“A Druid?”
“She isna a Druid.”
Aiden frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “Then why does he want her?”
“To make Charon suffer. Apparently Charon cares for this woman.”
“Oh, shite,” Aiden said as realization dawned.
“It gets worse.”
Aiden was tired of it always being worse. He braced himself for any possibility then. “You said Wallace tried to kidnap this woman. That means he failed.”
“He did, but he went after Charon and Laura himself. Wallace jammed mobile phone communications and had the phones disabled in Charon’s building.”
“Did he … did Wallace kill Charon?” Aiden liked Charon, even though the Warrior didn’t spend much time at the castle. Charon had always been there when they needed him.
“I’ve no’ heard yet,” Quinn said, and rubbed the back of his neck. “Phelan was in Ferness. He’s the one who called the castle while Charon and Laura went into the forest.”
Aiden digested that bit of news, not liking how it unsettled him. But he also knew his father hadn’t come to tell him just that. “You think since Wallace was watching Charon that he has someone watching the castle?”
“I’m nigh certain of it, son,” Quinn said, and hooked a thumb in the front pocket of his jeans. “I’ve done a search around the university, and I doona detect any Druids.”
“Wallace would be smart and hire others, no’ Druids.”
Quinn nodded. “That was your mother’s guess as well. I know you wanted to come here by yourself—”
“It’s all right,” Aiden interrupted him. “I understand. I’m your only son. You worry.”
“You have magic of your own. Be prepared to use it, especially for Britt.”
“You think they’d harm her?”
“Without a doubt.”
Aiden looked at her through the glass doors as she stood staring at the night sky. “I willna let that happen. Keep me posted. I’m going to walk Britt to her car.”
“I’ve sent Galen to her flat to have a look around. He’ll take watch tonight.”
Aiden gave a nod to his father. “Thanks.”
“You like her,” Quinn said, a half smile on his lips.
Aiden rolled his eyes. “That talk is for another time.” Quinn’s laughter followed him out of the building to Britt. “Sorry about that.”
“Is everything okay? Quinn seemed a tad upset.”
Aiden was trying to figure out a response when she started walking.
“Let me guess,” she said with a meaningful look. “I can’t know.”
“Unfortunately, aye. Trust me, you doona want to know.”
“Maybe I do,” she argued. “It might help me with my understanding the different blood you’ve given me.”
Aiden wanted to tell her, and perhaps he should. Her life was in danger from simply walking with him. He looked around, peering deep into shadows and stepping in front of her anytime someone drew near.
“You’re freaking me out, Aiden,” she whispered. “What the hell is going on?”
“I wasna kidding when I said your life was in danger.”
“Yeah,” she replied sarcastically. “I get that. I think you owe me more than the standard ‘you doona need to know’ bit.”
He found himself fighting a smile as he glanced at her. “There are things in this world you wouldna believe.”
“Try me. I have an open mind.”
“Magic.”
She rolled her eyes as they halted beside her car. “Magic? That’s all you’ve got?”
“Magic is in this land. It’s in the verra air we breathe, in the water we drink. It’s in the soil even. If you’ve magic, you can feel it all around you.”
“Are you telling me you have magic?” she asked carefully.
Aiden looked into her blue eyes and knew he was taking a huge chance. But he wanted to tell her, wanted her to know the real him. “Aye.”
“So, one of the blood samples has … magic in it?”
“It does.”
She leaned back against her car and made a sound at the back of her throat. “Well. That’s not something I expected to hear. But not every sample has magic in it?”
Aiden gave a single nod of his head.
“Are you making this up just to shut me up?”
He looked at the lamppost behind him, then glanced back at Britt to make sure she was watching. It took just a small thought to shatter the lightbulb.
“Oh, hell,” Britt said as she ducked.
Aiden hoped that satisfied her curiosity for the night, since he knew his father was watching and wouldn’t approve.