that they knew exactly what had happened between her and Hayden.
Isla opened her mouth to answer when she felt them. Wyrran. She halted and pushed Marcail behind her.
“Isla, what are you doing?” Cara said.
There was no mistaking the feel of black magic. Just as a
Isla’s blood iced with dread. They couldn’t have found her so soon.
“Holy hell,” Marcail said, using Quinn’s favorite saying. “Am I seeing wyrran?”
Isla spotted the five yellow creatures as they walked toward the edge of the shield. They were hunched over, their gazes searching, their long claws held in front of them.
Isla licked her lips and kept watch. “They cannot see us. They cannot hear us. We’re safe.”
“They came looking for you, didn’t they?” Cara asked.
Isla wanted to lie, but she knew she couldn’t. “They did.”
There was a shout behind him. They turned and found Warriors racing toward them. Isla knew she had to stop them from killing the wyrran. If the wyrran didn’t return to Deirdre, she would know Isla wasn’t dead.
“Nay,” Isla shouted and stepped in front of the approaching Warriors. “Stop. Please. You must stay in the shield.”
But the Warriors continued toward her. They were turning as they ran, their skin and eyes changing colors as their claws and fangs lengthened.
“Stop,” Isla tried once more.
When that didn’t work, Isla knew she had to use her magic. She called it up inside her, let it build so that it would affect all the Warriors. She was about to release it through her palms, but she had taken too much time.
They were upon her before she could use her magic. Duncan was in the lead with his twin moving up quickly behind him. Ian went around Duncan and saw Isla too late.
There wasn’t time for Isla to get out of the way, only time to brace for the collision. Ian’s arms locked around her as they collided.
TWENTY-FOUR
From the cave, Hayden heard Isla’s shouting, sending him to his feet immediately. He never hesitated, just knew he needed to get to her. He vaulted to the top of the cliffs before he could think twice and saw her standing solitary before Warriors running toward her.
He didn’t think, just reacted. In an instant his god was released and Hayden was racing to her. He’d never run so fast in his life. His only thought was to protect.
No matter how fast he ran, no matter the powers of his god, he couldn’t get to Isla in time to prevent Ian from barreling into her.
When Ian’s body slammed her into the ground, Hayden roared his fury and launched himself at Ian. Hayden’s claws sunk deep into Ian’s back before he rolled and tossed Ian away from Isla.
Ian came to his feet with his knees bent and his arms held away from his body. Hayden raked his gaze over Ian’s pale blue skin. He would have thought it would be Duncan attacking Isla, not Ian.
“You want a fight?” Ian asked as he stepped to his right. “I’ll be the one to give it to you.”
Hayden followed suit, his gaze trained on Ian and no one else. He smiled as his muscles readied for battle. He hadn’t been known as the greatest warrior of his clan for nothing. Battle was in Hayden’s blood, and it had nothing to do with his god.
He knew the instant Ian was going to attack by the shift in his shoulders. Hayden was ready for him. They clashed violently, brutally. Hayden grunted as Ian’s claws scraped down his arm in deep grooves.
Blood gushed, and for a moment Hayden couldn’t use his arm. But he began to heal almost at once. He pulled back his arm and slammed it into Ian’s chest, his claws sinking deep.
Ian’s pale blue Warrior eyes widened before he growled and punched Hayden in the kidneys. Hayden staggered backward, his claws breaking free of Ian. He growled and readied to attack again.
Before he and Ian could collide, they were surrounded by the others. Hayden fought against the hands holding him, eager to get back to tearing Ian apart. He and Ian never broke eye contact, never stopped fighting.
“Enough, Hayden,” Lucan snarled.
But Hayden was beyond hearing. He was in kill mode, and he wouldn’t stop until Ian was dead.
He watched as Ian’s twin, Duncan, and Quinn tried to restrain Ian. Somehow Ian got an arm free, and then he was coming for Hayden.
Hayden stopped struggling, and instantly the hands holding him loosened. It was just what he wanted. He threw off his fellow Warriors and launched himself at Ian.
He would make Ian pay for harming Isla.
Pain exploded in Hayden as Ian’s claws ripped through skin and muscles. But Hayden gave as good as he got. He would finish Ian if it was the last thing he did.
Isla could only stare in shocked horror at the image of Hayden in all his Warrior glory throwing Ian off her. She should have tried to get Hayden’s attention then, to tell him Ian hadn’t attacked her.
In fact, Ian had protected her when they’d fallen to the ground.
As soon as Hayden and Ian began to fight she knew there wasn’t going to be a friendly ending. The Warriors surrounded the fighters, preventing Isla from seeing the battle.
She began to climb to her feet when she felt hands on either side of her. When she looked up she found Marcail and Cara.
“What just happened?” Cara asked.
Marcail swallowed, visibly shaken. “It looks like Hayden was protecting Isla. He must have thought Ian attacked her.”
Isla would never get the image out of her head at Hayden’s face twisted in anger, his claws outstretched as he launched himself at Ian.
Cara wrung her hands. “Someone needs to do something.”
“They shouldn’t be fighting against themselves,” Isla said. “This is what Deirdre would want. To divide us.”
Marcail patted Isla’s arm. “Quinn and the others will see it’s stopped. See? Even now they break them apart.”
But Isla knew better. She’d seen that same look before that was in Hayden’s eyes. Nothing would stop him until his opponent was dead.
A moment later, Hayden and Ian had both slipped free of their comrades and were at each other again. Isla couldn’t take it any longer. Even if they hated her, she had to put a stop to it.
She stepped away from Cara and Marcail, ignoring their calls for her to get back. Every time Hayden’s blood was spilled she cringed. Even knowing he wouldn’t die didn’t help.
“Step away,” she said as she approached the men.
Arran glanced at her before he quickly moved to the side. Fallon came toward her and was about to say something when she held up a hand, never taking her eyes off Hayden and Ian.
“Don’t. If you want this halted, you need to trust me.”
Fallon swore softly. “All right.”
Isla moved deeper through the men until she stood in the inner circle with Hayden and Ian. They were oblivious to her and everything around them. That would work to her advantage.
She had one chance to break them apart and get their attention. She prayed it was enough.
