Chapter 10
Anna hid her car in the woods near Bree’s house in case they were followed. She helped the semiconscious prisoner from the car and put his arm around her shoulder.
“We’ll hide in the graveyard until we make sure no one’s watching the place.” Demons couldn’t step on holy ground.
The lights were off. No one was home. Anna prayed Faelan and Bree were okay. She didn’t know what the clan would do about Tristol and Voltar. If warriors had been assigned to destroy them, they’d better show up soon.
She heard a loud noise like Faelan’s motorcycle, but he’d promised Bree he’d stop riding it until the baby was born. It must be Voltar. His human shell had been a biker.
“He followed us. Hurry” She helped him inside the graveyard and started toward the crypt. “I’m going to hide you and lead him away.”
The prisoner stopped. “No.”
“We don’t have a choice,” she said, trying to move him. “You’re going to die if I don’t.”
His arm slid from her shoulders, and he slumped against a tall headstone. “Go on,” he said, clinging to the stone, his body ready to collapse but his gaze fierce. “Protect yourself.”
“Then we’ll both hide in the crypt,” she lied. Faelan had returned his time vault, and now the burial vault which had contained it was empty. No one would think to look there. The very reason Faelan had remained unnoticed for one-hundred-fifty years. After she got the prisoner inside, she would close the lid. He was weak. By the time he got out, she would have led Voltar away.
Working quickly, she helped him inside the crypt and was surprised to see an old coffin just inside the door. What was Bree up to now? Hiding the prisoner inside the coffin would be quicker that moving the heavy stone cover of the burial vault. But when she removed the lid, the coffin wasn’t empty. The skeleton inside had on a kilt. This was an old corpse. Who was he?
“We have to hurry,” she said.
The prisoner looked from the coffin to the burial vault. He seemed distressed. “You get in first,” he said, his voice weak.
“No. You’re injured. I’ll close the lid.”
“You...” His eyes closed, and he started to fall.
Anna grabbed him. “I’m not letting you die. Now climb in there.” Grunting, she pushed and shoved and got the lid partially open. As gently as she could, she helped him inside and started to close the cover.
“No.” There was panic in his eyes as he tried to sit up. “Don’t leave. He can’t get in here. That’s why we...” His eyes closed and he slumped back.
Anna wouldn’t want to be locked in there either, but she had to lead Voltar away. “Okay. I’ll stay.” Until he passed out, which shouldn’t be long. “I’m going to leave the lid partially open, so it’ll be easier to move it from the inside.”
She climbed in after him. It was a tight fit. She had to turn on her side to make it work. She waited for him to pass out so she could leave, but he had a death grip on her hand.
“I know my name....” His voice trailed off, and his eyes closed.
Anna leaned closer, trying to hear. “Tell me.”
He whispered his name as a muffled roar came from outside.
Voltar. Anna pulled her hand free and climbed out of the burial vault. The prisoner was unconscious, but his pulse was strong, and he wasn’t bleeding. Leaning down, she kissed his cheek. “I’ll come back after I call Faelan and Bree,” she whispered, closing the lid, leaving only a crack for fresh air.
Hopefully he wouldn’t wake until she got back or until Faelan or someone could come for him. Closing the door quietly, she slipped from the crypt, moving silently past the headstones to the fence near the back of the graveyard.
“Anna!”
The hair on her arms stood as a huge shadow appeared behind the chapel. He couldn’t come in here, but his minions could. The clouds were thick, blocking the moon. She climbed over the fence and ran quietly into the woods. When she was a good distance from the graveyard, she cried out as if she’d fallen. She waited until he got near then she started running.
* * *
“Doyou think she was inside the fortress when it disappeared?” Faelan asked. They were in the library at the Albany castle listening to Ronan’s shocking tale.
“I hope not.” Ronan had sensed someone watching him, but Anna would have let him know if she’d been there. “Her car was gone.”
“She must have escaped,” Shay said.
But why hadn’t she called?
“How could a fortress just disappear?” Brodie asked.
“I don’t know.” Ronan rubbed his tired eyes. “But it did.”
“And stone wolves coming to life.” Brodie scratched his head. “What happened to the days when a warrior killed his demon and went home and had dinner? Now we’ve got vampires and stone wolves coming to life and ancient demons trying to kill us. I’m getting sick of this warrior stuff.”
“Your duty won’t be up for a while, so stop whining,” Sorcha said.
Duncan glared at her. “Do you have to be such a bitch? What the hell’s wrong with you?”
“You know what’s wrong with me,” she said to Duncan.
His jaw clenched.
“Are you still pissed about the traitor thing?” Declan asked.
Sorcha shrugged.
There were whispers, but Ronan didn’t think that was her problem. Her problem was her thick head. “If you run into one of those wolves,” Ronan said, “it’ll give you a new appreciation for Duncan.”
She rolled her eyes. “We’ve got a wedding, a funeral, a missing warrior, and now a vanishing fortress with monster wolves. Which do we tackle first?”
“I think we need to postpone the wedding.” Shay touched Cody’s shoulder. “There’s too much going on.”
He didn’t look happy, but he nodded. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but Ronan knew Cody would be on edge until he and Shay tied the knot. They’d been in love with each other for most of their lives, and separated most of that time because of demons and deception. Ronan didn’t blame him for wanting a ring on her finger. Say what you might about marriage being just a piece of paper, but it was a hell of a lot easier to walk away without it.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Shane said.
Everyone turned to him, surprised. Shane didn’t usually offer his opinion on matters that didn’t directly concern him.
“Why?” Cody asked. “Shay’s right, there’s too much going on.”
“The elders are planning to take Shay away.” Shane’s voice was controlled, like the rest of him. “They want to study her.”
“Study her?” Cody stalked toward Shane. “What do you mean?”
Shane didn’t move from his perch by the door. “They want to know why she can move like a vampire.”
Ronan put a hand on Cody’s shoulder. “Calm down before you explode. How do you know the elders want Shay?” he asked Shane.
“I heard them talking. They had a secret meeting.”
“You were there?” Faelan asked.
Shane almost smiled. “They didn’t see me.”
“When were you going to tell me this?” Cody asked.
Shane looked nonplussed. “Now.”
“What’s this got to do with them getting hitched?” Niall asked.
“They want Bree, too,” Shane said.
“They want Bree?” The veins stood out in Faelan’s neck.
“But they aren’t going to take her,” Shane said. “Yet.”
“Yet!” Faelan roared.
“Because she’s married. And pregnant.” Shane looked at Shay. “You need to be married or pregnant soon.”
Cody started pacing. “We’ll get married now.”
Shay idly rubbed her father’s talisman. “We can’t throw something together this fast. We need wedding plans.”
“We’re just in time, Nina. They’re making wedding plans.” Matilda entered the room with Nina on her heels, looking frustrated as she usually did when she was with Matilda.
When Ronan first met her, he didn’t know how Nina kept her sanity around her crazy cousin. But Matilda grew on a person, kind of like a familiar mole. And after her run-in with the vampire in the secret passage, she stuck to the warriors like glue.
“We would have been here earlier, but Matilda was looking for the cat,” Nina said.
“I’m sure the poor thing is traumatized after the little incident in Washington,” Matilda said.
“I heard about your little incident,” Cody said. “That’s why Jamie sent you here in a hired car. What I’d like to know is how the cat got inside the White House?”
“You don’t want to know,” Nina said, dropping into a chair.
Cody sighed and shook his head.
“It’s a great idea to get married now,” Matilda said. “We need a celebration to get our minds off those vampires... and other unpleasant things. Nina and I will handle it. You won’t have to worry about a thing.”
“No.” Shay clenched her hands. “Thank you, Matilda, but Bree, Sorcha, and I have a lot of the plans in place already. Don’t we, girls?” She threw a panicked look at the women, who quickly nodded in agreement.
“That’s right,” Bree said. “We just have to speed things up. You worry about writing your book, Matilda.”
“I’m stuck on chapter two. I can’t focus. Has anyone seen the cat?”
“The last time I saw it was at Tavis’s grave,” Bree said.
“Who’s Tavis?” Nina asked.
“Faelan’s brother. We found his grave.” Bree reached for Faelan’s hand. “We’re having a funeral for him in my graveyard in an hour. We need to leave soon.”
“I love a good funeral,” Matilda said. “Boy, Nina, we got here just in time.”
Cody’s phone rang. “It’s Sam. She has people looking for Anna.” He walked away to take the call.
“Is Anna lost?” Matilda asked.
“We don’t know if she’s just off grieving for Angus or in trouble.”
“Poor thing,” Nina said. “Such a pretty girl. I hope somebody didn’t kidnap her.”
“I was almost kidnapped once,” Matilda said.
“You got in the wrong car at the grocery store,” Nina said. “That’s not kidnapping.”
Cody came back. “Sam’s had no luck with Anna. Lachlan and Marcas went back to the fortress site. Maybe they’ll pick up her trail.”
“If not, we’ll call in another Seeker,” Declan said.
Ronan grimaced. “Not the same one.”
“Did you get that short asshole?” Declan asked.
“That’s the one.”
“Can I interview him?” Matilda asked. “Maybe tag along and get some good material for my book.”
There was a resounding no from everyone in the room.
“Well, then,” Matilda said, offended.
“I thought you were writing about vampires,” Shay said.
“I’ve decided to write my memoirs. I’m not famous, but how many people have encountered a vampire and know real live warriors?”
Cody gritted his teeth. “You can’t write about warriors. Remember, we told you about the secrets.”
“I won’t use real names,” Matilda said.
Cody clenched his fists, and Shay patted his chest. “Calm down.”
“And I’m including a chapter on reincarnation,” Matilda said.
“I didn’t know you believe in reincarnation,” Nina said.
“I just started. I think the cat was human once.”
* * *
The day had turned gray,which seemed to Bree an indicator that nothing was going right. The minister was running late—not that it mattered since Faelan had vanished. And Matilda had another mishap that had Cody ready to scalp her and everyone around them.
Faelan wanted to reschedule the funeral, but Ronan and Bree had convinced him to continue. Whatever was happening with the vanishing fortress and Anna was big. Faelan was the oldest and strongest warrior the clan had. They needed him to be one hundred percent, not mired in grief.
“Stop pacing,” Ronan growled at Bree.
He was in a foul mood too. He was worried about Anna, afraid he’d gotten there too late to save her.
“If he doesn’t show up soon, he’s going to miss his brother’s funeral.” Bree plopped down on the sofa that had belonged to Grandma Emily. Had her real mother, Layla, sat here? Layla had died when Bree and her twin were babies, so she wouldn’t have remembered her mother, but it hurt that they hadn’t told her she was Layla’s daughter.
“He’ll show up,” Ronan said.
Bree laid her hand over her stomach, trying to feel the tiny life growing there. “He didn’t even come to bed last night.” Faelan always came to bed.
Ronan dropped onto the seat beside her. “We were out late searching for Anna. He probably didn’t want to wake you.” He cocked one eyebrow, and a slow grin started across his face. “But if he’s slacking on his conjugal duties, all you have to do is ask.”
Bree smacked his chest. “You’re not fooling anyone. You’re feeling as guilty as Faelan. You’re just flirting to distract yourself.”
He touched his chest. “Ouch. You’ll have to stop hitting me after my nephew is born. You don’t want to set a bad example.”
“If you don’t stop tormenting Faelan, you won’t be around to be an uncle to the baby. And you know very well we don’t know if we’re having a boy or a girl.”
“I’ll take either,” he said. “Or both. Twins do run in the clan. And didn’t you have a twin? I’d say your chances are pretty good.” He touched Bree’s belly.
“You could have one of your own,” Bree said softly. He must want children, at least subconsciously. It seemed he touched her belly every chance he got.
“No thanks. Yours will do just fine. I’ll have my hands full keeping your ancient husband in line.”
Bree looked at her watch and stood. “I’m going to find him. He probably took a walk in the woods.”
Ronan put his hands on her shoulders. “No you don’t. I’m under orders to keep you here.”
“I’m worried about him.”
“He probably needs to settle his head. This is hard for him, thinking Tavis died at sea, now finding out he died here. And in his mind, he lost him just a few days ago. Finding the grave has brought back all the guilt. God knows he’s got enough already.”
“You’re one to talk about guilt. You still believe you’re responsible for Cam’s death.”
“That’s different.” A muscle ticked in Ronan’s jaw. “I know I got my brother killed.”
His phone rang before Bree could give him a lecture. He pulled it out, answered, and Bree watched his face harden.
“What is it?” she asked, clutching his arm.
“The blond vampire escaped. What could go wrong next?”
Faelan finally arrived, and everyone gathered to pay their final respects to Tavis Connor. His brother’s final resting place would be the burial vault where Bree had found Faelan. The warriors stood somberly in front of the crypt, waiting as Faelan and Sean spoke to the minister. It would be a short service, so they hadn’t put out chairs. Faelan had grieved for his brother once, and now he had to do it again.
“I still think he should have done the DNA test,” Shay said to Bree.
“Faelan doesn’t want to wait. He’s certain it’s Tavis. It’s his dagger,” Bree said. “The corpse is wearing a kilt. The coffin is the right time period. And we know Tavis wasn’t buried in Scotland. They thought he was buried at sea.”
“Sucks for Faelan,” Cody said. “Like losing his brother twice.”
“Wait,” Shay said. “Isn’t that the minister you said had a nervous breakdown?”
Bree sighed. “Yes, but he was the only one available on short notice.”
Sean and Faelan joined them, and Faelan stood beside Bree. He reached for her hand as the minister took his place in front of the group. The coffin rested behind him. Faelan had insisted on burying Tavis in his original coffin, though it was rotted in places. He said his brother wouldn’t have wanted to be buried in a fancy box.
“We gather here today on a sad occasion,” the minister began. “But not one without hope.”
A thump sounded inside the crypt. “What was that?” Bree asked.
“I don’t know,” Faelan said, looking at the crypt.
The minister looked at the coffin. He turned back to the crowd, cleared his throat, and spoke again. “This is not the end, but the beginning. Death is not final.”
There was another loud thump, and the minister jumped. Bree wasn’t sure, but she thought he cursed. He swiped a hand over his thinning hair and glanced behind him into the crypt. He sped through the rest of the funeral, periodically looking back at the coffin. “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
“Makes me think of vampires,” Brodie muttered.
A crash sounded inside, followed by a roar. The minister screamed and knocked over the makeshift podium as he raced across the graveyard. The warriors drew their swords and moved toward the crypt with one motion.
“What was that?” Niall asked.
“It’s coming out of a crypt,” Brodie said. “It can’t be good. I hope it’s not that blond vampire.”
“He’s in the dungeon in Scotland,” Shay said.
“Not anymore,” Bree said. “Ronan said he escaped.”
“You watch the front, I’ll take the back,” Shay said. She and Bree were the only ones able to track the vampires’ quick movements, where the others just saw streaks of light. And they could fight the vampires better than the warriors could, as if something was programmed inside them to battle the creatures.
A shadow darkened the door, and a figure stumbled out. He had long, dark hair and wore a kilt and a blood-soaked shirt. There were shouts of alarm as warriors hurried toward the man.
Bree turned to her husband who was gripping her arm so hard it hurt. He looked like he’d seen a ghost. The man in the crypt let out a wild cry and rushed at the warriors. Bree was the only one close enough to hear Faelan’s shocked whisper.
“Tavis?”