Angus: A Highland Warrior Brief Read online

  There were several of them lying as if they'd been dropped in battle. In a chapel? Bloody hell.

  Near the front he found a crumbled wall. He pulled the stones aside and found a secret door. This must be it. He could feel it. He crept down the uneven steps, his spirit rising as the air grew mustier. At the bottom of the steps he found a room, and waiting in the darkness where it had been for the better part of two centuries, he found the second time vault.

  His heart pounded with excitement, but he was troubled that Anna wasn't here. It didn't feel right doing something this big without her. He couldn't wait. Druan's demons were too close.

  He used his torch to examine the time vault. Anticipation made him breathless. He'd stumbled onto a lot of mysteries but never anything to match this. When he couldn't stand waiting any longer, he tried the key, half expecting it not to work. His breath caught. It fit. "Bloody hell." His voice sounded harsh in the small, dark space. Slowly, he turned the key, but it didn't move. Was this another decoy? He'd locked many time vaults but never tried to open one. Perhaps it was as simple as turning it the other way. He gave it a try, and heard a series of clicks as the lock moved under his hand. There was a soft pop, like a seal being broken. Lights burst from the time vault; blue, green, and orange, knocking Angus to the floor. He lay stunned for a moment and then scrambled to his feet.

  He approached the time vault again, veins feeling like they'd explode. His arms were tight as he lifted the lid.

  A man lay inside. He had dark hair, a white shirt, and he wore a kilt. His eyes were closed. On his right cheek, a single tear hung like a drop of water. It fell, and trickled down the man's cheek as his eyes flew open. He pulled in a loud gasping breath and reached for the dagger lying across his chest.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Cody MacBain was trying to extricate his dumbass brother Lachlan from the latest girlfriend disaster when he got the urgent call from Angus asking for help. Angus and Cody were from the same clan in Scotland, but Cody's family had been in America—Virginia—on a secret mission since he was a kid. "What do you need me to do?" Cody asked.

  "I've found something. Something incredible. I need you to hide it. My cover's been blown."

  "Where are you?"

  "New York. Albany. I can't explain right now, but it's big. It'll affect all the clans. Can you meet me here?" Angus sounded worried.

  "Aye. When?" What had Angus found? Cody remembered hearing that Angus and Anna MacKinley were looking for the missing Book of Battles. Had he found it?

  "As soon as possible."

  "I'll have one of my brothers take me on the plane." Lach and Marcas were both pilots. "I can meet you later tonight." It wouldn't take long to fly from Charlottesville to Albany.

  "I've got to go," Angus whispered, and the phone disconnected.

  Cody was curious, and a bit worried himself. Angus was a good warrior and smart as they came. Should have been a bloody private investigator. Angus had started digging around and almost uncovered the secret Cody's family had kept hidden for over twenty-five years.

  "Lach, drag yourself away from your girlfriends and get the plane ready."

  "You hear that, ladies?" Lach asked the two women glaring at him in the driveway. They'd found out about each other and come to confront Lach. "I'll have to go. This was just a simple mistake. I'll explain it all when I get back."

  The women weren't happy, but they had calmed down, each desperate to believe there was some reasonable explanation for why Lach was seeing both of them at the same time. Cody had warned him that he shouldn't date two women at once, but Lach never learned.

  Lach took each woman by the arm and escorted them to their cars. He helped the first one in and offered her a smile. She melted like a snowflake in the sunshine. The second one was a little more difficult, but Lach finally convinced her as well.

  "You're a piece of work," Cody said when Lach joined him.

  "I didn't know they'd show up here. Where are we going? I was supposed to get up with Jamie."

  Jamie was another warrior from the clan who'd recently come to America. "Jamie will have to wait. Angus Connor wants me to meet him in Albany. He sounded worried." Scared. He'd sounded scared.

  "Albany? I know a really hot girl who—"

  "Lach, sometimes I wanna cut off your balls."

  "Jealousy doesn't suit you, brother. Just because you don't have a woman."

  "I don't want a woman." He'd lost the only one he wanted.

  "Every man wants a woman. I'll see if Jamie wants to ride along. He's got a woman," Lach said, giving Cody a calculating look.

  "Good for him. Go get ready. Angus sounded like hell was on his heels."

  ***

  Angus covered the secret door in the chapel and hurried back to the bed and breakfast to check on Faelan. He had to get him to Scotland before Druan found out he was free. He tried calling Anna again. No answer. Sean didn't answer either. Where were they?

  When he arrived back at the bed and breakfast, Mrs. Edwards wasn't around. Thank God. The woman was nosy as hell. She kept trying to get a glimpse of his partner. He knew what she thought, what kind of relationship he was in, but it couldn't be helped. He didn't want anyone to see Faelan. The warrior had been locked up for one hundred and fifty years waiting to be released. Angus wasn't going to let a busybody ruin things now.

  He started up the stairs, and Mrs. Edwards appeared. "Mr. Smith. Did you drop this?" She held up his notebook.

  Good God. Where had he left it? His notebook had all his research notes and private thoughts. Behind Mrs. Edwards, a woman stood in the door of one of the rooms. Angus felt the blood drain from his face. It was Bree Kirkland. Jared's friend. She must have followed him here. Had she seen him release Faelan?

  Going to his room was out of the question. He had to draw her away from the bed and breakfast. He hurried back to the car and drove down the street where he parked and waited to see if Bree would follow. She didn't. He couldn't get Faelan out of there until Jared's friend left, but this would be a good time to sneak into her house and find out who Bree Kirkland really was.

  When he pulled up to the dig to hide his car he was surprised to see Jared's parked there. Good. The archaeologist had a lot of explaining to do. Angus got out of the car and adjusted his shirt to cover the collapsed sword strapped to his side. Immediately, he felt eyes watching him. His hand hovered near his sword as he called Jared's name.

  No answer, but an owl hooted nearby. The same one? Damned odd owl if you asked him.

  A twig snapped, and Jared appeared. "I've been waiting for you." The body was Jared's but the voice was low and harsh like a growl.

  He must be a demon then, not a minion. Game over. Angus pulled out his sword and extended it to full length.

  Jared smiled, but it wasn't pleasant. "You think that will protect you?" His skin rippled, smile widening as jawbones popped and his forehead bulged, contorting his face. Eyes turned yellow, and sharp teeth appeared where before he'd had perfect human teeth.

  Angus grasped his talisman, balanced lightly on the balls of his feet as the bones in Jared's body cracked and lengthened under thickening skin, and sharp claws tipped long, gray arms. Even before he'd completed his shift, Angus felt the power emanating from the demon. He kept one hand on his talisman, one on his sword, and when the demon finally stood before him in his natural form, he knew both were useless. All he could do was run.

  Jared wasn't just any demon. He was Druan.

  The graveyard and chapel were nearby. Holy ground, Angus's only chance. He had no idea what he'd do then. He turned and ran. Trees snapped behind him as Druan followed. Angus saw the graveyard through the trees, but Druan was so close Angus could feel the demon's hot breath on his neck. A claw swiped across his back, and he felt his skin tear. He flew through the air and landed on the ground.

  Druan stood over him, teeth bared. "Angus," he hissed. "I didn't recognize you before. You dare try to ruin my plans. I will wake Faelan and make him watch the d
estruction of his precious humans."

  Angus grabbed his sword and jumped to his feet, pointing the blade at the demon. "You've created another virus?"

  "I have, and there's nothing you can do to stop it." He laughed, and his foul breath numbed Angus's body. "When I find Faelan's time vault and the key, I may keep you with him and let you both witness the destruction of humanity."

  Angus was surprised that Druan didn't know Faelan was already awake. Bree must have followed Angus to the bed and breakfast, but perhaps she hadn't seen Faelan. There was hope yet. Not for Angus, but for Faelan. If Angus didn't check in with the clan, other warriors would come. They could save the Mighty Faelan, if they could locate him.

  Druan screeched and swiped at Angus. The warrior jumped back, but one claw grazed his cheek. A noise like the wind sounded overhead. A white owl—the same one?—swooped straight at Druan's head. Avoiding the claws the demon threw up in defense, the owl dug its talons into Druan's shoulder and knocked him off balance. The owl looked at him, and Angus heard the word. Graveyard.

  He didn't know who spoke, but it was a bloody good idea. He jumped up and ran. He heard Druan snarling and cursing behind him.

  Angus didn't look back until he reached the graveyard. He leapt over the fence, sinking his feet into the safety of hallowed ground. But what now? Call for help?

  He reached for his cell phone, but it was gone.

  The owl must have flown away because Druan stormed up to the graveyard fence. He didn't touch it, but he screamed and cursed. They were at a standoff most of the night. Druan couldn't get to Angus himself so he sent halflings. Though some of them were as hideous as full demons, their human side allowed them to step on holy ground. One by one, Angus killed them, and Druan screamed in fury as they disappeared. The demon paced outside the fence, ranting and railing, even killing one of his own halflings in frustration. While he waited for more halflings to come, he sometimes shifted back into Jared's form, and then he would talk, boasting of his plans.

  "Is Bree Kirkland a demon or a minion?" Angus asked.

  Jared smiled. "She's mine. She will always be mine."

  Faelan's brothers had trusted Bree's family to watch over him. Had they been Druan's minions all along, or had he recruited them afterwards, paid them to guard the time vault for Druan until Faelan could be awakened? Sometimes an entire family served a demon for generations.

  Druan was a vain demon, and he told Angus about the world order conference that was really a gathering of demons all over the world. Each would return to his own country with a vial of the new virus Druan had created. When the virus was released, the world would be destroyed. He would be rid of humans and the other demons in the League that he despised.

  Angus had to warn the others. If he could get inside Bree's house, he could call for help. Cody and his brothers were the closest warriors. Cody must be wondering where Angus was. But even if he could get help, he couldn't bring another warrior into a fight with an ancient demon. It would end in the warrior's death. And for the first time since this trip, Angus was glad Anna wasn't here.

  Three more demons and halflings arrived, and began creeping toward Angus. One of them whispered something to Druan that made him angry.

  "Take him," Druan said.

  The demon didn't enter the graveyard. He pulled back his hand and Angus felt a sting in his shoulder. He pulled out the dart. Drugged by a bloody dart, he thought as he fell.

  ***

  He woke in a dungeon that looked like the one in Connor Castle. This must be Nigel's castle. He spent the next hours, or was it days, in and out of a drugged stupor as Druan tried to get answers from him about warriors and their secrets. He wanted to know how time vaults worked. Angus didn't answer. Not that he would anyway, but keeping quiet was his only hope of escape. In spite of what Druan had said about letting Angus watch the destruction of the world, Angus knew if he told the demon what he wanted to know, Angus would die sooner rather than later. He had to live long enough to alert the clan. He was certain Druan would have tortured him for information if he hadn't been so busy with his demon gathering and frantically searching for Faelan's time vault key.

  When Druan was away and Angus was conscious, he tried to find a way out so he could warn the others and get back to Faelan. He made it out of his cell twice, only to be captured and drugged again. It was a human who finally helped him escape. He said his name was Russell. He didn't explain how he'd gotten there or who he was, not that it would have helped since Angus's head was still swimming with the drugs Druan had given him. Russell just showed up and opened the cell door. The man was obviously familiar with this place, and from the vile names he called the demon, he appeared to hate him as much as Angus did, so the warrior followed Russell through the dungeon.

  "Who are you?" Russell asked.

  Angus wouldn't normally have given his identity, but obviously Russell was trying to help. Still, he didn't reveal what he was. "My name is Angus. He captured me."

  "I know. I saw him bring you in. I knew you weren't one of them, one of the monsters."

  Russell obviously wasn't either. Angus decided he must be a minion. One with a grudge. After spending time with Druan and seeing how he treated his help, Angus wasn't surprised. "Why are you doing this?" Angus asked. His head was clearing a bit.

  "I'm trying to right a wrong." Russell led him outside and away from the castle.

  Angus was shocked when he looked back and saw it had vanished completely.

  "You're not dreaming," Russell said. "He must be practicing dark magic. The castle is hidden."

  Angus couldn't tell Russell about Faelan, so he had Russell drop him off down the street from the bed and breakfast. Russell vanished before Angus could even thank him. Mrs. Edwards probably wouldn't let him inside in his condition, so he sneaked in and went up to the room where he'd left Faelan. He wasn't there. Angus checked the bathroom and downstairs, and then looked outside, but there was no sign of Faelan. Had Bree found him and taken him to Druan?

  Angus had lost his cell phone, so he used the room phone to call Anna, but she didn't answer. He didn't call the castle since he didn't know who might answer, and he didn't trust the Council. He wasn't even sure he trusted Cody MacBain. After Druan's mind manipulation, Angus wasn't sure who might be working for the demon. He seemed to know them all far too well. Cody and his family, the Connor warriors. Was it from reputation only or something more?

  But Angus was desperate, so he dialed Cody MacBain's number. It was in mid ring when the door closed downstairs. Angus hung up and hurried down. Mrs. Edwards was talking on her cell phone.

  "Have you seen my friend?" he blurted out. "Has he left or had any visitors?"

  Mrs. Edwards' eyes had widened at Angus's appearance, but she nodded no, and before she could start asking questions, Angus slipped out. He had no idea where to start looking. With his injuries and his head still clouded, he needed help. In this condition, he wouldn't do Faelan much good even if he found him.

  Angus caught a taxi to the airport and cleaned up in the restroom before catching the first flight to London where he would continue to Scotland. He was bleeding, but he managed to keep it covered. He slept most of the flight, his mind and body beaten and exhausted. The flight attendant roused him when it was time to change planes in London. The flight to Scotland passed the same, and when he stumbled to his car where he'd parked it at the Inverness airport, three men were waiting for him. Not men, demons.

  They appeared to be full demons, not as ugly as some he'd seen, but still unpleasant with their yellow inhuman eyes, distorted faces and sharp nails. And the smell...that was one of the worst parts. They all came at him at once. He didn't have his dagger with him, since he didn't have the special luggage that disguised weapons so they could be smuggled through airport security, so he had to rely on his own skills, which were seriously hampered by his injuries. His best chance at killing them was to snap their necks. He met the demons' attack, trying to avoid their claws as he
lunged and darted, but in his condition it was almost impossible. He felt one agonizing slice after another. After a few minutes he was fading fast. And hallucinating. He thought he saw the white owl again, and then he heard a woman's voice. Not Anna's. How he escaped from the demons, he didn't know, but he was bleeding heavily now.

  The castle wasn't far away, but he felt the life draining out of him with every beat of his heart. He was dying. He knew that. The one thought keeping him alive was Anna. He couldn’t die without telling her how he felt, and he had to let her know he found Faelan. He sped through traffic lights and stop signs in his race to the castle. He didn't use the front gate. No one could know he was here until he'd had a chance to see Anna. He hid his car near the hidden tunnel entrance and stumbled through to the castle.

  He heard voices when he got inside, and he followed the sound to the dining room. He dragged himself to the door and burst through. Stunned faces stared up at him, and he quickly sought out Anna. She was safe. His gaze moved around the table. He saw Sorcha, whose ancestors had betrayed the clan, and farther away, an alarming sight. Druan's friend, Bree, dining with the warriors. Didn’t they know who she was? He opened his mouth to explain, but all that came out was one word. "Traitor." His vision was fading, but he recognized the dark-haired man sitting between Anna and Sorcha. The man he’d left at the bed and breakfast. Faelan. How had he gotten here? "You!" he gasped.

  But something was wrong, he thought as his legs gave way. Something was different about the man. Anna was rising, her face pale. He hadn't told her about her father, but perhaps it was best. The knowledge might have destroyed her. Angus knew he wouldn't see her again, so he saved his last thoughts, remembering her smile and her beautiful eyes as he crashed to the floor.

  ***

  Anna's chair crashed to the floor as she leapt to her feet and ran toward Angus. No. No. He was covered in blood. "Angus!" She knelt beside him and checked for a pulse. It was weak. The other warriors surrounded them, and Coira started shouting out orders. Duncan and Faelan carried Angus to the infirmary. Anna hurried beside them, her body numb. There was so much blood on him it was impossible to tell if he'd been attacked or had an accident?