Midnight's Warrior (23 page)

Declan lifted his head when there was a rap on his door and Robbie poked his head into the room.

“Cousin?”

Declan turned away from the hated mirror and made his way to Robbie. “Did you call the men as I requested?”

“Aye. They’re waiting for you below as you asked.”

“Good.” Declan didn’t bother to roll down the sleeves of his French-cuffed shirt. He let the black marks be seen not just on his face, but on his left arm and hand.

“What’s this about?” Robbie asked.

Declan glanced at his cousin to see that Robbie wouldn’t look him in the eye. “I’m making a point.”

“About what?”

“That neither I nor my magic should be questioned.”

“No one is questioning you,” Robbie hastened to say.

Declan snorted. How he wanted a glass of whisky, anything to dull the pain raging inside him. But again, nothing worked. He could only suffer through it. “We’ll see,” he said through clenched teeth.

Robbie didn’t utter another word as they descended the stairs. Declan caught sight of the fifteen mercenaries Robbie had been able to recruit.

The fact that so many men had died in his battle with the Warriors was making it harder and harder to find more. The money he was paying them had increased, and even that wasn’t always enough to convince them to work for him.

Declan paused at the landing so that he looked down at the men and forced them to look up at him. They were in three rows of five, their feet braced apart, and heavily armed. The men needed to get used to looking up at him since he would rule them one day. If they lived long enough.

Robbie walked halfway down the last set of steps and turned to lean against the wall. He positioned himself not with Declan, but not with the men either.

It was an intelligent move, one that surprised Declan as well as impressed him.

He took a deep breath and slowly released it. “It seems that my power and magic have come into question. I can no’ allow that to continue.”

The men stared silently up at him. Some with blank expressions, others not looking quite at him but over his shoulder, and still others who obviously didn’t want to be near him.

“You were told I needed an army,” Declan continued. “For many, that was enough to sign onto my payroll. Others among you wanted to know who you were fighting and why there was blood inside your bullets.”

Declan let his gaze touch each of them in turn before he said, “You’ve all also seen what kind of magic I can do. Whether you believe it or no’, there is good magic and evil magic. In case you didna understand before, I have black magic. In order to have that kind of magic I had to give my soul to the Devil. So I doona care if I kill one of you or all of you. You can be replaced.

“Men like you are found all over the world. I’d rather keep my money with other Scotsmen, but at this point I’m no’ choosy. I need men who are no’ going to be afraid to look at me. This is war, and there are casualties of all kinds.”

Not a single man had moved during his speech. It was a testament to their military training, but Declan didn’t care. His gaze landed on one of the men in the back row who wouldn’t meet his gaze.

Declan smiled as he drew his magic and with a single finger pointing at the man had him on the floor screaming and thrashing with pain. The other mercenaries took a step away from the man, their faces impassive, but their eyes glued to their comrade.

With just a thought Declan increased the pain. What no one saw was that the man’s insides were turning to mush, slowly and with more agony than any of them could imagine.

Pain and death always brought a smile to Declan. It was how he knew he was meant to be
drough,
how he knew he could take over the world and rule it as it should be.

There were too many wars, too many people saying they were right. He would bring the peace everyone said they wanted. And he would also bring the darkness. But it was that darkness, that evil which would set everything to rights.

Belatedly, Declan realized the mercenary was dead and the others looked at him with fear in their gazes. Just as he wanted.

“I think we understand each other now,” Declan said. “You doona just work for me. I own each of you. You’re mine to command and to end at my will. If you want to live, doona give me a reason to kill you.”

The mercenaries fell into line, their shoulders back as they ignored their dead comrade.

“I willna hesitate to kill more of you,” Declan continued, “if I think my magic is being questioned. Am I understood?”

“Aye, sir,” the remaining fourteen answered in unison.

Declan glanced at Robbie before turning and ascending the stairs back to his room. Declan didn’t care if Robbie recruited more mercs or not. He didn’t need them to guard the house. Not only were there several spells preventing anyone from getting inside that he didn’t want, there were also spells keeping his whereabouts hidden from anyone looking.

Only once Declan was safely back in his room and the door shut and bolted did he hold his left arm against him and peel back his lips in pain.

Every time he did magic it burned. As if his magic and the one blackening his skin weren’t mixing well. It didn’t bode well for him, but it was something Declan was going to have to deal with since he needed to use his magic to get to Tara.

Because of all the Warriors at Dunnoth Tower there was no doubt in Declan’s mind she was now at MacLeod Castle. But that wouldn’t keep her safe from him.

*   *   *

Fallon hastily pulled Larena into the shadows as he jumped them to Edinburgh Castle. Hayden and Isla were quick to follow them into the shadows.

The four stayed silent as a man walked quickly down the hall, a clipboard in hand. Only once he was out of sight did they sigh in relief.

“That was bloody close,” Hayden murmured.

Fallon cut his gaze to the Warrior. “I got the girls as close to the library as I could.”

“Hidden library,” Larena corrected with a smile at Isla.

Isla flipped the end of her long ponytail over her shoulder. “Regardless of whether it’s hidden or not, I want in and out quickly.”

Fallon took the lead as they ran quietly down the hall. Hayden, who pulled up the rear, grabbed Isla’s hand.

“Tell me again, wife, how you discovered this hidden library?”

Isla rolled her eyes at her husband’s protectiveness and waited for him to pull even with her before she whispered, “The last time Larena and I were here, we found some old documents that spoke about a few hidden chambers throughout the castle.”

“And since I spent some months here, I had an idea of where to look,” Larena replied.

“You spent time here over four hundred years ago,” Fallon amended.

Larena shrugged. “It’s not as if the castle has changed much.”

“Nay, but they do change the rooms,” Hayden pointed out.

Isla nodded as they pulled to a halt and plastered themselves against the wall. “We took that into account. And didn’t we explain this to you back at our castle?”

“Aye,” Hayden whispered and gave her a quick kiss. “I just wanted to hear it again.”

“We’ll be fine,” she said, and took his hand in hers.

“You better be.”

Once Fallon and Hayden gave the all clear, Larena and Isla began to look for the secret entrance to the library. They pushed stone after stone, but found nothing.

“Only an idiot would put an entrance right in the middle of the main corridor,” Fallon said. “I think we’re looking in the wrong place.”

Larena shook her head. “Trust me, Fallon. I know this is the spot.”

Another fifteen minutes passed and still they’d found nothing. Isla knew the men were getting restless. Dawn had already come, and with it more people roaming the castle. They had to get into the secret room today or who knew when they’d be able to return.

“We’ve spent enough time here. We need to get back,” Fallon said.

“A few more moments, my love,” Larena begged.

Isla glanced over her shoulder to find Hayden staring at her with his lips pressed flat. His patience was already gone. She heard Hayden walk up behind her.

“I know how much you want to find this library, but we’re out of time.”

Isla pressed her head against one of the stones and let out a sigh. “It’s here.”

“And we’ll find it next time.” He leaned a hand above her head.

Fallon turned from looking out the window nearest him. “Hayden’s right. We have to go.”

“Wait,” Larena said when Fallon went to grab her hand. “There’s one more place.”

“Where?” Fallon demanded.

“The birthing chamber.”

For several moments Fallon stared at his wife. “I can no’ jump us there. I never ventured to that area of the castle.”

“Then we better move quickly,” Hayden said.

They fell into line once more, moving like ghosts through the castle. Isla could hear people talking and knew that more and more workers were coming into the castle. It was a huge tourist attraction, and it took hundreds of people to keep the castle ready each and every day.

She tightened her grip on Hayden’s hand, and his answering glance told her he knew just how anxious she was. If it wasn’t so important to find the library, Isla would have agreed with the men and returned to the castle.

But she knew how crucial it was to find the spell. Larena desperately wanted to have a family, and she wasn’t the only one. While she and Fallon were both immortal since they were Warriors, the same couldn’t be said for the other women.

Even Isla had no idea if she was still immortal or not, and she didn’t want to tempt fate to find out.

They wound their way through the castle, managing to avoid being detected by anyone, even the security equipment located everywhere.

Isla was out of breath by the time they reached the birthing chamber. The room was allowed to be seen by visitors, so they’d have to hurry.

“Just get us inside,” Fallon said as he kept watch at the door.

Isla exchanged a look with Larena as they went to opposite sides of the dark wood-paneled room. Their search began all over again as they knocked and pushed upon the wood.

“Dammit,” Larena muttered. “I just knew it was here.”

Hayden had stayed near Isla and reached up to straighten a picture when the panel before her popped open.

“You did it,” Isla said as she gave him a smile.

Hayden shrugged. “That’s why you brought me along.”

“Get inside,” Fallon said as he rushed to them. “Someone is coming.”

*   *   *

Tara came awake slowly as memories of the night before filled her mind. She was lying on Ramsey’s chest just as she had fallen asleep, and the sound of his heart beating steadily filled her ears.

His arms were around her, as if he had held her against him all night. The thought made her grin like a giddy schoolgirl. She might have been on the run for a decade, and though she wasn’t promiscuous, she’d had a couple of lovers. No one, however, compared to Ramsey.

Maybe it was the magic that flowed between them, or the attraction that seemed to connect them so solidly. But all Tara knew was that Ramsey was the type of man she’d always dreamed of finding.

She lifted her head and found him still asleep. Her fingers itched to trace over every line of his face and body as she hadn’t been able to do the night before.

In sleep, the frown that had marked his brow since returning to the castle was gone. His lips were slack, and all too kissable.

Tara bit her lip as she remembered what his mouth had done to her, how he’d made her scream.

“I’ve always been told it isna nice to stare,” Ramsey murmured.

Tara chuckled and folded her hands on his chest so she could rest her chin on them. “How can I resist looking at such a fine specimen of a man?”

One eye cracked open to look at her. “Careful, lass. You’ll make me conceited.”

“Impossible.”

He turned his head and opened both eyes. “Did you sleep well?”

“Exceptionally well, actually. And I believe that was all because of you.”

“Oh, now I know my conceit is growing,” he said with a smile.

“Did you sleep well?”

“I slept,” he replied softly.

She frowned. “Do you not normally?”

“No’ always.”

“Is it good that you did then?”

One side of his mouth tilted in a smile. “Oh, aye.”

Not knowing what else to say to such a wicked, seductive smile, Tara glanced down and just then noticed that no more of the tendrils of magic wound about them.

“What is it?” Ramsey asked.

“The magic around us is gone.”

He rolled her onto her back and kissed the tip of her nose. “I think no’.”

Before she could ask what he was doing, he ran a finger slowly down her stomach. Trailing behind him was a thread of white. It didn’t float around them as it had before, but appeared to be beneath her skin. And glowing.

She blinked up at him. Unable to keep from trying herself, Tara trailed a finger over his shoulder and down his arm. The same glowing white thread appeared beneath his skin.

“I don’t understand,” she said.

“Neither do I, but I feel your magic more. Before it would come and go.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good thing, Ramsey. My magic is too volatile for it to be with me constantly. I could kill someone.”

“Have faith, Tara. All will be well.”

As she looked into his silver eyes, she found herself believing him. It wasn’t that she wanted to, but that she did. There was no doubt in her mind.

“I stayed in Edinburgh those few years because I enjoyed teaching the children, but I never stayed in one place for longer than a month. And when the school let out, I would leave Edinburgh. I don’t know what it means to stay in one place.”

“Then you’ll get to try it out here,” he said with a grin. “You are no’ a prisoner. You can leave whenever.”

“Not if I want to remain a
mie.
Declan will find me if I leave.”

Ramsey nodded. “He knows you’re with us. We’ve strength in numbers here. Isla and Reaghan have verra powerful magic. He willna be stupid enough to attack us.”

A sick feeling began in her stomach as she thought of Declan. “No, he wouldn’t attack as I heard Deirdre used to. Declan will use different tactics.”