was worn shorn to the collar of his black tunic, and his gray eyes didn’t miss anything. Ramsey didn’t wear a kilt like the others. Instead, he wore tunic and breeches as Lucan did. They sized each other up for a moment.
“Welcome,” Lucan finally said, and held out his arm.
Ramsey accepted it. “Thank you.”
“Come inside and we’ll fill you in on everything,” Fallon said.
Hayden’s lips thinned. “Everything? I knew something important must be going on to make Galen leave the forest. What is it?”
“Deirdre,” Lucan said as he walked past them. He wanted to warn Cara they had visitors, but another part of him wanted to keep her locked away so no one else could see her.
It was irrational and barbaric, but he wanted Cara all to himself. She would laugh if she knew what he wanted to do, tell him everything would be all right, that they needed the help. She would be right, but it didn’t stop the jealousy from taking root.
“Lucan,” Fallon whispered when he caught up with him. “What is it?”
“Nothing. I’ll be fine.”
Fallon shook his head, not believing the lie. “Cara will be all right. Go and get her so we can introduce her.”
“Not yet,” Lucan said. He wanted to get to know the men better. “I wish Quinn were here.”
Fallon sighed. “Me as well. He needed to be alone today. We’ve never begrudged him that.”
“We’ve never had to fight Deirdre or prepare for visitors before, either.”
“Let’s just hope he gathers enough food. If they eat like Galen we’ll never have enough food.”
Lucan couldn’t stop the chuckle. He let the new arrivals and Galen take the benches at the table while he and Fallon stood at either end.
“So,” Logan said, and put his elbows on the table, his fingers threaded together. “You mentioned Deirdre. What about her?”
“She’s planning an attack,” Fallon said. “Actually, she’s already sent two Warriors and a dozen wyrrans.”
Ramsey’s gray eyes narrowed. “What is Deirdre after?”
Hayden chuckled. “The MacLeods, of course.”
Lucan felt Fallon’s gaze. He was going to let Lucan fill in the Warriors about Cara. “We’re an added bonus. She is after . . . something else.”
“Something of great value,” Galen added.
Fallon crossed his arms over his chest. “We stopped her and killed one Warrior and all her wyrran, but the other Warrior got away.”
“He knew us, knew Deirdre had been looking for us,” Lucan said. “They’ll be coming back. The fact Deirdre has waited several days tells me she’s gathering her forces.”
Ramsey laid his hands on the table and cocked his head to the side as he looked at Lucan. “You have a Druid.” It wasn’t a question.
Lucan paused for a moment before he nodded.
Hayden whistled through his teeth. “There are few Druids left. The ones Deirdre hasn’t captured either have left Scotland or have hidden themselves away. It’s no wonder Deirdre is after your Druid.”
“She’s not going to get my Druid,” Lucan said.
Logan looked around the great hall and rubbed his hand over his jaw. “What’s the plan?”
Lucan let Galen and Fallon fill the others in on the traps they had already set. He kept himself turned toward the kitchen doorway so Cara would see him first. The smell of bread filled the castle, and with the way Galen kept glancing at the kitchen it wouldn’t be long before someone asked for a slice.
Lucan walked out of the great hall without a backward glance. Fallon had everything in hand. Lucan stepped into the kitchens and saw the fresh-baked loaves of bread sitting on a table cooling. Fish, hares, and pheasants had been cleaned and readied for cooking.
She knelt beside the plants, her hands covered in dirt. It had always amazed Lucan that anything could be grown in the rocky soil, but in the small patch of earth his mother had spent years cultivating a garden. She had been proud of her achievement.
Lucan smiled as he imagined his mother beside Cara, their heads together as they discussed a plant. It was too bad Cara would never get to meet his mother.
He watched when Cara cupped her hands around a plant and leaned her face close to it, whispering words he couldn’t make out. Before his eyes the plant grew. Not a lot, but enough that he noticed.
Cara’s head lifted and her gaze met his. Her mahogany depths sparkled with delight and . . . magic. “Lucan.”
At the sound of his name he pushed away from the doorway and walked to her. She rose and stepped into his arms. He leaned down and inhaled heather, a scent he would never again smell without thinking of her.
“Did you see?” she asked.
He pulled back and nodded. “I did. Are you all right?”
“I’m perfect.” She smiled and turned to look at the garden. “I’ve encouraged all the ones here to grow. There were some that still had seeds in the ground that I managed to coax, but there are others that are gone forever.”
Lucan put a finger under her chin and turned her face to him. “Are you all right, Cara?”
Her smile was gentle and pure. “Aye, Lucan. I wish you could feel the magic that flows through me when I’m talking to the plants. It’s a heady experience.”
“I’m sure.” He knew firsthand what power felt like, thanks to the god inside him.
Her brow puckered. “You’re not happy.”
“I’m delighted you’ve found some good in your magic.”
“Then what is it?” She ran a finger over his lips. “I can tell by the hard line of your mouth that something is wrong.”
He sighed and tucked a strand of hair the wind had snatched from her braid behind her ear. “We’ve company.”
“Deirdre?”
“Nay,” he hastened to say. “Warriors. Galen’s friends, to be specific.”
She licked her lips and set her hands on his chest. “How many?”
“Three. Hayden, Logan, and Ramsey. I wanted to tell you before you walked into the hall and found them.”
“It’s a good thing Quinn has been doing so much hunting. Will more be coming?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
As he looked into her eyes, he felt his desire stir as it always did when she was near. The mere scent of her made his blood rush through his veins.
She grinned and rose up on tiptoe to wrap her arms around his neck. “I know that look.”
“Do you?”
“Oh, aye. I know you quite well, my lord.”
He chuckled and rubbed his nose against hers. “You’ll have to convince me.”
“I can do that,” she whispered, and placed her lips against his.
Fire erupted in Lucan. He tightened his arms around Cara as she sank into him. His cock throbbed with need so intense, so pure, it nearly brought him to his knees.
He wanted her. Right then, in the garden with the sunlight shining upon them. She was nature’s child, and it only seemed right. His fingers found the end of her braid and loosened the strip of leather that held her thick tresses. Once it was undone, he dropped the strip on the ground and plunged his hands into her thick length. He loved the feel of her hair in his hands and how the locks slid over his fingers like the finest silk.
The sound of someone clearing his throat brought Lucan to his senses. He ended the kiss and looked over his shoulder to find Galen.
“What?” Lucan demanded.
