Midnight's Captive (Dark Warriors) (34 page)

He ruthlessly, relentlessly pounded into her. She locked eyes with him, and then wrapped her legs around his waist. He sank farther into her, the angle taking him even deeper.

Her eyes widened a second before her body jerked and she screamed his name. The feel of her body clamping around him sent Charon over the edge.

He gave one final plunge and buried himself inside her as the climax swept through him, over him.

It took him, seized him.

Held him.

Just as Laura’s loving arms did as she pulled him down atop her. They lay in each other’s arms, their limbs entwined and their bodies joined.

Charon had never been more content or happy.

And he knew Wallace would try to destroy that happiness. Just as Charon knew if Laura weren’t in his life, there would be no reason for him to exist.

The sound of rain hitting the windows filled the silence of the room. How many hours did Charon have before he went out to battle? How many minutes did he have to cherish the woman in his arms?

“Why do I feel like this is the end?” Laura whispered.

Charon lifted his head to look at her. He gently wiped away the hair stuck to her cheek and smiled. “I’ve only just begun making love to you. We’ve several hours until dawn. I plan to love you until you can no’ walk.”

There was no answering smile from her. “I want nothing more than to stay just as we are.”

“You doona think we’ll win?”

“I’ve not had the experience you have with fighting such evil. I’m frightened. For myself, yes, but more so for you. I saw what Jason did to you. I saw you die.”

Charon rose from the bed and grabbed the wineglasses. He handed one to Laura once she sat up. “That’s no’ my first time being nearly killed with
drough
blood, and I can no’ say for sure if it’ll be my last. Aiden and Britt may have the answer. Regardless, as much as I’d like to hide away from it all, I can no’. I’m a Warrior. It’s my duty to fight Wallace.”

There was no condemnation or anger in Laura’s green eyes as she stared at him. “I know. It’s one of the reasons I’ve always been attracted to you.”

“Always?” he teased before he drained his glass.

She finally smiled. “Always.”

“Why did you no’ say something?”

Laura lifted the glass to her lips and drank before she said, “I was waiting on you to notice me.”

“Ah, so it’s my fault.”

“Of course,” she said with a wink.

Charon closed his eyes as Laura’s magic filled the room suddenly. “Shite, your magic feels wonderful.”

“You felt that?” she asked.

He opened his eyes and nodded. “What did you do?”

“I just wanted to make sure my magic was still there, so I called to it.”

“You’ve no idea what that does to me.”

She set aside her wineglass on the bedside table and looked at him with a sly smile. “Why don’t you show me?”

He didn’t have to be told twice. Charon grabbed her ankle and pulled her toward him. As soon as she was flat on her back, he covered her body with his.

A groan tore from him when her hand slid between them and wrapped around his cock.

“My turn,” she whispered before she shoved him onto his back.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Malcolm stared at the sky as he lay upon his back in the grass. He’d done just as he wanted—gotten lost in the glens.

There was much of the Highlands left almost as he remembered it four centuries earlier. He could thank his countrymen for that, at least.

The baaing of sheep reached him on the wind. It was distant, barely discernible except for his enhanced hearing. He could smell rain in the air as well.

Malcolm shifted his gaze and turned his head to the right. Dark, ominous clouds were headed straight for him. He inhaled sharply and felt the lightning currents run through his veins beneath his skin.

Ian had hidden out in the caves for months, seeing no one. Malcolm could do the same. It would be for the best, he was sure.

Though he quite liked many of the modern conveniences he’d discovered after being thrown forward in time, they didn’t outweigh what he sorely missed from the past.

He couldn’t stop the thought of what life might have been like had he not gone to MacLeod Castle to warn Larena and then gotten attacked by Deirdre’s Warriors. He’d have become laird of his clan, married, and hopefully had many children.

Longing, pure and true, hurtled into him. It was so fierce he couldn’t turn away from it. He should have known it would happen had he dared to think of the past and what could have been.

From the time he was old enough to understand he’d be laird, he’d dreamed of the title. His father had trained him from the moment of his birth to be the kind, strong, fair laird he was expected to be.

And Malcolm had wanted it as he’d never wanted anything before.

He let his fingers trace over the scars on the right side of his face. Only once had he dared to look in a mirror. The five gnashes had slit open his cheek, part of his forehead, over his eye, and diagonally over his nose and mouth.

It was a horrible sight. Malcolm could barely stand to look at himself. It was difficult to ignore the gasps from women and children, and the pity from men when they caught sight of him.

Malcolm opened his eyes to watch the clouds drift rapidly overhead. The wind had picked up. The storm coming would be a bad one.

He sat up with a curse when he thought of Charon and Laura. Malcolm knew they had made it to the castle, but he also knew that wouldn’t stop Jason.

“Sod it all,” he growled as he jumped to his feet.

He wanted to forget all of them, but he couldn’t. Larena would never let him. And even though reception for his mobile was spotty where he was, he knew in his gut she was trying to call.

Now wasn’t the time to lose himself in the mountains. But soon, soon he would walk away from Larena and the rest of them forever.

Malcolm turned to the left and began running toward the nearest town. He’d learn what he could without going to MacLeod Castle. Then he would sit back and wait to see if he was needed.

*   *   *

Aiden stood outside the cottage. The few hours of darkness in the summer nights were gone, leaving the area swamped in light.

“Where is Britt?” Quinn asked as he came to stand beside Aiden after his patrol around the cottage.

Aiden glanced behind him. “Sleeping, but now that I see the structure, I’m no’ sure it’s safe that she’s inside.”

“It’s shelter,” Quinn said with a grin. “And more rain is coming.”

“Aye.” Aiden had felt it hours ago. The storm would be a bad one, too. “I guess you’ve no’ heard from Fallon or Charon?”

Quinn’s lips flattened as he gave a shake of his head. “Nay, and my patience is wearing thin. Your mother and the other Druids have made no progress in halting Wallace’s magic in Edinburgh.”

“More have died.” Aiden didn’t have to be told. It was a truth that Wallace had shoved down their throats.”

“They have. None of the magic of our Druids has any effect at all.”

“Combined, the magic of the
mies
is supposed to be more powerful than a
drough
’s.”

“Supposed to be.” Quinn crossed his arms over his chest and looked out at the rolling land and the sheep that grazed on land not farmed.

Aiden didn’t like the worry that lined his father’s face. Many times he’d seen the Warriors get out of tight spots, but he was concerned about what awaited him.

The Warriors might have gods inside them, but Jason Wallace had the upper hand. Someone was going to die in the next few hours. Of that, Aiden was sure.

It couldn’t be Britt. Not just because he had feelings for her—feelings he suspected went a lot deeper than lust—but also because she was crucial to the Warriors’ having something to combat Wallace.

“You know how important Britt is,” Aiden said as he turned his head to look at his father.

Quinn raised a brow. “Important to you?”

“Important to the Warriors.” He swallowed, then admitted, “And important to me. Verra important to me.”

“Do you love her?”

Aiden hooked his thumbs in the front pocket of his jeans and considered his father’s words. “I think I began to fall in love with her the first moment I saw her.”

They were silent for several moments before Quinn dropped his arms and said, “You want me to keep her safe over you.”

“Without a doubt.”

“You’re my son,” Quinn said, his voice hoarse with emotion.

Aiden faced his father and grinned. “You’d ask the same of Fallon or Lucan in regards to Mum.”

Quinn blinked several times, his throat working as he finally swallowed. “Damn, lad, but I’m proud to call you my son.”

“So you’ll keep watch over her?”

“I give you my word.”

Only then could Aiden relax. All the Warriors would have looked after Britt without having to be asked, but now he had made his feelings known. Britt would be carefully protected, just as any wife in the castle was.

Aiden watched the dark clouds in the sky, hating that after so many centuries, he’d finally found a woman he could love, a woman he wanted to go to bed with every night and wake up to every morning.

Could fate be so cruel as to give them only a few weeks together? Aiden knew all too clearly how harsh fate could be, especially when people least expected it.

“I’m going inside,” he said, and turned on his heel.

“Nay,” Galen said as he ran up with Phelan at his side.

Quinn was next to them in an instant. “What is it?”

“We leave,” Phelan said as he looked around. “Now.”

Aiden didn’t have to be told twice. He ran into the cottage, banging open the door as he did. “Britt!”

She stood at the sound of her name, her eyes still heavy-lidded from sleep. Aiden grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the cottage behind him.

“We need to move fast,” Galen said.

A muscle in Phelan’s jaw jumped. “Wallace is here.”

“Holy hell,” Quinn mumbled. He then held out his hand to Britt. “Well, lass, it looks like I’ll be carrying you.”

Aiden saw the question in her lovely blue eyes, but there wasn’t time for anything other than to give her a quick kiss and push her toward his father. “I’ll be right behind you.”

Once Quinn had Britt in his arms, Aiden met his father’s eyes and knew Quinn would give his life to protect Britt.

“They’ve found us,” Galen said as he looked across the field.

Phelan spread his legs as he took up a stance facing the direction Wallace would come. “I’ll hold them off. Get moving.”

Aiden started running in the direction his father went, but Quinn was already out of sight. It took no time for Galen to catch up with him.

“You run too slow,” Galen said with a grin.

Aiden sidestepped before Galen could grab him. “I’ll make it. You make sure Wallace doesna capture Phelan. Charon will never forgive us.”

The grin fell from Galen’s face. “Aye. But doona get caught either. I’ve no wish to face your father.”

And then Aiden was alone, running as fast as he could toward Britt.

Toward the love that grew in his heart each time it beat.

*   *   *

Camdyn rolled over in the bed and reached out, only to find his wife’s space empty. Instantly, Camdyn sat up and looked around the room.

He threw off the covers and rose from the bed. Just as he’d expected, he found Saffron in the doorway to their daughter’s room.

“What is it?” he whispered as he came up behind Saffron and wrapped his arms around her waist to drag her back against him.

Saffron shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Are you worried about the others?”

“Of course.” She turned in his arms and placed her hands on his chest. “I know we should be there helping them, but I can’t risk Emma.”

“Nay, we can no’,” Camdyn agreed. “I’ve given most of my time as a Warrior in the pursuit of evil. But all that changed the moment we discovered you were carrying our child.”

“I know,” Saffron said.

“Then what is it?”

“I just feel…” She trailed off with a shrug. “I feel so selfish.”

Camdyn placed a kiss upon her lips. “There’s no need. Quinn and Marcail were able to raise Aiden without the threat of evil. If they were in our places, they’d be hiding their child as well.”

“I know.”

He took her hand in his and turned to pull her back to their bedroom when he felt a tremor run through her body. Camdyn jerked around in time to see Saffron’s eyes turn milky white and began to swirl.

Her body crumpled, and he easily caught her in his arms, holding her tightly against him. “What do you see?” he asked.

“Dragons. There are dragons in the sky.”

No matter how many times he witnessed her having a vision, he would never get used to hearing what sounded like thousands of voices added to Saffron’s.

“Dragons? Are you sure?”

“So many colors,” she whispered. “They’re helping the others, but it won’t be enough to stop Jason.”

Camdyn ground his teeth together. Jason Wallace. How he couldn’t wait to kill the
drough
.

Suddenly, Saffron blinked and her eyes returned to the beautiful tawny color he loved so well. He smoothed back the walnut-colored strands of her hair from her face as she clung to him.

“Oh, God, Camdyn,” she said in a shaky voice. “The Druids are going to try to help the Warriors against Jason, but it’s only going to allow him to get free.”

Camdyn glanced over Saffron’s head to Emma, sleeping peacefully in her crib. He didn’t want his daughter knee-deep in evil as he had been. She deserved better.

“I have to stop the Druids,” Saffron said.

Camdyn looked down into her eyes. He knew what was coming next, but he wanted to put it off until he could try to think of a way to keep her and Emma away from the battle. “You said dragons.”

“Yes,” she said with a soft smile. “They’re so lovely. I can’t wait to see them.”

Camdyn set her away from him. “Nay.”

“Yes,” she argued. “We have to go. Now. It’s going to take me with the Druids, and your friends need you. The selmyr are there as well.”

“Where is there?”