Anita Clenney - Heart Of A Highland Warrior

“Matilda, leave Tavis alone,” Nina said.

“We’ll talk later. Will you be here for the wedding?” Matilda asked.

“Wedding?”

“Cody and Shay’s?”

“Well I reckon I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good.” Matilda came closer and gave him a squeeze. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said, looking wise in spite of her strange hair. “Faelan needs someone from his family.” She looked misty-eyed and then cleared her throat. “I’m going to find the cat. I think he’s upset with me.”

Coira rolled her eyes. “I need to take a look at Tavis’s injuries.”

“Better go with her,” Sean said. “We’ll meet you in the library and get acquainted.”

Coira took Tavis to the infirmary and checked his injuries, tsking as she bandaged. “If I could get my hands on that demon, I don’t know what I’d do to him.”

Tavis didn’t know what he’d do to Tristol. He wasn’t his demon. But he knew exactly what he’d do to Voltar when he got his chance. He regretted leaving him in the penthouse, but it would be foolishness to take on him and Tristol at the same time. They would have to die separately.

As she worked, Coira asked about his past, pulling information out of him that he didn’t know he even remembered. Things from his childhood. When he had been bandaged to Coira’s satisfaction, they went to the library. Tavis was introduced to other warriors he hadn’t yet met, so many he couldn’t recall all their names. They gave him a warm welcome and asked too many questions, but he understood that everyone was curious about him. It wasn’t all pleasant. They discussed Voltar and Tristol, and a pall settled over the group when they learned that Tristol wasn’t bound by some of the rules as the other demons.

After a while Tavis started missing parts of the conversation because he was trying to watch Anna. She and Ronan had their heads close together talking. He felt the sting of jealousy. Was there something between her and Ronan? They were both attractive, and he hadn’t seen Ronan with anyone except Bree. Anna glanced across the room at Tavis and slipped out of the library.

Tavis followed her outside, wondering if she was meeting someone. A woman as beautiful as Anna would have many suitors.

Anna turned around, hands on her hips. “Are you following me?”

“What if I am?”

“I don’t like being followed.”

“I don’t like being ignored.”

“I’m not ignoring you.”

“Yes you are. You won’t even look at me.”

She looked at him then, and he felt the impact of her gaze like a fist to his stomach. What was this effect she had on him? It was almost painful. He’d never felt anything like it. He’d felt attracted to women, bedded a few, and with Marna he’d felt a fondness, but this tearing, gnawing desperation was hell.

“You only did that to prove me wrong,” he said.

She rolled her eyes and stepped closer to him. He could feel the heat rising off her body. How was that possible? “I just want some time alone,” she said. But she didn’t move away. She stared at his mouth and swallowed. The pulse at her throat ticked like a pocket watch, mesmerizing him. He wanted to put his lips against it and taste it.

“You’re standing very close to me for someone who wants to be alone,” he said.

She shook her head and turned to walk off. He didn’t follow her this time. He needed to go somewhere and think. Sort out his head. He had to figure out what to do about Tristol and Voltar.

* * *

The feeling in Tristol’s arms returned first, and it slowly worked down his body until he could take a few faltering steps. His eyes burned with anger, the heat so hot it felt like lasers. Voltar would die for this. As Tristol’s muscles returned to normal, he vowed he would kill every demon attached to him. First he would find out what Voltar had used on him. It looked like a stun gun, but it must be powered by sorcery. Nothing had stopped Tristol before. He didn’t think it had been but a few minutes, but this was unacceptable. He, the most powerful being on this earth, frozen like a petrified tree. Several of his vampires had been destroyed, his fortress stolen from under his nose, and his enemy was the one to tell him that he had not one, but two spies in his home.

When Tristol was able to move at normal speed, he zoomed through Voltar’s penthouse searching for the demon. He wasn’t there. He’d probably gone after Anna and the warriors. Tristol let the power and rage build into a ball of fury. It flew from his fingers, igniting the room. There were people downstairs in the club. They might have nothing to do with Voltar. Tristol streaked out into the hallway and hit the fire alarm, giving them opportunity to escape before he destroyed the entire building. That made him even angrier. He was growing a damned conscience. He’d spent too much time watching those do-good warriors. They were rubbing off on him. But even with his powers, he couldn’t undo a fire alarm.

He streaked out of the burning building, past people running to escape. He stopped a few blocks over and watched Voltar’s building go up in a blaze.

“Master.”

Tristol turned. It was his lieutenant. “It’s about time. Do you have the book?”

“I did, but they took it back,” Joquard said.

“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?” Was it possible that Joquard was involved in the breech? Tristol was finding it hard to trust anyone now.

“I haven’t been avoiding you. But I have some troubling news about your prisoner.”

“I already know. I got the wrong one.”

Joquard looked nervous. “Shall I bring Faelan to you?”

“Not now. I have more pressing problems. Voltar and his daughter.”

WHAT HAVE YOU got there?” Faelan asked.

Bree held up a little box. “One of Layla’s puzzle boxes.”

“That’s the one that you hid under the floorboard when you were a girl.”

She nodded. “Something’s inside. I was thinking about Layla, and I remembered it.”

“Did you get it opened?”

“No. I can’t figure it out. I tried several times over the years.”

“Want me to have a look at it?”

“Sure.” Bree handed him the box. It was small, made of wood. “There isn’t a lid.”

Faelan rattled it. “There’s something inside.”

“I want to know what it is.” She frowned. “Smash it.”

“I could do that, but there must be a way to open it,” he said.

“Don’t you think I’ve tried? It won’t open.”

“You just haven’t found out how.”

“So you think you can find it when I couldn’t? Me? I’ve spent my life exploring mysteries and looking for treasure.”

Click.

“You didn’t.” Bree leaned closer. One side of the box had separated. “How did you do that?”

“I pressed on the sides.”

“I tried that,” Bree said.

“I pressed on three sides at once. Your wee hands weren’t big enough. Here, it’s yours to open.”

Bree took the box but just stared at it.

“You’re not going to open it?”

“Yes, but I’ve waited so long…”

“Well, open it or I will. I want to know what’s inside.”

She pulled the side that was loose, and a drawer slid out. “It’s a key.” She carefully removed a small skeleton key and held it up. “To what?”

“I think I know.”

“You know? How could you know?”

“Follow me.” Faelan led Bree out of the room and to the attic stairs. He stopped. The stairs were so narrow. And she wasn’t the most graceful of women. There was the bairn to consider. “I think it’s best that you stay here. I don’t want you tumbling down—”

Bree started up the stairs. “They’re just stairs, Faelan.”

He took a large step so that he was right behind her and could catch her if she fell. “The view’s nice here.”

She glanced back and saw him looking at her arse. “There’s more of it to see now.”

“It’s no bigger than it was. Now this,” he said, sliding his arms around her when they’d reached the attic. He placed his palms over her belly. “I can’t wait until I can see that my bairn’s in there.” He turned her in his arms and pulled her close. “Have I told you how much I love you and this little one?”

“Not for a few hours.” Bree leaned in and kissed his neck, making his bones feel like dust. “But you can tell us anytime you want. We love hearing it.”

“Do you think he can hear us?”

“Or her? No. I’m barely pregnant. It probably looks like a chicken embryo right now.”

“Just spoil my mood,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose.

Bree smiled. “But I’m sure if it’s a boy he’ll be every bit as magnificent as his father. ‘The Mighty Faelan Junior.’”

“No you don’t.”

Bree laughed and reached up to turn on the light. “OK, show me what this key goes to.” Faelan led her to a trunk. “This is McGowan’s things. Sorry, your father’s things,” she said.

“Aye.” They’d left the box holding his father’s things inside. Two straight razors. One must have been Quinn’s. There were other things inside. Someone must have kept them there over the years. Old clothing and such. He removed the items and felt for the slit in the bottom of the trunk. “See that? Try the key.”

“That’s a keyhole?”

“Aye. I had a trunk just like this. There’s a secret compartment in the bottom. We used to hide weapons inside. Or anything else we didn’t want found.”

“You knew this trunk had a secret compartment and didn’t tell me?” She looked betrayed.

“I wasn’t sure you didn’t know about it.”

She gave him a skeptical look. “You were afraid I would rip the bottom of the trunk out to get it open.”

“The thought did cross my mind.”

“You know me better than that. I would have opened it carefully.”

He grinned at her admission. She would have opened it if she’d known. She couldn’t resist a puzzle. The only reason she hadn’t gotten the puzzle box open was that she would have had to smash it to do so. “I didn’t know what you were like then.” Which wasn’t long ago. He’d known her for only a short while, though it felt like forever. So much so that he had even started dreaming of her when she was young. Two nights ago he’d dreamed she was in the graveyard crying, upset over some boy. Druan had been outside the graveyard watching Bree. Barmy dreams.

Bree stuck the key inside the hole and turned it. “This is so exciting. Now what?”

“Lift the edge there.”

“Here?” She lifted the corner, and the bottom of the trunk came up. “Oh my. There are letters.” She reached inside and pulled out three yellowed letters tied with a blue ribbon. “This one has your name on them.”

“Tavis said they’d written letters for me, for when I awoke.” Faelan reached for them. These had waited for over a century.

“Do you want to open them with Tavis?” Bree’s expression was so tender, but he knew she was dying to see what was inside.

“He already knows what’s written there. I’d like you to read them with me.”

Her face lit in a grin that made his heart leap. God, he loved this woman. Dangerous, bloody, bold crazy woman. He would die without her.

He carefully opened the first envelope and removed the letter. He unfolded it and looked at the neat writing on the page. “It’s written in Ian’s hand,” Faelan said. “He was always one for letters.”

Faelan, If you are reading this, then someone has awoken you from your slumber. I hope whoever the clan sent to open your time vault has explained what happened. But Tavis and I wanted to leave letters so you would know, and to say our final farewells. The Seeker found your time vault buried in a field. We did not know if Druan was coming back soon, or perhaps watching the place. We found a husband and wife nearby who were kind. They allowed us to stay with them as we searched out a place to hide the time vault. They had an empty crypt and let us buy it. Da was heartbroken and slept the first night in the crypt. He didn’t live to see another night. Voltar killed him and Quinn, according to Quinn, who was barely alive when we found them. Voltar wanted the Book of Battles. We are considering what do to about the problem. We fear telling the elders since we suspect there is traitor in the clan. Tavis and I found a letter from Nigel Ellwood in Quinn’s pocket. Nigel suspected that someone was selling warriors’ names to a demon since several warriors had died under suspicious circumstances. Nigel was worried that the Keeper was involved, since he was the only one who would have had access to the Book of Battles. Nigel told the Council, and they appointed a secret group to look into matters. Nigel convinced them to let him find a place in America for the clan, a second clan seat so that they weren’t all in one place. He had taken the book with him and hidden it in America as well. Most of the Watchers who were investigating Nigel’s claims had also died mysteriously. Since Nigel did not know who to trust, he kept the book in America while he started work on the second castle. He figured the book was safest if it was believed missing, so he pretended to disappear himself. But now he was alarmed because he had spotted four ancient demons nearby. He was worried about the Book of Battles and had written to the Chief Elder asking him to send warriors to transport the book back to Scotland. He stressed in the letter the importance that the Keeper not be told. We do not know the extent of the betrayal. Quinn had the letter and hadn’t told the Council, so he was at least an accomplice to his father’s betrayal. We put Da in an unmarked grave. It is the third grave you will find after walking five paces from the corner of your crypt. We could not risk someone coming to visit his grave and finding the time vault. We will tell Ma the truth. And Tavis and I told Frederick and Isabel about you. They promised to watch over your time vault, and to ensure that someone else in their family takes the duty when they die, until someone from the clan comes to release you. They have the key. They will take care of it as well. We had already buried Quinn in the hole where your time vault was because at that time we had not yet told Frederick and Isabel that your time vault was inside the crypt. Only Ma will know the truth about you. I love you, brother, and I write this with sorrow, knowing that I will never see you again. Not in this lifetime. I will comfort Ma and Alana and will see you on the other side. With love, Ian