Midnight's Warrior (17 page)

“Fuck me!” he said as his glass full of beer crashed to the floor. “What the hell is this about?”

“You wouldn’t answer your mobile,” Hayden ground out.

Phelan pulled the phone out of his pocket and shrugged. “I never heard it ring.”

“You were needed,” Fallon said. “Please.”

Phelan looked around at the Warriors to find most of them wounded. “Shit,” he murmured.

“Here first,” Isla called.

Though Phelan was curious as to what had happened, he wasted no time in rushing to the table. As he neared and recognized Charon though, he paused for a heartbeat as he looked at the numerous holes in his friend’s chest.

“Phelan,” Isla urged.

He cut open his wrist. There were too many wounds and by the way Charon’s chest barely moved, Phelan had just one way to heal him. “Open his mouth,” he told Isla.

The Druid complied, and he let several drops of his blood fill Charon’s mouth.

Without a word he moved from Warrior to Warrior until all the wounded had his blood inside them. Phelan ran his finger over the now-sealed cut on his wrist and did a quick count.

“You’re missing two.”

“And we need to go get them. Now,” said a woman with golden-brown hair and clear blue-green eyes.

Phelan shrugged and released his god as he faced Fallon. “Let’s go then.”

Just as Fallon put a hand on him, Phelan saw the woman rush to Fallon and grab his hand.

“Dammit, Tara,” Fallon shouted after he had teleported them into the middle of nowhere.

Tara looked from Fallon to Phelan. “I won’t apologize. I’ve a bad feeling. I need to find Ramsey.”

Phelan liked her spunk, but women who were stubborn like Tara tended to get into trouble. And trouble wasn’t what Phelan was looking for.

“Where are they?” Tara asked softly.

Phelan didn’t like the quiet that surrounded them. They were at the sea, the wind should be blowing. But there was nothing. Only a stillness that unsettled him.

“Fallon?”

“We had Declan cornered,” Fallon answered Phelan. “Ramsey wanted to take him out himself.”

Phelan shook his head as he started for the castle. “By the looks of those I just healed, things didna go as planned.”

“We were supposed to be a step ahead of him,” Tara said.

“Fallon!” shouted a woman.

All three jerked to a stop.

“I’ve heard that voice before,” Tara said. “She said her name was Larena.”

Phelan frowned as he looked at Fallon. “You left your wife here?”

“No’ on purpose. She stayed invisible, and I’m guessing to see what happened with Ramsey and Declan.”

Something moved in the growing darkness near the castle, and Fallon took off toward it.

Phelan stayed behind with Tara as they made their way at a much slower pace. They had gotten only halfway there when Fallon teleported to them.

Except he wasn’t alone. He had Larena and Arran.

Tara rushed to Arran. “What happened? Where’s Ramsey?”

Arran couldn’t look her in the eye. “I’m sorry, Tara. I doona know. Declan knocked me against the cottage wall.”

Phelan watched curiously as Tara started calling Ramsey’s name while she did her best to move through the thick snow.

“Larena, where is Ramsey?” Fallon asked.

The golden-haired Warrior looked at her husband and shook her head. “I saw him toss Declan away from the castle, and I went to Arran to make sure he was all right. The next thing I knew I heard the helicopter, and then it too was gone.”

“Did they take Ramsey?” Phelan asked.

Larena shrugged. “It’s my guess.”

Fallon looked around. “Where were they fighting?”

“There.” Larena pointed in the direction Tara had already headed.

Tara’s shout had them all running to her as she fell to her knees.

Phelan was the first to reach her, and he wasn’t prepared to see Ramsey on the ground, the snow turned red with his blood.

“Someone do something,” Tara pleaded as she moved her hands over him, trying desperately to see if he was alive while at the same time trying to stop the bleeding.

“Nay,” Fallon said as he knelt on the other side of Ramsey. “Nay, this can no’ happen. I willna let another friend die.”

“Ramsey, damn you,” Arran muttered, his voice heavy with emotion.

Phelan noticed that Ramsey’s chest didn’t move, but instead of saying anything, he squatted by Ramsey’s head and held his wrist over his mouth.

“Hold his mouth open,” Phelan said softly to Tara.

She looked up at him, her eyelashes frozen from her tears. With a nod she did as he requested.

Phelan lengthened a claw and once more cut his wrist. He gave Ramsey three times as much of his blood as he had the others, but even then he didn’t hold out much hope.

And then the oddest thing happened. Phelan saw what looked like white smoke rise from Tara’s hand and loop around Ramsey’s head.

Except it wasn’t smoke. It was magic, and many more joined the first smoky ribbon until Ramsey’s entire body was covered with them.

“What the hell?” Phelan murmured.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Tara held her breath, waiting expectantly for Ramsey to open his eyes and tell her everything was going to be all right.

Yet, as the minutes ticked by, nothing happened.

She didn’t understand. Back at MacLeod Castle in the few moments she was there she had seen Phelan heal everyone, including Charon, with just a few drops of his blood. Phelan had given Ramsey much more than that, but Ramsey hadn’t moved.

“Maybe it’s because of his mix of Druid and Warrior,” Arran said into the silence.

Phelan gave a shake of his head. “It shouldna matter what he is. My blood heals everything.”

“Does it bring them back from the dead?” Fallon asked.

“No.”

That one word seemed to extinguish whatever hope Tara had held in her heart. She laid her hand over Ramsey’s heart where the bullet had nearly struck.

The ribbons of magic still wound around him, growing thicker the longer she touched him. From what she knew of magic, she was sure that it would help him, not harm him, or she wouldn’t still be touching him.

“He was so sure of winning against Declan. He even convinced me,” Tara said to no one in particular.

“I felt some of his mix of power and magic,” Arran said. “He should have been able to best Declan.”

Fallon ran a hand through his hair. “Then what happened? How did Declan know to bring so many men?”

Tara lifted a handful of snow. “Because of this.”

“Ah,” Larena said with a sigh.

Phelan flattened his lips. “Someone care to fill me in?”

“I caused the snow,” Arran said. “It was Ramsey’s idea to help keep Declan away and give us more time with Tara to convince her she could trust us.”

Tara glanced at Arran. “Except Declan used his magic to slow the snow. Ramsey’s mistake was having Arran create another, stronger storm.”

“And Declan realized a Warrior was here,” Phelan finished with a nod.

Larena put her hand on Fallon’s shoulder. “We cannot stay here. We need to bring Ramsey home.”

Everyone stood but Tara. She wasn’t yet ready to give up on Ramsey, but neither could she keep him in the snow. Tara took Ramsey’s hand in hers as Phelan put a hand on one of her shoulders and Arran took the other.

The cold instantly melted away to the warmth that was MacLeod Castle. As soon as they appeared, everyone surrounded them, the silence deafening as they stared at Ramsey.

“Nay,” the blond giant, Hayden, said in a disbelieving whisper.

Phelan spoke to the group, but he caught Tara’s gaze as he said, “Ramsey isna dead yet. He lives, but hangs on by a thread.”

“What the hell is that winding around him?” someone asked.

Arran squeezed Tara’s shoulder as he said, “It’s Tara. Whenever she and Ramsey touch, those ribbons of magic appear around him.”

“And only him,” Charon added.

Charon helped Tara to her feet as several Warriors lifted Ramsey and walked with him up the stairs. Tara watched them, silently praying that Ramsey would wake.

She looked down at her hands and coat covered in Ramsey’s blood. Every instinct cried out for her to go to him, but it was Fallon’s gaze that kept her in the hall.

When the group disappeared Phelan sank onto a bench and propped his elbow atop the table. “I did all I could.”

“We know,” Arran said. “I saw how many of those
drough
bullets he had in him. He shouldna have remained standing.”

Tara looked at the floor, unsure of what to do or say. Then, there was a soft hand on her arm. She looked up to find herself surrounded by women.

“You are welcome here. Please make yourself at home,” Larena said.

A woman with chestnut hair that came to her shoulders and framed her face with curls told Larena, “Go change.” When Larena walked away, the woman turned her mahogany gaze to Tara. “I’m Cara, Lucan’s wife. I’m sure you haven’t met everyone yet, and we’re a large brood so it’ll probably take time to learn everyone’s name.”

“Come,” said another woman as she pulled Tara to the roaring fire in the huge hearth. “I’m Marcail, Quinn’s wife.”

Tara had never seen such lovely turquoise eyes before, and on the crown of Marcail’s head was an array of small braids banded with gold.

“I’m Isla,” said the petite black-haired woman she’d noticed earlier. “The giant is my husband, Hayden.”

Tara’s head began to swim with all the faces so far. Reaghan, who was Galen’s wife, took her jacket, and the redhead she’d seen trying to heal Charon was Sonya, who was married to Broc—the one with wings.

Then there was Gwynn, an American from Texas by her drawl, who was married to Logan, Dani who had the most stunning silver-blond hair and was married to Ian, and Saffron, the Seer, who was married to Camdyn.

Tara put her hand to her head that was now pounding. She’d met all the Druids, but remembering each of them was going to take some time.

“And that’s not all of us,” Dani said.

Cara laughed. “That’s right. Fiona is gone with Braden and Aiden into town.”

“Aiden is mine and Quinn’s son,” Marcail said proudly.

Reaghan nodded. “And Fiona is Braden’s mother. They traveled with me from Loch Awe when I first came here.”

“Which was when?” Tara asked.

They acted as if all of them had been together for decades and not years.

Gwynn was the one who laid a comforting hand on Tara’s knees. “There is much you need to be caught up on. Suffice it to say most have been living in this castle for over four centuries.”

“What?” Tara asked with a choked laugh. “But only the Warriors are immortal, not Druids.”

Isla with her ice-blue eyes smiled knowingly. “You’re correct, of course. That is, unless you have a Druid who is powerful enough to not only hide the castle from view, but also make it so that mortals who stay within my shield aren’t touched by the passing of time.”

“So you’re the one Ramsey spoke about. The one Deirdre forced to become
drough
.”

“That’s me,” Isla said with only a hint of sadness. “I survived five hundred years with Deirdre as my captor. It was being brought to MacLeod Castle that helped me become strong enough to break from her.”

“I hope it was more than that,” said a deep voice at the top of the stairs.

Tara turned to see Hayden descend the steps and walk to Isla. He placed a kiss atop her head and nodded to Tara.

“We didna get an introduction earlier, though we’ve heard a lot about you, Tara Kincaid. In case my beautiful wife didna tell you, I’m Hayden Campbell.”

Isla elbowed him in the ribs. “Where was Ramsey put?”

“In the south tower.”

Sonya rose. “I better see if any of my healing magic can help.”

Tara wanted to go with her. It was nice to meet everyone, but she felt useless in the hall. Not that she would be of any help in the tower. But at least she’d be with Ramsey.

Charon was suddenly beside her. “Come. I’ll take you to him.”

Tara smiled gratefully and jumped up to follow him. She reached the second-floor landing before she realized she’d not said anything to the others. Charon’s strides were long, and Tara had to practically jog to keep up with him.

They climbed numerous other stairs before they reached the tower and ascended the curving steps to the top.

“I doona know what else to do,” she heard someone say.

“He should have woken by now,” said another.

Tara heard something behind her and looked over her shoulder to see Phelan there. He gave her a small shrug at her questioning look.

By the time they reached the top of the tower, a chill had settled deep within Tara. No one said a word as they watched her walk to the bed. They parted so she could see Ramsey.

The wisps of magic were still around him, but they were beginning to fade. She wanted to touch him again, but she hesitated. What if she were making things worse?

“I never asked what it was that Declan did to you at Dunnoth,” Fallon said.

Tara glanced at him and shrugged. “I don’t really know. With just a wave of his hand my entire body hurt. I couldn’t take a breath. The pain came from everywhere, so I don’t know where it derived from.”

“He’s a soulless monster, so it doesn’t really matter,” Saffron said as she went to stand next to Sonya on the other side of the bed. “I spent over three years with Declan locked in his prison and tortured. He doesn’t have to have a reason for anything. He just does it.”

Tara shuddered. “He said his magic had grown.”

“As much as I want to get that bastard, right now I’m more concerned with Ramsey,” said a man with light brown hair and hazel eyes. He looked at Tara and gave an apologetic half grin. “Forgive me. I’m Logan Hamilton.”

One by one the Warriors came forward and introduced themselves. Tara was able to put a couple of them together with their wives. She easily recognized the MacLeod brothers not only by their similar dark hair and green eyes, but also by the torcs around their necks.

“What now?” Ian asked.

Lucan MacLeod shrugged. “We see what Sonya can do, and we wait.”

“My blood has never failed to heal,” Phelan said, his gaze locked on Ramsey.