Chapter 16
Hurry,” Anna said. They all piled in the car, and as it would happen, Anna was seated next to Tavis. Neither of them had planned it. In fact, he was sure Anna would have sat somewhere else if she’d had a choice.
This was going to be awkward. “Are you injured?” he asked. Duncan drove the car onto the road so quickly that Anna was thrown against Tavis.
She quickly sat up and folded her hands in her lap. “I’m fine. Have you seen Faelan?”
“Aye. Thank you for hiding me in the crypt. For leading Voltar away from me.” A dangerous thing for her to do, but he appreciated the effort and the thought.
“You’re welcome. I’m sure he was happy to see you.”
“And surprised. Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“Of course,” she said stiffly.
This wasn’t the woman who’d tended his wounds and cared for him. Stuffed her blanket through the bars of the cell to keep him warm. Helped him piss in a cup. He still cringed to think of that. This woman was distant and cold.
“Time for explanations,” Ronan said. “Why didn’t you call for help?”
Anna sighed. “I didn’t have a phone.”
“Why didn’t you get one?”
“I didn’t have time. I was captured right after I talked to you.”
“If you’d had a phone, you could have called us, and we would have stormed his fortress,” Ronan said.
“Do you want to hear what happened or not?” Anna asked.
“Tell us,” Duncan said.
“After I hid Tavis in the crypt, I tried to lure Voltar away.” Anna glanced at Tavis. “He followed me, and then I lost him. Tristol showed up a few minutes later. He wanted to know what I’d done with his fortress.”
“He thinks you took it?” Ronan asked.
“Not anymore. He thinks Voltar did it.”
“Why did Tristol bring you to Voltar’s penthouse?” Duncan asked.
“He hoped I’d kill Voltar for him. He doesn’t like Voltar very much. I gathered that the feeling is mutual.”
“I guess he doesn’t know a warrior has to be assigned,” Lachlan said.
“Or doesn’t care,” Duncan said. “Tristol must know Anna’s strong. Even if she wasn’t assigned to Voltar, she could do some damage. I doubt Tristol cares whether that monster kills her in the process.”
“Tristol has some interesting abilities,” Anna said. “He can walk on holy ground. He can touch a talisman and not get burned. And he can fly.”
“I take it you don’t mean he’s a pilot,” Lachlan said.
“No, like a bird.”
This news sparked a lengthy debate about the ancient demon and his abilities. “A demon who can fly.” Ronan shook his head. “What the hell?”
“It’s said he’s the Dark One’s favorite. Maybe he’s given him some special powers,” Duncan said.
The warriors exhausted the possibilities about Tristol’s strange powers, and the conversation drifted to the best shortcut back to the airport.
“Why are you being so bloody stiff?” Tavis whispered softly to Anna. He understood that she must still be troubled over what had happened, but she’d felt enough for him to help him escape, to risk her own life to make sure Voltar didn’t find him.
She gave him a quick glance. “It’s been a long day.”
Tavis didn’t speak much for the rest of the trip. He concentrated on the feel of Anna’s leg pressed against his, though she was doing everything but clinging to the door to put space between them. When they got to the plane, she waited until he took a seat and then chose one farther away.
He mused over the situation as they flew back to the castle. It was irritating to have her behaving so brusquely when they’d been so close in the dungeon. Irritated, he glanced back and saw her watching him with stark fear on her face.
* * *
She couldn’t keepher eyes off him. Her body was still trembling from the ride in the car. Being that close had brought back memories of kissing him in the dungeon before the guard caught them. Blaming her inhibitions on the drug the guard had given her didn’t explain her feelings now. She wasn’t drugged, and she still couldn’t get him out of her head.
Tavis turned and looked at her. His jaw was tight. Dark eyes held hers for a moment, then he looked away. He was hurt. And worried. She could see it in the slope of his shoulders. Those beautiful shoulders. Beautiful chest and body. Would she ever get the image of that damned soapy washcloth out of her head?
She knew he felt something for her. Probably just gratitude and lust. She always got the lust. But Tavis hadn’t done anything wrong. He wasn’t the one who’d raped her mother and left her pregnant with a child she didn’t want but was unwilling to abort. Tavis wasn’t the one who’d trained her, mentored her, and when she’d begun to trust him like the father she never had, wanted her to show appreciation for his work with her body. She closed her eyes in frustration.
Sex sucked. Love sucked. Didn’t it? What about Ronan? That hadn’t sucked. Just bad timing. And the wrong person. And Tavis... before the guard came, that had been amazing. She wasn’t being fair to him. They’d shared a powerful connection in the dungeon. Maybe just because they were both prisoners trapped and scared, but she’d felt something for him that she’d never felt for a man before. The thought of exploring it made her sick to her stomach.
* * *
When they reached the castle,Faelan came charging out to meet the plane. “He looks like an angry bull,” Ronan said.
Tavis knew that look too well. “Aye. I’ll handle him.” When he was pissed the only thing to do was to confront him head-on.
“Good,” Lachlan said, shutting himself in the cockpit when Faelan started pounding on the door to the plane.
Tavis had to wait for Ronan to open it. He couldn’t figure out how to get out of the confounded thing.
Faelan stood there, his hands clenched, eyes frightened. “You just leave without telling me? Go off on some bloody mission without a word after you’ve just come back from the dead.”
“I had to do it. Lance said I had to come alone.”
“Alone?” His incredulous glance swept over the others, who were looking at their feet, twiddling their thumbs. Lachlan was watching from the window in the front of the plane.
“They weren’t supposed to be there,” Tavis said. “They waylaid me.”
Ronan jumped down and stood next to Tavis. “Lance told him he had to come alone, or he wouldn’t take him to Anna.”
“You found Anna?”
“Aye. I didn’t want him going alone, so I followed,” Ronan said. “Same with Shane and Duncan.”
Cody stalked up to meet them. He didn’t look any happier than Faelan. “You could have told us you were going,” Cody said, frowning at Lachlan, whose face vanished from the window.
“I did. I put a letter under Faelan’s door. I didn’t want to knock. You and Bree were... engaged.”
“And he did leave a letter,” Ronan said. “I saw him write it.”
“I didn’t see it.” Faelan looked around and spotted Anna standing behind the others. “And where the bloody hell have you been? And what’s that you’re wearing?”
“Don’t start with me, Faelan.” Anna walked off the plane.
“She’s in a foul mood,” Ronan said. “But she’s been visiting with Tristol and Voltar, so I don’t blame her.”
“Tristol and Voltar.” Faelan’s eyebrows rose, and everyone started talking at once.
Cody held up his hand. “Hold on. Come inside and let’s get the story straight. Bree needs to know Anna’s okay. She’s been worried sick. Everyone has.”
“I’m sorry,” Anna said. “There wasn’t time to warn anyone.”
“If you’d bothered to replace your cellphone, you could have called,” Ronan said.
Anna didn’t answer. They all walked toward the castle, but it was slow going with everyone they met stopping them to ask questions. By the time they got inside, they had an entourage. Anna had been missing for some time, and the whole clan had been worried.
The interior of the castle was so like the one Tavis had grown up in, it made him homesick. He expected to see Ian and Alana rushing out to greet him. But it was Bree and Shay who ran down the hall.
“You’re back. Thank God.” Bree hugged Anna and suddenly jumped back as if she’d been burned.
Anna peered at her. “Are you okay?”
Bree appeared at a loss for words. She must be overcome with emotion. Tavis remembered when his mother was pregnant with Alana. How easily she’d cried.
An elderly man and woman joined them. Both were white-haired, with happy faces and warm eyes. The man stared at Tavis and then grabbed him in a hug.
The move surprised Tavis, but he hugged him back. When the old man stepped away, he looked up at Tavis, his eyes glistening. “I never thought to see such a remarkable thing in all my days.”
“Sean, Tavis has no idea who you are,” the woman said, smiling at him like his mother used to.
“I got a bit ahead of myself. I’m Sean Connor, and this is my wife, Coira. We’re your family.” He beamed, hunched his shoulders, and chuckled.
Tavis nodded to them. “Tavis Connor, and I’m very glad to meet you both.”
“He’s overwhelmed, Sean.” The woman took Tavis by the arm. “What you need is a good meal.”
“I am hungry.”
“Come along then,” the old man said, “and let Coira feed you. You’ve a lot to learn. Times have changed—even in my lifetime. I hardly recognize the world sometimes. But you’ll sort it all out. Your brother did. He’s become a whiz at texting.”
Tavis didn’t know what texting was. Perhaps a new kind of weaponry. Coira led the way to the kitchen. It was similar to the one at home, but there were more of those modern appliances like the ones he’d seen at Faelan and Bree’s. Several people were in the kitchen working at large ovens. Some were baking bread, others chopping vegetables. He had a wistful moment remembering how his mother had fussed about having to feed so many warriors, even with help, when everyone knew she loved every moment of it.
Tavis ate bread and stew and answered more questions. When he’d finished, Sean took Tavis’s hand and Faelan’s. “A family reunion. That’s what we’ll have.”
“What about Voltar and Tristol?” Sorcha asked.
“They’ll have to wait,” Sean said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime event. I won’t let the demons ruin this moment.” He eyed Tavis. “Your brother Ian, he’s not coming too, is he?”
“No, Ian stayed behind to take care of my mother.”
Sean’s lips pressed together, and he nodded. “I understand. You’re a brave lad for doing what you did. And he’s a brave one for staying behind. Makes me proud to be a Connor.”
Warmth stirred in Tavis’s chest. He’d worried that he’d arrive to find Faelan dead, Druan on a rampage, or worse—the world already destroyed. But he’d found his family. Part of his family. His eyes strayed to Anna, whose eyes were damp. She turned her head.
Two older women entered the kitchen. One of them had the reddest hair Tavis had ever seen, and her clothes looked like an artist had splattered her with paint.
“Look, Nina, he looks just like Faelan,” the redhead said, moving right up to him and inspecting him like he was a wax model. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she pinched him. And she did, right on one of his healing cuts. “Almost like twins. Triplets if you count Duncan. All three of you look alike.”
“I’m Nina,” the other woman said. “Cody and Shay’s aunt. I’m so glad to meet you. It’s just amazing that you’re here.”
“And I’m Matilda, their aunt,” the redhead said. “Or practically their aunt.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” He tried not to stare at Matilda, but he’d never seen anything quite like her.
“Let’s hope you can still say that in a week,” Nina said, frowning at Matilda.
“I’m sorry we missed your funeral,” Matilda said. “But we’re pleased as punch that you’re alive. Maybe I could interview you. I’m writing a book, and I’m interested in learning more about time vaults.”
Tavis was almost certain the Council wouldn’t allow any books to be written about time vaults or any other thing connected to the clan. But she was probably just barmy. He’d been warned about her on the airplane.
“Matilda, leave Tavis alone,” Nina said.
“We’ll talk later. Will you be here for the wedding?” Matilda asked.
“Wedding?”
“Cody and Shay’s?”
“I reckon I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good.” Matilda came closer and gave him a squeeze. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said, sounding wise despite her strange hair. “Faelan needs someone from his family.” She looked misty-eyed and then cleared her throat. “I’m going to find the cat. I think he’s upset with me.”
Coira rolled her eyes. “I need to take a look at Tavis’s injuries.”
“Better go with her,” Sean said. “We’ll meet you in the library and get acquainted.”
Coira took Tavis to the infirmary and checked him over, tsking as she bandaged. “If I could get my hands on that demon, I don’t know what I’d do to him.”
Tavis didn’t know what he’d do to Tristol. He wasn’t his demon. But he knew exactly what he’d do to Voltar when he got his chance. He regretted leaving him in the penthouse, but it would be foolishness to take on him and Tristol at the same time. They would have to die separately.
As she worked, Coira asked about his past, pulling information out of him that he didn’t know he even remembered. Things from his childhood. When he had been bandaged to Coira’s satisfaction, they went to the library. Tavis was introduced to other warriors he hadn’t yet met, so many he couldn’t recall all their names. They gave him a warm welcome and asked too many questions, but he understood that everyone was curious about him. It wasn’t all pleasant. They discussed Voltar and Tristol, and a pall settled over the group when they learned that Tristol wasn’t bound by some of the rules as the other demons.
After a while, Tavis missed parts of the conversation because he was trying to watch Anna. She and Ronan had their heads together talking. He felt the sting of jealousy. Was there something between her and Ronan? They were both attractive, and he hadn’t seen Ronan with anyone except Bree. Anna glanced across the room at Tavis and slipped out of the library.
Tavis followed her outside, wondering if she was meeting someone. A woman as beautiful as Anna would have many suitors.
Anna turned around, hands on her hips. “Are you following me?”
“What if I am?”
“I don’t like being followed.”
“I don’t like being ignored.”
“I’m not ignoring you.”
“Yes, you are. You won’t even look at me.”
She looked at him then, and he felt the impact of her gaze like a fist to his stomach. What was this effect she had on him? It was almost painful. He’d never felt anything like it. He’d felt attracted to women, bedded a few, and with Marna he’d felt a fondness, but this tearing, gnawing desperation was hell.
“You only did that to prove me wrong,” he said.
She rolled her eyes and stepped closer to him. He could feel the heat rising off her body. How was that possible? “I just want some time alone,” she said. But she didn’t move away. She stared at his mouth and swallowed. The pulse at her throat ticked like a pocket watch, mesmerizing him. He wanted to put his lips against it and taste it.
“You’re standing very close to me for someone who wants to be alone,” he said.
She shook her head and turned to walk off. He didn’t follow her this time. He needed to go somewhere and think. Sort out his head. He had to figure out what to do about Tristol and Voltar.
* * *
The feelingin Tristol’s arms returned first, and it slowly worked down his body until he could take a few faltering steps. His eyes burned with anger, the heat so hot it felt like lasers. Voltar would die for this. As Tristol’s muscles returned to normal, he vowed he would kill every demon attached to him. First, he would find out what Voltar had used on him. It seemed to be a stun gun, but it must be powered by sorcery. Nothing had stopped Tristol before. He didn’t think it had been but a few minutes, but this was unacceptable. He, the most powerful being on this earth, petrified like a dead tree. Several of his vampires had been destroyed, his fortress stolen from under his nose, and his enemy was the one to tell him that he had not one, but two spies in his home.
When Tristol was able to move at normal speed, he zoomed through Voltar’s penthouse searching for the demon. He wasn’t there. He’d probably gone after Anna and the warriors. Tristol let the power and rage build into a ball of fury. It flew from his fingers, igniting the room. There were people downstairs in the club who might have nothing to do with Voltar. Tristol streaked out into the hallway and hit the fire alarm, giving them opportunity to escape before he destroyed the entire building. That made him even angrier. He was growing a damned conscience. He’d spent too much time watching those do-good warriors. They were rubbing off on him. But even with his powers, he couldn’t undo a fire alarm.
He streaked out of the burning building, past people running to escape. He stopped a few blocks over where he watched Voltar’s building go up in a blaze.
“Master.”
Tristol turned. It was his lieutenant. “It’s about time. Do you have the book?”
“I did, but they took it back,” Jacquard said.
“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?” Was it possible that Jacquard was involved in the breach? Tristol was finding it hard to trust anyone now.
“I haven’t been avoiding you. But I have some troubling news about your prisoner.”
“I already know. I got the wrong one.”
Jacquard looked nervous. “Shall I bring Faelan to you?”
“Not now. I have more pressing problems. Voltar and his daughter.”