by Claudy Conn
I was amazed. I had not expected Davis to give me more than the time of day. “Thank you, sir. That is something about which I will really give some thought.”
“Well, ‘tis five-thirty now, best stay to yer suite after seven and ye’ll be fine. Let’s go, Mrs. Tunny, I’m meeting a few friends in town after I drop ye off.”
I watched them walk across the courtyard. Davis got into an old SUV and Mrs. Davis got into a blue sedan. I stood at the door and waved when Mrs. Tunny turned to stare at me. She didn’t wave back.
Something had been in those woods. Something that had smelled of blood. It wasn’t human, my Shama told me that, but I hadn’t stayed long enough to know just what it was.
What kind of a world had I stepped into? And once again, I heard Auntie Elle telling me to stay out of the dark.
I went back inside, and bolted the front door. I had a vague notion of where the kitchen might be and found it. I was surprised by the length, breadth, and its modern design. Everything had been updated.
I went to the huge fridge and opened it to stare.
Mrs. Tunny had made me a tray with my name on it. Oh, I liked her!
I poured myself some wine, heated up and then gobbled my sausage and mashed potatoes and headed for my room. Jet lag was catching up to me.
As I entered, I heard the same strong male voice I had heard before and he said, “Aye, then…”
I stopped dead in my tracks.
What the hell? Was there really a ghost at MacLeod? If so, then, bring it.
~ Six ~
DEVIN
I COULDNA HELP M’SELF. The words were out before I could stop them. I knew she could hear me. She had heard me now twice before…here in the castle and then outside on the grounds.
I suspected a vampire was making his way through the woods. They have an affinity for MacLeod Village because of Brently Manor. Allora lets them take refuge at her place in exchange for…favors.
I cannae express the relief I felt when she was safely back inside, away from whatever vampire had been passing through. Aye, then, simply slipped out.
She spun around and demanded, “Okay…where are you, and what do you want with me?”
I couldna ignore her any longer. I had to answer her and I did with a question, for I found it hard to believe that she was able to break through Jeremy’s shield.
“So, ye can really hear everything I say?” I asked.
She put a hand to her chest as though calming the beat of her heart, took a step backwards and said, “I think so.”
“Good,” I told her. “We need to talk.”
She said nothing more for a long moment, but it seemed as though she forced herself as she moved towards the sound of m’voice and added, “Wow, okay, I’m having a conversation with a ghost. This is a first for me. Aunt Elle said it would happen one day if I just opened my mind to it. She has conversations with ghosts, but I never have and…”
“Hush, lass, and listen to me,” I told her, thinking she was babbling because she was nervous.
“Okay, cool,” she said, and put her hands on her perfect hips. “Just tell me how I can help you move on?”
“Move on? What do ye mean?”
“Well, you are haunting here because you have unfinished business and need to…”
“I’m nae haunting anything,” I told her. “I’m nae a ghost.” She couldna see me, so it was nae wonder she would think I was a ghost.
She moved in closer and strained to see a body to match m’voice. Ah, bloody hell, but the lass moved me in ways I dinnae understand. I cleared m’voice and tried to ignore the hard-on throbbing in m’pants. “Listen, lass, I dinnae think ye should stay here at night. I think ye should stay in town, like Davis and Mrs. Tunny suggested.”
“Wait, what do you mean you aren’t a ghost? Of course you are, though you probably don’t realize it. And why shouldn’t I stay here?”
“For too many reasons for me to list,” I told her, hoping to scare her enough to agree to live elsewhere.
“Look, I’m not getting this. I need those reasons spelled out. I signed a contract to live and work here, and I came all the way to Scotland to do just that. My job is here. You are not going to scare me off. I know, or at least I have read, that ghosts do like to scare people off, but I…”
“Lass, lass…listen to me. I have told ye, I’m not a ghost. It isn’t safe here for ye here at night. Dinnae worry about yer contract. I’ll arrange for it to be altered and the estate can well afford to put ye up in town.”
She studied the place where I stood. In fact, she came so close all I could think of was her luscious lips…ripe and kissable.
She couldna see me, yet she stared right at me and asked, “Who are you?”
“Aye, then, sweet lass, ye would nae believe me if I told ye.”
“Well, here I am, believing already that you exist on some plane. So, what does that tell you? It tells you that I am open to an explanation. Let me be the judge if it is a rational explanation or not.”
“Rational, eh?” I said on a chuckle. “Does all of this seem rational to ye?”
“That depends on one’s perspective. You see, I am a supernatural, a witch in fact. Not only a witch, but an immortal witch that Auntie Elle is certain hails from another realm—meaning, I’m not human.” She put up her hand and waved it near the shield. “There is something between us, isn’t there?”
“Aye,” I said simply.
“Right, so, here I am telling you who I am and when I am done, I’ll want to know who you are. Deal?”
“Perhaps,” I answered.
“No, not perhaps. Deal?”
I sighed heavily. “Deal.”
“Okay, Auntie Elle did a search and it ended with my grandmother. No history before my grandmother. Don’t have a clue who my grandfather was and don’t know anything else about my forebears. Auntie Elle is a human witch, but she taught me all she could about White Magic, so here I am talking to someone I can’t see. Now it is your turn. Who are you?”
I chuckled. How could I help it? She was so matter of fact, and so easy to talk to. “Ye are very open about yerself.”
“Well, I’m talking to a ghost, so why not? Who ya gonna tell?” She wiggled her eyebrows and I laughed out loud and said, “I see.”
“Yeah, but I don’t. So answer my question or I am walking out of this conversation without another word,” she threatened.
Bloody hell, this lass has spirit.
“The wonder is that ye can hear me because a friend of mine installed a potent spell to prevent any supernatural from hearing or seeing anything past the shield that covers the transparent wall between our worlds.”
“A friend? Are you talking about a warlock friend? And what do you mean transparent shield between our worlds?” she asked, one brow up. And immediately answered herself, “Sure, of course. Your friend is Jeremy Ascot!” She paced a moment and came back to the wall between us and said, “You are in a different world? So, what is your business here at MacLeod…with me…and why is Jeremy helping you?”
“Och aye, but ye get right to the point, don’t ye? Perhaps yer a bit too inquisitive for yer own good,” I told her sharply. I saw it all now too clearly. The lass was brave and spirited. She would rush in to help us without concern for her own safety. I had to get her to leave because she was nae a match for Allora.
“Look, I was offered a job and accepted it in good faith. It turns out, however, the job was not offered in good faith, was it? It turns out the reason I was hired was because of my witchy powers. Well, I have to tell you right up front, you have a problem. Auntie Elle says I have not realized my full potential. My aunt is a mortal witch and was, she says, limited to her own mortal training. So, why don’t you start with the truth since I am being open with you? Who are you and exactly what do you think I can do to help you?”
“Right then, truth is it? Aye, I can see ye won’t settle for less. Jeremy has advised me against letting ye in so soon. He wanted
ye to get acclimated to MacLeod…feel comfortable and…”
“And what, trick me into your scheme?” She shook her pretty head and brushed her flame colored locks away from her face with an impatient gesture. Her sharp gaze seemed to look right into my eyes. It was unnerving.
“No, not trick ye, lass. We dinnae wish to frighten ye on yer first day,” I told her gently. “And now I’m thinking we made a mistake and ye shouldn’t be here…”
“Too late. I am here and now too curious to let go. So spill, and don’t worry about scaring me off. When I get frightened, I recover and take it on. So let’s get back to the facts. Who are you and why was I hired to come here?” She folded her arms across her exquisite breasts and damn, but her cherry lips screwed up and I wanted to take her in m’arms and kiss her luscious mouth.
“Here is the thing, lass, I will tell ye who I am and why we searched for ye. Aye, I will tell ye that and explain why we asked ye to coom here if ye will but leave tonight and go to the inn in town and stay there ‘til Jeremy can find ye a flat.”
“No, I am not going. I won’t even discuss this until you tell me now…everything I need to know and why you are afraid for me to stay here at night. You owe me that.”
“Aye, then, I do, and if I tell ye m’story…will ye leave?”
“I will consider it, depending on whether or not you give me all the facts. And don’t lie. I can tell when people give me an out and out lie. Lies scratch my witchy senses.”
She was a persistent little thing. Aye, then, she was a lie detector. We had nae known that about her. How many other brilliant skills did she own?
“’Tis a long story and it isn’t pretty. Ye might hate me in the end,” I told her.
“I might and I might not, so spill,” she said.
Och aye, but I liked this Bobbie Skye. She wasn’t just beautiful of face and body. Her soul was enchanting. She was a beacon of loveliness. It was only fitting I tell her the truth, all of it.
“Right then, ‘tis a long story and it goes back a long way, back to 1875.”
“Whoa, okay, so now we have a starting point, but, first, who are you?”
“I’m Lord Devin MacLeod,” I answered her grimly.
Her violet eyes opened wide and for a moment I got lost in their depths. I watched her as she processed this information. “So…that was your portrait down in the Great Hall?” She nodded to herself. “I wondered why there were no other…newer portraits of MacLeod lords.”
“Aye,” was all the answer I meant to give on that score for the moment. I watched the expressions flit over her face.
“Are you telling me you were born in 1875?” she asked.
“Nae, I was in m’early twenties in the year 1875 and inherited MacLeod from m’uncle.”
“Right,” she said, and sat down. “Of course.”
I told her then, couldna stop even if I wanted to. It spilled from me like a broken dam with a force that required I give her every detail of m’life, m’death, m’one lapse as a vampire, and then m’struggles to control the thirst.
I told her of m’torturous years with Allora. How I had to forego all I cared about while I traveled with a female vampire I despised. I recounted how I was able to escape from Allora when all m’loved ones were gone and how I met m’bride and m’bride’s brother, Jeremy. I told her of m’guilt…of m’loss…” I hesitated then and fought back against the anger that welled inside of me. “I was married in 1976…and made the mistake of thinking Allora had forgotten about me.”
Her hand went over her mouth and she cried out, “Oh no…”
I blinked because I saw her thoughts collide in the flitting expressions on her face, so I dinnae spare any details. I wanted her to know how brutal Allora was and would be. I had to warn her who would be coming in the end…for her. She was the only one that could free me and Allora would want her dead.
“A vampire cannae enter one’s home without an invitation. Sarah didn’t know about Allora. That was on me. I should have told her. I should have warned her, but….”
“Your bride invited her in,” she said gravely, and closed her eyes.
I dinnae know why, but all at once, and for the first time in years, I wanted to howl to the heavens and release m’pent up emotions.
Bobbie spoke then and I responded to her soft voice, looking at her with wonder as she said, “I am so sorry…”
“Aye, Sarah invited her in and she brutally beheaded her.”
“Oh, my good gosh,” Bobbie said, and a tear made its way down her cheek. I wanted to assuage her discomfort, but she needed to hear the truth. She needed to protect herself because I was stuck on this side of the shield.
“Jeremy and I plotted to take Allora down after that.” I felt m’anger bubble up again and took a moment to control it. “I think revenge was what kept m’going, so I’ll nae apologize for it. Aye, then, afterwards…I wasnae successful at first. Allora is an ancient and I, even over a hundred years, was nae quite a match.” I looked away, remembering the day I nearly had her. “I had one advantage. Ye see, I was then, and I am still, a day-walker. She was nae. Nor could she ever be. I found Allora in the shadows and pulled her into the sun. She should have shriveled and died, but I had nae secured her and she broke free from m’hold and with her ancient vampire speed, she escaped. After that, I suppose she knew I had become a serious threat.”
Bobbie closed her beautiful violet eyes.
I had to tell her everything. She had to know the serious danger she was in. So I went on, “I should have expected her retaliation.”
“What did she do?”
“She arrived with yer grandmother, who had nae choice in the matter. Apparently her daughter, yer mother, had been threatened. Yer grandmother had already put yer mother on a plane to New York, but she knew if she did nae comply with Allora’s wishes…Allora would find her. So it was that Lisa MacForly reluctantly spelled me into this realm, and after yer grandmother did what was required, Allora beheaded her.”
“No…oh…so that is what happened to my grandmother. I am not sure if my mother ever knew,” she said, and tears flowed down her creamy cheeks.
“Allora knew, ye see, that yer grandmother would undo the spell as soon as she could and then find a way to protect both her daughter and herself. Allora is cunning and ruthless.”
“And I know this…only bloodline can undo an immortal witch’s spell,” Bobbie said on a heavy sigh. “Shit, shit, shit!”
I was taken aback by this and in spite of the seriousness of the conversation, a chuckle escaped me.
She looked again in my direction and said, “Not funny, My Lord.”
“Nae, nae at all funny, and the thing is that while we dinnae think ye are in immediate danger, ye will be if Allora gets wind of the fact that MacLeod thrives and a descendant of yer grandmother is here.”
“Well, then, we better get ready,” she told me.
“What are ye saying?”
“Today…when you told me by the forest you couldn’t go any farther, when I thought you were a ghost, something was in the woods. We both know it was a vampire. But not just any vampire…it was evil. I picked up on its aura. I picked up on the scent of blood because it had just had a meal somewhere else. So, we have vampires in the equation. I am acquainted with two vampires. One is like an uncle to me and the other was my BFF at college. I know a thing or two about vamps.”
“It was probably staying up at Brently,” he said resignedly.
“Right, so it is a good bet he will report back to her that MacLeod is running smoothly and there is a new girl installed within its walls,” Bobbie said, and clucked her tongue. “Trouble sooner than later, it would seem.”
“Aye, and now, I’m nae certain returning ye to New York will help if she finds out who ye are. Allora will track ye and finish ye…so that ye cannae help me.”
She grinned without fear. “You mean she will try.”
~ Seven ~
BOBBIE:
AN ANCIENT V
AMPIRE WHO could come and go at will inside of the castle. That was what he was saying. That was a sure problem. Rafael had always told me never, ever invite a vampire into your place.
Why should I get involved? This was scary shit. Yeah, but how could I not get involved? This Allora bitch had beheaded my grandmother!
Okay, let’s weigh the facts.
I am a witch…but did I have enough training to go against an ancient vampire? No. Simple answer. Ancients had a reputation of being without any semblance of humanity. Hence, they were ruthless and cunning. They were super strong, vicious, determined, and each ancient had his/her own supernatural skills. Ancients were nothing to take on lightly.
That weighed down one of my hands.
What brought up the other hand was the grandmother I had never known because of Allora. Oh, that brought up the other hand big-time.
Allora beheaded her and robbed my mother and me both.
Justice walks a fine line with vengeance. I was cool and collected, so I didn’t think I was after revenge, but I did want justice for the grandmother I never had a chance to meet because of a murdering vampire. Also, ridding the world of an ancient was a good thing.
Here was another matter. My grandmother had unwillingly imprisoned Devin MacLeod. Yeah, he was a vampire, but not one that took human lives to survive. Somehow I knew my grandmother would want me to free him. The fact that Allora killed my grandmother meant that even Allora knew my grandmother would have returned to free him if she had lived.
So, how do I stay alive and work on his rescue?
Naomi, my BFF, survived on pig’s blood. She said that she had to work her other skills to stay as sharp and strong as other vampires who lived on human blood.
She had let me in on many secrets that went on in the vampire world so that I could have my magic on the ready if need be to counter any attack I might encounter.
I knew the story about having to be invited in and that was a plus, but Naomi told me about a vampire who wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and burned down some woman’s entire home to make her come out to him.