Forbidden Highlander (23 page)

The Warrior folded his wings against his back. The tips could still be seen over his head and beside his legs and looked to be made of something that resembled leather. They were the same dark blue as his skin. “I’m Broc.”

Fallon eyed the wings. “What is her message?”

Broc cocked an eyebrow, but refused to answer. After a moment he said, “Quinn is well.”

“How can we believe you?” Lucan asked.

Broc shifted his gaze. “Ah, Lucan MacLeod. The middle brother. I know Quinn is well because I saw him before I came here.”

“What does Deirdre want?” Fallon repeated. “Surely she didn’t send you here for just a message when she knows we can kill you.”

Broc smiled, flashing his long white fangs. “You can try to kill me. Many have. None have succeeded.”

“I’ll succeed,” Galen said and started for him.

Fallon jumped in front of Galen and shoved him back. Fallon ignored Galen’s roar of anger as the green Warrior flexed his claws. “Leave it for now,” Fallon whispered.

Once Galen had fallen back, Fallon turned to Broc. “Is there more to the message?”

“Aye,” Broc said. “She knows you will come for Quinn. It was why she captured him. She wants you to know that it is her wish to have all three MacLeods under her control once more.”

“Never,” Lucan ground out between clenched teeth.

Fallon fisted his hands as rage surged through him. He could feel the tingle of his skin and knew he was transforming, but didn’t care. “We
will
come for Quinn. We
will
free him. And we
will
kill Deirdre in the process.”

Broc shrugged. “It’s been a long time since you were in her mountain. Do you forget the control she has over the stones? There is no way you can come into that mountain and free your brother.”

“What about a trade?” Larena asked.

When Broc’s gaze slid to her, Fallon bared his fangs and growled. Broc’s knowing grin sent Fallon’s rage soaring. The need to kill him and defend Larena made Fallon take a step toward Broc.

“I’m glad to see you have healed,” Broc said.

Larena put her hand on Fallon’s arm to halt him. “No thanks to your friend.”

Fallon didn’t want her talking to Broc. He didn’t want her anywhere near the Warrior, but Fallon wasn’t fool enough to tell her to leave. Larena was a Warrior, and Fallon needed to remember she had powers and could take care of herself.

Still, his protective instincts couldn’t be contained.

“Larena,” he growled in warning. There was only so much more he was going to listen to before he attacked Broc.

She glanced at him, her smoky-blue eyes silently beseeching him to trust her.

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her he would trust her once she began trusting him. But he kept silent.

Broc grunted at her words, drawing Fallon’s attention back to him. “James is no friend of mine. Deirdre was quite upset at what he did to you. If she didn’t need her Warriors so desperately, I do believe she would have killed him.”

Larena was thankful that Fallon had allowed her to speak to Broc. She could tell by Fallon’s tense body and the way his skin changed from normal to black every heartbeat or so that he battled his urge to release his god and attack.

Before she could ask Broc more, the winged Warrior turned his attention back to Fallon. “Attacks will begin soon.”

Fallon glared at Broc. “How do I know you speak the truth?”

“You don’t, but you’ll find out soon enough. Wyrran are on their way. Deirdre intends to keep you occupied here instead of forming a plan to free your brother.”

Larena’s stomach clenched in dread, and she looked between Lucan and Fallon. Lucan had already transformed, as had the others, and they stood waiting for Fallon to give the order to attack.

Fallon snorted and shook his head. “If that is Deirdre’s plan then she needs time with Quinn.”

“You’ve the right of it. She has plans for your brother,” Broc said.

“Just whose side are you on?”

Broc smiled. “That is a question, isn’t it?”

Then Broc’s grin faded as he lifted his face to sniff the wind. In a blink, he leaped into the air, his wings spread wide. He flipped over backward and landed on the roof of a cottage, his fangs bared.

Larena saw the dagger sail through the air toward the spot Broc had just been. She ducked and felt arms come around her and jerk her against a hard body before being pulled to the ground.

Fallon
.

When she raised her head it was to find a man with long black hair, his skin, fangs, and eyes the color of darkest brown.

“Shite,” Fallon bellowed as he gained his feet. “Who the hell are you?” he demanded of the new arrival.

The newcomer turned his gaze from Broc to Fallon. “I’m Camdyn MacKenna.”

Larena regained her feet, her blood pounding in her ears. She was startled to find her claws had extended without her knowing it. Her emotions were in a whirlwind, and if she didn’t get control soon, she would be no help to the others when the wyrran attacked.

Unlike Fallon, Larena believed Broc. Why the winged Warrior would give them that information she didn’t know, and didn’t care. It gave them an advantage. And they needed every advantage they could get.

Broc didn’t move from the rooftop. His gaze was narrowed on Camdyn, his growl of rage reverberating around them. Fallon and the others had their attention on Camdyn as well. It was the perfect time to ask Broc some questions she wanted answered.

Larena backed away from the men. Once she was clear, she ran and jumped onto the roof. Broc whirled around to face her, his fangs bared.

“What do you want?” he demanded.

“I want to know why you didn’t attack me in Edinburgh.”

He shrugged. “Why does it matter?”

“There were two of you. You could have easily overpowered me.”

“My duties were to deliver James to the castle so he could subdue you. After that, I was to take you to Deirdre. My orders didn’t include attacking you.”

Larena studied Broc. His navy skin was so dark it appeared almost black. There was something in the way the Warrior spoke that made her realize he thought out each word carefully before he replied to anything.

“Did you know James had the blood on his claws before you arrived in Edinburgh?”

Broc’s navy gaze sparked with anger. “Nay. Though it doesna surprise me. James thought the idea of a female Warrior ludicrous. He believed you would be weak and unable to fight. When you bested him, he couldn’t stand it.”

It was the reaction Larena always expected from Warriors. “And the
drough
blood? How did you know its reaction to us?”

“You’ve never been in Deirdre’s prison or you wouldna be asking me that. Deirdre has ways of torturing that you’ve never dreamed of. She can stretch out pain for months and years until you’re begging for death.”

Larena swallowed at the cold loathing in his voice. She, like Fallon, wondered just whose side Broc was on. It was obvious he hated Deirdre, but why then didn’t he escape from her as the others had? “And once James had
subdued
me? Why didn’t you take me to Deirdre?”

Broc sighed loudly. He kept his attention on the men below him, but he glanced at her often. “I knew from the way your wound bled and the pain you were in that you needed help immediately. I can fly fast, but not fast enough to get you to Deirdre before you died.”

“And you knew Fallon could?”

“Aye.”

He said no more, and Larena had to bite back her groan of anger. She opened her mouth to ask another question when the first wyrran came out of nowhere to land beside her on the roof.

Larena didn’t hesitate to transform. She was used to fighting naked while she was invisible, but there wasn’t time for that. And her skirts hampered her.

Fallon shouted her name, but she couldn’t answer him as a second wyrran joined the first. Larena jumped back to dodge claws as the second bit her leg.

Larena let out a shriek of fury and sank her claws into the chest of the wyrran that had bitten her and ripped out its heart. The first wyrran gave an ear-piercing scream, but before she could kill it, Broc ripped its head off.

“Stay vigilant,” he urged before he flew away.

Larena wasn’t able to watch him as more wyrran poured into the village. She took a step to jump from the roof and heard the distinctive sound of wood cracking. In the next heartbeat, she was falling through the roof to land with a thud on the ground.

Her head jerked up as the door was kicked in and Fallon came into view. Dust swirled around his black skin, making his fangs gleam.

“Are you all right?” he asked as he helped her to her feet.

She nodded. “Just dazed. I can fight the wyrran.”

He hesitated and she saw he was warring with himself to let her stay and fight or to order her to leave. There was no way she was going to run off, not when she could help. And they didn’t have time for an argument.

When Fallon took her hand and turned toward the door, Larena gave a sigh of relief. She knew it was ingrained in Fallon to protect women, but she wasn’t just any woman. She was a Warrior. And she would prove it to him.

Larena spotted the wyrran coming for Fallon before he did. She pivoted and leaped in front of the yellow-skinned creature. All around her the sounds of battle filled the air. The screams of frustration and pain from the wyrran, and the bellows and roars of anger from the Warriors. It was so deafening she couldn’t hear herself think.

Her claws sank into the wyrran’s neck, the sickening sound of flesh giving way and blood splattering on her hands and arms reminding her how easily life could be taken away.

Larena didn’t stop to ponder it though. She extracted her claws from the dead wyrran and turned to look for another. Her eyes scanned the village to find Galen and Logan with the last two wyrran. The Warriors made quick work of the evil yellow beings.

“Where are the rest of you?” Logan asked before he threw back his head and let out a loud roar, blood coating his silver skin.

Galen and Lucan were grinning at each other like young lads who had just felled their first deer. Camdyn stood off by himself and already had reverted to his human form, but even he had a gleam of satisfaction in his dark eyes.

Only Fallon stared down at the dead wyrran in silence. His black skin, claws, and fangs melted away as if they had never been. Larena walked toward him and pushed her goddess back down. He raised his head as she approached, and one side of his mouth lifted in a smile.

She loved that lopsided grin. “What is it?”

Fallon shrugged. “I canna help thinking over Broc’s words. I hesitated to believe him about the wyrran. Why would he tell us, do you think?”

“I’m not sure. When I was on the roof with him, he killed a wyrran that was about to attack me.”

“Interesting,” Fallon murmured. “It would be nice to have a spy in Deirdre’s mountain, but I know nothing of Broc.”

“And you cannot chance trusting him.”

Fallon nodded. “The attack is making me reevaluate everything he told me however. I think we need to heed his words, or at least be prepared for any event.”

Larena cupped his jaw and smiled. They stared into each other’s eyes, lost in the moment. It was shattered by the arrival of Ramsey and Hayden.

“What in the name of all that’s holy happened?” Hayden demanded.

Logan clapped him on the back and smiled. “Wyrran attacked. After we had a visit from one of Deirdre’s Warriors named Broc. Then, Camdyn arrived and tried to kill Broc. It was very interesting.”

Larena chuckled when Hayden sent a murderous glare to Logan.

Hayden cursed long and loud. “I missed an opportunity to kill wyrran?”

“Doona worry,” Fallon said. “I have a feeling you’ll get your chance again soon enough.”

The teasing ended when Galen walked to Camdyn and held out his arm. The men clasped forearms and exchanged a few whispered words.

Galen turned to them, his lips peeled back in a wide smile. “I’d like to introduce Camdyn MacKenna.”

Larena remained by Fallon’s side as Galen named each of them off to the newest Warrior. Camdyn was tall and thick shouldered. He didn’t bother to wear a saffron shirt beneath his kilt, and despite being a Warrior, he had several daggers attached to his waist and one in the top of each boot. She guessed a few others were hidden as well.

When Camdyn turned his dark gaze to her, she smiled in greeting.

“Camdyn,” Fallon said. “Larena told us of the message you gave her.”

Camdyn nodded. “Aye.”

“That was some time ago. Where have you been?”

“Around,” was all Camdyn said. He turned to Larena. “It is good to see you again.”

“You as well,” she said.

Fallon scratched his jaw. It was obvious by the way Galen had greeted Camdyn that they were friends. Galen trusted him, and Fallon would as well. But first, he wanted some answers.

“Around? Around where?”

Camdyn shrugged a meaty shoulder. “I wanted to make sure what Galen said about you MacLeods was true.”

“You spied on us,” Lucan said.

“I did,” Camdyn admitted. “Galen wouldn’t have left the forest unless he had found the MacLeods, but Deirdre’s treachery knows no bounds. I needed to be sure it was really you,” he said to Fallon.

“And are you?” Fallon asked.

Camdyn gave a curt nod. “I am. I intended to make myself known today, but then I sensed a presence. I stayed hidden to see what it was.”

“Broc,” Galen said.

“Aye. The winged Warrior,” Camdyn agreed.

Ramsey stepped forward then, his gaze scanning the skies. “Where is Broc?”

“I don’t know,” Fallon said. It might have been the way Ramsey looked to the sky, or the way he asked about Broc, but Fallon had an idea that Ramsey knew the Warrior.

“Let’s get back to the castle,” Lucan said. “If I don’t return soon to let Cara know I’m all right she’ll have my head.”

Fallon nodded and everyone started back to the castle but him. Larena hesitated, but he waved her on. He wanted to be alone when he spoke with Ramsey.

“Ramsey,” he called. “May I have a word?”

The Warrior stopped and slowly turned to face him. “I suppose you want to know about Broc?”