Anita Clenney - Embrace the Highland Warrior

Her eyes still flashed fire, but her breath was steadier, and she kept glancing at his mouth. He thought that was a good thing. He wondered if she’d calmed enough not to hit him, because he should move. She had to notice the effect all the wiggling around was having on him. He felt her hips push against his, and he groaned. He relaxed his grip and lowered his head, letting his lips touch her chin. He kissed his way to her mouth, and she head-butted him in the nose.

While the stars exploded in his head, she shoved him aside and bolted out the door. He jumped up and went after her as she pounded down the stairs. He caught up with her outside. She was swinging her purse like a whip, headed for the car.

“Where are you going?” he demanded.

“Get away from me.”

“You can’t leave.”

“Watch me.” She opened the door. “I’m tired of people hiding things from me. I thought you were going to stop. Now you’re handcuffing me to the bed.”

“I explained it to you.”

“Don’t touch me,” she said, jerking away when he grabbed her arm.

“You’re not leaving.”

Shay straightened her shoulders. “You can’t stop me.”

He grabbed her, tossed her over his shoulder, kicked the car door shut, and stomped up the steps.

“Put me down!” Shay kicked and twisted, cursing at him. He dumped her on her feet inside the door.

She blew her hair out of her face, and as soon as she could see, she threw a punch at his chin. He deflected it and grabbed her arm. “Stop hitting me.”

“How dare you throw me over your shoulder like some kind of caveman,” she spat, trying to wrench her arm free. It didn’t work, so she used her knee.

“Ah, not there.” Cody trapped her knee. “I made the mistake of letting you leave here nine years ago without listening to me. By God, I won’t do it again. You’ll listen if I have to sit on you,” he growled.

She drew back her other arm, and before she could throw the punch, he had her on the floor and was sitting astride her, pinning her wrists to the floor. She bucked and twisted, but he held her down. “We can do this all night if you want, but you’re going to listen to me this time.”

“Listen to more lies? You’re still hiding things from me. Like the fact that you have Nina’s entire house under surveillance. Like the fact that you’ve got a Bat Cave in your basement. Like the fact that you were in Scotland when the stalking started.”

“You think I’m your stalker?” he yelled. “Me! I’m trying to keep you alive. We’re all trying to keep you alive. That’s what the clan’s been doing your whole damned life, trying to keep you alive! And just like always, you’re making it hard as hell. Your father wasn’t a bloody spy, and that thing in your living room wasn’t a man. Damn!”

Chapter 4

Shay sagged against the floor. “What do you mean, my father wasn’t a spy? And that man… if he wasn’t a man, what was he?”

Cody cursed. He sat up, letting go of her wrists, still astride her. “He was a demon.”

“A demon?” A cackle escaped her lips. “Is this a joke? Another lie?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

He looked angry. “Like a hell-and-brimstone demon?”

“Aye, but they spend a lot of time here.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Why do you think we had to keep your identity hidden?”

“Because my father was with the CIA or some top-secret organization, and I was in danger. That’s what you said.”

“No. That’s what you thought I said. I just didn’t tell you any different, but you got the top-secret organization part right. Your father was a warrior.”

“What kind of warrior?”

“The kind that fights demons. The kind of warrior who keeps humans alive.” Cody blew out a breath and stood. He ran his hands through his hair. “Why do I let you do this to me? This is going to blow up in my face, just like last time.”

Shay stood and faced him. “This is insane. You’ve already lied to me once. How do I know—”

“I didn’t lie. I just withheld information that wasn’t my place to give. After you walked away, I couldn’t tell you the whole story. The clan wouldn’t allow it.”

“Who is this… clan that’s making decisions for me?”

“Your mother and father’s clan. Your clan. When you were a baby, someone killed your mother and left you for dead. That’s how you got the scar on your shoulder.”

“Nina said the scar was from a bicycle wreck.”

“She had to tell you something. It was a car wreck, but it wasn’t an accident. You were meant to die, but an old man pulled you from the burning vehicle.”

Speechless, Shay shook her head. “They didn’t catch the killer?”

“No. He was probably a demon.”

“I’m sorry… this is just insane. Assuming you’re correct—”

“I am.”

“Assuming you are, then why did this demon want me dead?”

“The clan didn’t know if you were the target or if it was revenge, but you were marked, so they had to hide you. That’s why the house is monitored. That’s why we’re here. To keep you safe.”

“I’m marked?”

“Your scar is probably a demon’s mark.”

Shay touched the pale, jagged line beside her collarbone. “Does Nina know about this?”

“She does. Matilda doesn’t.”

“Why would a demon target a baby?”

She’d known Cody long enough to recognize the fear that slipped past his eyes before he put on his blank face. “Probably revenge.”

“My mother died?”

“Aye, and your father died not long after. The clan hid you, buried the empty casket, and gave you a new name, a new family. They had to make it look like you’d really died.”

The empty grave had been to hide her from a demon, not a mobster or a terrorist?

“Is Nina really my aunt?”

Cody lowered his gaze. “No. She’s mine. My mother’s half sister. My father was friends with Nina’s husband, who died just before my father was sent from Scotland to watch over you. Nina was grieving. She needed someone. You needed someone. So they gave her you.”

“Ewan was a warrior?”

Cody nodded. “The whole family came here, with the understanding that when my brothers and I grew up, it would be our mission too.”

She’d known Ewan was involved, which was part of the reason she left. She didn’t want to be anyone’s job. She hadn’t known Cody, her best friend, the boy she’d trusted with her heart and soul, had protected her because it was his job ?

“The clan planned to tell you the truth after you graduated from high school, but you left before they met to see who would break the news. It probably would’ve been my father.”

“And they let me walk away, with a demon after me?”

“The demon your father had been hunting when all this happened had disappeared. Just before you left, the Watchers found out he was dead, so they thought you were safe.”

“Watchers? Demons? This sounds like something out of a movie,” Shay said, rubbing her throbbing temples. “They should have told me.”

“They couldn’t. You wanted nothing to do with us, and there was too much at stake. Outsiders can’t know about the clan. They had no choice but to let you go. Besides, you’d just turned eighteen. Nina couldn’t force you to come back here.”

“Did the clan know why I left?” she asked, braving a quick look at his face.

He rubbed the tattoo on his neck. “Not all of it.”

“You and your brothers are warriors too?”

“I’m retired. We’re active from age eighteen to twenty-eight. Marcas chose to stay active. Lachlan has another year and a half.”

What about the hayloft? Where did that fit into his mission? “You were never in Special Forces?”