Embrace the Highland Warrior (23 page)

Bree closed her eyes. “I saw his human form. Neat, sophisticated. Auburn hair with a silver streak.”

There was a chorus of hard-drawn breaths.

“What?” The word exploded out of Cody’s mouth.

“That’s… bloody hell,” Jamie said.

Duncan took a step closer to Sorcha, and even Faelan looked stunned.

Cody pushed aside Shay’s shirt collar and looked at the scar on her shoulder. “M,” he whispered. “Malek.”

Chapter 13

Shay’s legs shook. “Isn’t Malek one of those demons Faelan saw?”

“Aye,” Cody said.

Brodie crossed himself. “Why would an ancient demon be after Shay?”

Bree sank onto a bale of hay near the barn door. Faelan scooped her up in his arms. “Put me down,” she said.

“I will not. You keep passing out. You won’t listen to common sense. I’m taking matters into my own hands.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“Bed, and by God, you’ll stay there if I have to sit on you. I’ve lost everything in my life. I won’t lose you.”

“Marcas, find out how soon the jet can get here,” Cody said.

Marcas made a quick call and reported that it would be morning.

“We leave at sunrise,” Cody said. “All of us. If the jet isn’t there, we’ll take a commercial flight. Set up a barrier. I want the house surrounded. Not a mouse gets through.”

***

Shay tried to sleep, but the dreams wouldn’t stop. Ellis coming after her with the scalpel, his blood spraying from his throat, Renee’s vacant eyes, and the vampires trying to kill Cody. Maybe if she saw him it would settle her nerves. He’d looked hurt when she insisted on sleeping alone. He was trying hard not to pressure her, even though she’d seen the hunger banked in his eyes, but she was afraid. The last thing she wanted was to have him distracted. She had already blown it and told him about the baby. While it was a huge relief to share her secret with him, now she worried for his safety more than ever. It had taken her years to deal with the loss. How could he focus on fighting demons and vampires, when something so traumatic had been thrown at him with no warning?

She eased of bed and crept outside.

Faelan sat in the hall, inspecting a dagger. “Are you all right, lass?”

Shay nodded, feeling her face flush. She considered and discarded the pretense of going for a glass of water and headed straight for Cody’s room. He was stretched out in the middle of the bed, clothes folded on the floor. The sheet was crumpled around his waist, one leg sticking out from under the covers. His battle marks rose and fell with soothing steadiness. He stirred, and the sheet dropped lower. Shay was too tired to care whether or not he wore underwear. She hugged her arms around her body, shivering, as she moved closer to the bed. She should leave. She didn’t want him distracted, but she needed to touch him. She started to turn, and his eyes flew open.

He sat up quickly. “Shay? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I wanted to make sure you were here. I had a dream.”

“I’m here. Are you okay?”

She nodded, but then shook her head. “No,” she whispered.

“Come here,” he said, pulling back the covers and scooting over to make room.

She didn’t hesitate, but crawled in beside him, settling in the spot already warm from his body. He flipped the blanket over her and pulled her close, tucking his body around hers. She snuggled into his chest, letting his warmth and scent comfort her. He wore underwear, and it almost made her cry, because she knew he’d left them on in case he needed to go to her.

She was tired. She had to sleep. Just for a minute.

She woke several times during the night, once screaming, once shaking quietly, face soaked with tears. Cody was there each time, holding her close, trying to absorb her pain.

She woke to an empty bed. The sky was tinged with the pink of dawn. She heard noises downstairs and quickly dressed. The kitchen was like a train station. Some eating, some carrying luggage, some doing both.

“Did you sleep okay?” Bree asked.

“Finally.” She glanced around the kitchen, but Cody wasn’t there.

“He’s at Nina’s checking on something.” Bree rubbed Shay’s arm. “You’ll be fine. Let him help you through it. He needs it as much as you do.”

She didn’t need to ask who
he
was.

“The men are loading the vehicles. We’re waiting for Lachlan. He went to drag some poor veterinarian out of bed to give the cat its shots so he could take it to Scotland with us.”

“He’s taking the cat to Scotland?”

“Ronan’s going to leave it there at the castle until things calm down.” She closed the catch on her suitcase. “We’re flying out of D.C. Marcas is going to take us there in the small plane to save driving time.” Bree leaned closer. “My mother’s here. She arrived last night. She was on the way home from the wedding and found out we’d been in an accident. She thinks we’re going back to the castle so you and I can recover. She doesn’t know about the warriors or this.” Bree touched her stomach.

“Got it.”

Bree picked up a suitcase, and Faelan appeared, like a growling genie, and removed it, complaining that it was too heavy for someone with a concussion. He patted Shay on the head as he went by. The gesture was oddly endearing. All these people, strangers, really, but they had dropped everything, weddings, honeymoons, battles, to come and help her.

A woman entered the kitchen. She looked elegant and graceful, even at this hour.

“Shay, this is my mother, Orla Kirkland.” Orla was nothing like Bree, who was relaxed and laid back. This woman was as proper and refined as a queen.

“Good morning, Shay. I heard about your trouble. I’m so glad you’re okay. Could I get you a cup of tea? Cody has some lovely Earl Grey.”

“No, thank you.” She had no appetite, not even for tea.

“Brodie, dear, do sit down and eat. Your food won’t digest properly with you rushing around. What is that? Oh heavens. Cookies? At this hour?” Orla threw her hands in the air. “I give up,” she said, and Brodie bolted out the door. “Are you sure you’re both up to this? I can’t imagine what your doctors are thinking, letting you travel after the accident and Shay’s kidnapping.” Orla moved about the kitchen as if she owned it. “Why don’t you both come home with me? Let me take care of you.”

“No, Mother. They’re expecting us at the castle,” Bree said.

Orla sighed. “Coira is a wonderful cook, and the castle was just lovely. Perhaps I should go with you.”

“You know how you hate exploring. Shay and I were going to visit some ruins,” Bree said.

Shay kept her eyebrows in place.

“Ruins?” Orla gave a delicate grimace. “You shouldn’t be exploring while you’re recuperating.”

“They’re close to the castle. Faelan and Cody won’t let us get hurt. You go home and rest. You’ve been so busy with the wedding and helping Faelan restore the house. I’ll bring him for a visit soon.”

Orla brightened at that. “Ah, here he is now, my son-in-law,” she announced as if introducing the president. “Faelan, would you carry my suitcase to the car?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

“You’ll take care of her for me, won’t you?” Orla asked.

“Aye. I’ll do my best.” He raised his eyebrows at Bree in warning.

“And keep an eye on Shay,” Orla added. “She looks pale.”

“She’d put him in for knighthood if she knew about the baby,” Bree whispered to Shay after Orla moved out of earshot.

“She remodeled your house?” Shay couldn’t see Orla doing much remodeling.

“She provided the ideas. Faelan and the clan carpenters provided the brawn. It was my wedding gift from him. And the clan’s way of showing their appreciation, since I brought him home to them.”

“That’s impressive. The clan has carpenters?”

“The clan has all kinds of people working behind the scenes. Not all of them are warriors.”

Cody stepped inside, and his gaze locked on hers. “Did you pack your things?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He frowned and reached in his pocket. “Here’s one more thing. I just remembered it this morning. I’m not sure how you got it.” He pulled out a necklace and handed it to Shay. At first she thought it was a gift. “I found it in the truck.”

Shay examined the necklace, a silver cross. “It’s not mine.” Had there been another woman in his truck?

“You found my necklace,” Bree said. “Thank God. I thought I’d lost it.”

“This is yours?” Cody asked, his brows drawing into a frown.

“Yes, it was my father’s.”

“This belonged to Edward Rodgers,” Cody said.

Orla gasped.

“There must be some mistake. My father was Robert Kirkland,” Bree said, staring at the necklace.

Marcas entered the room, and he examined the necklace as well. “He’s right. That’s Edward’s necklace. See that emblem on the back? That’s his family crest.”

Faelan joined the little circle. “I found the necklace under a floorboard in Bree’s house. I thought the emblem looked familiar.”

“Grandma told me it was my father’s.” Bree turned to Orla for an explanation. “Mother?”

Orla was slumped against the counter, feet splayed, face pale as her daughter’s. She closed her eyes. “Oh God. Not like this.”

“I don’t understand,” Bree said, clasping the necklace to her chest.

“He did it for you,” Orla said.

“Did what?” Bree whispered.

Orla pressed her hands to her cheeks. “I knew it was going to come out, but not here. Not now.”

“Were you married to someone else before Daddy?”

“No. There was no one before your father—before Robert.”

Shay’s head was swirling, knowing where the conversation was headed.

“Robert wasn’t your father,” Orla said.

“Not my father?” Bree slumped into a chair. “Was I adopted?” she asked, her green eyes wide with shock.

Orla’s face crumbled. “He was your… uncle.”

“Oh my God.” Bree stared at Orla. “You’re not my mother?”

Orla gave a little sob. “I
am
your mother. I raised you.”

“Did you give birth to me?” Bree asked, her voice stiff.

“No. Technically, I’m your aunt, but we did it to protect you. He brought you to Robert and said you were in danger. He needed Robert to protect you, and he did.” Orla dabbed at her cheeks and crossed to Bree. “He protected you his whole life. We loved you as much as if you’d been born to us.”

“Who? Who brought me?”

“Edward Rodgers.”

Shay’s breath caught. If Edward was Bree’s father, then that meant— She felt Cody move next to her. He reached for her hand.

“That explains the birthmarks,” he muttered.

Bree shook her head. “My mother…”

“Layla is your mother. Edward Rodgers is your father.”

Shay gripped Cody’s fingers. “I have a sister?”

***

Connor Castle, Scotland

“You realize the awkward position this has put the Council in?” The chief elder folded his hands across his ceremonial robe. It was gold with a red border, and Cody idly wondered if the red represented the blood of warriors who broke the rules. “Not once, but twice, you’ve revealed information that wasn’t yours to give. The clan decided it best to keep Shay’s identity hidden from her, for her safety, as well as ours. We gave you only a warning the first time.”

Only a warning, Cody thought. It had felt like more than a warning when the brand touched his wrist.

“But this time,” the elder continued, “even though the Council recognizes your valor and your service, what you’ve done here has put us all at risk. For all intents and purposes, she was an outsider. Now you’ve revealed secrets that we’ve protected for thousands of years. Not only that, but you’ve brought her here, in our midst, to our clan seat. If you are correct, and there is a demon hunting her, if they follow, you’ve endangered the entire clan.”

Cody felt the stirring behind him, the tension of the other warriors summoned to the meeting. “What would you have me do, Elder? Leave her alone, unprotected?” His voice rose in anger. “She’s part of the clan, and she’s been targeted. I have to help her. We have to help her. That’s what the clan is about, protecting humans. Now you tell me we are to turn our backs on one of our own?”

The elder frowned. “I understand it’s a difficult decision, but the good of the clan must come first. If this clan fails, it won’t be one woman who will suffer, but thousands could die. Hundreds of thousands. Do you want to weigh her against generations of humans that could be slaughtered, perhaps even the world, because the clan has been wiped out?”

“My apologies, Elder. I know the importance of our mission, but there must be a way to protect her and the clan as well.” The muscles in Cody’s face felt like rubber bands ready to pop. “I won’t leave her unprotected… regardless of the consequences.”

A quiet, collective gasp came from the Council members. Cody looked each one in the eye and then saw their gazes shift.

Faelan stood beside Cody, his arms stiff. “I stand with Cody MacBain.”

Cody heard more chairs squeaking as warriors stood. “And I,” Ronan said. All the voices rang out, one by one. His brothers’, Duncan’s, Sorcha’s. Cody looked around and saw every warrior in the room standing.

The elder studied Cody for several uncomfortable moments. Cody kept his gaze steady as the elder’s hooded eyes widened slightly and then narrowed. He glanced at the rest of the Council members behind him. “We will convene and meet back here in one hour.” The mood was somber as they left the room.