Embrace the Highland Warrior (24 page)

“If they do anything to you, I’ll give up my duty,” Brodie said, his face tight.

Duncan nodded. “They sit up there and enforce the rules but forget that not everything can be judged by law.”

“Let’s not panic just yet,” Cody said, but his stomach was in knots. If they punished him, even took him away for an investigation, what would happen to Shay? “I’m going to check on something.” He opened the heavy door and saw a movement behind the long drapes.

A dark head popped out. Bree peered both ways down the hall and then climbed out, watching the Council members disappear into a small meeting room several doors down. “What are they doing?”

“Convening.” He rubbed his hand over his neck. “Does your husband know you’re spying on the Council?” The woman had more in common with Shay than a father and green eyes. They both had guts. Too much, at times.

“No, but how else can I figure out what’s going on? They won’t let me in.”

No one but warriors could attend a Council meeting, and they hadn’t officially decided what Bree was, or Shay, and the Council stuck fast to its rules.

“Do you think I could hide inside the secret passage and leave the door cracked—”

“I think your husband would lock you in the tower. You’d better stick to listening at the door,” Cody said, grinning. “I’ll tell them I’ve suddenly grown hard of hearing and ask them to speak louder. I don’t know why you bother. You know Faelan will tell you everything anyway.”

“I want to know now.”

“I should have known from the beginning that you and Shay were sisters. You have the same hard head.”

“How is Shay?” The warriors weren’t the only ones surprised that Shay and Bree were half sisters. The sisters were still reeling from the news themselves. It explained how Bree had sensed Shay was in danger.

“Still sleeping. She’s been through a lot.”

“I know but…” Two delicate lines crossed Bree’s forehead.

He was getting worried too. He’d never known Shay to tire so easily. “Has Anna shown up yet?”

“No, but Sorcha says it’s not unusual for her to disappear for days.” Bree turned in the direction the elders had gone. “Darn, I want to know what they’re doing.” Her sweater scooped down in the back, exposing the mark he saw after the accident, the birthmark. He eased closer, pulling his vision into focus in the dim light. As he thought, it was similar to Shay’s. A sliver of a moon and three stars. Damned odd.

“Are you sniffing my wife’s neck?” The growl cut through Cody’s concentration, jolting him back to where he stood, with his face inches from Bree’s neck. Bree spun at Faelan’s voice and bumped into Cody. He grabbed her, steadying them.

“If I wanted to sniff your wife’s neck, I’d take her somewhere more private, not in the middle of the corridor.”

Faelan scowled, and Cody said, “I’m going to check on Shay again. I’ll be back.”

Bree smiled and patted his arm before turning to her husband. “I swear, your face is going to get stuck like that. Then we’ll stick you on the roof with the gargoyles.”

“What are you doing here… Bollocks! Tell me you haven’t been eavesdropping on the Council.”

Cody left them fussing and walked to the stairs. They had put Shay on the second floor, next to his room. Even though the castle was protected, surrounded by warriors, he didn’t feel comfortable having her far from him, not with deranged humans, vampires, and ancient demons after her. Even if Bree was mistaken and it wasn’t Malek after Shay, someone had dug up the grave, so someone needed to know if she was alive or dead. Cody kept coming back to that scar on Shay’s shoulder. The letter was angled and crooked, but once he looked closely, it was definitely an
M
. If it was Malek who tried to kill her when she was a baby and put his mark on her, what was his purpose? Revenge against Edward, or to eliminate Shay?

There was another theory, but it was too horrifying to consider.

Cody opened Shay’s door. She was still asleep, her brow furrowed, lips parted as if she were speaking to someone. Cody bent and kissed her forehead. He wanted to take her and run away from this mess, sort out the past. He could take her to Ronan’s place in Montana. Maybe he should. The elder was right, this did bring some risk to the clan, but he had no choice. He lost her once before. He would not do it again, not for the safety of the whole world. He left her sleeping and walked outside to check on the guards.

“Any problems?” Cody asked, approaching the young warrior guarding the north side of the castle.

“Nothing’s getting past me,” Conall said, his grin wide. He was barely twenty, still reeling with excitement that he, along with Bree, had rescued the Mighty Faelan. Not many could say that, Cody admitted. He remembered his early warrior days, feeling like a hero. Countless battles later, and countless lonely nights later, knowing he couldn’t go after Shay until his duty was fulfilled, it quickly lost its grandeur. There was no glory, only necessity, and necessity usually included sacrifice and harsh reality. After Conall had killed a few halflings that looked human—a teenager or a kid—that would take the edge off his good humor. And if he was lucky, he wouldn’t meet his mate until his duty was finished, wouldn’t know the anguish of years spent watching in silence, knowing if he revealed his heart, it could get her killed.

Cody walked the inner perimeter to make sure all the warriors were in position. There were two lines of defense: one just inside the wall that surrounded the castle, and this one, along the edge of the woods closer to the grounds. When he was sure everything was in order, he started back. After spending most of the month getting the castle in New York ready for use by the clan, it was shocking to see this place again. The two castles were so alike. Bree was looking into the history of both castles for clues. If there was a traitor in the clan, it would be devastating for them all.

Cody checked his watch. It was almost time for the meeting to reconvene. He was in enough trouble without showing up late. The fact that he was respected in the clan, a warrior who battled an ancient demon, should have some bearing on the outcome of the hearing, but if the elders tried to restrain him while Shay was in danger from an ancient demon and vampires, to hell with the clan. He’d go rogue.

***

“Ellis was a serial killer?” Shane asked as they waited for the Council to return. He was a quiet one, like Marcas, but fast as lightning with a sword.

Cody rubbed at the knot of tension in his neck. He wished the Council would hurry so he could get this over with. “They’ve linked Ellis to seven bodies in four states. All female. Blond. Midtwenties. That’s not counting Nick, Shay’s clients in Scotland, or the woman in the woods.”

“You think he’s connected to the demons or vampires?” Declan asked. Clad in kilts, with their hair pulled back, it was hard to tell the twins apart.

“Probably demon. I think he was a minion,” Cody said. “But he could be working with the vampires. He wanted to kill her, but I think the truck accident was an attempt to get me out of the way.”

“You sure he wasn’t a vampire?” Niall flexed his fingers, the muscles in his massive arms bulging. “All we need is for him to crawl out of his grave.”

“He was human. I made sure. Before he was cremated, I cut his head off.”

“Bloody hell,” Brodie said.

Coira, walking by with a tray of cookies, thumped him on the shin with her foot. “Language, dear.”

Brodie rubbed his leg and snatched a cookie before she got out of reach. “Who was his boss? I wonder if he knew he’d hired a serial killer.”

“Anson Masters. Some reclusive rich guy. That’s all I know,” Cody said. He adjusted his kilt. He usually wore jeans or combat pants, but everyone dressed formally when meeting with the Council. Judging from Sorcha’s raised eyebrows and pink cheeks, he was fairly sure he had just flashed her.

“I’ve heard that name somewhere,” Jamie said.

“Sam’s trying to find him,” Cody said. “We want to see if he can tell us more about who Ellis associated with and where he spent his time so we can figure out how he was involved.”

Faelan’s brows gathered into a frown. “There are too many pieces to this puzzle. If Bree is right and Malek is the one who tried to kill Shay when she was a baby, we need to find out why. Revenge or something else?”

It was the
something
else
that Cody didn’t want to think about.

“If Malek believes Shay has the
Book
of
Battles
. Maybe he believes Edward had the book and gave it to his child,” Declan said.

Sorcha studied the other warriors, eyes narrowed in thought. “Has anyone considered the fact that one of Edward’s children
did
have the
Book
of
Battles
? Bree.”

“True,” Declan said. “Wonder if Malek knows about Bree.”

God forbid,” Ronan said, his tone grave, causing Faelan to frown.

“We’ve got to get rid of him,” Faelan said. “One way or another.”

They all knew Malek had to be assigned.

“Bree also believes Cody is in danger as well as Shay, that they pose some kind of threat together,” Faelan said.

“But I heard the vampire say they didn’t care about me,” Cody said.

Declan’s brows drew together. “So the demons are after you and Shay, but the vampires are just after Shay?”

“How’d they even find out about our book?” Shane asked.

Faelan drummed his fingers against his kilt. “It was missing for a long time before turning up in Bree’s attic. It’s possible other members of her family knew about it. Any one of them could’ve told someone else.”

“Let’s not forget Angus mentioned a traitor,” Duncan said. “Maybe someone found out about it long ago.”

“Don’t even look at me,” Sorcha said, glaring at him.

Cody didn’t know what was up with them, but they’d been fussing at each other since they arrived.

“Nobody’s lit the fire under you yet, Joan of Arc,” Duncan said. “But every time you get defensive, it makes you look suspicious. I’d keep my mouth shut if I were you.”

Sorcha stood, hands planted on her hips. “You think you’re man enough to make me shut up? It’s not your reputation on the line, Coz.”

Duncan slowly rose and walked across the room. He grabbed Sorcha around the waist, bent his head, and kissed her until her body looked as boneless as a filet. Duncan raised his head. “That good enough?” He glared at her and then strode toward the door. “Tell the Council I had to leave,” he said, without looking back.

Sorcha dropped onto a chair, mouth slack, speechless.

“Well, then,” Brodie said.

No one had a chance to react. The quiet brush of robes signaled the Council’s return. Everyone quieted as the thirteen elders somberly filed into the room.

The chief elder took his place at the front of the room, his age-clouded eyes heavy. Cody felt the air thick with tension. He glanced at the faces of his brothers, his friends. Every expression was guarded but tight. If the Council decided to punish him, he would have to intervene, persuade the warriors to accept the verdict, or the entire Connor clan could crumble.

“I believe the Council was mistaken in believing the threat against Shay was removed, especially given the new information about Bree. The Watchers are disturbed.”

Cody cleared his throat. “My apologies, Elder, but I believe we all made a mistake. She’s in danger, whether it’s from Malek or vampires.”

The elder nodded, as if to himself, and glanced at the twelve robed men and women who sat behind him. They all gave a silent nod. “We’ve all shared the blame in this matter. We see no reason for further action. For the moment. It’s more important to identify and wipe out this threat. Do you think the danger is only to Shay, or Bree as well, since she is also Edward’s child?” The clan had been stunned to learn that the two women were sisters. They had protected Shay for most of her life, thinking her attack might be connected to Edward, when all along he had another child out there in the world. Two more. Bree said there had been a twin who died. It shouldn’t have been much of a surprise. As the clan well knew, mates weren’t the only destined things.

“We think the threat is against Shay, but we’re keeping an eye on Bree as well,” Faelan said. There was an increased air of respect from the elders when Faelan spoke.

“Shay has a right to know everything, to be trained so she can protect herself,” Cody said. “With your permission, we’d like to begin immediately.” He didn’t tell them that Shay already wore her father’s talisman. He should have taken it back, but he didn’t have the heart to take away the only connection she had to the father they hid from her.

“I understand you started her training years ago.”

“We did, but it wasn’t completed.”

“Go and train her.”

Cody felt the tension in the room ease like a collective sigh.

“Bree as well,” the elder said. His white brows bunched into a frown. “She’s exhibited some… unusual qualities.”