by Lora Andrews
Ewen scanned the room, probably running scenarios through his head—scenarios that would all end badly with the number of guards waiting to kill him.
She had to diffuse the situation and diffuse it fast. Or Ewen would kill MacInnes and she’d never learn where her parents were hidden. Or MacInnes would kill Ewen. And she wasn’t sure she could bear a world without Ewen MacLean.
“Wait, let’s talk about this,” she said.
MacInnes lifted his chin in her direction.
Caitlin swallowed a breath. “You brought me here for a reason, right? You said you wanted to talk, and then we got distracted. So let’s talk.”
“Nay, Caitlin.” Ewen shielded her from MacInnes. “The time for bargaining is long past.”
MacInnes moved, his predator footsteps falling silent against the hardwood floor. He stopped when she was in his line of sight, the glass wall behind him. “Are you willing to gamble, Ms. Reed?”
She wanted to slap the smirk from his face. No, she wouldn’t risk her parents, and he knew it.
“Let me make this easier for you,” he said. “Find my stone in the next twenty-four hours, and I’ll let your lover live.”
Caitlin latched onto Ewen’s arm to keep him from throttling MacInnes. His emotions slammed into her body, a murderous furor so strong she bit the inside of her mouth to keep from crying out. The onslaught sent daggers of pain across her skull.
Ewen swung her behind him and fanned out his arms, backing them away from the guards closing in. She didn’t know who swung first, Gary or Ewen, but the fight began. One muscled warrior against an impossible number of well-trained rivals. Ewen fought with the agility of a ninja brandishing skilled strikes to vulnerable body parts. Fists flew. Heads jerked back. Grunts echoed around her, so many she couldn’t tell from where they came. He whirled to counteract blows, his leg swinging out in a graceful arc that knocked his assailants to the floor. Blood flew across the room, dotted the leather chairs, and splattered the floor.
Yet the guards never raised their weapons.
MacInnes wanted Ewen alive.
The why became all too apparent when the guards converged and contained Ewen, shoving his face to the floor.
MacInnes stepped forward holding a syringe in his hand.
Caitlin ran toward MacInnes. Daniel grabbed her before she could knock the syringe from his hand.
“No, let me go.” She fought against Daniel’s solid hold, but he dragged her across the room with one arm locked around her chest.
“Be still,” he warned.
“This is wrong,” she pleaded. “You can’t let him do this to him.” Caitlin’s chest heaved.
Ewen bucked beneath the guards. The pleasure Gary took from beating Ewen’s body made her sick. And then to Caitlin’s horror, MacInnes jabbed the syringe into his arm, injecting whatever was inside its glass cylinder.
“I’ll kill you,” Ewen shouted, the cords in his neck bulging against his skin. “You rotten wretch. I’ll kill you.”
“I suppose our last encounter was rather civilized in comparison to this one. My thanks for the blood sample,” MacInnes said. “Without your generous donation, none of this would be possible.” To the guards restraining Ewen, MacInnes said, “Release him—slowly.”
One by one, the guards stepped away.
Ewen launched at MacInnes, his massive fist swinging out, but he collapsed to the floor.
Caitlin broke free from Daniel’s grasp and rushed to Ewen.
“Oh, my god. What did you do to him?” she asked MacInnes.
MacInnes waved a hand in the air. “That man is his own worst enemy. The more he fights, the faster his heart beats. The faster his blood flows.”
“You…you drugged him? ”
MacInnes shrugged. “There is a mild sedative included, yes. Consider it an added bonus to the cocktail I’ve served him.”
Caitlin shifted Ewen’s head onto her lap.
MacInnes focused his cold, methodical eyes to Caitlin. “Scientists have long known of the existence of an uncategorized strain of DNA attributed to extinct hominids. Interestingly, my team has identified another, a unique strand in particular, and I say unique because we’ve isolated a mutated version found in the descendants of three clans from the area of Loch Fyne in Scotland. Would you care to guess which three?”
Guess? There was no need to guess. She knew exactly which three clans he referred to. The MacEwens, the Lamonts, and the MacLachlans. Sister clans originating in the Loch Fyne area.
MacInnes smiled, obviously enjoying the game he played. “Upon further research, we discovered a small percentage of these descendants carry an unusual protein in their blood, a dormant protein that binds itself to hemoglobin. Now, I was all set to kill our valiant warrior until I discovered he carries the same rare protein you and I share. And, I might add, without the generational pollution of six centuries of breeding.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you find this coincidental? That fate would bring the two of you to my doorstep?”
Fate had nothing to do with it. This was all on him.
Caitlin glanced down at Ewen’s unconscious body. They shared an alien protein in their blood, a protein MacInnes had confirmed through the sample he had taken from Ewen. And naturally he assumed she carried the protein because of her MacEwen heritage.
Only a small percentage…
Three stones. Three clans. Three noble families of long ago with ties to the Loch Fyne area.
Maybe the protein was connected to the magic and Brigid.
Her head throbbed. MacInnes’s every step was calculated with his endgame in mind, and he’d just upped the stakes. “What does this protein have to do with the drug you’ve injected into his body?” Did he mean to keep Ewen sedated until she delivered the stone?
“Drug?” MacInnes had the decency not to laugh in her face. “Now, now…how cliché. The sedative was simply to calm him so we can transfer him to the cellar. No, I’ve presented Ewen MacLean with my life’s work, a genetically engineered bacterium designed to invade his body and attack the Genesis protein. It will grow and reproduce at an alarming rate—a bacteria resistant to all antibiotics.”
He raised a small vial in his hand. “This is the only thing that will save him. A bacteriophage, a virus specifically created to feed on the organism.”
Caitlin swallowed the ball of ice in her throat. “You created a biological weapon?” And he’d injected it into Ewen.
His smile beamed from ear to hear. “My masterpiece. My plan B.”
Fear froze all stream of thought in her brain as she looked at Simon MacInnes through a new lens. He’d kill anything or anyone in his path.
“You have twenty-four hours to locate my stone or I will destroy the antidote. And our dear, dear Mr. MacLean will join his beloved ancestors in hell.”
THIRTY-THREE
“Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. So what will it be, Ms. Reed? The stone or Ewen MacLean’s life?”
Daniel gripped Caitlin gently under the arm and lifted her off the floor. Gary and two other guards heaved Ewen’s limp body out of the room and into the hallway. The rest of the men filed out with them, leaving Caitlin alone with MacInnes and Daniel who had moved into position by the door, legs spread and his hands crossed in front of him.
Caitlin frowned and swung her attention back to the spot where Ewen had lain a moment ago. She ran her hand through her hair and rubbed the back of her scalp to clear the fog invading her brain.
“Twenty-four hours or you’ll destroy the antidote?” she repeated, her voice trailing off.
“Or less.” He smirked. “I’d get moving if I were you.”
“I don’t understand.” Her eyes burned. “Twenty-four hours to save Ewen.” And her parents, right?
But MacInnes hadn’t mentioned her parents by name, had he? “You didn’t…”
Oh, god. She covered her mouth. He hadn’t said their names, nor had he used their lives to coerce her into findin
g the stone since the warehouse. Which meant…
Her heart stopped.
“It can’t be true. They’re not dead.” They can’t be dead. She snapped her head to MacInnes. “But you didn’t let me talk to them. You shifted gears. You injected Ewen instead because they’re…gone? Because you killed them?” Tears streamed down her face. “So you’re using him instead?”
God, please tell me it’s not true.
“I’ve tried to reason with you, Ms. Reed. You leave me no choice. Cooperate, or Ewen MacLean will be one among many.”
His words ripped her heart from her chest.
“Shall I go down the list? Lila. Jadiel—”
Rage propelled her across the room with a scream. MacInnes slapped her hard across the face. She landed on her hip but then scrambled to her feet, willing every freaking Genesis protein forward. If she had goddamn magic, then she was going to use it to fucking kill MacInnes and every single person who’d had a hand in murdering her parents.
A woman laughed, the shrill sound of her voice filling the study with contempt. “I see you haven’t lost your touch with the ladies, darling.”
The melodious English accent belonged to a woman entering the room dressed in a red gown. Long auburn hair fell in waves around her slender shoulders. She circled Caitlin and came to a full stop beside MacInnes.
“A brunette? And a lanky one at that. Honestly, Simon, I’m offended. I presume this is MacEwen’s enigmatic granddaughter?”
MacInnes greeted the woman with a kiss on the cheek. “Had I known you’d be arriving today, I would have prepared a proper reception.”
“And miss this lovely performance? Now, now Simon, you know me better than that.” An inquisitive expression crept onto her face. “I sense power here.” She let out another shrill laugh. “Naughty, naughty boy. So this is what you attempted to hide from me.”
Her obsidian eyes were as soulless as MacInnes’s, and in that moment Caitlin knew exactly who stood before her.
MacInnes’s benefactor. Cordelia Morelli.
“She is gifted, but you knew that, didn’t you?” Cordelia said.
Nonplussed, MacInnes shrugged. “Is she? What a nice surprise.”
Cordelia shot him a look.
“Come,” she said to Caitlin with a spin of her heel. The woman made her way to the seating area where less than an hour ago MacInnes had tried to bribe Caitlin with trinkets. The folds of her dress swirled around her ankles. Lowering herself into the outside chair, she waved a slender hand to the seat across her. “Sit,” she commanded.
And what? Have high tea?
Caitlin folded her arms across her chest. “No, I’m done cooperating.”
MacInnes gestured to the seating area. “I would suggest you reevaluate that decision.”
“Why? Are you planning on making me another offer I can’t refuse?” Caitlin glanced at her grandmother’s casket on the table. She’d never hated anyone more than she hated Simon MacInnes.
Cordelia arched a flawless brow. “And what arrangement have you concocted this time, Simon?”
“Caitlin has agreed to aid us in our search for the stone.” MacInnes’s eyes flashed with menace. “Haven’t you, Ms. Reed?”
“You are a liar, Simon MacInnes. All this time, you lied about my parents. You lied about everything. And you’re lying now. Yes, I’m willing to strike a deal, but not with you.” Caitlin turned to Cordelia and threw authority into her words. “Release Ewen MacLean and the antidote into my custody now, and you’ll have your stone by the end of the day.”
MacInnes’s expression went feral at the mention of the antidote. Cordelia glanced at him curiously, then stood and maneuvered around the chair to stand beside him and across from Caitlin.
“How presumptuous you are, you foolish child. You are completely at my mercy and in no position to wield demands. You will locate the stone, and you will deliver it to me. The only choice afforded you is the level of pain you choose to undertake.”
Caitlin broke out in a cold sweat. Neither she nor Ewen were going to make it out of the manor alive. “Then my answer is no.”
Cordelia flexed her palm. “Fighting me will only prolong the inevitable. Give me your hand.”
Clenching her fist, Caitlin willed her magic. Her palms sweat. The few times her magic had manifested, she’d been in a relaxed state, and right now her emotions were too volatile to control.
“Trust me when I tell you I will enjoy ripping out your heart.” Menace rolled off the woman like seismic waves rippling through solid rock.
Caitlin tried not to flinch. “Yes, well, you look perverted enough to enjoy something like that.”
“You have no idea who you are dealing with, girl, but you are about to learn.” The dragon reared her ugly head and flared her nostrils. Cordelia pointed her hand at Caitlin and leaned forward, twisting her fingers until they resembled a clawed grip.
Caitlin stepped back. Something cold slithered toward her. Something bitter and foul. Something dark. Her mouth went dry.
Cordelia smiled. “Last chance. Cooperate, and I’ll promise you a quick death. Fight me, and I’ll destroy your mind as I gorge on your heart.”
Caitlin blew out a breath and tried to calm the boom, boom, boom in her chest. A futile effort when the bitter sting of Cordelia’s magic burned her tongue. Her mind raced with fear. This, whatever Cordelia was throwing at her, was different from what she’d experienced at the ruins. This was evil.
Instinctively, Caitlin grasped the triskele, the sweater bunched in her clasp. Warmth trickled through the layers of fabric and twined up her arm.
Cordelia gasped. Her hand shook in the air. Shock, then fury, highlighted the harsh planes of her face. “You”—she stabbed a finger at Caitlin—“you will pay dearly for that!”
Pay for what? Caitlin’s confused gaze darted from the woman’s vibrating body to MacInnes’s perplexed look, and she gripped the pendant tighter.
“Cordelia?” MacInnes sounded wary.
“Enough. I’ve had enough of this insubordination,” Cordelia screamed. She threw her gnarly hand in Caitlin’s direction.
Raw power lashed against Caitlin’s body, pelting her skin with the sting of a hundred angry bees. Cordelia’s magic stank. The pungent odor filled her nostrils with despair and misery as icy claws locked her in place and coiled around her body, twisting and turning as if searching for a way into her soul. Caitlin strained against the assault, panic rising in her throat as the bitter force squeezed tighter and tighter around her.
Cordelia snatched her left hand. The pendant was still gripped in Caitlin’s right. Heat flared from the triskele and fired up her left arm. The woman hissed and tore her hand away. The spell broke and Caitlin fell to her knees.
“She does not have the stone,” Cordelia spit out between breaths. “But I know who does. Ewen MacLean.”
Caitlin’s head swam, and she braced a hand against the floor. She had to stop Cordelia. “You’re wrong. He doesn’t have the stone.” Her body ached. “And I won’t tell you who does.”
MacInnes gripped Caitlin by the arm and dragged her to her feet. “Will you sacrifice your son, Ms. Reed? Your best friend? Are their lives not worth the price of the stone?”
Caitlin’s stomach cramped.
Cordelia’s lips curved into an ominous smile, and she brushed MacInnes arm. “Oh, don’t worry, pet. What she wears around her neck will suffice. It holds more power than that measly stone.”
MacInnes’s head snapped to Cordelia.
Caitlin struggled against his hold. He reached for her neck.
“Beware, darling. She’s cursed it.” Cordelia turned out her hand for MacInnes to inspect. Large, ugly blisters bubbled along the area of skin that had made contact with Caitlin.
MacInnes scowled and released her. “Remove the pendant. Now, Ms. Reed. Or you’ll leave me no choice but to extract it from your lifeless body.”
Caitlin reached for the missing clasp while surveying the room from beneath
lowered lashes. The door to the study was to MacInnes’s left. The gorgeous French doors leading to the patio and gardens were behind her. She could run. This time, running would be her only choice.
MacInnes blocked her path with a shake of his head. “Tsk, tsk, Ms. Reed. We’ve played this scenario before, don’t you remember? It didn’t end well then, and it won’t end well now. The pendant. Place it there.” He pointed to the table.
“The pendant won’t open your portal.”
A cold smile broke out on his face. “Ah, but those expressive features of yours reveal the truth every time. How inconvenient for you. Take it off, Ms. Reed.”
She was running out of options. “If it burned her, imagine what it will do to you.”
“I am well aware of the risk. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” He gestured to the table and cocked his head. “Waiting.” When she failed to respond, he said, “One way or the other, the pendant is mine.”
“Restrain her, Simon. I will silence her myself.” Cordelia stood beside MacInnes and pulled a jeweled dagger from her thigh.
MacInnes’s jaw clenched, but he moved to obey. Caitlin didn’t have time to analyze the dynamics between the pair, but one thing was clear—Simon MacInnes didn’t like taking orders.
Caitlin jumped out of his reach. “Simon,” she choked, wanting to vomit as she spoke his name. “The shooting yesterday is proof she’s working against you. She tried to kill us and your men. She’ll turn on you. You need me alive.”
MacInnes sighed. “Well, I suppose I’ll have to take my chances.” He pulled a silver gun from his suit. “Now, about the pendant.”
Cordelia’s face lit up with approval.
Caitlin backed up. The words no, no, no ran through her head.
“A pity. Things were taking an interesting turn between us, Ms. Reed. I will miss our banter. However,” he continued with a flippant wave of the gun, “I’m a man of my word. One way or the other, I intend to have your lovely amulet in my possession.”
Cordelia narrowed her eyes. “My possession.”