Midnight's Seduction (38 page)

Camdyn nodded. “How are you holding up?”

Fallon refused to meet his gaze. “Larena is a strong Warrior. Her power to be invisible will give us an advantage, as well as helping us learn what they’ve done to Saffron.”

“I wouldna have been able to let my wife go with them.”

“Sometimes you have to trust that they can keep themselves safe.”

Camdyn, his gaze still on the helicopter, wondered if Fallon believed his own words. Despite his assurance, Camdyn knew Fallon was anything but all right.

Without alerting him, Fallon jumped them back to the castle.

“Did it work?” Lucan asked when they appeared in the great hall.

Fallon nodded. “Larena’s plan was carried out flawlessly. She is with them now. They’ve taken a helicopter.”

Broc smiled as he looked at Fallon. “No’ even
drough
magic will keep them from blocking Larena from me.”

Camdyn’s impatience grew as Broc touched Fallon’s torc and closed his eyes. Larena wore a matching armband that bound them. It was powerful magic that could not be covered. And something Deirdre knew nothing about.

“They’re headed to the Ring of Brodgar,” Broc said.

Camdyn looked at Fallon. “We go now.”

CHAPTER

FORTY-FOUR

Charon put his Mercedes in park and sighed. With both hands on the wheel he looked out over the vast expanse of the Orkney isle. Even without his enhanced vision he still would have been able to see the massive stones of the Ring of Brodgar rising from the earth.

There was a knock on his window. Charon turned his head to find Phelan bent over, a brow raised in question. Charon gave a shake of his head and opened the door.

“Having second thoughts?” Phelan asked as he backed away so Charon could climb out.

“Nay.” Charon closed the door and inhaled the brisk winter air.

“Why did you want to come back here?”

Charon shrugged. “There just seemed something off about Deirdre leaving so suddenly. She had half of the MacLeod Druids trapped belowground and her wyrran were keeping the Warriors who had gotten out busy.”

“So?”

“So, there was another Druid here.”

Phelan crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. “A
mie
?”

“Nay. A
drough
with almost as much power as Deirdre.”

“So why didna the bugger help Deirdre?”

“That is the question, is it no’?” Charon asked as he started walking toward the stones.

Phelan easily caught up with him. “What do you know that you are no’ telling me?”

“Nothing.”

“I doona believe you.”

Charon halted and turned his head to look at the Warrior. “You doona trust anyone, do you?”

“Do you?” Phelan asked in answer.

Charon smiled and shook his head. “Nay.”

“So what’s the problem?”

Charon chuckled and started walking again. He didn’t want to like Phelan, but he did. It still boggled his mind to know Phelan had been kept in Cairn Toul since he was a small lad. No wonder he hated Druids. He’d seen the worst side of them.

And while Charon agreed with much of Phelan’s feelings on the matter of Druids, even Charon knew there was a line drawn between the Druids.

Marcail had known he was spying on Quinn, Ian, Duncan, and Arran. She had known Deirdre was using something against him.

“How do you tell the difference between
mie
and
drough
magic?” Phelan asked.

“A
mie
’s magic feels pure and bright while a
drough
’s black magic feels heavy and suffocating.” Charon glanced at Phelan and the thoughtful look on his face. “You’ve felt
mie
magic, have you no’?”

Phelan nodded. “Many centuries ago I helped a winged Warrior and a Druid escape Deirdre.”

“That would be Broc. He spied against Deirdre, earning her trust and helping the MacLeods gather information. Broc is still alive, and I would bet my entire fortune that the Druid you helped is with the MacLeods. Why did you help them if you hated Druids so?”

“It was the Warrior. The way he stood against Deirdre. He knew he was going to die and he didna care.”

“Had you no’ helped him, I’ve no doubt Deirdre would have gotten her vengeance on him.”

“Aye,” he said thoughtfully. “So this other
drough
’s magic you felt, did it feel like Deirdre’s?”

“Similar. Verra similar,” Charon said as they reached the ring of stones. “Do you feel the magic here?”

“I think even a mortal would feel the magic of this place.”

“The stones were once used for ceremonial purposes by the ancient Druids.”

Charon stopped and looked to the sky. A heartbeat later Phelan turned in the same direction.

“A helicopter,” Phelan said.

“And
drough
magic.”

“They’re still a ways out.”

Charon stiffened as he felt magic stir behind him. He turned and spotted Ian as well as Quinn walking toward him. Druids stood in a group watching. “Phelan, you’re about to meet the MacLeods.”

*   *   *

Camdyn and Hayden were behind Ian and Quinn as they walked to the other two Warriors. Isla wanted to go, but Hayden had refused.

Camdyn had heard talk of both Phelan and Charon, and he was surprised to find them here. Especially together.

“Charon,” Ian said, and held out his arm.

Charon didn’t hesitate to clasp Ian’s forearm. “Ian.”

“I hate to sound unwelcoming, but what are the both of you doing here?” Quinn asked.

Charon looked at each of them before he said, “By happenstance, but since all of you are here and I suspect the helicopter on its way holds Deirdre, I think there’s going to be another battle.”

“Another?” Camdyn repeated.

Phelan took a step closer. “That’s what he said.”

Camdyn narrowed his gaze on Phelan with his long dark hair and gray-blue eyes. “That’s a problem for me if either of you were here for the first battle and didna bother to help.”

“Why would we?” Phelan demanded with a sneer.

Camdyn got in his face until their noses were inches apart. “Isla may want to bring you into the fold, but I’m telling you right now if you doona help us today, I’ll make you pay.”

“Camdyn, easy,” Hayden said as he put a hand between them and pushed them apart.

Charon ran a hand down his face and started to turn away. But Camdyn knew the more Warriors they had the better their chances of succeeding.

“We need your help. Please,” Camdyn added. “I need your help.”

It was Quinn who put a comforting hand on his shoulder a moment before he turned to Charon. “Deirdre is no’ our only enemy. There is another
drough
.”

“Declan,” Camdyn ground out.

Phelan looked at Charon. “You said there were two.”

Ian rubbed his jaw. “How did you know of Declan, Charon?”

“I didna,” Charon answered. “I felt a second
drough
here during the first battle. But I never saw him.”

“Holy hell,” Quinn said and rubbed the back of his neck.

Camdyn was fast losing control of his fury. “He was here. The bastard was here.”

“And we’re going to end it all today,” Hayden said.

“I say we begin by bringing the chopper down,” Phelan said with a smile.

Quinn’s nostrils flared. “You do that and you kill my brother’s wife. She’s on that helicopter.”

Charon frowned. “Fallon’s wife?”

Quinn nodded.

Phelan rolled his eyes. “I’d like to be included in this conversation.”

“Her name is Larena,” Camdyn answered. “She’s a female Warrior.”

Phelan’s cocky attitude changed instantly. “What’s her power?”

“Invisibility,” Ian answered.

Camdyn looked at the sky. “They’ll be here soon. We can no’ be out in the open.”

Charon held out his arm to Camdyn. They clasped forearms, but Charon didn’t release him. “Who is she?”

Camdyn didn’t pretend not to know what he meant. “Her name is Saffron. She’s a Seer. Declan held her prisoner for three years.”

“We rescued her,” Hayden said.

“And Declan captured her again.”

Charon’s hand squeezed his arm before he released him. “Looks like we need to get her back once more.”

The four of them as well as Charon and Phelan walked back to the others. Introductions were given and Camdyn noticed how uncomfortable Phelan was around the Druids. He spoke to them, however, all except for Isla.

She pretended like she didn’t care, but Camdyn saw the way she turned to Hayden for comfort. Camdyn wanted to be there to offer Saffron comfort. He wanted to hold her, to cherish her.

To love her.

He closed his eyes as the sound of the helicopter drew closer.

“Hide,” Fallon bellowed.

Camdyn hunkered down behind one of the mighty pillars as he kept his gaze on the helicopter. Saffron would emerge soon. He’d do anything to get her free of Declan, even sacrifice his own life if that’s what it took.

He would not allow her to be trapped in that world.

*   *   *

Saffron looked at the Ring of Brodgar and recalled the last time she had been there. So much had changed in her life that day. It seemed eons ago when in fact it had been days.

She had faced her ultimate fear, found magic she hadn’t believed existed inside her, and opened herself up to Camdyn.

Camdyn.

God, how she missed him.

The helicopter began its descent from the sky. Robbie put his hand on her thigh and slowly moved it up her legs until he was nearly at her sex.

“I already warned you about touching her,” Malcolm said in a deep, gravelly voice.

Robbie winked at her. “Doona worry, love. The beast willna be around all the time. We can have our fun when he’s gone.”

Saffron closed her eyes and turned her gaze away from him. All too soon they had landed in the Orkneys. Declan shut off the engine, and they all climbed out of the helicopter.

“I want everyone set up before I alert my sister that we’re here,” Deirdre said.

Saffron’s heart jumped in her chest when she heard the screech of a wyrran as dozens of them came rushing toward Deirdre. After a few moments where Deirdre spoke to them, the wyrran fanned out over the peninsula.

Saffron looked to one of the pillars and remembered how it had felt to be joined with the Druids among such magic. And to have Camdyn there keeping watch over her.

A pair of dark eyes suddenly met hers. Saffron inwardly smiled as she locked gazes with Camdyn. She wanted to run to the safety of his arms.

“Saffron, come here,” Declan ordered.

She fought the order, grappling with the spell. For a few precious moments she actually got the upper hand and was able to keep from moving. But the spell quickly overpowered her.

Saffron turned and walked toward Declan—away from Camdyn. With each step, her heart broke. Her chance to break the spell and help the others had come and gone. She had failed them and herself.

Deirdre stopped in midstride and turned to Declan. “It appears as if I needn’t contact Laria. She’s already here.”

A figure moved from behind one of the stones, her long blond hair braided and lying over her shoulder. “That’s right, sister. You didn’t really think you would be able to stay hidden from us forever, did you?”

“I didn’t need forever. I just needed a few days.”

Laria rubbed her hands together. “Shall we begin, then?”

“Not quite yet,” Deirdre said, and wrapped her fingers around Saffron’s arm. She jerked Saffron next to her. “I believe you know Saffron. She has joined me.”

“Then she’ll die along with the rest of you.”

Saffron wanted to cry when she heard Camdyn’s bellow, but the tears wouldn’t come.

Deirdre gave her a vicious yank as another spell fell from her lips. The world began to spin faster and faster with each word, and there was nothing Saffron could do to stop the vision.

“Tell me your vision,” Deirdre whispered.

Saffron couldn’t stop the images that filled her mind, nor her voice that put them to words.

CHAPTER

FORTY-FIVE

Camdyn watched Saffron carefully. She stood beside Deirdre, but something wasn’t right. He didn’t know what it was, only that Saffron wasn’t herself.

As soon as Deirdre grabbed her, Camdyn was on his feet ready to do whatever it took to get Saffron away from Deirdre.

“Careful,” Charon said, and moved in front of Camdyn.

“Get. Out of. My. Way.”

Charon shook his head. “If I do you’ll only succeed in getting yourself killed instead of rescuing that pretty Druid.”

“Listen to him,” Ian cautioned.

Camdyn filled his lungs with air and listened to his friends. “I’ll get Saffron away from Declan.”

Camdyn’s attention jerked back to Saffron when he felt a wave of Deirdre’s magic. Camdyn saw Saffron’s face go blank and her eyes stare off into the sky. He didn’t need to see her eyes to know they had gone milky white and were swirling.

Somehow, someway Deirdre was making Saffron have a vision.

“Tell them!” Deirdre shouted to Saffron.

“A Warrior will betray you, tipping the scales of balance.”

Camdyn put a hand on his chest as the ache grew. It hurt to see Saffron in their clutches, to know they had done something to change the woman he had fallen in love with.

“No,” Gwynn said from behind Camdyn, her accent thick with emotion. “I don’t believe any of y’all would do that.”

Camdyn’s gaze swung to Phelan who stood glaring at Deirdre with such hatred. Phelan’s head swiveled until he met Camdyn’s eyes.

“If you believe I’ll be the one to side with Deirdre, you’ve got it all wrong, mate.”

Camdyn then turned to Charon.

Charon snorted. “Automatically you all turn to me.”

“Nay,” Ian said. “It’s just that you have no’ helped us in the past.”

“Because of this,” Charon said, “I knew you all would doubt my loyalty, I just didna think it would be so soon.”

“It’s no’ any Warrior at the castle,” Camdyn said. “You two were here even before us.”

Phelan chuckled, his skin turning gold as his claws lengthened from his fingers. When he looked at Camdyn again, gold eyes stared at him. “We could tell you the story, but I doona believe we have time for that.”