“You disturb me.” He grinned, and she felt lava pulse through her veins.
They were treading dangerous waters. “These are modern times. You need to be man enough to let a woman do some rescuing too,” she said, which resulted in a dubious scowl. “Do you think Druan knows we were there? Could he smell us?”
“I doubt it. They stink like the devil, but their sense of smell isn’t strong. Couldn’t live with themselves if it were.” His hands dropped to his talisman. “He must be desperate by now. We’ve got to find my clan. Druan’s disease—” Faelan stopped.
“Disease? What disease?”
Faelan blew out a breath and closed his eyes.
“You’re
“I didn’t see any reason to worry you further. It’s not your fight.”
“Not my fight? I almost married Druan, and you wouldn’t be sitting here if I hadn’t opened the time vault. That makes it my fight. Where do you get this idea you’re Superman?”
“Who’s Superman?”
“He thought he was a one-man show, too.”
“Druan created a disease. I found out the night before I went to suspend him.”
“What kind of disease? Like the flu? The plague?”
“The plague was Druan’s father’s creation. Druan’s disease will make the plague look like a runny nose. It’ll destroy all human life.”
“Cripes. That’s why you were mumbling about war and disease.” It sounded like Druan had created a deadly virus.
“Those halflings I tracked said Druan was ready to release the disease. I couldn’t suspend Druan until I knew what the disease was, how he planned to use it, and there wasn’t time to wait for help, whether I wanted it or not. My only choice was to capture Druan, put him in shackles, and force him to tell me where it was before I suspended him.” Faelan’s jaw tightened. “If I hadn’t been so preoccupied, I might have realized Grog was a demon.”
“Do you think the halflings lied? I mean, humans are still here.”
“No. When I mentioned it, Druan was scared. I don’t think he wanted the other demons to know. Maybe Tristol destroyed it. He looked pissed enough.”
“Who’s Tristol?”
“Another ancient demon. Probably the most powerful. He’s supposed to be the closest to the Dark One.”
“This demon was with Druan?”
“He was, and two more ancient demons. Malek and Voltar.”
“Are they as powerful as Druan?”
“Aye.”
“That’s why you’re worried. I wondered why you’d be bothered over a few demons after what you did to those things in the chapel.”
“Those were halflings. Most of the demons with Druan were full. But the ancient demons, well, you know that FBI’s Most Wanted List you told me about? If our clan had a list, they’d be on it. They’re powerful, fast, and clever. It would be nigh impossible for anyone to get close enough to hurt Druan, even a warrior, unless he was assigned.”
Bree shuddered. She’d held hands with one, touched its face… slept with it.
“What were these ancient demons doing with Druan?”
“I didn’t have time to find out. They must have been helping him with the war.”
“War?”
“That’s why I was sent to America, to stop a war.”
“In 1860? You don’t… you can’t mean the Civil War.”
“That’s the name you’ve given it.”
“You were supposed to stop the Civil War?
“He was.”
Talk about coincidences. “This is… beyond bizarre. How could one man stop a war?”
“The warriors who came with me were helping. I had them hunting Druan’s demons and halflings, but destroying him was my responsibility. I’d hoped getting rid of him would collapse his efforts. I didn’t expect the other ancient demons to be helping him.”
“Why a Scottish warrior? Didn’t America have warriors?”
“America was still a bairn, as far as countries go. All the warriors in this country came from Scotland.”
“If Druan is so powerful, why didn’t you keep some of the warriors with you? Was it because you thought your brothers were coming?”
