He hurried toward the gate to check and see if her car was still there. He stepped on the other side of the veil and heard a whirring sound like a windstorm or a helicopter. But the other warriors couldn’t have arrived this quickly. He looked up, but didn’t see anything.

He stuck his head back through the veil to see if it was something on that side.

The fortress and the stone wolves had disappeared.

CHAPTER TEN

ANNA HID HER car in the woods near Bree’s house in case they were followed. She helped the semiconscious prisoner from the car and put his arm around her shoulder. “We’ll stay in the woods until we make sure no one’s watching the place.” When they reached the house, the driveway was empty and the lights were off. No one was there. “Please let them be OK,” she whispered. She didn’t know what the clan would do about Tristol and Voltar. If warriors had been assigned to destroy them, they’d better show up soon.

She heard a loud noise like a motorcycle. Faelan had a motorcycle, but he’d promised Bree he’d stop riding it until the baby was born. It must be Voltar. His human shell had been a biker.

“He’s followed us. The graveyard. He can’t get to us there.” Demons couldn’t step on holy ground. She dragged the prisoner toward the iron fence surrounding the graves. He stopped again, staring at the graveyard. “Hurry, before he spots us. I’m going to hide you here and lead him away.”

“No.”

“We don’t have a choice. You’re going to die if I don’t.”

The prisoner’s arm slid from her shoulders, and he slumped against a tall headstone. “Go on,” he said, clinging to the stone, his body ready to collapse but his gaze fierce. “Protect yourself.”

“Then we’ll both hide in the crypt,” she lied. The burial site that had hidden Faelan’s time vault was empty now that he’d sent the time vault back. No one would think to look inside a grave. The very reason Faelan had remained unnoticed for one hundred and fifty years. After she got the prisoner inside, she would close the lid. He was weak now. By the time he got out, she would have led Voltar away.

Working quickly, she helped him inside the crypt, which sat in the middle of the graveyard. It wasn’t large, about fifteen feet square with a stone burial vault near the back to hold a casket. Or a time vault, in Faelan’s case.

Strangely enough, an old wooden coffin was already inside, near the door. What was Bree up to now? She was going to drive Faelan insane yet. The coffin. That might be a good hiding place. She lifted the lid and saw it wasn’t empty. The skeleton occupying the coffin wore a kilt. “That won’t work. Not without crushing whoever’s inside. We’ll hide in the burial vault.” That must be where the coffin would eventually rest.

The prisoner appeared to be leaning on the coffin for support, but when she helped him stand, he seemed distressed. He looked at the coffin and then the burial vault for several seconds through hooded eyes. “You first. I’ll close the lid,” he said, his voice weak.

“No. You’re injured worse. I’ll close the lid.”

“You…” His eyes closed, and he started to fall.

He should be dead. Anna grabbed him. “I’m not letting you die. Now climb in there.” Grunting, she pushed and shoved and got the lid partially open. As gently as she could, she helped him inside. When he was lying flat, she started to pull the cover closed. “No.” The fear on his face tore her heart. He tried to sit up. “Stay here with me. He can’t get in here. That’s why…” His body swayed.

Anna understood why he felt that way. If she were him, she would too. “OK. I’ll stay.” Until he passed out, which shouldn’t be long. Then she would lead Voltar away. “I’m going to close the lid halfway so it’ll be easier to move from the inside.”

After she was finished, she climbed inside the burial vault with him and lay down. It was a tight fit. She had to turn slightly toward him to make it work. She didn’t close the lid all the way. She wasn’t going to be here long. Besides, he had a death grip on her hand. She tried to leave a couple of times, but each time he would rouse and wouldn’t let go of her hand.

“I know my name.…” His voice trailed off, and his eyes closed.

Anna leaned closer, trying to hear. “Tell me.”

He whispered his name as a muffled roar came from outside. “Anna!”

Voltar. She pulled her hand free and climbed out of the burial vault. He was unconscious. She couldn’t let Voltar find him. Her fingers found his pulse—strong—and he wasn’t bleeding now. Leaning down, she kissed his cheek. “I’ll come back after I call Faelan and Bree,” she whispered.

She pulled the lid closed, hoping he wouldn’t wake until she got back or until she had Faelan or someone come for him. Taking care to close the door quietly, she slipped from the crypt, moving silently past the headstones to the fence near the back of the graveyard.

“Anna!”

The hair on her arms stood as a huge shadow melted from behind the chapel. He couldn’t come in here, but how long could she wait him out before he sent in his minions to do the work he couldn’t do? She had to draw him away so he didn’t realize they’d been here. The clouds were thick, blocking the moon. She climbed over the fence and ran quietly into the woods. When she was a good distance in, she cried out as if she’d fallen. She waited until she heard the trees cracking and limbs smashing in his wake, and then she started running.

* * *

“Do you think she was inside the fortress when it disappeared?” Faelan asked.

“I hope not.” Though Ronan had sensed someone watching him. Anna would have let him know if she had been there. “Her car was gone.”

“She must have escaped,” Shay said.

But why hadn’t she called?

“How could a bloody fortress just disappear?” Brodie asked.

“I don’t know.” Ronan rubbed his tired eyes. “But it did.”

“And stone wolves coming to life.” Brodie scratched his head. “What happened to the days when a warrior killed his demon and went home and had dinner? Now we’ve got vampires and stone wolves coming to life and ancient demons trying to kill us. I’m getting sick of this warrior stuff.”

“Your duty won’t be up for a while, so stop whining,” Sorcha said.

Duncan glared at Sorcha. “Do you have to be such a bitch? What the hell’s wrong with you?”

“You know what’s wrong with me,” she said to Duncan.

His jaw clenched.

“Are you still pissed about the traitor thing?” Declan asked.

Sorcha shrugged.

There were whispers, but Ronan didn’t think that was her problem. Her problem was her thick head. “If you run into one of those wolves,” Ronan said, “it’ll give you a new appreciation for Duncan.”

She snorted. “So what are we going to do? We’ve got a wedding, a funeral, a missing warrior, and now a vanishing fortress with monster wolves. Which do we tackle first?”

“I think we need to postpone the wedding.” Shay touched Cody’s shoulder. “There’s too much going on.”

He didn’t look happy, but he nodded. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but Ronan knew Cody would be on edge until he and Shay tied the knot. They’d been in love with each other for most of their lives, and separated most of that time because of demons and deception. Ronan didn’t blame him for wanting a ring on her finger. Say what you might about marriage being just a piece of paper, but it was a hell of a lot easier to walk away without that paper.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Shane said.

Everyone looked at Shane, who usually didn’t offer his opinion on matters that didn’t directly concern him.

“Why?” Cody asked. “Shay’s right, there’s too much going on.”

“The elders are planning to take Shay away.” Shane’s voice was controlled, like the rest of him. “They want to study her.”

“Study her!” Cody boomed. He advanced on Shane. “What do you mean?”

Shane didn’t move from his perch by the door. “They want to know why she can move like the vampires.”

“Calm down before you explode.” Ronan turned from Cody to Shane. “How do you know the elders want Shay?”

“I heard them talking. They had a secret meeting.”

“You were there?” Faelan asked.

Shane almost smiled. “They didn’t see me.”

“When were you going to tell me this?” Cody asked.

Shane looked nonplussed. “Now.”

“What’s this got to do with them getting hitched?” Niall asked.

“Because they want Bree too,” Shane said.

“Bree!” Faelan said, looking like he’d been hit by a rock. “They want Bree?”

Shane nodded. “But they aren’t going to take her. Yet.”

“Yet?” Faelan said. “Yet!”

“Because she’s married,” Shane said. “And pregnant.” He looked at Shay. “You need to be married soon. Or pregnant.”

Cody started pacing. “We’ll get married now.”

“Now?” Shay said. “We can’t do it now. We can’t throw something together this fast. We need wedding plans.”

“Wedding plans,” a loud voice chimed. “We’re just in time, Nina. They’re making wedding plans.” Matilda and Nina entered the room. Nina looked frustrated as she usually did when she was with Matilda. When he’d first met her, Ronan didn’t know how Nina kept her sanity around her crazy cousin. But Matilda grew on a person, kind of like a wart. And after her run-in with the vampire in the Connor castle secret passageway, she insisted on staying near the warriors. And the cat.

“We would have been here earlier, but Matilda was looking for the cat,” Nina said.

“I’m sure the poor thing is traumatized after the little incident in Washington,” Matilda said.

“I heard about your little incident,” Cody said. “That’s why Jamie sent you here in a hired car. What I’d like to know is how the cat got inside the White House?”

“You don’t want to know,” Nina said, easing onto a chair.

Cody groaned.

“I think it’s a great idea to get married now,” Matilda said. “We need a celebration to get our minds off those vampires…and other unpleasant things. Nina and I will plan everything. You won’t have to worry about a thing.”

“No!” Shay clenched her hands. “Thank you, Matilda, but it’s OK. Bree, Sorcha, and I have a lot of the plans in place already. Don’t we, girls?” She threw a panicked look at the women, who looked blank, then quickly nodded in agreement.

“That’s right,” Bree said. “We just have to speed things up. You worry about writing your book, Matilda.”

“I’m stuck on chapter two. I can’t focus. Has anyone seen the cat?”

“The last time I saw it was at the grave,” Bree said. “Tavis’s grave.”

“What grave?” Nina asked.

They explained to Nina and Matilda about the grave and about Anna. Matilda didn’t know all the clan’s secrets, but she had seen too much to keep everything hidden. Bree reached for Faelan’s hand. “We have to bury Tavis properly first. And find Anna.” She looked at Cody and Shay. “Then we’ll throw the biggest wedding the clan has ever seen.”

“Lachlan and Marcas took some warriors back to the fortress site tonight. Maybe they’ll find her,” Ronan said.

“If not, we’ll call in a Seeker,” Declan said.

Ronan grimaced. “Not the same one.”

“Did you get that short asshole?” Declan asked.

Ronan nodded. “That’s the one.”

“Can I interview him?” Matilda asked. “Maybe tag along and get some good material for my book.”

There was a resounding no from everyone in the room.

“Well, then,” Matilda said, looking almost offended.

“I thought you were writing about vampires,” Shay said.

“I’ve decided to write my memoirs. I’m not famous, but how many people have encountered a vampire and know real live warriors?”

Cody gritted his teeth. “You can’t write about warriors. Remember, we told you about the secret.”

“Oh, I won’t use real names,” Matilda said.

Cody clenched his hands together, and Shay patted his chest.

“And I’m including a chapter on reincarnation,” Matilda said.

“I didn’t know you believed in reincarnation,” Nina said.

“I just started. I think the cat was human once.”

* * *

The day of the funeral dawned gray, which to Bree seemed an indicator that nothing was going right. The minister was running late—not that it mattered since Faelan had vanished. Anna still hadn’t shown up, which was really troubling. The Seeker who was coming had gotten delayed. And Matilda had some kind of mishap that had Cody ready to scalp her and everyone around them.