Embrace the Highland Warrior (10 page)

“Shay!” Cody rushed to the driver’s side, skidding to a halt as the ground dropped away. He ran around to the other side, where Faelan was trying to wake Bree. Blood trickled from Bree’s head, and three tiny drops were on the back of her neck, peeking out from under her hair. Or was it a mark? There was something odd about it.

Cody edged around them and peered in the open passenger door. A flip-flop lay on the floor and another on the seat, but Shay wasn’t there. His heart thudded. Had she been thrown out? The pine creaked and the truck shifted. God, don’t let her be under there. Cody knelt to check, but the space beneath the truck was covered with rocks and trees that could hide a body.

Jamie rushed up, carrying a wench line. “Attach this to the frame. If that tree snaps, the truck’s gone.”

“Shay’s not in the truck,” Cody said.

“Then where…” Jamie paled. Both men looked down the mountainside, covered in trees and jagged rocks that could shatter bones and tear flesh. Even if she was alive, if she was in the path of the truck, it would crush her.

“Hurry.” Cody put the hook in place while Jamie rushed back to his Chevy and tightened the line, steadying the truck. “I’ll check down there,” Cody said. “You check the top.”

“Shay!” Cody yelled, scrambling down the hill, holding onto trees. He wedged his feet against outcroppings of rocks to keep from falling.

“She’s here!” Jamie called a minute later.

Blood rushed past Cody’s ears like a cracked dam. She was upset when she left. She must have forgotten to fasten the seat belt and been thrown. He pulled himself back up, one tree at a time. Faelan still held Bree, but she was conscious, struggling to get up.

“Where’s Shay?” she asked.

“Here,” Jamie called. He was bent down close to the road. A pair of bare feet stuck out from behind a rock.

Cody ran, every muscle and bone in his body screaming with fear. He couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t. Shay’s eyes were closed. Cody dropped beside her. “Is she—?”

Shay’s eyes fluttered, and she touched her stomach. “Baby.”

He was so glad she was alive that it took a minute for the words to sink in. Baby? Cody stared at her stomach as his turned. Was Shay pregnant?

Chapter 6

Duncan Connor tapped his boot impatiently against the tire as Sorcha dug through one of her bags, giving him an unwanted glimpse of too much sleek, toned leg under her black skirt.

“I hope there’s a horde of demons waiting,” she said. “I’ve got all this pent-up energy since the battle with Druan. I need some hard, physical activity before I go insane.”

Kill
me
now.
“Can whatever you’re doing wait? We’ll be there in an hour. What’d you do, bring your whole closet?”

“Stuff it, cousin. I’ve got a lot on my mind. There.” Sorcha pulled out her small dagger, a
sgian dubh
, and tucked it inside her boot, giving Duncan another unwelcome glimpse.

“Sorcha, your turn to baby-sit,” Anna said, opening the front passenger side of the SUV. “You know how I feel about kids.”

Brodie crossed his muscular arms over his chest. “Blimey. A guy tries to have a little fun, and that’s cause to treat him like a kid? What’s wrong, Anna, you got PMS? You’ve been in a foul mood for days.”

Sorcha opened the back door and glared at Brodie. “No practical jokes. If I see a snake anywhere in this vehicle, I’ll tie your legs around your neck and strangle you.”

Duncan grinned. She could do it. He started the engine and pulled away from the rest area.

“So Cody MacBain and the Mighty Faelan, two of the most powerful warriors in clan history, need our help,” Brodie said. “I’m not sure whether to be honored or petrified.”

“If you and Ronan don’t stop calling Faelan that,” Duncan said, “you’re gonna wish you were in a time vault. So what’s Shay’s story, and why is Cody so worked up about her?”

Anna flipped open her notebook. “Her real name is Dana Michelle Rodgers. Her father was a warrior, Edward Rodgers, a warrior from the Connor clan. When Shay was a baby, she was almost killed in a car accident in Scotland. The mother died, but Shay survived. An old man rescued her. The clan thought she had been marked by a demon. They didn’t know if she was the target or if it was just revenge, so they faked her death, changed her identity, and moved her to America in the middle of the night, sending Cody’s father, Ewan MacBain and his whole family to protect her.”

“Ewan MacBain?” Brodie said. “I’ve heard of him.”

“And the woman who raised her?” Sorcha asked.

“Ewan’s wife’s half sister, Nina. Her husband was a friend of Ewan’s.”

“So Shay never knew her father was a warrior?” Sorcha asked.

Anna shook her head. “They decided it was more important to hide her than to reveal her past. They figured if she survived her childhood, they’d tell her. This is where it gets confusing. Just as they were ready to tell her, Shay moved to Lake Placid with her best friend, Renee, and refused to have anything to do with the clan. It’s not common knowledge, but I’ve heard rumors that Cody almost walked away from his duty.”

“I can’t imagine a warrior as powerful as Cody refusing his duty. Must be a story there,” Sorcha said.

Anna closed her notebook. “A few years after college, she went to live in Scotland.”

“They let her go?” Duncan asked.

“The demon her father had been hunting at the time disappeared. Right before Cody was about to tell Shay who she was, they found out the demon was dead. The clan thought she was safe,” Anna said.

“And out of the blue, she’s in danger again,” Brodie said.

“And her friend in Leesburg somehow gets her hands on
our
book and sends it to Shay’s ex-boyfriend. Is anyone else disturbed by this?” Sorcha added.

“I’ve been disturbed for the past month,” Brodie said. “Vampires and demons, and now we’ve got to ask who in his right mind would go up against the Mighty Faelan and Cody MacBain.”

***

Malek
reached
through
the
shattered
window
and
felt
for
the
baby’s pulse. None. A smile crept over his lips. Her face was plump, cherubic, eyes closed as if asleep. The fire hadn’t reached her yet, but it would soon. Perhaps it was the frustration that had been building for the better part of two centuries that caused him to run one long claw down the tiny shoulder, bared by a flowered sundress.

A
large
owl
swooped
down, landing in the crooked branches of a pine, as Malek watched the letter fill with blood. Destroying her would eliminate his enemy before he was even born. He stepped back from the flames so his human skin wouldn’t sear, while the owl watched with round, unblinking eyes. Malek let out a roar of triumph. The job was done. All he needed now was the book.

The ping of shovel on metal brought Malek back to the present.

The halfling in the grave raised his head and grinned, showing long, yellow teeth. “We found it, Master.”

Malek kicked dirt off his shoe and ran his finger over the name etched under the angel’s wing as the men positioned the ropes. Had he been tricked? Had he spent the past twenty-six years deceived by mere humans? If he was right about the contents of the grave, Shay Logan and Cody MacBain must be killed without delay. The night breeze ruffled his hair, irritating him. “Hurry.”

The men stood on each side and slowly raised the tiny casket. Moonlight glinted off the white lid.

“Move!” He shoved them aside, grabbed the shovel, and wedged in under the lid, prying it open. He looked at the satin trim and tiny pillow. No body. His claws extended, bones stretched, and skin thickened. “No,” he roared, as the others ran for cover. “No!”

***

Cody brushed a strand of hair from Shay’s forehead. His neck tingled, like it always did when she was near. He touched her lips, remembering the agony of those few moments he feared she was dead. He couldn’t live without her. He was deceiving himself if he believed otherwise, yet he couldn’t force her to love him.

There was also Jamie to worry about, and what Shay had said after the accident. Maybe he misheard. Jamie hadn’t mentioned it, and Cody hadn’t had the guts to ask. If Jamie had gotten Shay pregnant and abandoned her, Cody would kill him. Or was that why Jamie was here? Had he just found out Shay carried his child? That might give him cause to stalk her.

“She needs rest,” the sullen nurse said, refilling Shay’s pitcher of water.

Shay and Bree had been checked out at the hospital and released, both suffering from concussions. Cody had gotten Marcas to find the closest clan nurse to make sure the women followed orders, but looking at her dour face, he regretted it. The woman had the bedside manner of a goat.

“Ba…” Shay turned her head, her fingers gripping the sheet over her stomach. “Baby.”

Cody’s ham sandwich started climbing up his throat. He tried convincing himself again that she was just saying something that sounded like baby.

The nurse moved closer, staring at Shay. “Is she pregnant?”

“I don’t know.”

She looked at him as if he were a worm. “You don’t know?”

“She’s not married.”

“I thought you were her husband.”

He shook his head.

“Who are you?”

“A friend.”

“Humph,” she said, as if he’d tricked her. “Well, go on, now, and let her rest. You can come back later. You should get some dinner.” She touched her nose. “And take a shower.”

She was right. He could smell his own sweat. He’d spent every spare moment near her, trying to outlast Jamie, who was doing the same. Both of them bounced back and forth between sitting with Shay and standing guard. What would he do if Shay was carrying Jamie’s child? His stomach knotted up just thinking about it. Cody pulled two Rolaids out of the packet he kept in his pocket since Shay was back. His phone rang. It was his FBI contact.

“Someone’s opened the grave.”

Cody walked down the hall to his room. “Shay’s grave?”

“And they opened the casket. The body’s gone. Want to tell me why someone would open a twenty-five-year-old grave?” Sam asked.

To
see
if
a
body
was
inside?
“You’re better off not knowing. When did it happen?”

“Probably dug it up during the past thirty-six hours. Police are blaming vandals.”

Cody kicked off his boots. “We both know it’s not.”

“You might. I don’t know what the heck it is. This stuff’s getting old. I could lose my job.”

“I know. I appreciate all you’ve done for us.” Sam wasn’t even a buffer, one of the humans who knew about the warriors and helped hide their secrets so warriors could fight evil without fear of being arrested by the ones they fought to protect. They had buffers at all levels, local, state, and international. In this day of information and technology, the warriors needed help covering their tracks. Usually an entire generation served as buffers, which helped keep the knowledge contained. Sam was more effective than most of them. Cody should make it official.

“Enough to tell me what it’s about? I’ve covered up stuff I can’t even explain. Like that
drug
bust
in Albany. Those men in that hotel weren’t… normal. I feel like I’m the freakin’
X-Files
.”

“I know. If you want me to, I’ll explain after all this is over, but you might wish I hadn’t.” The clan wouldn’t like it either, but Sam deserved some answers.

“Nothing would shock me concerning you. I’ll try to keep the grave robbing away from the press, but I can’t promise anything. This stuff stirs up public interest, and it’s getting close to Halloween.”

Cody hung up, took a quick shower, and headed back toward Shay’s room before Jamie got back and monopolized her time. All the while, Cody thought about Shay’s fake grave and how close she’d come to having a real one today. He had just replaced the brake pads and rotors on his truck the week before. Had he screwed something up? If this was his fault— His train of thought was interrupted when he ran into Lachlan, Marcas, and Ronan on their way out.

“Heard from the mechanic yet?” Lachlan asked.

“No. He towed the truck. He’s checking it out now.”

The nurse appeared at the top of the stairs, carrying a tray. She glared down at Cody, who had one foot on the bottom step. “Where do you think you’re going?”

The woman acted like it was her bloody house. “To check on Shay.” He glared back, daring her to stop him.

“You can’t. She has someone with her. He requested a few minutes of privacy.”

Cody bounded up the stairs, head exploding with visions of the blond intruder. He heard his brothers and Ronan behind him.

The nurse planted herself in the way, and Cody stopped, rather than plow her down, which is what he would have preferred to do. The door was cracked. Cody saw Jamie lean over and press his lips to Shay’s forehead.

“What the hell is he still doing here?” Cody asked. “I thought he left.”

“
He’s
her boyfriend,” the nurse said, as if Cody had misled her into believing he was Shay’s husband.

“Boyfriend, my ass.” He started toward the door, but Marcas grabbed his arm.

“Give him a break,” Lachlan muttered. “Jamie’s a good guy.”

“If he’s a good guy, why did he take advantage of her? He was sent to protect her, not—”

Marcas lifted one brow, the way he always did when he knew more than he let on, which was most of the time. “Sure you want to go there, little Brother?”

Cody had sometimes wondered if Marcas knew the truth about him and Shay.

“Yeah,” Lach agreed. “Who went and told Shay her whole life was a lie, before the clan even had time to prepare her?”

Cody looked at Jamie, feeling the knife twist inside. Shay had spent months with Jamie, talking with him, sharing her life with him. He gritted his teeth. Sleeping with him. Maybe getting pregnant by him. “I’m going in,” he said, brushing the nurse’s hand aside. “Time’s up, Waters.”

Marcas and Lachlan followed. Ronan put his hand on the nurse’s back. “We’ll just be a minute,” Ronan said, winking at her. “What can it hurt? She’s sleeping.”

The nurse flushed, looking at all five men dwarfing the room. She rolled her eyes. “Five minutes, then I’ll toss all of you out. I don’t care how big or how good-looking you are.”