Linnea came over to the island and eyed Cara for a long minute.
Cara raised her brows. "What?"
"I've heard things," Linnea whispered.
"Like?"
Linnea looked around conspiratorially before she hissed, "The locals say the owner of this castle is part god."
Cara made a noncommittal noise. Asshole, dictatorial ruler and arrogant, lusty bastard, yes. God? Meh.
"I had to do jump through some weird hoops to get this job," Linnea continued, drawing Cara out of her reverie.
"Like what?" Cara asked.
"My interview was actually with the innkeeper in town, Gael. During the interview, she asked about my dreams and my family before she asked me to meet her in a meadow near here during the full moon. She told me to find her a silver flower." Linnea rolled her eyes. "All the flowers are silver during the full moon!"
"Did you find it?"
Linnea nodded. "I picked a hell of a lot of flowers, but right before the sun rose, I found one."
"And you got this job because you found a silver flower?" Cara concluded dubiously.
"Yup."
"That is weird," Cara said and laid her head on the ice pack in her hand.
Linnea prodded her. "So?"
"So what?"
"What the hell is going on here?"
"Hell if I know," Cara groused.
"But you arrived with him in a slashed wetsuit."
Cara grunted.
"My Granddad acted like I won the lottery when I got the job here."
"What do you do, exactly?"
"I'm the cook/housekeeper."
Cara raised her pounding head. "You mean, you clean this place by yourself?"
Linnea beamed. "Isn't it pretty?"
"How do you find time for everything?"
"I'm a busybody," Linnea said with a shrug.
"No kidding."
"Why'd you head-butt him?"
Cara grimaced. "I want to leave and he's being difficult."
Linnea's mouth twitched. "He scares the crap out of me, but damn, he has that animalistic thing going on. It's hot."
"You can have him," Cara growled.
Linnea surveyed her uncertainly. She was about to say something else when someone rapped on the back door. Linnea opened the door and five women filtered in. Cara's senses stirred and she eyed the women carefully. They were dressed casually in jeans, but there was magic in them. The oldest woman in the group noticed Cara immediately. She stilled and piercing green eyes swept over Cara and lingered on the growing lump on her forehead.
"Introduce us, Linnea," she said.
Linnea looked uneasily at the woman and then at Cara. "This is Gael. Gael, this is Cara."
Behind Gael's back, Linnea mouthed, 'It's her.' From Linnea's strange tale, Cara already suspected that the innkeeper that
interviewed
Linnea was a witch. Now, as Cara surveyed Gael, there was no doubt in her mind. The only question was, what kind of witches were they? It was clear from Linnea's startled face that these women never visited. Wasn't it convenient that they showed up today?
"Who are you?" Gael asked sharply.
Cara juggled the ice pack in her hand. "Nobody."
Gael sniffed the air like a hound and Cara knew it wasn't the stew she smelled. The other women copied her and their eyes went flat.
"You should leave, Linnea," Gael said, eyes never leaving Cara.
Linnea looked between Cara and the group of women.
"This is my kitchen," Linnea said firmly. "And Cara came with the Master."
Gael's hand moved to her pocket. "Did she?"
Cara reacted first. She threw the ice pack with all her might. It caught Gael in the face with such force that she stumbled back into two other witches and took them down with her. The two remaining witches rushed her and Cara grabbed the closet thing at hand, a ceramic teapot. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she whirled and crashed it against the witch's head. Another witch cast a ball of lightning at Cara. It hit her square in the chest. She went rigid for a moment before she countered the spell and absorbed the electricity with a not-so-dainty burp.
Gael and the other witches stared. Linnea stood in the background, looking from the witches to Cara with bulging eyes. She had a wooden spoon in one hand and a pan lid in the other, ready to do battle.
"What are you?" Gael demanded.
"She's mine."
They all jumped when Aodhan swept into the kitchen. His power filled the small space and the witches all bowed. Aodhan's eyes flashed as he looked Cara over. He stood in front of her and blocked everyone's view as he bit his thumb and forced it into her mouth.
We'll talk later
, he said telepathically.
Not if I can help it, she thought and swallowed. The pounding in her head disappeared and Aodhan turned back to their audience. Cara stood beside him and faced the witches, ready for anything. Gael's eyes flicked between her and Aodhan.
"Sire, she's your companion?" Gael asked quietly.
"She's under my protection. Anyone who tries to harm her will die."
The witches gulped and shuffled backwards.
"But, isn't she...?" Gael tried again.
Aodhan slashed a hand through the air. "What Cara is doesn't concern you. Are you still loyal to me?"
Gael nodded fervently. "Yes, my lord."
"Let's go to my office."
Aodhan swept out with the witches following in his wake. When it was just Cara and Linnea left in the kitchen, the cook stared at her.
"What's going on?" Linnea breathed.
Cara made a circular motion around her ear. "They're all crazy. I think I need a breather. We'll talk later."
Cara escaped out the back door before Linnea could grill her for more information. She wasn't sure how much she should tell Linnea. Was it better to be ignorant of the world she lived in, which was filled with demons, witches and overwhelming odds? In her experience, those that didn't grow up around magic couldn't handle hearing that it really existed. Normally, she slunk beneath the radar, but thanks to Aodhan, she was being discovered by covens and getting into all sorts of trouble. Would Gael find an opportunity to tell Aodhan what she was?
She took a deep, bracing breath and looked out at the Irish countryside. She could walk to the nearest town and then what? She didn't have the money to leave Ireland and she would probably bump into more witches or demons. She wasn't sure which was the lesser evil. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the castle. She was stranded in the middle of God knows where with a dragon, a cook and a coven of witches that at any moment would rat her out for what she really was. She wasn't sure what the next step was. She definitely had to get out of here. Why hadn't she taken a couple of coins from Aodhan's horde to pawn in the village? Did they even have a pawnshop? Someone could accuse her of stealing and that would be the end of that. The only way out of here was with Aodhan's help and he wasn't feeling very gracious right now, the bastard. He thought if he let her go that she would be captured and killed by Luc. He wasn't wrong, but he didn't realize her life was doomed anyway. She couldn't afford to befriend an Ancient. Gael was a great witch. She sensed immediately that something wasn't quite right with Cara and would have spilled the beans if Aodhan didn't interrupt. It was only a matter of time before Aodhan figured it out and then her life would be forfeit.
She sensed the demon's presence before she saw it. She moved away from the wall and turned her head to the left a moment before a small figure peeked around the corner. She stared.
"Vanity?" It was the same demon that gave her the compass to find Aodhan. "What are you doing here?"
One elegant brow arched over oversized sunglasses. The demon was still using the same actress for her puppet.
"Angelina is filming a movie here," the demon said loftily.
"Then, why are you in the middle of nowhere, talking to me?" Cara asked.
"Because you reversed the curse on the Ancient. Everyone's talking about it. I had to see for myself."
Cara eyed the demon. "If the Ancient senses you, he'll kill you. We both need to get away from here."
The demon was silent for a long minute. Cara began to hope that she'd be able to bargain with Vanity for another deal, but the demon shook her head.
"Luc's going to kill you. You're safer with the Ancient," Vanity decreed.
Cara's mouth sagged. "You know the Ancient will kill me once he learns what I am."
"But he owes you," Vanity said with a careless shrug.
Cara grit her teeth and suppressed the urge to choke Vanity. "Gratitude only goes so far. I need to get away."
"Luc will capture you the moment you leave the Ancient's side."
Cara considered her. "Why are you helping me?"
The demon fidgeted with the scarf covering her hair. "Just in case."
"Just in case what?" Cara snapped and took a step forward.
Vanity held up a hand to shield her face. "I just want to cover my bases. Now that you've managed to free one of the Ancients, Luc has competition."
Cara blinked. This was the strangest demon she'd ever met. Most demons were twisted spirits with no humanity left inside of them. They were savage, sadistic beasts that fed off human suffering. This demon wasn't overly aggressive. Greedy, crafty? Yes.
Overwhelming need to cause pain? No.
"It almost seems like you want Luc to lose," Cara said without comprehension.
"Luc has his agenda to take over the world," Vanity said with a sneer. "Not all of us want our puppets miserable. Angelina and I understand each other. After all, how can we look fabulous if she's forced to murder at Luc's bequest before a photo shoot? I'm too inconsequential for Luc to pay attention to, thank Christ, but eventually, there will be no humans."
"But if the Ancients take over, you'll still be sent back to hell," she pointed out.
Vanity pursed glossed lips. "Not necessarily."
Cara tapped her foot and waited.
Vanity looked around and whispered, "Master Demons are ten times more powerful than the average demon and we can't disobey them."
"Okay," she said slowly, wondering where Vanity was going with this.
"If there's no Master Demon I still have a chance at existing on earth. I'm not causing any harm. My puppet and I understand one another and the Ancients have way bigger fish to fry than me. I'm peaceful unless some bitch tries to take our spot for a perfume ad."
Cara grunted. "It always comes back to you, doesn't it?"
"Of course," Vanity sniffed.
"So, you came here to convince me to stay with the Ancient so he can kill Luc and you can continue possessing your puppet who is just as vain as you?" When Vanity clapped her hands excitedly, Cara rolled her eyes. "I'm guessing Luc doesn't know you helped me find the Ancient in the first place."
Vanity paled and looked around. "Of course not! You won't tell him, will you?"
"Not planning on it," Cara said dryly.
"If the Ancient kills Luc, can you put in a good word for me?" Vanity asked tentatively.
"You're still possessing someone," Cara said impatiently.
"You should know, Cara, not all demons are the same."
The back door opened and Linnea came out. She jabbed a finger at Cara with a determined look on her face and then caught sight of Vanity. Her mouth dropped open.
"Oh my God! It's Angelina Brockman," Linnea whispered reverently.
Vanity gave Linnea a fake smile and nodded to Cara.
"Remember me," Vanity said before she turned and walked around the castle.
"What the hell is going on here?" Linnea asked in a screechy voice that grated on Cara's ears.
"Hell if I know," Cara said and walked back into the kitchen. So, there was absolutely
no one
who would help her get away from Aodhan. Fantastic. She wouldn't put it past Vanity to give her trouble if she tried to leave.
"Cara!" Linnea shot in front of her and blocked her exit out of the kitchen. "What the hell is going on?"
"You don't want to know, Linnea," Cara said wearily.
"Yes, I do!"
She looked so frustrated and pissed that Cara nearly gave in, but something held her back.
"I can't say anything without Aodhan's consent."
It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth either. She didn't want to see fear in Linnea's eyes. Linnea blew out a breath and didn't look happy, but she subsided.
"I'm gonna take a nap," Cara said and felt Linnea's eyes on her as she left the kitchen.
Chapter Thirteen
Cara sat on a familiar beach. There was a blanket of stars overhead and the wind that came in off the ocean chilled her. Cara wrapped her arms around her legs and shivered as a figure appeared out of the shadows.
"What have you done?"
She'd never heard Luc sound like this before. His voice was flat and she braced herself for punishment.
"You've ruined my plans for the last time. You will beg for mercy by the time I'm finished with you."
The lash of a whip knocked her to the side. One side of her face pressed into the sand. Luc hit every sensitive hollow on her body. She landed on all fours and huddled as the whip tore through flesh and bone. Invisible knives stabbed the back of her knees, beneath her fingernails and between her toes and ribs. Luc's taunting laughter was absent. His rage was ice cold and it terrified her. Tears blinded her as he disciplined her, hitting the most tender spots again and again until she screamed herself hoarse. When the lashing stopped, she crumpled onto the cold sand. A wave touched one side of her quivering body, rubbing salt into her wounds. She tried to scoot away, but she didn't have the strength.