Bones Of Contention: The McKinnon Legends - The American Men Book 3 (29 page)

Sir Gage and Lady Sara McKinnon, the current Duke and Duchess of Seabridge, lived a moderate six-hour drive from London. Most months of the year they resided at Seabridge, the ancestral home of the McKinnon clan. Seabridge was a beautiful castle located along the majestic coastline of the border lands between England and Wales.

There was another reason for this visit that he did not wish Trey to be privy to. After canceling the invitation to the island, Jacob, the king of the Maji, had called a meeting. Apparently, the overt threat he had received from VanDarious and his band of cutthroats was not setting well with the king or Maji peoples, nor was it settling well with others of the lesser known races. They, too, had received a warning to stand down from the encounter with the humans and the Fae king. The rogue Sidhe Fae were flexing their muscles much to the dislike of all the others trying to play nice on the same block. The final straw was the fact Gage had also been included in the lineup.

Huge, huge tactical mistake in Josh’s opinion.

However, it would have been no different had he received the threat to Jesse. The McKinnon clan zealously guarded their loved ones and those under their care. It really did not matter which side of the pond they hailed from, that was just how they were programmed. The family values just enhanced what was already genetically hardwired.

Gage had graciously opened his home as the place for this very monumental meeting. Seabridge was ideal. It was large enough to house the visitors in separate wings to meet all the different and individual needs, and it boasted space to facilitate the general assembly. The fact Seabridge Castle operated as a well respected and well known holistic spa retreat and resort allowed them to hide and gather in plain sight. Given Seabridge boasted over fifty thousand visitors annually, the influx of multinational visitors around Christmas would never be fully noticed as anything out of the ordinary.

Gage’s only stipulation to this open hospitality: no hunting on his grounds. No exceptions would be granted and no excuses accepted. Any creature found to be in violation, no matter how great or small the infraction, would instantly and with extreme prejudice be put to death. All signed the waiver of rights before being allowed to attend. His word was law once they passed the gates to the grounds of his castle.

In return for this promise of a hunt-free gathering, Gage provided ample freezer and refrigerator space for fresh kill brought in for the Were-animals and the massive amounts of bagged blood for the other more vegetarian types. Rotten, rancid meat for the Goblin and Ogre was no problem to acquire or store, but containing the smell was entirely another issue. The Maji were prone to eat more in line with their human counterpart so they were the easiest to accommodate only behind the Zombies. Zombies did not eat. They were already dead making their needs very easy with the exception of keeping the Goblin off of what was arguably the Goblin’s favorite delicacy. This by far was Gage’s biggest challenge in regard to his unusual guests; hence, the threat of death if anyone stalked prey.

Josh was eager to hear what the others had to say. He was prepared to toss his muscle into the arena if needed.

The only thing lacking to make the trip complete was Jamie.

Josh felt welcomed the moment he stepped foot on Seabridge soil. He had spent a few months here five or six years ago and had appreciated Gage and Sara’s hospitality.

The great hall was spectacular with its soaring ceilings and antiques with some original to the castle. The stained glass windows were priceless works of art unto themselves. The more intimate spaces were the places he preferred. Gage’s study, the library, and the suite of rooms he occupied were his favorite areas of this sprawling masterpiece of architectural engineering.

He had specifically requested his sleeping space as well as the room Jamie would eventually occupy. Each suite of rooms held a secret passageway leading from one room to the other. Her room was accessible only via his suite, and his sleeping quarters had an escape route leading out, in addition to the small private passage leading to her room. He fully intended to keep his promise of personal security. VanDarious had proven to be quite tenacious. With all the extra bodies around, someone could easily slip by no matter how prepared they were at the moment.

Not on his watch, he thought, renewing his vow to keep her safe.

He would not rest easy until she was back under his personal surveillance and within easy reach.

However, until that time arrived, he would place his faith in the six personal guards he left with her along with the hope she did not force them to quit before the week was out. She was becoming increasingly difficult as the days passed with no new incident to create a continued sense of urgency for her.

Josh had opted not to tell her how close VanDarious had actually gotten on more than one occasion. He was beginning to wonder if it was a tactical mistake not telling her. He did not want to worry her with details so she could focus on her work. He focused on his job and kept her blissfully in the dark.

If she ever found out he had kept her out of the loop, she would probably be upset with him. He calculated the odds and felt the risk was justified.

Given there had not been any attempts now in over a week did not make him feel any better. Josh felt deep in his bones this was just the calm before the storm.

Thinking like a military man, what he felt pushing in on him was a devious mind. Josh was sure VanDarious was likely gathering his forces and laying out his plan of attack. It is what he would be doing if he were in VanDarious’ place.

VanDarious had all the time in the world giving Josh’s foe a distinct advantage. Josh was sure his opponent was making the most of this commodity at present. At times he felt as if VanDarious was just waiting patiently in his web of death, like a black widow spider just waiting and waiting and waiting for Josh to make that one fatal mistake. This waiting game at times made him completely crazy. It was psychological warfare. Even if he was relatively patient, he was also a man of action.

In order to make that inevitable attempt on her life as difficult as possible, Josh had kept her continually guarded and on the move. The upside to this tactic was that it had worked so far and foiled any attempt to offer her up as a sacrifice. The down side was that the constant shuffling frustrated her. Jamie was becoming more difficult to handle by the day, and she did not like his tactics in the least. She wanted to stand and fight. He admitted he understood that stance even if it would get her killed. Frankly, as he told her on more than one occasion, he understood it was a hardship, but he would not change a thing and she had to accept that in the short run this was just how it had to be. What he was not telling her was if he had to do this for the next one hundred years, he would gladly turn in his badge and make her his life’s work and priority. It would break him financially, but at that moment he could have given a rat’s ass. He did not really care. You cannot take the money to the grave, and Jesse was taken care of from Jacqueline’s estate. He simply was not prepared to sacrifice Jamie all in the name of economics. The family was backing his decision as well. Money was no longer a barrier to her safety.

Damn, he thought, it was good to be a McKinnon.

Making his way to Gage’s study, his presence had been requested for a briefing with Gage and Jacob prior to the general assembly. Gage’s study was at the base of a set of stairs which were private to this wing of the castle. It was far off the beaten path and well out of the public access areas of the resort. The corridor was empty and since he was expected, he did not wait for permission to enter after knocking.

“How can he possibly not know?” Gage asked Jacob the question just as Josh knocked and entered. Poking his head through the now open doorway, both men stopped whatever conversation they were having the moment he walked into the room.

“Hey, sorry, guys. Am I interrupting something here? I can come back if you are not ready for me,” Josh asked looking back and forth between the two men for who he had a great deal of respect.

“No interruption at all. Come in and close the door. Throw the bolt, if you will?” Gage asked wanting complete and total privacy for this meeting. As he waved his guest in, he gestured for him to have a seat next to Jacob in one of two chairs facing Gage’s desk.

Josh was struck at the resemblance of the two men. To his knowledge there was no common blood flowing through their veins. Yet, there was something about them which, now that they were together, struck him as oddly similar. He pushed it out of his mind as more important issues were now at hand and attributed the likeness to the cloak of power each man wore like a well-tailored suit.

Gage tossed his pen down and leaned back in his leather executive chair. “I’ll cut to the chase, Josh. You know Jamie probably better than anyone else here. We need to know how she and Brianna will react should we go to war with the Sidhe,” Gage asked casually sitting behind his massive mahogany desk. Josh noted his posture was skillfully hiding the true gravity of the situation.

It was a logical question given there was potential for conflict of interest from both her and her mother.

He saw no reason not to be forthcoming. “For Jamie, I do not believe there is much love lost for the people as a whole. However, she talks in her sleep and if her dreams are any indication of how she feels about her father, she still loves and misses him very much.”

“And Brianna? Where do you think she stands in this?” Jacob asked.

“The queen, I believe, if she was secure in the knowledge her daughter was safe and if given the chance would return in a heartbeat. She will not raise a hand against us, Jake.”

Gage studied his American cousin. “You sound sure. Are you ready to stake your life and the life of others on that stance?” Gage asked pointedly.

Josh nodded. “I firmly believe she would not harm our cause, but I do not believe will she aid us either,” Josh was quick to confirm his beliefs.

Jacob crossed her off a list that undoubtedly held names of potential friends or foes. “Ahh, Switzerland. As we suspected, we will find no enemy, but just as important no ally either,” Jacob said tapping his pen on the legal pad. “What did Queen Brianna tell you, Josh, about the Fae and how she is four-thousand-years-old, human but still living, and why she is here with a half-human-half-Sidhe Fae daughter?”

“Well, the abridged version is Queen Brianna was granted near immortality by the treaty, and she and Jamie fled once Jamie’s life became compromised. She felt Jamie would be safer here with the terms of the treaty to protect them. Once she and Jamie made their break, somehow Brianna sealed the conduit used to travel between the two worlds. It appears that those here are stuck and those locked inside are virtual prisoners.”

“What else?” Gage gently prodded when he saw Josh hesitate.

“She told me I was in some kind of unique situation to help her daughter and begged me to intervene even if I no longer have strong, positive feelings for Jamie.“

“What would have given her the impression you might not help? I thought you were in love with Jamie?” Jacob again questioned.

“I am in love with her. Otherwise, I might or might not be here possibly placing my own child at some risk. However, you need to understand that Jamie spoke to her mom fairly soon after I put my big, fat foot squarely in my mouth.”

Gage asked with a knowing smile. “Would that happen to be the same big fat foot you are currently kicking your ass with at the moment?”

Josh nodded. “When I spoke to Queen Brianna, she was extremely sideways with me and did not bother to hide the fact either, not that I blame her. I can safely say I’m not one of the queen’s most favorite creatures. And I am quite certain I really do
not
want the Gaelic-to-English translation of some of the things she said.”

Gage was laughing with a very knowing look on his face. If Josh did not know better, it looked to him as if Gage was enjoying his discomfort, guessing it was a family thing with the McKinnon men. He inwardly acknowledged Chase would have never let the opportunity pass to do a little good-natured ribbing at his expense. Gage was obviously just barely managing to resist the urge.

Jacob, however, was all business.

Josh guessed the two men possessed very different personalities no matter how similar their physical features might appear.

“If you two are finished with the horsing around, can we get back to business? Time is running short. It is only a matter of time now that he is here with all of us,” Jacob did not bother to hide his aggravation.

The statement was quite cryptic to Josh.

Gage shrugged. “Point taken, Jake. All right, back to work. What else, Josh, did Brianna say that you were able to understand without benefit of that translator?” Gage smiled, not about to let this meeting be all gravity.

They were all on the same team until he saw it differently, and God forbid if they were not, he thought. Gage had no idea what the universal repercussions of that scenario would be, and Jacob could just relax and take it down a notch or two. If anyone should be on edge it should be him. Even if Jacob and his queen, Rachel, were companionable and truly affectionate with each other, the marriage was a match of convenience and politics. Jacob, eight years ago, married Rachel to satisfy his political obligation as many monarchs do; it was not a love match. By Jacob’s own confession, he was still deeply and passionately in love with Gage’s wife, Sara, something they chose not to discuss to keep the peace. All of them being together under the same roof was not all fun and games for him either. However, he trusted his wife and he trusted Jacob’s moral and ethical standards, and the personal aspect of this gathering should not and would not intervene in the success of the outcome. There was too much at stake, and who they were as warriors was too much of a force of nature to alter what they might desire as mere men.

“Did she tell you the whole story?” Jacob asked turning his attention away from Gage and back to Josh.