Anita Clenney - Embrace the Highland Warrior

“You never found the body?” Cody asked, slipping his hand over Shay’s. He felt her pulse throbbing softly under his finger. It must be his imagination, but he thought it sped up.

“No. We looked, Declan and I, and a lot of others, but there was no trace of him. At first I didn’t notice the marks on my neck. They were small. When they started burning, I thought they must be scratches from a demon.”

“Damn it! Why didn’t you tell me at Druan’s castle?” Declan asked, face tight with anger.

“I wanted more information first. I think that blond is important. He can give us answers.”

“Why would being bitten by a vampire make you better suited for Shay’s transfusion?” Cody asked. “Isn’t getting bitten a bad thing?”

“I think if you don’t die, you develop immunities to their poison,” Ronan said. “I don’t understand it, but there’s more to it than just draining a victim’s blood. I think I got stronger afterward. My eyesight and my hearing seem sharper.”

“You’re my bloody twin, and you’re just now telling me?” Declan slammed his fist against the wall and stalked out, passing Jamie on the way in. He wasn’t moving fast, but he looked a lot better than he had before.

“What’s wrong with Shay?”

“Jamie Waters, what are you doing out of bed?” Coira hurried over to him and checked his bandage.

“Sorry, Coira, I remembered something I needed to tell Cody.” Jamie walked to Shay’s bed. “Is she okay?” When he saw Cody holding Shay’s hand, his jaw tightened, and he looked away.

“She had what we thought was a scratch on her arm,” Cody said, pulling his hand from Shay’s. He didn’t want to make things harder on Jamie than it already was. “Bree said a vampire marked her. Ronan gave her some blood.”

“A vampire? She’s marked by a demon and a vampire? Is she okay?” Jamie asked, worry shadowing his eyes.

Coira nodded. “Much better.”

“What did you want to tell me?” Cody asked.

“I remember where I heard the name Anson Masters. He was Renee’s client.”

“Are you sure?” Cody asked. “The police didn’t mention it.”

“Yeah. I called Renee a few days ago, to see how Shay was doing. She sounded uneasy. I asked if she was okay. She said she had to deliver a chair to a client, Anson Masters. She didn’t say anything else. I figured she was just in a rush.”

“What do you want to bet he’s the client she didn’t like? Shay thought Renee said something about ‘faster,’ but she could have been trying to warn Shay about Masters.”

“I think so. I checked the invoice for the table. It was in my wallet. His name was scribbled on the corner. I think she was trying to give us a clue,” Jamie said. “She probably sent the table to me because she knew I had a top-secret job. She thought I was military. She probably figured the table would be safe with me.” Jamie gave a humorless laugh.

“She didn’t know you’d be guarding it from vampires,” Ronan said.

Sam stepped into the room. “Did someone say vampires—” She broke off, staring at Jamie. Her eyes flared and she looked away, her cheeks growing pink.

“Uh, we were just talking nonsense,” Cody said. “Sam, Jamie Waters. Jamie, Samantha Skye. You met the others already.”

“You’re Sam?” Jamie asked, eyebrows cocked. He and Sam nodded in greeting but didn’t attempt to shake hands.

“Jamie says Ellis’s boss, Anson Masters, was a client of Renee’s,” Cody said, watching Sam’s blush fade. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her blush.

“Now that’s interesting,” Sam said, pulling her gaze from Jamie. “He left out that little detail. I haven’t been able to find him and wondered if you had anyone you could spare. This guy’s harder to track down than Osama bin Laden.”

He could be Osama bin Laden, for all they knew. Cody was pretty sure Osama was a demon. Some of the wickedest rulers in human history were either demons or minions. “Jamie, think you’re up to helping Sam?” He looked much stronger than he had before.

Coira planted her hands on her hips. “Cody MacBain, what kind of foolishness are you putting in this boy’s head? He needs to rest a couple more days.”

Jamie patted Coira’s shoulder. “I’ll be fine, Coira. You know I’m a fast healer.”

“I know you’re hardheaded; that’s what I know.”

He glanced from Shay to the mark on Cody’s neck. “You’ll take care of her?” he asked Cody, and something passed between them, like a final changing of the guards.

“I will,” Cody said. “You have my word.”

Jamie nodded.

“I’ll take it easy on Jamie,” Sam told Coira, and this time Jamie blushed.

“I’m holding you and Cody responsible for him,” Coira said.

He gave one final look over his shoulder at Shay, his expression torn. “Lead the way,” he said, following Sam.

“When we’re in the car,” Sam said, “you can explain why you were really talking about vampires. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out Cody’s a creature of the night.” After they left, Shay coughed. Coira and Cody rushed to her side. She struggled to rise.

“Relax now,” Coira said.

Cody grabbed Shay’s hand. “How do you feel?”

“Betrayed.”

“What have I done now?” Cody asked.

“You lied to me,” Shay said, after the others fled the room.

“How did I lie?”

“I’m a warrior? Ronan had to tell me.”

Damn.

“You said you’d stop.”

“We weren’t sure you were a warrior.”

“But I might be?”

“It’s possible.” He sighed. “I think you probably are. The Watchers thought so at one time, and they’re usually right. I wasn’t hiding it from you; there’s just been so much going on.”

“So I’ve found out I’m a warrior a year before I have to retire?” She sat down on the bed.

“You can always choose to remain active. That’s what Anna plans to do. So does Ronan.” That distressing thought had him so troubled he almost missed what she said next.

“What you said about the demons using the book to kill warriors when they’re born, do you think that’s what happened to me? I was left for dead as a baby, and someone is obviously worried enough about whether I’m alive to dig up my fake grave. And Bree thinks it’s an ancient demon.”

Cody sat down next to her. “God forbid. It’s possible that Malek believed your father had the book and left it to you. It’s all speculation. We don’t know anything for sure except that someone is after you, and someone stole our Book of Battles .” He reached for her hand. “Are you mad at me again?”

“A little.”

“I should have told you. I would have, but there’s been so much happening. And subconsciously, I probably didn’t want to put another burden on you. I love you. I want you safe.”

“I know. I kept secrets too, but we have to stop,” she said, leaning her head on shoulder.

“Shay, I have some bad news. There’s no good way to say it. Lucy is dead.”

Shay’s mouth tightened, and her eyes teared up. “The bones?”

“Aye. I’m sorry.”

“How?”

“She didn’t die in the fire. She was already dead.”

“Was it Ellis?”

“The police suspect him, but they may need to ask you some more questions.”

“Everyone around me is dying. If we don’t stop this thing, everyone I care about will be gone.” She gripped his hand and linked their fingers.

“I’ll fix it,” he said. “I promise.”

***

“Coira wants to know how Jamie’s doing,” Cody said into the phone. Sam and Jamie had been gone only for a few hours, but Coira was like a mother hen with the warriors.