Midnight's Captive (Dark Warriors) (41 page)

She shook her head, but he pushed her back inside the car and shut the door before she could protest. Aisley screamed and ducked her head when one of the creatures’ fists came through her window as it reached for Dale.

“Dale!” she screamed as he was once more fighting the monsters.

Aisley realized that some of the other beasts began to notice her. They couldn’t get to Jason, the other Druids were dead, Dale was locked in battle, and she was an easy meal.

She started the car and jerked it into reverse. Aisley stomped on the accelerator and plowed into one of the monsters before she turned the wheel as she slammed on the brakes and then threw the car into drive.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Malcolm stood over two dead selmyr as he watched his brethren from the forest. There were more of the damned creatures sneaking up on his friends, but he couldn’t reach all of them.

A sudden gust of wind that had the rain falling sideways got his attention. He turned to glimpse a man running through the woods as naked as the day he was born.

Malcolm turned his attention to the man. Malcolm searched for a trace of magic, but it wasn’t Druid magic he felt. It was something else entirely. Just as Malcolm went to search for the man, the air stirred around him.

“You’re needed.”

Malcolm spun around, his teeth bared and his legs bent, ready to attack. The man merely looked at him with his long dark hair plastered to his head and a brow raised.

“There is a Warrior and a Druid coming on to our land,” the man said. “They have an infant. If the selmyr get to them—”

“Camdyn,” Malcolm said and straightened. He looked at the man in front of him. “Who are you?”

“My name is Rhys, and I’m one of those,” he said and pointed to the sky.

Malcolm lifted his eyes in time to see the sleek body of a dragon as blue as sapphires. He’d thought he saw something in the clouds earlier, but now he knew he most definitely had.

“Your friends are coming in through the main road,” Rhys said.

When Malcolm looked back at him, Rhys was running out of the trees. And promptly shifted into a yellow dragon.

There was no time for Malcolm to stare in wonder. Camdyn and Saffron would need his help. He turned and raced through the trees as fast as his god would allow.

He came to the top of a mountain and spotted the dark green Audi Q7 barrel around a tight corner in the narrow road. Malcolm didn’t bother with running down the mountain. He leaped instead.

Malcolm landed on the road, knees bent and one hand on the ground, as the lights of the Audi plowed toward him. He stood and met Camdyn’s gaze through the windshield.

Camdyn stomped on the brakes as the SUV slid to a halt. It rocked against Malcolm before he jumped onto the roof.

“What in the name of all that is holy?” Camdyn yelled from the window he had rolled down.

“Drive!” Malcolm shouted. “And doona stop until we reach the house.”

There was a pause, and three selmyr walked onto the road. Malcolm heard little Emma give a cry from inside the vehicle. There was no way he would allow Camdyn, Saffron, and especially Emma to be touched by the vile creatures.

“Drive!” Malcolm barked.

He barely had time to grab a hold of the SUV as Camdyn stomped on the accelerator. The vehicle rammed two of the selmyr, knocking them flat. But one managed to grab hold the side mirror and smash a hand through the window to make a grab at Saffron.

Malcolm leaned to the right and made a huge arching swipe of his hand. A satisfied smile tugged at his lips as his claws made a clean cut, beheading the creature.

He then kicked the body away. Malcolm looked straight ahead, the bite of the rain piercing his skin like shards of glass the faster Camdyn drove.

A few more selmyr dared to venture toward them. One even landed on top of the SUV with Malcolm. The selmyr peeled back its lips, showing elongated fangs.

The creature swiped a long arm at Malcolm, who managed to duck, but not without feeling the talons scrape his back. Malcolm lay across the top of the roof and rolled toward the selmyr, knocking the beast’s legs out from under it.

Malcolm jumped up to land on the monster’s back. But no matter how many times he plunged his claws into the selmyr, he couldn’t kill it.

His only option was to try and find its heart. Before he could, however, the selmyr flipped them so that Malcolm was on his back staring up at the ash-skinned creature.

Malcolm swung his arm to try to cut off its head, but the creature caught his hand. Malcolm let out a bellow of fury as the selmyr’s teeth sank into his skin.

No sooner had Malcolm begun to feel the biting inferno burn through him than a large, dark shape took form in the low hanging clouds. A second later he spotted Rhys dive toward them and clamp his monstrous dragon jaws around the selmyr before flying off with it.

Malcolm dropped his head back and just lay there for a second. They were nearing the mansion where he felt the magic of the other Druids. From his look at it an hour ago, he knew it was heavily guarded. He hadn’t known by what at the time, but he knew all the Druids were safe.

He squatted atop the roof and turned as the mansion came into view. Malcolm anticipated Camdyn’s braking, and when the SUV came to a halt, Malcolm tucked his body and flipped over the hood to land on his feet in front of the Audi.

Camdyn threw open his door and looked at the sky. “Dragons.”

“You doona seem surprised,” Malcolm said as he hurried to help Saffron out of the vehicle.

Saffron smiled at him, dark circles under her eyes. “I had a vision of the dragons, but more importantly, I saw how Jason would get away.”

Malcolm escorted her into the mansion as Camdyn got their daughter out of the SUV. Once inside, Malcolm pulled back the blanket shielding the carrier to find Emma’s tawny eyes looking up at him.

“Thank you,” Camdyn said, and held out his arm.

Malcolm clasped his forearm and nodded. “It wasna all me. Rhys, one of the dragons, told me you were coming.”

“I know,” Saffron told Camdyn when he turned to her and opened his mouth to speak. “Just come back to me. To us,” she amended as she glanced at her daughter.

Camdyn pulled her into his arms for a kiss. “Always.”

Malcolm and Camdyn walked back out into the rain. Camdyn released his god, the dark brown skin the color of earth covering him.

“There’s no way I’m going to allow Wallace to get away this time.”

Malcolm grinned, hearing the answering laughter of his god, Daal. “Then let’s join the battle.”

*   *   *

Laura’s eyes flew open at the urging of the ancients. No longer could she hear them speaking, and the drums and chanting grew farther and farther away.

Yet she knew they weren’t leaving her.

Laura squeezed Isla’s hand to get her attention. When Isla’s ice blue eyes met hers, Laura nodded to the doorway. Someone was in the house. Someone who hadn’t been there before.

She stood with Isla as they silently made their way to the door. Laura looked around the corner to find a woman with walnut-colored hair removing her raincoat.

“Saffron,” Isla said as she rushed past Laura.

The woman jerked her head to Isla and smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“What are you doing here?” Isla asked as they hugged.

Laura slowly walked toward the two women as Saffron squatted down and unbuckled the baby from the carrier.

Saffron stood with the baby in her arms and looked at Laura. “Hello, Laura.”

“You know her?” Isla asked with a frown.

“She was in my vision.”

“Vision?” Laura repeated.

Saffron let Isla take the child from her and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m a Seer.”

“I thought you were staying away for the child’s sake?”

“I was,” Saffron said. She licked her lips and looked at Isla. “I saw how Jason would get away. We had to come.”

Isla hugged the child to her. “For Emma’s sake, you could have just called.”

Saffron shook her head slowly. “You know Camdyn better than that. He wanted to leave me and Emma behind, but I refused.”

“Come,” Isla said as she turned and started back to the parlor. “The others need to know. What can we do?”

“Nothing.”

Laura looked at Saffron, who still stood by the front door, and Isla who had stopped and faced her. “What do you mean nothing?”

“If we add our magic to try and halt Jason’s departure, he’ll use it to help him.”

“He can do that?” Laura asked.

Saffron nodded. “Oh, yes.”

Isla gave a slight wince when Emma grabbed hold of her long hair. “Then who can stop him?”

“The Warriors,” Saffron answered. “I explained it all to Camdyn. He knows what to do.”

“That’s if he gets there in time,” Laura added. “I hate to point out the obvious, but the battle could be over by now.”

Saffron walked past Laura and Isla to the parlor and paused at the doorway. “He’ll get there in time. After everything we’ve been through, none of the Warriors will let Jason walk away from this battle.”

Laura waited for Saffron to enter the parlor before she looked at Isla to find the Druid’s eyes trained on her. “We’re Druids. We’re meant to help.”

“I know,” Isla said. “That’s the part that stings the most.”

“Are Saffron’s visions never wrong?”

Isla shook her head. “She only sees parts of visions. When she isn’t sure, she lets us know. I’ve never seen her so certain of something before.”

“Why doesn’t she just tell us the vision?”

“It must be bad enough that she’s trying to spare us.”

Laura turned to the window. “I won’t accept the possibility of Charon not returning. I can’t.”

“And I can’t think of Hayden being taken from me. They are Warriors, Laura. You need to trust in Charon’s skill.”

“I do,” she admitted. “I’ve seen what he can do, but I’ve also seen Jason bring him down. With Jason and the selmyr attacking, will the dragons’ aid be enough?”

“We just have to pray it is. And God help Jason Wallace if my Warrior doesn’t walk through those doors.”

Laura raised her hands in front of her as she felt her magic begin to tingle beneath her skin. She turned and rushed into the parlor to hear Saffron tell the others what was going on.

“You said Wallace would use our magic,” she blurted out when Saffron paused.

Saffron frowned as she looked at her. “That’s right. If we use our magic against him, he’ll turn it to his advantage.”

“So, let’s not use our magic against him. Let’s use our magic to heighten the storm or the forces of nature.”

Sonya smiled widely. “Oh, I like that idea. Sitting by and doing nothing wasn’t appealing to me at all.”

“What do you think, Saffron?” Cara asked. “Can we do as Laura’s suggested?”

Saffron sat there for a moment before a slow smile began to form. “Yes. I think we can.”

Excitement pulsed through Laura, causing her magic to hum faster. The Druids resumed their circle on the floor, their hands linked and their eyes closed.

Laura’s excitement grew as she once more heard the drums and chanting.

We’re going to win, Charon,
she thought to herself just before the ancients took her again.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

There were too many selmyr. Charon realized it as soon as they were attacked. The dragons were holding hundreds more from getting to the others and joining in the attack.

He caught sight of two selmyr as they jumped on Hayden’s back and bit him. Hayden let out a roar of rage, but couldn’t get them off.

Charon rushed to the red-skinned Warrior and hastily jerked out the spine of one selmyr. The other turned to Charon with a hiss of indignation, Hayden’s blood dripping from its lips.

“Come on, you ugly fuck,” Charon taunted it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Hayden get to his knees and form a fireball in his hand. Charon dived to the side the same time Hayden launched the fire at the selmyr.

The creature was set ablaze instantly. It was Logan who gave a battle yell right before he beheaded the creature.

They only had time to get to their feet as more of the beasts rained down upon them. Charon glanced at Jason to see the bubble of magic he had surrounded himself with was diminishing quickly.

Something hurtled into Charon’s back, knocking him face first into the ground. He bit back a yell when he felt a selmyr’s bite.

Darkness, black as pitch, surrounded Charon. A heartbeat later, the selmyr was lying dead beside him. Charon glanced up to find the shadows dissipating and Lucan leaning down to help him to his feet.

Charon pivoted as he caught sight of a creature and sank his claws into its back before he yanked out the spinal column. Around him, Fallon was teleporting all over the place, taking the beasts by surprise.

Broc was swooping down from the sky and beheading all he could reach, while Arran used his control over water to direct the rain into deadly blades.

Ramsey was using his ability as a half-Druid, half-Warrior to confuse the selmyr. Ian was absorbing any of the Warriors’ power and directing it at the beasts to lethal precision.

Charon leaped over a creature as he searched for Phelan, only to find his friend surrounded by selmyr. Charon let out a battle cry and dived into the fray to come up and yank a selmyr off Phelan. There was a rumble beneath their feet, and suddenly the ground opened up around them to swallow the creatures.

“Duck!” shouted a female voice behind them.

Charon and Phelan didn’t hesitate to do as Larena demanded. The only female Warrior was using her power of invisibility once again to her advantage.

There was a startled cry from a selmyr coming at them. Charon looked up to see its spine being yanked out by some unseen hand.

“There’s more coming,” Larena’s disembodied voice said from somewhere in front of them. “Get moving.”

Charon could see how weak Phelan was after all his blood loss. He wasn’t feeling too frisky himself, but the battle was near to ending. How they would be able to sustain the battle, Charon wasn’t sure.

And by the way Jason was now on his knees, the bubble around him thinning with each hit from the selmyr, it wouldn’t be long before the creatures got to Wallace.