Midnight's Captive (Dark Warriors) (26 page)

“He’s angry. He thinks he’s one step ahead of us, and he is. He always has been.”

Charon opened his eyes to see Laura staring at him. She was part of his war now, a Druid. Jason would be coming for her, but Charon would be waiting. “We have another option.”

“What?”

“I doona want to say yet in case it doesna pan out. Give me a couple of hours.”

Aiden sighed. “Is there any way Laura can help?”

“Nay. Maybe. I doona know,” Charon replied. He wanted to trust Laura, but he couldn’t put his friends in jeopardy. At least not more than they already were.

“Hurry, Charon. I’ve already got two deaths on my conscience. I’d rather no’ have more.”

Charon ended the call and returned his phone to his jeans pocket. “I have to leave.”

“To go where?” Laura asked with a frown.

He didn’t want to lie to her, so he didn’t answer.

“I see,” she said. “I told you of my magic. I told you why I didn’t have it before. I’ve nothing in which to harm any of you. Why won’t you believe me?”

Charon frowned, hating the situation. “I want to, but there is so much at stake that I can no’ chance it.”

“Because you think I’m working with Jason,” she said flatly.

“I believe what you’ve told me. I just need some time.”

“Meanwhile, you want me to stay here?”

Charon stood and put his back to her. Jason was a thorn in their side. The fact Laura had gone with him only added to the irritation. He was glad she hadn’t fought them, because he knew all too well what Wallace would have done.

Yet, it rubbed him raw that she had gone with Jason. Magic or not.

It’s that she began to wonder if you told her the truth.

Charon hated when his conscience was right. Wallace had put doubts in her head, and Charon hadn’t told her everything when he had the chance.

“You can’t get past that I went with Jason. What was I supposed to have done?” she asked angrily.

He heard the bed creak and knew she had risen to her feet. Still he didn’t face her. He refused to see the pain and frustration in her beautiful green eyes anymore.

“They outnumbered me, Charon,” she said. “I was alone and scared. I was trying to figure out what happened at the cabin as well as why I all of a sudden had magic. What choice did I have?”

“You could’ve fought him. You have the magic to do it.” He knew as soon as the words left his mouth that wasn’t what he would have wanted for her.

She laughed wryly. “I don’t know the first thing about magic. I don’t even know how I used it the two times I did.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you so angry with me? You know I did the right thing.”

Charon fisted his hands at his sides to keep from turning and pulling her in his arms. “You believed him, Laura. After I told you what a monster he was, after I fought him to make sure you were kept safe. You believed him.”

“You didn’t tell me the entire truth.”

Charon whirled around to face her. “I didna know you were a Druid! If I had, you’d have known everything without me having to tell you.”

She raised a dark brow and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ve worked for you for two years. We were friends. I trusted you. Yet at the slightest mistake, you turn your back on me.”

“I’m no’ turning my back on you.”

“The hell you aren’t,” she ground out. Laura dropped her arms and took a deep breath. “You won’t admit you did wrong.”

“Because I didna. We have a code. No one who isna a Druid or a Warrior is to know about our world. It’s to keep everyone safe.”

She rolled her eyes. “And the fact Jason tried to kidnap me to get to you, and you knew he was coming after us, didn’t warrant me knowing the entire truth?”

“You wouldna have believed me.”

“I guess we’ll never know, will we? You didn’t trust me enough to find out.”

Charon had had enough. He sliced his hand through the air. “Enough! We can debate this later. Right now I’ve got to save my friends.”

“And what am I to do?”

“Will you stay here? Until I return. I willna be gone long.”

She cocked her head to the side, her wealth of dark hair falling seductively over her shoulder. “You want me to stay here? In a place where you don’t trust me to go outside of this room because I might be working with Jason?”

“Aye.” He clenched his jaw when she gave a snort of annoyance. “I can no’ take you with me, Laura. Inside this castle you’ll be safe. I need to know you’re safe from Wallace.”

An expression of genuine disbelief crossed her face. “Why?”

Before Charon could stop himself, he pulled her into his arms, his lips descending on hers. To his surprise, she didn’t turn away. Instead, she opened for his kiss.

He groaned when her hands slid up his chest and wrapped around his neck. Charon knew kissing her was wrong, especially when he wasn’t sure of her loyalties.

But when it came to Laura, he was powerless to deny his body what it craved. He knew there was a chance she wouldn’t stay at the castle when he left. The only way to ensure she did was by locking her in the dungeon, which he refused to do.

Knowing this might be the last time he held her, Charon deepened the kiss. She tasted of seduction, pure unadulterated female at her finest.

His blood burned with need, and his cock ached, it was so hard for her. It would be easy to give in to his desire and lay her back on the bed. But his friends needed him.

Charon reluctantly ended the kiss. He bit back a groan when he saw Laura’s kiss-swollen lips. Her moss green eyes were dazed as she stared up at him.

“I wish there was more time,” he whispered, and rested his forehead against hers. “Please stay here. If for no other reason than I asked you to.”

He didn’t expect her to reply, and when the silence stretched between them, Charon knew it was time to leave. He dropped his arms from around her and took a step back.

She met his gaze, but he was unable to read her emotions. With a nod, Charon turned on his heel and walked out of the chamber. With every step away from her, a little piece of him died.

By the time he reached the great hall, the spot in his chest where the knife coated with
drough
blood had entered him ached so that he couldn’t stop rubbing it.

He paused when he saw the chaos around him. Druids were running in all different directions while the few Warriors still at the castle were looking at a map of Edinburgh.

Charon knew they were looking at every possible way of getting to the infected area of the city without Jason knowing. He walked past them until he found Ronnie standing alone as she stuffed a backpack full of supplies.

“Ronnie,” he called as he walked up.

She lifted her head of wheat-colored hair. “Any news about Laura’s loyalty?”

“No’ yet. I have to leave for a wee bit.”

“Leave?” she asked, her forehead furrowed.

He nodded. “It’s to help us.”

“I know. I’m just surprised you’d go alone.”

Charon glanced around him and shrugged. “Everyone is busy, and it’s better if I go alone on this anyway. I’ll be back.”

“And Laura?” Ronnie asked before he could walk away.

“Leave her.”

Ronnie zipped the backpack and flattened her lips. “You know she might try to run away.”

“She might.”

“I see,” Ronnie said after a moment. “Godspeed, Charon.”

He forced a smile. “Stay safe, Druid.”

Charon walked to the kitchen where the keys to the vehicles were kept. Since his was still in Ferness, he had no choice but to take one of those at the castle.

He grabbed the keys to the quickest car they had, a Porsche 911 GT2 RS, and hurried out the door. Charon grinned as he spotted the fastest production Porsche ever made in the bailey.

Once he slid into the seats of the red sports car and started the car, he eyed the open gates at the gatehouse. He put the car in first, gripped the red and black steering wheel, and gunned it. The engine gave a loud, feral roar before the car raced out of the bailey.

*   *   *

Laura hid in the shadows of the second-floor balcony and watched Charon talking to a woman in the great hall. The woman wasn’t happy with whatever Charon said, and then a moment later he walked out of the castle.

For several minutes, Laura simply stood and watched the activity of the hall. There was something major going on by the way everyone hurried about. Was it Jason?

Charon had said he needed to save his friends. With the Warriors being immortal and having powers, and the Druids using magic, she wasn’t sure why they would need help. Then she recalled Jason.

He was as evil as they came. Just thinking of his voice and the way he smiled sent a shiver of dread running through her. He had used his magic so effortlessly on her.

She felt as violated as she had when Ben tried to kidnap her. Jason had to be stopped. There was no denying that. Ignoring him wouldn’t make him go away.

Laura glanced back at the hallway that would take her to the room Charon had put her in. She couldn’t simply wait for Charon to return. Not when she knew she could help in this fight by getting her magic back.

She waited until the hall was all but clear before she quickly sneaked down the stairs. Laura hurried to the doorway she’d seen Charon get the keys from.

The few people in the hall didn’t even notice her as she ducked through the door and found herself in a kitchen. She spotted the hooks where several sets of keys were kept.

Laura paused as she went to grab a set. She’d never stolen anything in her life, but it wasn’t as if she had a choice. She could get her magic back and help Charon. Maybe then he would see she was on his side.

She grabbed the first set of keys nearest the door. Just as she was about to retrace her footsteps, she heard someone approaching. Laura glanced and saw a door leading outside.

With just seconds to spare, she rushed out the door, closing it quietly behind her. She found herself in a small garden area outside. To her left was the sea, and to her right was the bailey.

Laura ran into the bailey, punching the unlock button on the key fob to find out which vehicle she was stealing. Elation filled her when she slid into the black Range Rover and started the engine.

She drove off, looking in the rearview mirror to see if anyone saw her. When no one came running outside to stop her once she was through the gate, she gunned the vehicle.

Time was of the essence.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Jason stood in the corridor of the hospital and watched with glee as more and more people were brought in with the disease he had created.

Not even the sight of a little boy covered in the oozing blisters gave him pause. If the MacLeods wanted to play, he was up for it.

They would be the ones losing sleep at night over the countless deaths they could have saved had they simply given in to his demands.

“We should’ve done this sooner,” Mindy said as she walked up beside him, holding her recently stitched arm.

She couldn’t contain her excitement at what they were doing, and it set his blood pounding with need. It had been that way since the first time he saw her, ten months earlier. She understood him as no one else did. And she understood what he was after.

Aisley walked slowly down the hall, her hands shoved in the back pockets of her jeans. She reached them and rammed her shoulder into Mindy. “Try not to look so pleased with yourself.”

“And why shouldn’t I?” Mindy retorted angrily.

Aisley glanced at Jason before she said, “You can’t take credit for this. This was Jason’s handiwork.”

“I’m not taking credit.” Mindy then turned to him. “Jason, baby, you know I’m not taking credit.”

He wrapped an arm around Mindy and brought her against his side. “Of course no’, darling. However, Aisley does have a point. These are our people dying.”

“They’d die anyway,” she said with a shrug. “So what if it’s a few years early. Besides, the population needs to be thinned out. The weak have no place with us.”

Jason raised his gaze to Aisley. His cousin’s hatred of Mindy grew by the day, as did Mindy’s for Aisley. There would come a time he didn’t want to keep them from the showdown that had been brewing since he brought Mindy to the mansion.

He wasn’t sure who would win, though. Mindy was powerful, but she was reckless. She often used her magic without thinking things through, which caused her to lose.

Aisley was much better in battle, but he still wasn’t convinced her heart truly lay with his goals. She did everything he asked without fail. Yet, he couldn’t help but think that she had doubts.

“Do you no’ share Mindy’s view, cousin?” Jason asked, his tone soft and deceptively light.

Aisley held his stare. “Killing adults is one thing. Killing a child or a baby is another.”

Mindy began to laugh, and Jason watched as Aisley’s face flushed red with anger.

“Why do you care about babies?” Mindy asked.

Jason didn’t stop Aisley when she grabbed his lover and shoved her up against the wall. He smirked when Mindy gave a scream of outrage.

“Don’t speak of what you don’t know,” Aisley said through clenched teeth as she got in Mindy’s face. “If you do, not even Jason will be able to protect you from me.”

“Now, now,” Jason said as he gently pulled Aisley from Mindy.

It took a minute, but eventually Aisley released her. She turned to Jason and poked her finger in his shoulder. “Control your bitch.”

He watched her walk away with long, angry strides, her high-heeled boots clopping loudly, until she disappeared around a corner.

“I can’t believe you let her talk to me like that,” Mindy whined.

“There are things about Aisley’s past you doona know, darling, but if I were you, I’d heed her warning.”

She frowned up at him. “You wouldn’t protect me?”

“You’re a Druid. Protect yourself.”

“But,” she said, and then paused. “I’m your lover.”

Jason resumed his stance against the wall. “What do you think that affords you?”

“Besides your attention? It should also afford me your protection.”

He raised a brow at her petulant tone. “If I wanted to protect a woman, my lover wouldna be a Druid. You share my bed, Mindy, because you’re powerful. You earned the spot in my bed. You’ll earn everything else as well.”