Midnight's Warrior

by Donna Grant

  “What’s your plan?” Broc asked.

  Ramsey wasn’t surprised Broc would know he’d already begun forming a plan. While in Deirdre’s mountain they had formed countless strategies for every conceivable option.

  “I’m going after Declan.” The announcement didn’t seem to alarm everyone as Ramsey had expected.

  Logan nodded, his face thoughtful. “When do you leave?”

  “Now.”

  It was Fallon who shook his head and said, “Nay, Ramsey. Give it some time. Think about this.”

  “For once I’m no’ going to think. For once I’m going to act. Declan used Tara. He would have her kill us all and go to him. The first chance she gets she’s going to escape,” Ramsey said, realizing his voice had risen.

  He took a breath and looked at the faces around him. “I beg each of you, doona let your guard down with Tara. She thinks we’re the ones who have harmed her. She’s like a cornered animal now, and she’ll strike at any of us.”

  “I hear you,” Lucan said. “But I agree with Fallon. Give it a day, Ramsey. Let us plan.”

  “Us?” he repeated and smiled wryly. “There is no ‘us.’ By the time I’m finished with Declan I may no’ even be here. I doona want any of you near his mansion because of it.”

  Hayden snorted and raised a blond brow. “If you think I’m going to allow you to go to that evil place alone, then you’d better lock me in the dungeon as well.”

  “Hayden’s right,” Arran said. “Declan’s forces might have outnumbered us in the north, but we nearly got him.”

  Ramsey raked a hand through his hair. “That was on neutral ground. At his mansion there will be spells and wards preventing anyone from gaining accesses.”

  “Unless you’re a Druid,” Larena said as she looked pointedly at Ramsey.

  Charon chuckled. “She’s got a point. Think what we could do if Declan believes only Ramsey has come for him. Think of how easily we could take out his forces.”

  Ramsey couldn’t believe everyone didn’t understand how important it was that he go alone. Even Galen and Fallon who had witnessed him supposedly glowing, and Arran whom he’d nearly killed agreed that they should all attack.

  “I know I’m no’ one of you, but I’ve listened to all this with interest.”

  Ramsey turned to find Phelan behind him leaning against the wall, one foot braced on the stones. “And?” Ramsey asked.

  Phelan’s blue-gray eyes met his. “If we’re going to take this son of a bitch out, then it needs to be done with all of us. And aye, before you say something sarcastic, Camdyn, I’m including myself in this.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Quinn said.

  Ramsey knew he couldn’t talk them out of coming, but he’d be damned if he would allow himself to harm them. “This is shite, just so you know. But if any of you come, make sure you’re far away when I use my magic.”

  “I agree,” Fallon said. “I saw enough earlier to know that it’s better for everyone.”

  Isla pushed her way past Hayden’s form and glared first at Hayden then at Ramsey with her ice blue eyes. “If you think you’re leaving us Druids out of this fight, you need to rethink things.”

  “Over my dead body!” Hayden shouted.

  Soon Arran, Charon, and Phelan were standing with Ramsey as they watched the couples argue about whether the women were going or not. It didn’t take long for the women to claim a victory.

  Ramsey looked at everyone as the hall quieted down. “All right. But someone must stay here to make sure Tara doesna leave.”

  “That will be me,” Fiona said.

  Since she had very little magic they agreed to allow her to stay.

  “Do you have a plan?” Broc asked Ramsey again.

  Ramsey’s smile was slow. “Oh, aye. I do.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Declan tapped his finger on the arm of the leather sofa in his office as he sipped his whisky. Things couldn’t have gone better with Tara.

  The Warriors of MacLeod Castle had a habit of getting in the way, but Declan had found a way around them. Now nothing they could try would change what he’d done.

  “When will she arrive?” Robbie asked as he refilled his glass with whisky.

  Declan shrugged. “It doesna matter when Tara will arrive. She will. And that’s all that matters.”

  “The MacLeods might try to keep her.”

  “They can certainly try.”

  Robbie turned and leaned against the sideboard while he swirled the whisky. “What did you do to Tara exactly?”

  “Ah, that’s the brilliant part, cousin.” Declan leaned forward, wincing slightly as his body protested the sudden movement. “I wish I’d thought of this sooner. All these years wasted on trying to find Tara. Just think if I had had both her and Deirdre.”

  Robbie chuckled before he drained the whisky in one swallow. “Now that would have been something.”

  “Tara was strong, but with the right torture, I managed to break through her defenses in her mind and alter her perceptions of everything. Instead of fearing me, she now fears all the Warriors.”

  “That was brilliant. So she’s now truly ours?”

  Declan’s gaze narrowed and he slowly sat back on the couch. “She’s mine, aye. Mine to command.”

  “Of course,” Robbie said hastily.

  Declan took a swallow of whisky and asked, “Have you found more men?”

  “I’ve got another three coming in tomorrow from South Africa. Do you really think the MacLeods would be stupid enough to attack?”

  “I think they’ll try.” Declan wiped his mouth with his hand and thought again of the Warrior who had tried to gain access to Tara’s mind. “There could be a Warrior who has grown attached to her.”

  “I’d say it was the one from Dunnoth Tower, but he’s dead.”

  Declan made a sound in the back of his throat. “Aye. He should be. There’s something that still bothers me about that entire event, cousin. Where was the Druid who sent that blast of magic?”

  “I’ve no idea,” Robbie replied with a slight shrug.

  “Warriors can no’ be Druids, right? There’s nothing that would suggest that, yet…”

  “You think there might be one?”

  Declan clenched his jaw as pain radiated throughout his body when he gained his feet. He walked to his desk and sank into the high-backed black leather chair. After he set aside his glass he opened his laptop and pulled up the files he’d stored there on Druids.

  “In all my years and all my research on Druids I doona remember anything that would suggest that any of us became Warriors.”

  Robbie walked around behind Declan and looked at the screen. “Surely if there was a Warrior who was also part Druid, he would have attacked Deirdre well before she grew too powerful.”

  A laugh escaped Declan, and he closed the computer. “You’re right. I just can no’ stop thinking of that Warrior or the magic that was sent at me.” Magic that was even now eating at him, agonizingly slowly, but eating just the same.

  “But think about it. If they had someone who was half Druid, half Warrior, he’d have already come to battle you.”

  “And no one will be able to defeat me, even if they try.” Declan was smiling as he braced his hands on his desk and stood. “I think it’s time for dinner, Robbie.”

  Declan didn’t think any more about the MacLeods as he made his way into the dining room to the food that awaited him.

  * * *

  Ramsey, Broc, Isla, and Phelan were the first ones Fallon jumped to Declan’s mansion. Within minutes everyone, including Fiona’s son, Braden, and Marcail and Quinn’s son, Aiden, were at Declan’s.

  Twenty-four pairs of eyes looked at Ramsey from their hiding spot about three hundred yards from Declan’s mansion.

  “I count only four guards patrolling,” Camdyn whispered.

  Broc grunted. “Aye, but I feel layers upon layers of magic.”

  “His spells,” Ramsey said with a nod. �
�Declan wanted to make sure if we ever returned that we wouldna be getting into his house.”

  Logan’s smile was huge when he said, “Because we scare the hell out of him.”

  Hayden elbowed Logan, but smiled just the same. “So what is the plan, Ramsey?”

  Ramsey looked at Larena. “I’m going inside, but I willna be alone.”

  “Wait,” Fallon said when he understood Ramsey’s meaning. “Larena is a Warrior. She willna be able to get through those wards.”

  “By the time I’m through, you’ll all be able to get in.”

  Larena placed a calming hand atop Fallon’s and looked at Ramsey. “What do you want me to do?”

  Ramsey looked past Larena’s shoulder to the lights coming from the mansion. Dark was falling, and it needed to be deep into the night for Ramsey’s plan to work, besides it would take him awhile to get through the spells.

  “I want you to enter his house while invisible. Find Declan’s room or wherever he keeps his spells. There will be a book or two full of them. I need them destroyed.”

  Quinn frowned. “Why? They’re just spells, and he’s probably memorized them by now.”

  “No, my love,” Marcail said. “There are thousands of spells. We can’t remember them all, which is why so many Druids write them down. It’s why we have three books full of them at the castle.”

  Ian shifted in the snow. “Quinn’s right. Why destroy them? Bring them back to the castle. There could be something in those spells that our Druids can use.”

  “Those books are full of black magic spells,” Ramsey pointed out. “I doona think bringing them into MacLeod Castle would be ideal.”

  “I agree,” Fallon said.

  Isla caught Ramsey’s gaze. “Wait. Not that I’m advocating the use of black magic, but not all the spells are evil. You know as well as I, Ramsey, that it depends on the Druid using it whether the spell is good or evil.”

  “If somehow Declan survives this, I doona want him to have anything to turn to,” Ramsey said.

  Hayden growled deep within his throat. “He willna survive this, my friend.”

  “Hayden’s right,” Broc said. “I know your plans, Ramsey. He willna survive.”

  Ramsey rubbed his jaw, his thoughts turning to Tara for a moment. “We need to wait until it’s fully dark. I want each Warrior with a Druid wife to set up a circle around the mansion. No one gets out.”

  “I’m liking this,” Gwynn said as she rubbed her gloved hands together.

  He saw the anger in the Druids’ eyes. All of them had been ready to battle Deirdre, but Gwynn, Dani, and Saffron hadn’t really known who Deirdre was. But they knew Declan all too well.

  They had also seen what he’d done to Tara.

  “What then?” Logan asked.

  “You stay there,” Ramsey said. “No matter what you see, you stay there and fight, because once I’m inside, it willna take long for the others to try to leave.”

  Charon asked, “What about us who doona have women?”

  Ramsey looked at Fallon. “Fallon, Larena will be inside, but I need you to stay with the others. As soon as Larena gets out with the books, I want both of you to remain outside the mansion.”

  “Done,” Fallon said.

  Ramsey then looked to the three who weren’t mated. “Phelan, Charon, and Arran, when you feel the magic drop from around the mansion I need the three of you to get inside and make sure he’s no’ holding any more Druids. If he is, then free them.”

  “And if we happen to run into any of his mercenaries?” Phelan asked.

  Ramsey smiled. “Do what you will.”

  “Is that all?” Arran’s eyes were hard, his jaw locked as he prepared for the upcoming battle.

  “Nay.” Ramsey fisted his hands beside him and looked around at the group of people he called family. “Declan is mine. When we begin our battle I need all of you to keep a safe distance away from the mansion. I doona know how far my magic will reach when I unleash it all, but I’m no’ going to stop until Declan is dead.”

  Hayden’s lips flattened as he let out a long sigh. “I doona like that part of the plan, Ramsey. You said you’ve kept your magic at bay since you can no’ control it because of your god.”

  “That’s true. And being a Warrior only adds more to my magic. I can kill Declan, but I need to know that none of you will be harmed.”

  Galen swallowed hard and replied, “You have our word.”

  It was enough for Ramsey. He gave a nod and looked away.

  “You heard Ramsey,” Fallon said. “Everyone take their positions. I know it’s cold, lasses, but your Warriors will keep you warm. Everyone, stay vigilant. This bastard has done enough to us already.”

  The others crept off among the shadows to take their positions around the mansion. Ramsey remained with Fallon, Larena, Phelan, Charon, and Arran.

  “I’m finding it rather difficult to tarry when I know the arsehole is waiting to die,” Arran said.

  Charon looked at him and smiled. “You feel the need for another battle so soon, Arran?”

  “Who doesna like killing evil?” Phelan asked.

  Ramsey looked at the moon, tracking its ascent into the sky. It wouldn’t be long now.

  * * *

  Tara thought she’d known real fear, but she hadn’t truly experienced it until she’d woken to find herself locked in a dungeon.

  A freaking medieval dungeon!

  She tried to stay calm, but her heart was racing and the blood pounding in her ears was so loud it drowned out everything else.

  Tara had to find a way out of the dungeon. She still couldn’t believe she’d been fooled so completely by Ramsey and the others.

  What hurt the worst was that she had fallen for him. Hook, line, and sinker. She should have known he was too good to be true.

  “Oh,” she gasped, and clutched her head as another headache slammed into her.

  It felt as if a battering ram were being jabbed into the base of her neck and up into her skull. The pain made her see spots before her eyes, but she refused to black out. She had to stay awake, to stay focused and alive.

  Tears gathered in her eyes as she realized who Ramsey and the other Warriors really were. How they and the Druids she had thought were her friends had worked alongside Deirdre to bring evil into the world.

  It sickened Tara to know she had lived among such evil, that she had considered making MacLeod Castle her home.

  It also proved how strong the magic of the Druids at the castle really was. Not only could they hide the castle and prevent people from aging, but they could also make someone believe a lie as if they’d known it their entire life.

  Tara wiped at a tear that escaped and sniffed. She wasn’t going to cry. She’d been in tight situations before. No matter what, she’d get out of this one.

  She thought again of Ramsey standing on the other side of the bars, pretending to be upset at her words. But there was no more pretending with her. She knew the real him, the real monster that he was.

  There had to be some way to get out of the dungeon. There was an overwhelming urge for her to get out of the castle as fast as she could. The castle had gone eerily quiet, but she knew they wouldn’t have left her all alone. There was someone at the castle. But who?

  She wasn’t left to wonder for long as the door to the dungeon creaked open and the sound of light footsteps could be heard descending the stairs from the great hall.

  Tara watched Fiona as she came into view carrying a tray of food. She had once thought Fiona one of the kindest people she’d ever met. But that was before Tara knew the truth, before she knew how evil they all truly were.

  “Are you hungry?” Fiona asked.

  Tara just glared at her. “Why are you doing this? I’ve never harmed you.”

  “We’re doing this for your own good.”

  Tara snorted in response. “My own good? Is that so? So is it for my own good that I’m locked in this medieval dungeon? Is it for my own good that you all tri
cked me?”

  “We didn’t trick you.”

  For a split second Fiona’s face switched from gleeful cruelty to one of confusion and worry, her kind eyes full of concern.

  Tara shook her head and squeezed her eyes closed. The movement caused the pain to slice through her mind again, but she refused to show Fiona any emotion save anger.

  “Enough!” Tara shouted. “I’m tired of the lies.”

  “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

  Tara’s eyes snapped open. “I know exactly what I’m saying. I’m going to get out of here, Fiona, and God help you if you try to stand in my way.”

  Fiona slowly set the tray down next to the iron bars. She straightened and dusted her hands off on her khaki pants. “You can try, but I’m afraid you won’t leave this cell until the others return.”

  If there was one thing Tara had never been able to ignore, it was a challenge of any sort. And she’d heard exactly that in Fiona’s voice.

  Tara rose from the narrow cot and walked to the door so that she stood directly across from Fiona, only the iron bars separating them. “I have to leave. And I will.”

  Just saying the words sent a zing of magic shooting through her center outward to each arm and leg, down to her fingers and toes. The magic vibrated with potency inside her, urging her to use it, to feel its power.

  “Get out of my way, Fiona,” Tara warned.

  Fiona shook her head and sighed. “There’s no use in even trying. You’ll only hurt yourself.”

  But Tara wasn’t listening. No more would she hear the lies spoken from the lips of people she thought were her friends, people she thought were protecting her. Instead, they wanted to use her, to hurt her.

  To kill her.

  “No,” Tara said more to the idea of anyone laying a hand on her rather than Fiona’s comment. “I’m leaving this damned castle and never returning.”

  Fiona took a step back. “Tara, please. We’re only trying to help.”

  A thrill went through Tara at the fear she saw in Fiona’s eyes. That added with her magic was all she needed. She reached for the bars and wrapped her hands around the iron.

  The magic sizzled through her skin and into the metal. When she spotted a tendril of white smoke move from her to the bars, her breath caught in her throat as a memory flashed in her mind of seeing magic like that before.