Heart Of A Highland Warrior (23 page)

Everyone there looked confused, the Council, the warriors, even Anna. They all looked at him as if he were a simpleton. Faelan frowned. “What are you talking about, Tavis? Bree’s grandmother had the Book of Battles when Bree was a lass.”

Tavis shook his head. “That’s impossible.”

“I don’t understand,” Faelan said.

“I had the Book of Battles with me in the time vault.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

A
N UPROAR ENSUED.

“Then what book do we have?” Ronan asked.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Cody said.

The Chief Elder banged on the table to quiet everyone. “Are you telling us that the book we have isn’t real?”

“If you’ve had it that long, it can’t be,” Tavis said. “I took the book with me in the time vault. I promised Quinn that I would protect it. Quinn Douglass, the Keeper.”

“That’s Sorcha’s great-great-grandfather,” Duncan said, looking at the outspoken woman, who looked surprised.

“He said it had been stolen many decades before,” Tavis said.

“Stolen by whom?” the Elder asked. “Did he know?”

“He didn’t say, except that he
’d
made a terrible mistake and thought he could fix it.”

“You think Quinn Douglass was involved in this theft?” the Elder asked. “If the book had been stolen decades before, he would have been very young.”

“We think he was protecting his father, the Keeper during that time. As he lay dying, Quinn admitted that he came to America with us to steal the book back. We thought he came with us to look into Nigel Ellwood’s disappearance. He was a Watcher who disappeared.”

“Yes,” the Elder said. “We all know of Nigel’s mysterious disappearance.”

“Nigel believed there was a traitor in the clan. After one of our Watchers had had ominous dreams about Nigel, Quinn was appointed by the Council to find out what happened to Nigel and look into his accusations. After Quinn died, we found a letter on him from Nigel to the Council. He believed someone in the clan was selling warriors’ names. Ian and I believed our brother’s name was sold to a demon.”

There was a gasp from the women, and a few of the men, and Faelan’s knuckles whitened as he fisted his hands.

“Nigel suspected that the Keeper was involved. Nigel had been given permission by the Council to go to America and build a place there, a second seat for the clan, so they weren’t all in one place. Nigel believed the book was in danger. He wasn’t sure how deep the treachery went.” Tavis cleared his throat. “Even thought that the Council might have been involved.” The members of the Council looked affronted, as if it was blasphemy to utter such a thing, but Tavis continued. In for a penny. In for a pound. “So he took it with him, believing it was better for the book to be believed missing. Nigel saw ancient demons near his castle, this castle, and he wrote to Scotland asking the Council to send warriors to transport the book back to Scotland.” Tavis glanced at Sorcha, who looked pale. “We believe neither Quinn nor his father told the Council.”

“Oh my God. What happened to Nigel and the book?” Shay asked.

“One of the Watc
hers from my time said that Nigel was never seen again. Quinn knew where the book was, so Ian and I stole it back.”

“Where was it?” Ronan asked.

“Right here, in this castle. Hidden in a secret compartment. Both the compartment and the castle were cloaked.” He looked at Anna. “Like Tristol’s fortress where Anna and I were prisoners.”

“So the demons have had our clan’s Book of Battles all these years it was missing?” Niall looked horrified. “Bloody hell.”

The Council turned as one and frowned at Niall. It would seem cursing was still frowned upon.

“My apologies,” Niall said.

“We believed one of the demons, or perhaps all of them, stole the castle and the book since it was cloaked,” Tavis continued. “We figured it must be sorcery. The interesting thing is that when Ian and I arrived, we expected a battle, but all the demons were dead. Similar to how all the vampires were dead in Tristol’s fortress.”

“Sounds like a turf war,” Declan said.

“I’ve heard nothing of this,” Sean said, his bright eyes clouded with alarm. He was the Keeper now.

“This is disturbing,” the Chief Elder said. “Very disturbing. We’ve never known what happened to Nigel Ellwood. It has come to our attention that Bree Connor is a descendant.” The Elder’s eyes fell on Bree. Faelan made a disagreeable sound and put his arm around his wife as if defying the Council to show any interest. Tavis had heard some of the warriors talking about the Council’s interest in Bree and Shay because of their unusual abilities.

“If all this is true, then where did the book we have come from?” Duncan asked.

“We believe Frederick, my ancestor, found it hidden in the chapel,” Bree said.

“Does this mean there are two books?” Brodie asked.

“I’ve never heard such a thing,” Sean said. “I can’t believe there were two books. We need to see the one Tavis had.”

All eyes turned to him. “I don’t remember where I put it. Everything is kind of muddled from then. I know I had it when I came out of the vault. I can’t remember seeing it after that. Angus could have stolen it.”

Anna immediately jumped to Angus’s defense. “Angus wouldn’t steal it. He had spent months searching for the book.”

“Maybe he hid it,” Faelan suggested.

“That’s possible,” Tavis said.

“But where?” Shay asked.

“I don’t know. We were in a house of some kind. It was white, I think. There was a woman there.” Tavis frowned, trying to remember.

Bree sat forward on her seat. “Mrs. Edwards’s bed-and-breakfast. Angus was there. He had a notebook with him.”

“That’s where Tristol captured me,” Tavis said.

“Remember that dream I had about you?” Bree said to Faelan. “The one where the dark-haired man snatched you? It must have been Tristol taking Tavis. He looks like you. I saw a dark-haired man in the hallway, and he gave me the creeps.”

“What did he look like?” Tavis asked.

“He was gorgeous, tall, long dark hair.”

“Sounds like him,” Tavis said. Faelan had been there in the room next to his. What a bloody damned coincidence.

“If we
’d
known,” Bree said, “we could have saved you so much pain.”

“I’ll go to the bed-and-breakfast and look for the book,” Anna said.

“I’ll go,” Tavis said.

“I don’t need help—”

“I’m coming.” Tavis frowned at her.

Fire flashed in her eyes, but she didn’t say anything more.

“I should let you know,” Tavis said to the Council, “Michael assigned Voltar to me.”

That got everyone’s attention. They all started talking.

Anna stood up. “You can’t be assigned to Voltar. I am.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

T
HAT CAUSED ANOTHER
ripple of shock. “You?” Tavis said. “That’s impossible.”

“Why? Because I’m a woman?”

“No, because he’s mine.”

“But Michael came to me,” Anna said. “He told me Voltar had to be stopped.”

“When?”

“Several hours ago. When did he come to you?”

“Before I went into the time vault.”

“Before you went into the time vault?” The Chief Elder looked at the rest of the Council, who were talking among themselves in quiet whispers. “Do you mean to say you ignored Michael’s order?”

Tavis grimaced. “I had a vow to keep.”

“But this is the archangel,” the Chief Elder said. “What could be more important than an order from him?”

“My brother. I swore that I would come to help Faelan and protect the book. I keep my vows. And I don’t know if he meant for me to destroy him then or now.”

“Voltar has committed horrendous crimes against humanity.” The Chief Elder frowned at Tavis. “He’s responsible for millions of deaths.”

And he might have been stopped if Tavis hadn’t disobeyed his order.

“Don’t do it,” Faelan said quietly. “Don’t let your mind go there. We’ve too much to deal with right now.”

Tavis nodded dumbly.

“I think he’s been reassigned to me,” Anna said.

“No. You can’t fight him,” Tavis said.

“Excuse me?”

“I won’t let you get hurt.”

“Tavis Connor, you can’t tell me what I can and can’t do. That isn’t how things are done in this day and age. And besides, it isn’t your place.”

Tavis heard a chuckle and looked around to see several grins.

“Why don’t you just throw her over your shoulder,” Brodie said.

“Because I’ll stab him in the back,” Anna said, those beautiful eyes flashing fire.

The Chief Elder banged on the table. “The Council and I will discuss Voltar’s assignment with the Watchers.” After a few minutes, the Elder officially dismissed the unofficial meeting, and Tavis started to leave.

“When are we going to the bed-and-breakfast?” Anna asked, her expression not far off from hostile.

“How about now?”

She looked him up and down and nodded. “I’ll be in the car.”

The drive was awkward and quiet. After a few minutes, Tavis had had enough. “This is bloody nonsense.”

“What?”

“You going after Voltar.”

“He’s mine.”

“I think he’s mine. I don’t want you to fight him. I’m afraid you’ll get hurt. And I owe it to you to protect you.”

“No you don’t.”

“I do.”

“Is this a misguided attempt to ease your guilt?”

Tavis felt like she
’d
slapped him in the face. “What the hell’s wrong with you? I took advantage of you. I’m trying to make it right.”

“You can’t make it right,” she yelled. She closed her eyes, and then opened them again, which was a relief since she was driving. “There’s nothing to make right. I told you already. You saved me. You don’t owe me anything.”

“Then why are you still treating me like a bastard?”

“I’m not.”

“You are. You’re acting like an ass. Where’s the woman I met in the dungeon? The woman who bathed my wounds and kept me warm. Hell, you helped me piss in a cup.”

“I just…it’s not you. It’s me.”

“I don’t like this you,” Tavis said.

Anna sighed. “I don’t either. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“I think I do. You’re frightened.”

“What would I be frightened of?”

“The same thing I am. This thing between us.”

She looked up then. “What do you mean?”

“It’s overwhelming. I’ve never felt this way about anyone.”

Her eyes were wide. She swallowed. “That scares you?”

“It scares the hell out of me.”

“So what do we do about it?” she asked.

“Stop ignoring me, that would be a start.”

“I’ll work on it.” She glanced at him with the beginnings of a smile. “Let’s call a truce.” She stuck out her hand.

A truce sounded good. He took her hand, and they sealed the pact. “You’re not really intending to fight Voltar are you?”

That led to another heated discussion which lasted until she approached a white house with black shutters. “Forget about Voltar for now,” she said. “Let’s find the book. We have a truce. Remember?”

They parked, and by the time Tavis figured out how to get the damned door open, Anna was standing in front of the car waiting for him.

“Do any of these bloody car doors open the same?”

“I forgot you hadn’t been in this car before. You’ll get used to it. Before long you’ll be driving.”

“I doubt that.”

“Bree said Faelan thought the same thing. Now he’s hooked on driving. Bree’s working on getting you an ID. Legal papers that prove your identity,” she explained. She stopped before she knocked on the door. “What are we going to say? That we think something is hidden here? Do you even remember which room it is?”

“No. Could we say we’re thinking of getting a room soon and wanted to see each one? I’ll see if anything looks familiar.”

“I came here once,” Anna said. “I was retracing Angus’s steps, and Bree had seen him here. But she didn’t have any rooms.”

An elderly woman answered the door. She had white hair and a dress with lots of little flowers. He didn’t remember seeing her, but Angus had said he
’d
sneaked him in. “You don’t have to knock,” she said, and then her gaze fell on Tavis. “Faelan. You’re back. How lovely to see you and…” She frowned at Anna.

“I’m not Faelan,” Tavis said. “I’m his brother.”

“Well then, come inside. Do you need a room? I have one room left.”

“Just one,” Anna said.

She looked at the two of them. “Did you need two?”

“Yes, but I suppose one will do,” Anna said. “I mean we are getting married.”

She frowned, but her wallet won out over her morals. “I suppose that would be fine. I get a lot of nice comments about this room. It’s cozy. You’ll see.” Mrs. Edwards took them upstairs to the room. “Your brother stayed in the room at the end. What a lovely couple. Now what do you think about this room?”

It had a big bed. That was all Tavis cared about. He didn’t care about covers and furniture. He just pictured himself and Anna in the bed.

“Very nice.” Anna raised her eyebrows at Tavis.

He shook his head.

“We’ll take this one,” Anna said.

Tavis gave her a surprised look. Had she misunderstood? “We will?”

“It’s perfect.”

“Right. Perfect.”

“Good. Come with me, and we’ll get the paperwork all sorted out.” After they had finished, they went upstairs to the room.

“What are you doing?” Tavis asked. “This isn’t the right room.”

“We have to check the other rooms. We can’t wait until they’re vacant.”

“What are we going to do, sneak inside?”

“Of course. We’ll wait for the guests to step out, and if they don’t…”

Women warriors. How had the clan to come to this? “We can narrow it down a bit. It isn’t this room or the one where Faelan stayed. And it wasn’t on the other end,” Tavis said. “It must be the one across from us or beside us.”

They slipped into the hall and listened at each door. All the rooms were occupied. They went back to their room to wait. Anna sat on a chair near the window. Tavis took a chair across from her.

Anna checked her watch. “They’ll have to go out to dinner sometime. Are you listening?”

“What?” He couldn’t stop looking at the bed, imaging him and Anna there, sheets twisted, bodies slick with sweat. Blimey, it was hot in here. He shifted in his seat and wiped his forehead.

“I know what’s bothering you. I can help if you
’d
like.”

Surge! He shifted again, wishing he had on his kilt and not Faelan’s jeans. He cleared his throat. “What did you have in mind?”

“I’m a good listener. It can’t be easy coming back to the place where an ancient demon kidnapped you—” Anna frowned at him. “That’s not what’s bothering you, is it?”

“No.”

“You were thinking about sex, weren’t you?”

He looked at the bed again and considered lying. “Aye.”

She started laughing. He
’d
never heard her laugh, and he was stunned. The lust he
’d
felt changed to something so strong, it felt like a hand crushing his heart.

“I shouldn’t laugh. I should be offended, but Bree said the effects of the time vault are very strong. Hunger in every way.”

Tavis was still trying to find his voice. “You have a beautiful laugh.”

“Weren’t we just talking about sex?”

“Aye. We can talk about it some more if you
’d
like.”

“Or you could take a cold shower while we wait.”

“Or we could eat.”

“I bet you’re hungry.”

“I could eat my boots if I had some salt.”

“Then let’s go to dinner. Do you like Mexican?”

“I’ve never eaten one.” He grinned, and when she smiled in return, it took his breath.

“Pizza. Let’s have pizza.”

They walked a few blocks, and he tried to observe the other people without staring. He wasn’t always successful, and he decided that there were some strange people in this time. But pizza was a blessed thing. Or maybe it was just his raging appetite.

“Do you want another slice?”

He nodded and took one. “Good,” he mumbled.

She rolled her beautiful eyes. “I never would have guessed.”

“You have a good appetite for a woman.”

“You think I’m eating too much?”

“Not at all. I like watching you eat.”

“Are we back to the sex again?”

A woman at a table near them looked over at them. He grinned. “I think we
’d
better change the subject.”

“How about clothes?”

“Clothes?”

“You’ll need some. I don’t imagine you’ll want to wear your brother’s all the time.”

“That’s a good idea. I don’t have any way to pay until I find my sporran. I had a few coins with me.”

“They wouldn’t work now anyway. Don’t worry. I have money. You’ll get some too. I don’t know how it was done back then, but the clan pays warriors. It’s not like we can have regular day jobs. We do have buffers. They’re not warriors, but they help us, provide services, help keep our secrets.”

“We had people like that, but not many, and we didn’t call them buffers. Strange name.”

“It’s just a nickname because they’re buffers between us and the rest of the world. Officially they’re called coordinators now.”

Tavis leaned back and rubbed his stomach.

“Ate too much?”

“Aye.”

“You’ll be happy we have these fancy toilets later.”

He grinned. It was very strange but appealing to have a woman speak so bluntly. And it was pure heaven to have her not ignore him. “I reckon I might at that.”

They went to several stores after they ate, and she showed him racks and racks of clothing. Some were so bizarre he couldn’t imagine anyone wearing them if he hadn’t spotted a few on the way here. He let Anna tell him what he needed, since it was all too much for him to comprehend. He
’d
traveled the world and seen different cultures, but some of the clothing he
’d
seen in this time defied description.

“I think people are a bit barmy now,” he said after they
’d
returned to their room with their bags. “Why would that girl we passed on the street want her entire arm tattooed?”

“Lots of people have tattoos. We do.”

“But ours mean something,” Tavis said. “They’re not human marks. You said yours are on your back?”

“Most female warriors get them there.”

“Can I see them?”

Anna looked at him and then sighed. She turned and pulled up the bottom of her shirt. In the dungeon, he hadn’t seen her back. When he
’d
checked her for injures, he
’d
done it with her clothes on, not that they had covered much. He
’d
seen her thighs and glimpsed the juncture he
’d
been forced to breech, but he
’d
never seen her back. Her skin was beautiful, her spine was beautiful, and if her skin drew him, her battle marks took his breath. They were low on her back, just above her trousers—jeans—circles and twining lines rising from a point above her hips, opening below her waist. He couldn’t help but touch the marks. She jumped, but didn’t yell at him, so he didn’t stop. His fingers tingled, as did his own battle marks, as if they were talking to hers. He traced the line to her waist and down again to the point. His finger continued along the line of skin just above her jeans and then around the side and to the front. She shivered, and he moved the other arm around so that he was encircling her waist. “I can’t help it,” he whispered, and pulled her gently against him.

She didn’t answer, but she also didn’t move. Her hands had been holding up her shirt. She dropped them, and he felt her hands reaching back for his hips. She pushed back against him, and he kissed her shoulder. His hands slid lower, over her stomach and to her thighs. A soft sound rolled from her throat, and he turned her in his arms. As if they
’d
done it many times before, her hands circled his waist, and his cradled her to him. He lowered his head, stopping just a breath from her mouth. “I’m going to kiss you. Is that all right?”