Echoes of Magic (28 page)

Her heart ached in her chest. Every few
steps she had to make herself continue on instead of returning to
Grayson. Already she missed his touch and the way his silver eyes
would scorch her with their intensity.

Adrianna leaned against a tree and wiped at
her cheeks. It was time to stop the tears. She needed to find a
horse so she could reach Wolfglynn. If nothing else, she would
revenge his death.

She looked once more at the
cave entrance before she turned and started through the forest. The
tunnel must have taken her east instead of to the coast as she had
expected. It brought her that much closer to Drogan and
Wolfglynn.

Yet, every step was like a
knife in her heart. She was
bana
‐
bhuidseach
. She was magic. She
should have stayed with Grayson.

And if Nigel caught you
again?

Just thinking of his evil stench on her made
her stomach churn. Her herbs were wearing off, but her magic had
been strong enough to keep her from gagging at his nearness. Even
now, she could feel his hot breath on her, sense the cruelty and
the sheer darkness that had a hold of his soul.

Adrianna wrapped her arms around herself as
a chill passed down her spine. She couldn’t help but wonder if
Nigel would come after her. He wanted the use of her people’s
magic, but why? She didn’t understand his need, and she didn’t want
to.

She trudged through the forest, thankful the
sun helped to light the way through the thick canopy of trees. A
falcon called in the silence, his lone cry echoing her own.
Adrianna looked up to see him perched on a branch before he spread
his wings and flew away.

How easy it would be to escape her
melancholy if only she had wings. She could fly somewhere safe,
somewhere Nigel would never find her. Safe, but alone. She would be
forever alone now, for no one could compare to Grayson.

A pair of pheasants suddenly flew off, and
in their wake Adrianna noticed the absolute silence around her. She
stopped, her heart pounding in her chest. The stench of evil
surrounded her.

With her blood like ice running through her
veins, Adrianna clenched her fists to stop her hands from shaking.
If Nigel was with her, then Grayson was dead. Grief consumed her.
Without Grayson, there wasn’t a reason to live. He had been her
everything. Now, she drifted in a sea of despair with no land in
sight.

Adrianna took a deep breath and turned to
find Nigel behind her. “Why is it you want my kind so
desperately?”

He shrugged. “I’ve use for
your magic. It’s as simple as that.”

“
I don’t think it is. If
you had wanted to kill me, I’d already be dead.”

“
Maybe I just wanted to see
Grayson’s reaction to the threat on your life.”

She shook her head. “You
traded your soul for what? Power? You’ll spend an eternity in Hell
for a few years of greatness.”

“
A fair price,” he
answered. “Tell me. How much would you give for the life of your
lover?”

She gripped a tree to keep herself standing.
“Are you telling me Grayson lives?”

“
He might. Would you give
me your soul for his? Would you agree to spend the rest of your
life beside me for his freedom?”

“
Aye,” she answered without
hesitation. She would give her own life if Nigel asked
it.

Nigel walked slowly around her.
“Interesting. I wonder, would he do the same in your place?”

“
I don’t care.” She
followed him with her eyes as he circled her. “Why are you toying
with me?”

“
Why not? I’ve the time,
and you have nowhere else to be.”

Adrianna lifted her chin. If she were going
to be subject to his questions, then he could answer some of her
own. “Why did you want Grayson?”

“
He holds great power,
though it lies dormant in him. He’s never learned how to use it
but, when he does, he’ll be a force to be reckoned
with.”

“
You want to control him,
to have him use his magic for you.”

“
I knew you were a clever
one. Aye, Grayson could do great things for me.”

“
You must be mistaken.
Grayson may hold some magic, but not the amount you
think.”

Nigel stopped in front of
her. “You’re the one who’s mistaken. Grayson’s father, William, is
also a
bana
‐
bhuidseach
.”

She felt all the color drain from her
face.

“
Aye,” Nigel said with a
nod. “Now I think you understand. It’s been so long since your kind
has mated with another that the magic takes root almost instantly
in the offspring, regardless of gender.”

She took a step backwards. “You’re
lying.”

“
I’ve no cause to
lie.”

“
And Grayson. Is he
alive?”

Nigel held out his hand.
“Give me your soul, and I’ll take you to him.”

Adrianna stared at his outstretched hand.
She could turn away from him, which would surely bring about her
own death, or she could take his hand and sentence her soul to the
worst kinds of evil imaginable.

But Grayson would be alive.

“
Will you leave Grayson
alone? Will you leave Hawksbridge and never return?”

Nigel cocked his head to the side, the sun
glinting off his helm. “Aye.”

It was enough for her. She lifted her hand,
ready to place it in his when the ground began to shake.

* * * * *

Grayson bellowed his rage when he saw Nigel
with Adrianna. Grayson leaned low over his mount, urging the horse
faster. He drew his sword, ready to impale Nigel.

Adrianna’s head turned, their eyes met, and
he saw the disbelief on her face. He burned with anger for he knew
Nigel had deceived her. Just before he reached them, Nigel yanked
Adrianna back against him. This time his hand was over her
heart.

“
Grayson, halt,” his father
yelled.

Reluctantly, Grayson drew the grey to a
stop. His mount pranced as he felt Grayson’s agitation.

“
Don’t go any farther,”
William cautioned.

Drogan pulled up on the other side of
Grayson. “What is it?”

Grayson shrugged. He had no words to express
his rage and frustration.

His father spoke instead. “Nigel is using
the only weapon he has against Grayson.”

“
I don’t understand,”
Drogan said.

But Grayson did. “Nigel knows I’ll do
anything for Adrianna. He’s holding her, threatening to take her
soul if I refuse to go with him.”

“
Shite,” Drogan cursed and
slapped his hand on his thigh.

Nigel’s laughter suddenly echoed around
them. “Drogan, have you returned for another beating?”

“
I’m still alive,” Drogan
said. “You weren’t able to kill me then, and you won’t be able to
kill me now.”

“
You think not?” Nigel
taunted.

Grayson put a hand on Drogan’s arm to stop
him from speaking further. “He wants me,” he told Drogan. “You’ve
already fought him.”

“
And I will again,” Drogan
argued. “He wants me dead.”

“
Aye, but now he wants only
me. Take your men and return to Wolfglynn for Nigel will soon come
for you to finish what he started.”

Drogan’s golden eyes stared deep into his.
“Will it be you I fight when Nigel returns?”

Grayson looked away. “Understand, Drogan,
Adrianna is my life. She holds my heart and soul. I’ve no
choice.”

“
Not true, son,” William
said. “There is a way.”

He looked from his father to Adrianna then
back to his father. “If you’re lying...”

“
I’m not,” William said.
“You’ve seen and heard many things today that you don’t understand.
I’m asking you to trust me.”

Drogan’s horse shifted and bumped into
Grayson’s. “Go, Grayson. My army will stay here and ensure that
Nigel doesn’t go anywhere.”

Grayson could have reminded Drogan that
Nigel disappeared in the middle of the bailey, but he nodded
instead then turned to his father. “If any harm comes to Adrianna,
I’ll make sure you pay in kind.”

“
Agreed. Now follow
me.”

With his jaw clenched, Grayson turned the
grey to trail his father.

* * * * *

Adrianna couldn’t believe Grayson was
leaving. The joy that had filled her at seeing him evaporated as
she watched him ride away without a backward glance.

“
It seems that you were
wrong in his affections to me,” Adrianna ground out.

Nigel only laughed. “Nay. He doesn’t care
for me touching you. I saw the possession in his gaze.”

She tried to jerk out of his hold, but Nigel
held fast. “You can release me.”

“
I think not, my pretty.
Grayson will not give up that easily.”

Adrianna’s gaze lifted to find Drogan
watching her. She no longer sensed the darkness that had surrounded
Drogan just the year before. At least he was free of it.

“
Why do you think Drogan
and his army are still here if Grayson didn’t have another plan?”
Nigel asked.

She didn’t bother to answer. There wasn’t
reason to anyway. Nigel liked to hear the sound of his own
voice.

“
Tell me, Adrianna, how
strong do you think your magic is?”

Her heart missed a beat at his question.
“What do you mean?”

“
I mean, do you think your
magic is strong enough to withstand me?”

She glanced at his hand that hovered over
her heart. “If you think you can take my soul without me willingly
giving it to you, go ahead and try.”

He laughed, the sound evil and cold. “You
make me almost want to test you to see if I could. I feel the magic
within you beating as steady and strong as your heart.”

“
You’ve lost, Nigel. You no
longer have Hawksbridge. You couldn’t kill Grayson
either.”

“
Don’t think I couldn’t
tell that you had used your magic on his weapon. I could smell it
on the blade. But how much of it was your magic, and how much was
Grayson’s.”

She closed her eyes, not wanting to hear
anymore.

“
Grayson can heal himself.
He doesn’t need you. But then again, you’ve known that for some
time, haven’t you?”

She’d suspected but hadn’t
wanted to face the truth. “Nay. He doesn’t need me. It’s I who need
him.”

“
Finally, the truth. It
won’t change anything though. Isn’t that right, Grayson?” Nigel
asked and swung her to the left where Grayson approached with his
father.

Adrianna couldn’t meet
Grayson’s gaze. She learned too late that they had fallen into this
trap because she hadn’t been able to let go and walk away from
Grayson. She’d held on to him too tightly.

And she was going to lose him.

Chapter
Thirty
‐
Three

Grayson willed Adrianna to look at him. He
needed her to know that everything was going to be all right. Her
confession pulled at his heart. How could she not know he needed
her?

Because you didn’t tell
her, fool.

He hadn’t. He’d let the
chance pass him by, and he regretted it mightily. But he would make
it up to her.

“
I was just telling
Adrianna that I knew he hadn’t left her,” Nigel said. “I told her
how your eyes threw daggers at me for holding her.”

“
She’s mine,” Grayson said
as he continued to approach them. “Release her.”

Nigel laughed. “Only in exchange for you. I
need another witch. I’ll take either one of you. The decision is
yours, Grayson.”

“
Remember,” William
whispered behind him. “Remember what I told you.”

Grayson took a deep breath. He was putting
everyone’s lives in his father’s hands, a man he didn’t know and
barely trusted. Grayson prayed he was doing the right thing.
Slowly, he took another step to Nigel. “You can have me. Just
release Adrianna.”

“
I knew it.”

Without warning, Nigel flung Adrianna away
from him. She gave a startled shout as she fell against a tree.
Grayson took a step toward her when she didn’t rise from the
ground.

“
You’re mine now,” Nigel
said and held out his hand.

Grayson felt Nigel’s pull, and he was
powerless to stop it. The closer he came to Nigel, the more he
sensed the great evil and yawning darkness within him.

“
I knew you would come
around to my way of thinking,” Nigel gloated.

“
Did you?”

He nodded, the sun blinking off his helm.
“We’ll be great together, Grayson. We’ll conquer all of England.
Power and glory will be yours.”

Power. Glory. Grayson wasn’t interested in
either. The only thing he wanted was Adrianna. “And all I have to
do is willingly give you my soul?”

“
As simple as
that.”

Grayson crossed his arms over his chest.
“Aren’t you worried your men are gone? They scattered to the wind
when they saw Drogan riding for Hawksbridge.”

“
They’ll return,” Nigel
said confidently. “I own their souls, thereby I own them. Just as I
will own you.”

Grayson glanced at
Adrianna. She still hadn’t moved.
Shite.
He needed her as far from
Nigel as possible.