“Wait. I didn’t think women could hold the magic of a Torrachilty without going insane.”
“It’s true. They can no’. Tara’s mother went insane because of it. Tara’s entire family are
Aisley cut him a look. “Are you telling me you don’t believe in love? After hearing how all the Warriors are with Druids?”
Phelan sat forward in the chair and shook his head. “I see the love between them. I’ve never loved anything, so I doona know what they feel.”
“Love is wonderful,” she said. “Wonderful and amazing. It can lift you as high as the moon in one breath, and then rip your heart out the next. It can save. And it can destroy.”
The way her voice faded to a whisper made Phelan want to go to her and take her in his arms.
Aisley cleared her throat and swallowed. “The evil isn’t gone, is it?”
“Nay. I fear it never will. There was a year of nothing after we ended Declan. And then Jason Wallace showed up. He’s more ruthless than Declan, more cunning than Deirdre. It might take longer than we want, but we’ll kill Jason.”
“You don’t care about your own safety?”
Phelan grinned. “The ancient Celts considered Rome evil. The first Warriors were created to fight that evil. I was made for this, Aisley. Whether I live or die makes no difference.”
“That’s a load of shit.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “Ah, lass. You may be right, but it’s the truth. I know each time I go into battle I may never return. It was the way of my ancestors, and it’s my way now. What other choice do I have?”
“You said MacLeod Castle had Druids. Let them fight Jason.”
Phelan ran a hand down his face. There was no smiling for him now as he thought of the hell Charon had gone through when he’d thought he lost Laura.
“Nay,” Phelan finally answered. “The Warriors treasure their mates beyond all else. Every time the Druids leave the castle they chance death. For a Warrior, immortal and powerful, to stand aside and allow a mortal to fight is no’ even worth considering.”
“The Druids aren’t without resources. You said a group of
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “You’re Scottish, beauty. You know how we Highlanders protect our family. A Warrior couldna call himself a man, much less a Highlander, if he allowed his woman to fight instead of him.”
“How many Warriors have been killed fighting evil?”
“Too many to count.”
She licked her lips. “You spoke of the X90 bullets. The evil you battle doesn’t have to get close to use them.”
“I know. It’s a chance we take to protect the world. A chance I willingly take, regardless of the consequences.”
Aisley sat there looking lost and so damned beautiful that Phelan had to fight to stay in his seat and not reach for her. He could turn her mind off their conversation with pleasure. She might have willingly come with him to his home, but he wasn’t sure if she was ready for more.
Phelan shifted in the chair to ease his aching cock. It seemed strange that he was even contemplating going to bed alone.
It had been over two months since he’d had a woman. Two months of following Aisley. Two torturous months of needing her, longing for her. But never having her.
Here she was, sitting just feet from him, and instead of seducing her, he was trying to think of ways he could gain more of her trust.
What the hell was wrong with him?
Before he would have charmed and seduced her, and had her in his bed before midnight. But it wasn’t just sex he thought about with Aisley.
He worried if she was warm enough, if the food he bought was to her liking, and if she felt safe with him.
Phelan contemplated calling Charon. His friend would know how to handle Aisley, but then Phelan couldn’t imagine sharing her with anyone else.
“Where were you going?” Phelan asked to take his mind off the constant flow of questions he kept asking himself.
Aisley’s fawn-colored eyes turned to him. “When?”
“Before the accident. It appeared you were headed out of Scotland.”
“I was,” she answered softly.
“How far were you planning to run?”
“As far as it took.”
Her evasive answer told him a lot. “You had a plan.”
“Yes. I was going to try and disappear in London for a bit before heading into France.”
He watched her thumb trace the top of her mug. Phelan thought of the accident. There had been no one in front of Aisley. No car she could have hit.
Phelan looked at her profile. She trusted him enough to be there with him, but not nearly enough to tell him what she was running from.
“How did the accident happen? I was several cars behind you and couldna see.”
For long moments, she sat there in silence. Phelan didn’t push her. If he knew who she was running from, he could better protect her.
As it was, he was probably putting her in more danger just by being with her. Wallace was back. He’d already made it clear he had no problem attacking anyone close to a Warrior for ultimate damage.
Phelan’s gut clenched thinking of Wallace harming Aisley.
“I heard a voice,” Aisley said.
Phelan was pulled out of his thoughts. “A voice?” he repeated with a frown. “I doona understand, beauty.”
“In my head. I heard a voice in my head.”
Phelan leaned forward and braced his forearms on his knees. All his attention focused on her. “What did this voice say?”
“My name.”
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
Ullapool
Malcolm stood in the overgrown hedges and looked at Wallace Mansion. It hadn’t been repaired since their last battle there. Still, there was something evil about the house.
But just like Declan, Malcolm knew Jason would return to the mansion. It was in his nature. The question was, would Malcolm wait for him?
Malcolm’s feet crunched on the rock as he walked toward the front door that lay upon the ground. He took the few steps and paused at the doorway.
Dirt and dust littered everything. The smell of rotting food reached him from the back of the house where the kitchen was. But the only occupants in the house were animals, not human.
Malcolm sent Phelan a quick text and turned on his heel. He would go looking for Wallace’s associates.
