Embrace the Highland Warrior

by Anita Clenney

  Cody lifted his sword and ran toward them. “Run!” he yelled to Shay. He swung the sword, but Malek jumped back, and it struck his arm. He bellowed and attacked Cody, slashing his side with sharp claws. A god-awful scream echoed through the clearing, and Shay leapt on Malek’s back, both legs cinched around his thick waist, as she hacked at his neck.

  What the hell was she doing, trying to cut off his head with a butcher knife? “Get back, Shay!”

  She let go and dropped to the ground. She didn’t seem to have the same speed and strength as she had with the vampires. Malek turned on her as Shay scrambled away. Cody leapt in, driving his sword into Malek’s chest. It wasn’t a fatal blow, and Cody felt himself weakening from his attempts. Malek whirled, catching Cody’s arm. He needed to act fast, while he had strength left to use the talisman. He didn’t know how long he would last against an ancient demon. The one he killed before had been assigned, matched to him, but he couldn’t use the talisman with Shay there.

  “Please, Shay. Run!”

  She stood her ground, holding her knife, the glint of fury still burning in her eye, as she watched Malek. Did she want revenge? His only chance was to continue to weaken the demon by sword so one of the other warriors could finish him off, assuming they defeated the vampires. Cody waited until Malek rushed at him. He stepped aside and gave a mighty swing with his sword, but Malek ducked and the blade caught him in the arm. Malek turned, teeth and claws bared. Cody sidestepped and swung again, his hands slick with his own blood, and caught Malek in the ribs. The demon roared in pain and knocked Cody’s sword from his hand. “I’ll make her die slowly for that and force you to watch.”

  Malek lurched toward Cody, claws extended, but turned with a roar. Cody’s sword was lodged in Malek’s lower back, as Shay darted clear. Malek ripped it out and pointed it at Shay as he advanced on her. “You dare use a knife and sword against me? When I’m finished, you’ll wish I’d been successful twenty-six years ago.”

  Cody would have to use his talisman and trust that Shay would run. There was no other choice. Cody gave her a quick glance, knowing it would likely be his last. She was scared, but she stood straight and fierce. God, he loved her. He always had. How could he leave her? They had wasted so much time, lost so much, but this tactic was the only way to ensure that she lived.

  While Malek was distracted with Shay, Cody readied his talisman. “When I give the signal, Shay, close your eyes,” he yelled. “I beg you. When it’s over, run!”

  Her eyes widened. She shook her head. “No.”

  Cody aimed his talisman. “Close your eyes, Shay. I love you.” He chanted. The air grew heavy. From the corner of his eye, Cody saw the demon lunge for Shay and pull her in front of him, a human shield.

  “No!” Cody roared, but it was too late to stop the talisman. “Close your eyes!”

  Shay lifted her leg and retrieved her knife from her boot. Her eyes locked with Cody’s. He could see it in his head, just as they had so many times before. It all happened at once. She spun out of Malek’s grasp. With a fierce battle cry, she drove the knife under his ribs, up into his heart, at the same moment the light exploded from the talisman. Malek screamed and disappeared.

  Shay collapsed in the stream of brilliant light.

  No!” Cody roared. Everything went black.

  Chapter 21

  Cody heard buzzing in his ears. He slowly opened his eyes. Everything was blurred. He blinked several times and saw lights twinkling above him. Stars. Night. A metallic taste lingered in his mouth. Reality slammed back into focus. Shay! He rolled to his knees. His side burned, and his head felt like a thousand pins stabbing his skull. Where was Shay? He blinked again, trying to clear his vision, and saw her. She lay on her side several feet away, unmoving. Struggling to his feet, he lurched toward her as the blackness clawed at him like fingers of hell, broken only by the brilliant flashes in his head. He felt burnt, inside and out. He dropped beside her. “Shay! Wake up.” She didn’t move. He felt for her pulse. It was still. “No. No.” He pulled her into his arms. “God, no.”

  Voices called behind him, feet pounding, cries of alarm.

  “Cody, give her to me.” Marcas tried to lift Shay, but Cody wouldn’t let go.

  Lachlan dropped beside him, and together he and Marcas pried Shay from his arms, as the world spun.

  Someone grabbed his arm. “You’re injured, Cody. Let them help her.” Faelan pulled off his shirt and pressed it to Cody’s side. When he took it away, Cody saw blood. A lot of blood.

  Shay lay on the ground with Bree bending over her, pressing on her chest. Ronan was near her head—Cody blinked—kissing her. Blackness threatened to overtake him again, and when it cleared, he dimly recognized that Bree and Ronan were trying to resuscitate Shay. The other warriors gathered in a circle around them.

  Cody pulled away from Faelan and crawled to Shay’s side. “Let me,” Cody said.

  Bree pushed against Shay’s heart. Cody breathed into her mouth, begging her to live. Cody felt air stir on his lips, so faint he thought it was his own. He felt it again. His heart surged, sending a wave of pain through his body. “She’s breathing. She’s breathing. I love you,” he whispered as the black abyss swallowed him.

  ***

  Shay saw a flash of light and heard voices.

  “What are you doing out of bed again?” The voice was familiar. “You’re a fine warrior, but a lousy patient, Cody MacBain. I told you to stay in bed. What have you done with your IV?”

  Cody. Shay opened her eyes and saw Cody lifting his head from her stomach. His eyes were sleep-blurred, his face lined from resting against her bunched covers. “Sorry, Coira, it was getting in the way.”

  Coira gave him a stern look and at the same time patted his cheek. “Sleeping in that chair next to her bed isn’t going to make her—well, look at that. She’s awake.”

  “Shay.” Cody leaned closer, his eyes devouring her face. “Are you okay?”

  “Move back a bit, Cody, and let me check her over. Shay, dear, how to do you feel?”

  “Like I’ve been hit by a train.”

  “That’s to be expected. You gave us a right good scare. Both of you nearly dead when they brought you in. How about your head? Does it feel all right? You both had nosebleeds something terrible.”

  Shay touched her temples. “Okay, I think,” she said, staring at Cody, who stood off to the side, not taking his eyes off her. He wore sleeping pants and a T-shirt, his jaw shadowed with a beard. Shay wanted to cry, seeing him alive and whole. She reached for his hand. “I thought you were dead. Malek?”

  “Destroyed.”

  “How?”

  Coira shook her head. “Let me finish up with her, and I’ll leave you two alone. The others are in the library.” She bent close and peered at Shay. “I’ll let them know you’re awake. They’ll be thrilled to see you. I’ve had to post guards at the door to keep them out of here.” Coira checked them both thoroughly. “Now climb back in bed, both of you. You’ve a ways to go before you can go tramping out of here.”

  Cody leaned over Shay’s bed, pressing his face to her hair. “I thought I’d lost you, Shay.”

  She gripped his shoulders and buried her nose in his T-shirt, breathing in his scent, feeling the muscle and warmth of his skin under the cotton. “How did Malek die?”

  “The only thing I can figure is that we killed him together. You stabbed him through the heart at the same time I hit him with the light from my talisman. The timing must have been perfect.”

  “I remember the flash of light. And then you calling to me, kissing me.”

  “You were dead, Shay.” His voice was rough. “You weren’t breathing. We resuscitated you.”

  Shay reached for Cody’s hand. “Hold me.”

  He gave a wry smile. “Coira didn’t say which bed I was supposed to get in.” He eased in next to Shay. It was a tight fit, but she snuggled against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She’d almost lost him. She ducked her head so he would
n’t see her tears.

  “Hey, now,” he said, tilting her chin. “No crying. We did it. We destroyed Malek.” Cody’s hand tightened on hers. “Everyone’s fine. Coira’s been letting them in here two at a time. I think the battle with Jamie probably weakened Malek, and Bree helped. She used Edward’s talisman to destroy Malek’s demons.”

  “I didn’t think anyone could use another warrior’s talisman unless it had been reassigned.”

  “They aren’t supposed to. At least that’s what we’ve been taught.”

  “She can kill vampires too,” Shay said.

  “I saw you both. I don’t understand it, but I saw it.”

  Shay lay her head against Cody’s battle marks. She heard the faint whispers again, almost like music, soothing. “Malek said something strange. He said our child was destined to destroy him.”

  Cody frowned. “Our child? So he was trying to kill you to stop you from having a child?”

  “He even told me his name. Alexander. That’s what I named our baby.”

  A look of sadness crossed Cody’s face. “Then he was assigned to kill Malek.”

  “But Michael said it was me.”

  “Malek must have been reassigned to you.”

  Shay traced the battle marks with her finger. “How did Malek know who was assigned to kill him? That’s alarming.”

  “It is, but the Book of Battles was missing for a long time. He must have seen it,” Cody said. “Let’s hope no one else did.”

  “I think Alexander would have been a great warrior,” Shay said, her throat tight. “Like his father.”

  Cody brushed a kiss over her hair. “And strong, like his mother.”

  Shay blinked back tears and snuggled closer to Cody.

  “I’d say they’re feeling better. What do you think?” Lachlan said from the doorway. Ronan stood behind him.

  “I’d feel better if we had some privacy,” Cody joked as the warriors approached the bed. “Seriously, thank you. You saved our lives.”

  Ronan looked at Shay and grinned. “Anytime she needs resuscitation, just let me know.”

  “Jackass,” Cody said, lightly punching Ronan on the arm.

  Voices sounded in the hallway. “The troupe descends,” Lachlan said. “Coira said everyone could come in for ten minutes.”

  The room filled with people and the air swarmed with smiles and laughter and gratitude and a few jokes about Cody and Shay in the same hospital bed. When Shay grew tired, she closed her eyes, listening to the voices of her family and friends. She slid her hand into Cody’s and knew she had come home.

  ***

  “Darling.” Nina hugged her as soon as Shay and Cody entered the library. Coira had made them rest for another day before releasing them, and a celebration had been planned. “He hasn’t left your side,” she whispered, glancing at Cody.

  “I know.” Shay reached behind her, and Cody took her hand.

  “I knew it would work out,” Matilda said. “I never doubted it once. When you’re feeling better, I’ll let you read my vampire book.”

  “Don’t worry,” Cody whispered. “No one will believe it.”

  They ate and talked, recounting the nightmare, Malek and vampires. They considered what to do with the blond vampire in the dungeon who wasn’t talking, and what it meant to the clan and the castle now that the demons and vampires knew of its location. There was hope that all who knew about the castle had been killed, but everyone was left with an uneasy feeling. They puzzled over how Cody and Shay managed to kill an ancient demon without being killed themselves, how Shay and Bree killed those vampires, and how Bree used Edward’s talisman. They all agreed that Shay and Bree must have acquired some kind of vampire-hunting skills from their father, although no one knew why he had them. Bree was going to look closer into Edward’s past, hoping to unravel the mystery. There was also supposition that Bree was both a warrior and a Watcher, something the clan had never seen before.

  Faelan shook his head and frowned. “She can’t be a Watcher or a warrior. I won’t let her.”

  “Yes, dear,” Bree had said, patting his cheek.

  Plied with food and conversation, several of the warriors were throwing darts with some friendly gambling on the side. Duncan and Sorcha had disappeared, and Brodie was taking bets as to whether they would come back fighting or kissing. They arrived minutes later, and from their heated faces, it could have been either.

  “You realize you took on a demon of old, unassigned, and lived to tell about it?” Ronan said as Cody took his place before the target. “I’d say you’ve used up your luck, my friend.”

  “I don’t need luck to beat you,” Cody said, laughing. “It’s all skill.”

  “He’s good,” Lachlan said, petting the cat. “I’ve been trying to beat him for years.”

  Shay studied the cat. As if it knew it was being watched, it turned its head and stared at her with intelligent green eyes, just like the owl that had helped her kill Ellis. She hadn’t told anyone about that. She hadn’t seen the owl’s eyes at the lake, when the vampire marked her, but she suspected they were green, and she suspected that owl was the reason the vampire hadn’t done more than mark her. That was a puzzle for another day. She had enough to deal with for now.

  After Cody won, he happily took Ronan’s money. Ronan searched out a new opponent. “Ah, Orla, there you are. Feel like throwing a few darts?”

  “Goodness, no,” Orla said, shuddering. She had been upstairs sleeping after arriving in the middle of the night. Bree had confided that although things weren’t perfect, at least they were talking.

  “I’ll take you on,” Bree said.

  Ronan frowned. “No, you won’t. You need to rest.”

  “Why are you so bloody worried about my wife?” Faelan asked Ronan. “Don’t you think I can take care of her?”

  Ronan gave Bree a loaded look, and Sorcha gasped. “She’s pregnant.”

  Faelan’s jaw dropped, and Orla let out a squeal. “Pregnant? Pregnant! I’m going to be a grandmother?”

  “A bairn?” Faelan asked, dazed. “We’re having a bairn?” He stared dumbly at Bree, who was scowling at Sorcha.

  “I’m going to have a grandchild,” Orla wailed and clutched for something to hold on to, which happened to be Ronan. She wobbled, and two perfect tears trickled down her face. Ronan steadied her and pressed a handkerchief into her hand.

  “A bairn,” Faelan said in wonder, followed by a frown. “Damnation! You used the talis…” he glanced at Orla and stopped, his face ashen. Everyone looked at Bree, horror dawning on every face as they contemplated her battling vampires and demons, using another warrior’s talisman, while she was pregnant. “You need a doctor.”

  “She needs an obstetrician,” Orla said. “Your gynecologist can recommend someone.”

  Faelan pressed Bree’s hand, as if to convince himself she still had a pulse. “Who’s this gynecologist?” he asked.

  “He’s the guy who gets to see as much of her as you—” Lachlan broke off when Marcas elbowed him.

  Ronan scowled at Sorcha. “You just couldn’t keep your mouth shut, could you? Bree wanted to tell him herself.”

  “You knew?” Faelan said to Ronan. He turned on Bree. “Ye told him before ye told me? Why would ye do such a thing?”

  “I wanted you to be the first to know, but you rushed off from the reception,” she said.

  “You knew about it at the reception?” Orla asked, her face crumpling.

  “It’s my fault for pulling him away,” Cody said, his voice cutting through the others.

  “I wanted to tell you,” Bree said to Faelan, “but I didn’t want you distracted.”

  “Do we know the sex?” Orla asked.

  “No, Mom. I’m not that far along.” Bree gave Shay a sympathetic glance.

  “We’ll need a pediatrician and a nursery,” Orla said, having regained her composure. “Green, I think. It’s a neutral color.”

  “I always liked green,” Brodie said. “Blue’
s good too.”

  “Not blue,” Lachlan said. “It might be a girl.”

  “Who cares?” Sorcha said. “Who made the rule that blue is for boys?”

  Cody slipped his hand in Shay’s, gently squeezing, as the group settled into a lively discussion of everything from names to breast versus bottle. “Are you okay?”

  His face had the same bittersweet look she probably wore. Happiness for their friends. Sadness for their own loss. Shay leaned her head against his shoulder, so solid and strong, and thanked God she had found Cody again. With him at her side, she could withstand anything. “I’m fine.”

  A short while later, after Orla retired for a long soak in the tub, Sean brought out the Book of Battles. A whisper of awe spread around the room, and everyone leaned forward to look. Most warriors had never seen the Book of Battles, since the Keeper locked it away in a place known only to himself, but the book had been missing for longer than anyone in the room had been alive, except for Faelan, and Sean said after all the trouble, they at least deserved to see the thing they had been willing to sacrifice their lives to protect. Shay scooted closer, wishing she could touch it. After Sean disappeared with the book, the warriors discussed the vampires and demons, what they might have learned from the book, and what they planned to do with it. Shay leaned against Cody, content but tired.

  “Ready for bed?” he asked.

  “Ready for home. Take me to Virginia.”

  ***

  Tristol moved closer to his sleeping prisoner, studying the man’s height, the size of his muscles. The capture had gone surprisingly well for such a powerful warrior. If this part of the plan worked, Tristol would bring his beloved race back to the glory they had once known, before their maker had abandoned them. He closed his eyes, remembering the soft, golden voice close to his ear, the stories of grandeur that could all be his. He would focus on strengthening his army now and find Edward’s emerald later. With Malek dead, Shay and Bree would be safe, giving Tristol time to figure out what secrets the sisters held. It was possible that neither of Edward’s daughters knew about the emerald. Edward may have hidden it. When Tristol opened his eyes, he saw the prisoner’s eyes were open, his dark gaze violent before it became shuttered. If this one proved worthy, the first prisoner could be destroyed. He had grown dangerously strong, killing several of his vampires.