, once shaking quietly, face soaked with tears. Cody was there each time, holding her close, trying to absorb her pain.

  She woke to an empty bed. The sky was tinged with the pink of dawn. She heard noises downstairs and quickly dressed. The kitchen was like a train station. Some eating, some carrying luggage, some doing both.

  “Did you sleep okay?” Bree asked.

  “Finally.” She glanced around the kitchen, but Cody wasn’t there.

  “He’s at Nina’s checking on something.” Bree rubbed Shay’s arm. “You’ll be fine. Let him help you through it. He needs it as much as you do.”

  She didn’t need to ask who he was.

  “The men are loading the vehicles. We’re waiting for Lachlan. He went to drag some poor veterinarian out of bed to give the cat its shots so he could take it to Scotland with us.”

  “He’s taking the cat to Scotland?”

  “Ronan’s going to leave it there at the castle until things calm down.” She closed the catch on her suitcase. “We’re flying out of D.C. Marcas is going to take us there in the small plane to save driving time.” Bree leaned closer. “My mother’s here. She arrived last night. She was on the way home from the wedding and found out we’d been in an accident. She thinks we’re going back to the castle so you and I can recover. She doesn’t know about the warriors or this.” Bree touched her stomach.

  “Got it.”

  Bree picked up a suitcase, and Faelan appeared, like a growling genie, and removed it, complaining that it was too heavy for someone with a concussion. He patted Shay on the head as he went by. The gesture was oddly endearing. All these people, strangers, really, but they had dropped everything, weddings, honeymoons, battles, to come and help her.

  A woman entered the kitchen. She looked elegant and graceful, even at this hour.

  “Shay, this is my mother, Orla Kirkland.” Orla was nothing like Bree, who was relaxed and laid back. This woman was as proper and refined as a queen.

  “Good morning, Shay. I heard about your trouble. I’m so glad you’re okay. Could I get you a cup of tea? Cody has some lovely Earl Grey.”

  “No, thank you.” She had no appetite, not even for tea.

  “Brodie, dear, do sit down and eat. Your food won’t digest properly with you rushing around. What is that? Oh heavens. Cookies? At this hour?” Orla threw her hands in the air. “I give up,” she said, and Brodie bolted out the door. “Are you sure you’re both up to this? I can’t imagine what your doctors are thinking, letting you travel after the accident and Shay’s kidnapping.” Orla moved about the kitchen as if she owned it. “Why don’t you both come home with me? Let me take care of you.”

  “No, Mother. They’re expecting us at the castle,” Bree said.

  Orla sighed. “Coira is a wonderful cook, and the castle was just lovely. Perhaps I should go with you.”

  “You know how you hate exploring. Shay and I were going to visit some ruins,” Bree said.

  Shay kept her eyebrows in place.

  “Ruins?” Orla gave a delicate grimace. “You shouldn’t be exploring while you’re recuperating.”

  “They’re close to the castle. Faelan and Cody won’t let us get hurt. You go home and rest. You’ve been so busy with the wedding and helping Faelan restore the house. I’ll bring him for a visit soon.”

  Orla brightened at that. “Ah, here he is now, my son-in-law,” she announced as if introducing the president. “Faelan, would you carry my suitcase to the car?”

  “It would be my pleasure.”

  “You’ll take care of her for me, won’t you?” Orla asked.

  “Aye. I’ll do my best.” He raised his eyebrows at Bree in warning.

  “And keep an eye on Shay,” Orla added. “She looks pale.”

  “She’d put him in for knighthood if she knew about the baby,” Bree whispered to Shay after Orla moved out of earshot.

  “She remodeled your house?” Shay couldn’t see Orla doing much remodeling.

  “She provided the ideas. Faelan and the clan carpenters provided the brawn. It was my wedding gift from him. And the clan’s way of showing their appreciation, since I brought him home to them.”

  “That’s impressive. The clan has carpenters?”

  “The clan has all kinds of people working behind the scenes. Not all of them are warriors.”

  Cody stepped inside, and his gaze locked on hers. “Did you pack your things?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  He frowned and reached in his pocket. “Here’s one more thing. I just remembered it this morning. I’m not sure how you got it.” He pulled out a necklace and handed it to Shay. At first she thought it was a gift. “I found it in the truck.”

  Shay examined the necklace, a silver cross. “It’s not mine.” Had there been another woman in his truck?

  “You found my necklace,” Bree said. “Thank God. I thought I’d lost it.”

  “This is yours?” Cody asked, his brows drawing into a frown.

  “Yes, it was my father’s.”

  “This belonged to Edward Rodgers,” Cody said.

  Orla gasped.

  “There must be some mistake. My father was Robert Kirkland,” Bree said, staring at the necklace.

  Marcas entered the room, and he examined the necklace as well. “He’s right. That’s Edward’s necklace. See that emblem on the back? That’s his family crest.”

  Faelan joined the little circle. “I found the necklace under a floorboard in Bree’s house. I thought the emblem looked familiar.”

  “Grandma told me it was my father’s.” Bree turned to Orla for an explanation. “Mother?”

  Orla was slumped against the counter, feet splayed, face pale as her daughter’s. She closed her eyes. “Oh God. Not like this.”

  “I don’t understand,” Bree said, clasping the necklace to her chest.

  “He did it for you,” Orla said.

  “Did what?” Bree whispered.

  Orla pressed her hands to her cheeks. “I knew it was going to come out, but not here. Not now.”

  “Were you married to someone else before Daddy?”

  “No. There was no one before your father—before Robert.”

  Shay’s head was swirling, knowing where the conversation was headed.

  “Robert wasn’t your father,” Orla said.

  “Not my father?” Bree slumped into a chair. “Was I adopted?” she asked, her green eyes wide with shock.

  Orla’s face crumbled. “He was your… uncle.”

  “Oh my God.” Bree stared at Orla. “You’re not my mother?�
��

  Orla gave a little sob. “I am your mother. I raised you.”

  “Did you give birth to me?” Bree asked, her voice stiff.

  “No. Technically, I’m your aunt, but we did it to protect you. He brought you to Robert and said you were in danger. He needed Robert to protect you, and he did.” Orla dabbed at her cheeks and crossed to Bree. “He protected you his whole life. We loved you as much as if you’d been born to us.”

  “Who? Who brought me?”

  “Edward Rodgers.”

  Shay’s breath caught. If Edward was Bree’s father, then that meant— She felt Cody move next to her. He reached for her hand.

  “That explains the birthmarks,” he muttered.

  Bree shook her head. “My mother…”

  “Layla is your mother. Edward Rodgers is your father.”

  Shay gripped Cody’s fingers. “I have a sister?”

  ***

  Connor Castle, Scotland

  “You realize the awkward position this has put the Council in?” The chief elder folded his hands across his ceremonial robe. It was gold with a red border, and Cody idly wondered if the red represented the blood of warriors who broke the rules. “Not once, but twice, you’ve revealed information that wasn’t yours to give. The clan decided it best to keep Shay’s identity hidden from her, for her safety, as well as ours. We gave you only a warning the first time.”

  Only a warning, Cody thought. It had felt like more than a warning when the brand touched his wrist.

  “But this time,” the elder continued, “even though the Council recognizes your valor and your service, what you’ve done here has put us all at risk. For all intents and purposes, she was an outsider. Now you’ve revealed secrets that we’ve protected for thousands of years. Not only that, but you’ve brought her here, in our midst, to our clan seat. If you are correct, and there is a demon hunting her, if they follow, you’ve endangered the entire clan.”

  Cody felt the stirring behind him, the tension of the other warriors summoned to the meeting. “What would you have me do, Elder? Leave her alone, unprotected?” His voice rose in anger. “She’s part of the clan, and she’s been targeted. I have to help her. We have to help her. That’s what the clan is about, protecting humans. Now you tell me we are to turn our backs on one of our own?”

  The elder frowned. “I understand it’s a difficult decision, but the good of the clan must come first. If this clan fails, it won’t be one woman who will suffer, but thousands could die. Hundreds of thousands. Do you want to weigh her against generations of humans that could be slaughtered, perhaps even the world, because the clan has been wiped out?”

  “My apologies, Elder. I know the importance of our mission, but there must be a way to protect her and the clan as well.” The muscles in Cody’s face felt like rubber bands ready to pop. “I won’t leave her unprotected… regardless of the consequences.”

  A quiet, collective gasp came from the Council members. Cody looked each one in the eye and then saw their gazes shift.

  Faelan stood beside Cody, his arms stiff. “I stand with Cody MacBain.”

  Cody heard more chairs squeaking as warriors stood. “And I,” Ronan said. All the voices rang out, one by one. His brothers’, Duncan’s, Sorcha’s. Cody looked around and saw every warrior in the room standing.

  The elder studied Cody for several uncomfortable moments. Cody kept his gaze steady as the elder’s hooded eyes widened slightly and then narrowed. He glanced at the rest of the Council members behind him. “We will convene and meet back here in one hour.” The mood was somber as they left the room.

  “If they do anything to you, I’ll give up my duty,” Brodie said, his face tight.

  Duncan nodded. “They sit up there and enforce the rules but forget that not everything can be judged by law.”

  “Let’s not panic just yet,” Cody said, but his stomach was in knots. If they punished him, even took him away for an investigation, what would happen to Shay? “I’m going to check on something.” He opened the heavy door and saw a movement behind the long drapes.

  A dark head popped out. Bree peered both ways down the hall and then climbed out, watching the Council members disappear into a small meeting room several doors down. “What are they doing?”

  “Convening.” He rubbed his hand over his neck. “Does your husband know you’re spying on the Council?” The woman had more in common with Shay than a father and green eyes. They both had guts. Too much, at times.

  “No, but how else can I figure out what’s going on? They won’t let me in.”

  No one but warriors could attend a Council meeting, and they hadn’t officially decided what Bree was, or Shay, and the Council stuck fast to its rules.

  “Do you think I could hide inside the secret passage and leave the door cracked—”

  “I think your husband would lock you in the tower. You’d better stick to listening at the door,” Cody said, grinning. “I’ll tell them I’ve suddenly grown hard of hearing and ask them to speak louder. I don’t know why you bother. You know Faelan will tell you everything anyway.”

  “I want to know now.”

  “I should have known from the beginning that you and Shay were sisters. You have the same hard head.”

  “How is Shay?” The warriors weren’t the only ones surprised that Shay and Bree were half sisters. The sisters were still reeling from the news themselves. It explained how Bree had sensed Shay was in danger.

  “Still sleeping. She’s been through a lot.”

  “I know but…” Two delicate lines crossed Bree’s forehead.

  He was getting worried too. He’d never known Shay to tire so easily. “Has Anna shown up yet?”

  “No, but Sorcha says it’s not unusual for her to disappear for days.” Bree turned in the direction the elders had gone. “Darn, I want to know what they’re doing.” Her sweater scooped down in the back, exposing the mark he saw after the accident, the birthmark. He eased closer, pulling his vision into focus in the dim light. As he thought, it was similar to Shay’s. A sliver of a moon and three stars. Damned odd.

  “Are you sniffing my wife’s neck?” The growl cut through Cody’s concentration, jolting him back to where he stood, with his face inches from Bree’s neck. Bree spun at Faelan’s voice and bumped into Cody. He grabbed her, steadying them.

  “If I wanted to sniff your wife’s neck, I’d take her somewhere more private, not in the middle of the corridor.”

  Faelan scowled, and Cody said, “I’m going to check on Shay again. I’ll be back.”

  Bree smiled and patted his arm before turning to her husband. “I swear, your face is going to get stuck like that. Then we’ll stick you on the roof with the gargoyles.”

  “What are you doing here… Bollocks! Tell me you haven’t been eavesdropping on the Council.”

  Cody left them fussing and walked to the stairs. They had put Shay on the second floor, next to his room. Even though the castle was protected, surrounded by warriors, he didn’t feel comfortable having her far from him, not with deranged humans, vampires, and ancient demons after her. Even if Bree was mistaken and it wasn’t Malek after Shay, someone had dug up the grave, so someone needed to know if she was alive or dead. Cody kept coming back to that scar on Shay’s shoulder. The letter was angled and crooked, but once he looked closely, it was definitely an M. If it was Malek who tried to kill her when she was a baby and put his mark on her, what was his purpose? Revenge against Edward, or to eliminate Shay?

  There was another theory, but it was too horrifying to consider.

  Cody opened Shay’s door. She was still asleep, her brow furrowed, lips parted as if she were speaking to someone. Cody bent and kissed her forehead. He wanted to take her and run away from this mess, sort out the past. He could take her to Ronan’s place in Montana. Maybe he should. The elder was right, this did bring some risk to the clan, but he had no choice. He lost her once before. He would not do it again, not for the safety of the whole world. He l
eft her sleeping and walked outside to check on the guards.

  “Any problems?” Cody asked, approaching the young warrior guarding the north side of the castle.

  “Nothing’s getting past me,” Conall said, his grin wide. He was barely twenty, still reeling with excitement that he, along with Bree, had rescued the Mighty Faelan. Not many could say that, Cody admitted. He remembered his early warrior days, feeling like a hero. Countless battles later, and countless lonely nights later, knowing he couldn’t go after Shay until his duty was fulfilled, it quickly lost its grandeur. There was no glory, only necessity, and necessity usually included sacrifice and harsh reality. After Conall had killed a few halflings that looked human—a teenager or a kid—that would take the edge off his good humor. And if he was lucky, he wouldn’t meet his mate until his duty was finished, wouldn’t know the anguish of years spent watching in silence, knowing if he revealed his heart, it could get her killed.

  Cody walked the inner perimeter to make sure all the warriors were in position. There were two lines of defense: one just inside the wall that surrounded the castle, and this one, along the edge of the woods closer to the grounds. When he was sure everything was in order, he started back. After spending most of the month getting the castle in New York ready for use by the clan, it was shocking to see this place again. The two castles were so alike. Bree was looking into the history of both castles for clues. If there was a traitor in the clan, it would be devastating for them all.

  Cody checked his watch. It was almost time for the meeting to reconvene. He was in enough trouble without showing up late. The fact that he was respected in the clan, a warrior who battled an ancient demon, should have some bearing on the outcome of the hearing, but if the elders tried to restrain him while Shay was in danger from an ancient demon and vampires, to hell with the clan. He’d go rogue.

  ***

  “Ellis was a serial killer?” Shane asked as they waited for the Council to return. He was a quiet one, like Marcas, but fast as lightning with a sword.

  Cody rubbed at the knot of tension in his neck. He wished the Council would hurry so he could get this over with. “They’ve linked Ellis to seven bodies in four states. All female. Blond. Midtwenties. That’s not counting Nick, Shay’s clients in Scotland, or the woman in the woods.”