“You weren’t kidding.”
“Nay, I was no’,” Aiden said as he opened her car door for her. “Be safe tonight, Britt.”
He began to turn away when her hand touched his arm. Aiden looked back at her.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Doona trust any new people you might meet. There are those out to harm me and my family. You helping me could verra well put you on that list, too.”
“All right. Until tomorrow.”
Aiden walked into the shadows, but stopped to watch her drive away. Even if Britt gave him all the answers he wanted tomorrow, he still couldn’t leave her.
Not just because he liked her, but because he knew Jason Wallace would find her. If Wallace was now harming those the Warriors and Druids cared about, then it was imperative Britt be safe.
How he was going to do that, he didn’t know. Aiden was sure she wouldn’t enjoy being shut away in a castle. But how else to keep her away from Wallace?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ramsey skidded to a halt beside Broc as they took in the destruction of what used to be a cabin. “Shite.”
“Charon!” Phelan yelled as he rushed past them.
The group hurried to Phelan, who knelt beside an unmoving Charon.
“Let me,” Isla said, and crouched on the other side of Charon.
Ramsey may not have healing magic, but his magic was potent, and he would eagerly lend it to the other Druids if they needed him.
By the look of blood coating Charon, he had fought Wallace. It just hadn’t been enough. Why couldn’t Charon have waited for them? There hadn’t been a need to sacrifice himself, not when he was a necessity for the battle to come.
Because Ramsey knew there would be a battle. And it would be one that could very well end them all.
Fallon squeezed his eyes shut a second before he asked, “Isla, is he—?”
Before Isla could answer, Phelan gave Charon a hard shake, his jaw clenched. “Wake up, damn you.”
It was odd to see Phelan so emotional. Ramsey knew he and Charon had formed a friendship, but since Phelan was a wanderer, no one realized just how deep that friendship went until that moment.
Ramsey looked at Hayden, each of them understanding the pain cutting through Phelan. They had felt such an ache with the loss of Duncan. Their anguish was nothing compared to Ian’s, however, since he hadn’t just lost a friend in Duncan, he’d lost his twin.
They had all sacrificed so much. Ramsey never wanted to lose another Warrior. After surviving the unbinding of their gods, the horrors of Deirdre’s mountain, and then gaining control over their gods, the bonds binding the Warriors were strong.
And when one of those bonds was severed …
Ramsey’s thought ceased when Charon’s eyes suddenly opened.
“Laura,” he whispered before he sat up.
Charon looked around, not understanding why his cabin was in shreds all around him. He barely took notice of his friends as he gained his feet and called for Laura again.
“What the hell happened?” Fallon asked.
Charon didn’t want to take the precious few moments to tell him. “Jason Wallace.”
“Phelan told us that much,” Ian said.
Charon went to body after body on the ground, but none of them was Laura. Panic began to set in. “Laura!”
“She’s no’ here,” Phelan said as he moved debris. “She’s gone.”
“I told her to leave. I told her to run.” Charon looked in the direction she would have gone. He had to find her before Wallace did.
Jason’s threats, his taunts of hurting Laura sent his blood to boiling.
“Charon!” Ramsey shouted near him.
He spun around to find the others staring at him. Charon’s gaze ran over each of them, noting the concern and worry clouding their eyes.
“I have to find Laura. Jason is after her. He wants to hurt her.”
Broc immediately closed his eyes. Charon waited tensely for Broc to find her, but minutes went by with nothing.
Finally, Broc opened his eyes, his lips pressed tight. “I can no’ find her. There’s something blocking my power.”
“We need to know what happened,” Larena said calmly.
Gwynn gave a solemn nod and smoothed back her hair behind her ears. “To find Laura, Charon. Please.”
He blew out a harsh breath. “I tried to lead them away from her, but somehow Jason knew she was at the cabin. As soon as I discovered that, I came here. When I built the cabin, I built a trapdoor in the floor that led out to a ladder down the mountain. It’s hidden. I told her to use it and run. I promised I’d find her.”
“That explains why Laura isna here,” Phelan said. “It doesna explain why there are dead droughs and your cabin is in splinters.”