by Donna Grant
“The MacLeods discovered there were artifacts that, if gathered, could destroy Deirdre.”
“You keep saying ‘the MacLeods’ as if you weren’t part of them.”
He looked away from her and let out a long sigh. “I wasna.”
Aisley’s mouth dropped open in shock. “You fight with them now though?”
“I do. When they’ve need of me.”
“I don’t understand.” The more she learned about Phelan the more complicated he became.
He shrugged and watched a kingfisher land on one of the feeders. “I didna join the MacLeods’ fight until a few years ago. There were … reasons.”
“Tell me about the artifacts.” She wanted to know his reasons for waiting to join the MacLeods, but Aisley could tell he wasn’t ready to share them. So she turned to the next thing she was curious about. She’d never heard of these artifacts.
Phelan grinned wickedly. “The first artifact was a Druid—Reaghan. She knew the location where Deirdre’s twin sister was kept.”
“What?”
“She was the only one who could kill Deirdre, so Reaghan and her group of Druids spelled her so she’d sleep, hidden, until someone with all the artifacts woke her.”
Aisley was riveted. “Well? What happened?”
“Deirdre was after the artifacts herself. With them, she became unbeatable. It was a race between her and the MacLeods to see who would find them all first.”
“You said the first artifact was Reaghan. Who found her?”
Phelan drank more of his tea. “Galen. He and Logan were sent to search for the artifact. No one expected the artifact to be a person, or for Reaghan and Galen to fall in love.”
“They’re together?”
“Aye.”
Aisley ran her thumbnail along the arm of the chair. “And the other artifacts?”
“That was Broc and Sonya. Broc has wings,” Phelan said. “The bastard can fly. Sonya doesna just have healing magic, but she also communicates with the trees. Broc and Sonya had to look for an ancient Celtic burial mound for the next artifact.”
“Did they get it?”
“They did. I came upon them, though I had no idea who they were. Deirdre was near, and I was willing to help anyone she was fighting. When she attacked, I made sure Broc and Sonya were able to get away.”
“Did they know it was you?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “It wasna long after that when Deirdre came across Logan and Duncan on their way to Mallaig to look for the next artifact. Deirdre killed Duncan then.”
“And was transported through time.”
“Right,” he said with a wink.
Aisley couldn’t look away from his blue-gray eyes. She knew without a doubt he was telling her the truth. It was no wonder everyone hated droughs.
It wasn’t just because they gave their souls to Satan for black magic, but because they ruined everything. She didn’t want to think about the time Phelan would look at her with hatred. But it was coming.
It was coming all too soon.
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
Phelan knew something troubled Aisley, and he doubted it was his story. The lost look he’d seen in her fawn-colored eyes vanished for a time. It had returned with a vengeance.
“Logan was one who volunteered to have the Druids move him through time,” Phelan continued. “He looked for Ian while on his way to Mallaig for the artifact.”
“He expected it to still be there?”
“He hoped it was. Turns out it was. He discovered that with the help of Gwynn. She was a Druid who knew nothing of her magic. She was a descendent of those on Mallaig, and the Keeper of the artifact Logan searched for. She was the only one who could get it.”
Aisley’s lips lifted in a smile. “And she did. We Druids are strong.”
“Without a doubt. Yes, she retrieved it, and Logan and Gwynn returned with it to the castle.”
“Are they … did Logan and Gwynn get together?”
Phelan stretched his legs in front of him and crossed them at the ankle. “Noticing a pattern, are you?”
“Looks that way.”
“It seems Warriors are destined to be with Druids. Each of the Warriors felt the magic of their woman differently than others.”
Aisley crossed her legs in the chair. “Was there just the three artifacts?”
“Nay. In the burial mound Broc and Sonya found there were two, a pendant and a sword. The Tablet of Orn that Gwynn and Logan found was part of it. Ian knew the code to unlock the Tablet, but they still lacked a key.”
She chuckled. “Let me guess. The key was the next artifact?”
“They didna know. Turns out, Danielle, who was searching for MacLeod Castle, had the key. With the Tablet fully unlocked they found a map. That map led them to the location Deirdre’s twin was hidden.”
He paused, wondering how he would have factored in on things had he joined the MacLeods after escaping Cairn Toul.
“Don’t leave me hanging,” Aisley said. “Finish.”
Phelan watched the way the afternoon sun danced over her mocha-colored skin. “They were able to find the opening that led beneath the ground just as Deirdre arrived. It took all the artifacts to get them through the maze. However, the toughest part fell on Camdyn and Saffron.”
“Who are they?”
“Camdyn is, of course, a Warrior. Saffron a Seer. Declan Wallace kidnapped her, blinded her, and tortured her to get to her visions. It was when the MacLeods attacked the Wallace mansion that Camdyn found Saffron and brought her back to the castle.”
Aisley’s forehead was creased in a deep frown. “Is she still blind?”
“Dani was able to use her magic of finding things to search Saffron’s mind for the spell Declan used. It took some doing, but Dani, with the help of the others, was able to reverse Declan’s spell. When they found Deirdre’s twin and woke her, the MacLeods were missing one last item. A Torrachilty Druid.”
“Which is?” she asked with a wrinkle of her nose.
“I’d hoped you’d know. They were the most powerful of all Druids. They were also known as warrior Druids. The magic was so unstable and potent, that if it passed to the women, they went mad with it.”
Aisley rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. That’s the men’s way of looking for an excuse to kill the women and keep the magic for themselves.”
“Mayhap you’re right.” Phelan couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up. “The Torrachilty Druids were wiped out by Deirdre.”
“So the MacLeods didn’t have the last item they needed.”
“No’ true. Turns out there is one Torrachilty Druid left. Ramsey. Who also just happened to be a Warrior.”
Aisley’s eyes grew huge. “And Deirdre didn’t know it?”
“She had no idea. With everything in place, there was one last battle. Deirdre was killed, but Declan escaped.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
Phelan snorted. “It was anything but. Declan brought his mercenaries who had bullets filled with drough blood. They were called X90s. Deirdre had her wyrran that she created. By the saints how I hated those yellow-skinned buggers.”
“You were part of this battle?”
“Me and Charon both. Neither of us joined the MacLeods earlier, and when I discovered there was another Warrior about, I approached him. He convinced me to help the MacLeods with him.”
Aisley lowered her mug to her lap. “I gather the battle was bad.”
“Any battle is awful. With Laria, Deirdre’s twin, now risen, she and Deirdre were locked in combat. Deirdre was betrayed by one of her own, Malcolm, who just happened to be cousins to the only female Warrior, Larena. Who is married to Fallon MacLeod, the eldest of the brothers.”
Aisley seemed to retreat at the mention of Larena’s name. He frowned as she looked down at her lap, more interested in her mug than the story she had urged him to tell.
“Does it surprise you there is a female Warrior?”
&nb
sp; She shrugged.
“Deirdre unbound Malcolm’s god and promised him Larena would be spared if he did as she commanded. So Malcolm agreed. In the end, he betrayed Deirdre just as Saffron said someone would.”
Aisley lifted her gaze back to his. “Deirdre died then.”
“Aye, and her twin with her. None of us could rest, however, since there was still Declan.”
“How was he killed?”
“Agonizingly,” Phelan said with a smile. “It was Ramsey who ultimately killed Declan. But the magic Ramsey had to use to do it took him. The only one to save him was Tara, his woman, who happened to be a descendent of a Torrachilty Druid.”
“Wait. I didn’t think women could hold the magic of a Torrachilty without going insane.”
“It’s true. They can no’. Tara’s mother went insane because of it. Tara’s entire family are droughs, and when she refused to undergo the ceremony, her mother tried to kill her. It was the unstable magic within her that helped bring Ramsey back. If you talk to the women at the castle, they’ll say love had something to do with it as well.”
Aisley cut him a look. “Are you telling me you don’t believe in love? After hearing how all the Warriors are with Druids?”
Phelan sat forward in the chair and shook his head. “I see the love between them. I’ve never loved anything, so I doona know what they feel.”
“Love is wonderful,” she said. “Wonderful and amazing. It can lift you as high as the moon in one breath, and then rip your heart out the next. It can save. And it can destroy.”
The way her voice faded to a whisper made Phelan want to go to her and take her in his arms.
Aisley cleared her throat and swallowed. “The evil isn’t gone, is it?”
“Nay. I fear it never will. There was a year of nothing after we ended Declan. And then Jason Wallace showed up. He’s more ruthless than Declan, more cunning than Deirdre. It might take longer than we want, but we’ll kill Jason.”
“You don’t care about your own safety?”
Phelan grinned. “The ancient Celts considered Rome evil. The first Warriors were created to fight that evil. I was made for this, Aisley. Whether I live or die makes no difference.”
“That’s a load of shit.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “Ah, lass. You may be right, but it’s the truth. I know each time I go into battle I may never return. It was the way of my ancestors, and it’s my way now. What other choice do I have?”
“You said MacLeod Castle had Druids. Let them fight Jason.”
Phelan ran a hand down his face. There was no smiling for him now as he thought of the hell Charon had gone through when he’d thought he lost Laura.
“Nay,” Phelan finally answered. “The Warriors treasure their mates beyond all else. Every time the Druids leave the castle they chance death. For a Warrior, immortal and powerful, to stand aside and allow a mortal to fight is no’ even worth considering.”
“The Druids aren’t without resources. You said a group of mies is more powerful than a drough.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “You’re Scottish, beauty. You know how we Highlanders protect our family. A Warrior couldna call himself a man, much less a Highlander, if he allowed his woman to fight instead of him.”
“How many Warriors have been killed fighting evil?”
“Too many to count.”
She licked her lips. “You spoke of the X90 bullets. The evil you battle doesn’t have to get close to use them.”
“I know. It’s a chance we take to protect the world. A chance I willingly take, regardless of the consequences.”
Aisley sat there looking lost and so damned beautiful that Phelan had to fight to stay in his seat and not reach for her. He could turn her mind off their conversation with pleasure. She might have willingly come with him to his home, but he wasn’t sure if she was ready for more.
Phelan shifted in the chair to ease his aching cock. It seemed strange that he was even contemplating going to bed alone.
It had been over two months since he’d had a woman. Two months of following Aisley. Two torturous months of needing her, longing for her. But never having her.
Here she was, sitting just feet from him, and instead of seducing her, he was trying to think of ways he could gain more of her trust.
What the hell was wrong with him?
Before he would have charmed and seduced her, and had her in his bed before midnight. But it wasn’t just sex he thought about with Aisley.
He worried if she was warm enough, if the food he bought was to her liking, and if she felt safe with him.
Phelan contemplated calling Charon. His friend would know how to handle Aisley, but then Phelan couldn’t imagine sharing her with anyone else.
“Where were you going?” Phelan asked to take his mind off the constant flow of questions he kept asking himself.
Aisley’s fawn-colored eyes turned to him. “When?”
“Before the accident. It appeared you were headed out of Scotland.”
“I was,” she answered softly.
“How far were you planning to run?”
“As far as it took.”
Her evasive answer told him a lot. “You had a plan.”
“Yes. I was going to try and disappear in London for a bit before heading into France.”
He watched her thumb trace the top of her mug. Phelan thought of the accident. There had been no one in front of Aisley. No car she could have hit.
Phelan looked at her profile. She trusted him enough to be there with him, but not nearly enough to tell him what she was running from.
“How did the accident happen? I was several cars behind you and couldna see.”
For long moments, she sat there in silence. Phelan didn’t push her. If he knew who she was running from, he could better protect her.
As it was, he was probably putting her in more danger just by being with her. Wallace was back. He’d already made it clear he had no problem attacking anyone close to a Warrior for ultimate damage.
Phelan’s gut clenched thinking of Wallace harming Aisley.
“I heard a voice,” Aisley said.
Phelan was pulled out of his thoughts. “A voice?” he repeated with a frown. “I doona understand, beauty.”
“In my head. I heard a voice in my head.”
Phelan leaned forward and braced his forearms on his knees. All his attention focused on her. “What did this voice say?”
“My name.”
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
Ullapool
Malcolm stood in the overgrown hedges and looked at Wallace Mansion. It hadn’t been repaired since their last battle there. Still, there was something evil about the house.
But just like Declan, Malcolm knew Jason would return to the mansion. It was in his nature. The question was, would Malcolm wait for him?
Malcolm’s feet crunched on the rock as he walked toward the front door that lay upon the ground. He took the few steps and paused at the doorway.
Dirt and dust littered everything. The smell of rotting food reached him from the back of the house where the kitchen was. But the only occupants in the house were animals, not human.
Malcolm sent Phelan a quick text and turned on his heel. He would go looking for Wallace’s associates.
MacLeod Castle
“Nothing more from Phelan or Charon?” Hayden asked from across the table.
Ramsey blew out a breath and shrugged. They hadn’t moved from the table in the great hall. A mug of ale sat in front of him, but Ramsey’s mind was too occupied with thoughts to want to drink it. “Nothing.”
“What now?” Arran asked from beside Hayden. “I’m no’ going to be able to sit and wait much longer.”
Ramsey motioned to the adjoining room with his chin. Aiden sat on the couch with Britt snuggled against him. They had both fallen asleep during the previews of the movie they put in. “We let Britt rest, and then hopefully she’ll have good news for us.�
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“Isla wants Broc to find Phelan.”
Ramsey shifted his gaze to Hayden. The lines bracketing Hayden’s mouth showed the worry his friend was under. “Has she asked Broc yet?”
“Nay. She wants me to do it.”
Arran set down his mug after a long drink of ale. “I gather you’re no’ too keen on the idea.”
Hayden’s black eyes met Ramsey’s. “No’ at all. Phelan has made it clear he wants nothing to do with my wife. I doona want her near him.”
“Who says she has to get near him?” Arran asked.
Ramsey shoved his ale toward Hayden when Hayden emptied his. “If Broc does as Isla asks, then she’ll want Fallon to teleport her to him. She willna rest until Phelan forgives her for what she did to him.”
“Which isna likely to happen,” Hayden ground out and wiped his arm over his mouth. “I willna put Isla in harm’s way, and with Phelan near, she’s always in danger.”
Arran narrowed his golden eyes. “Phelan fights with us. He wouldna harm Isla.”
“He would,” Hayden argued. “He hunts droughs as I once did. I remember all too well the hatred that burned inside me. It pushed aside all reason until only vengeance and retribution remained. As long as Isla is no’ alone, Phelan will leave her be.”
“The moment she isna,” Ramsey said, “there’s no telling what he’ll do.”
Arran raked a hand through his dark brown hair and slowly shook his head. “I almost miss the days when we only had Deirdre to worry over. Now it’s Wallace, the selmyr, finding the spell to bind our gods, and a multitude of other things.”
“I gather Ronnie isna sleeping well either,” Ramsey said.
Arran grunted. “She’s a worrier. She worries endlessly about things she can no’ control.”
“I think most of the Druids are concerned,” Ramsey replied.
Arran looked from Ramsey to Hayden. “We were no’ here during those four centuries while we were tossed into the future. How were things?”
“Do you mean were there arguments?” Hayden asked. At Arran’s nod, Hayden said, “Oh, aye. We’re like any family. There were bickering, tears, laughter, anger, joy, hope, and every other emotion you can think of. Why?”