Midnight's Temptation

Something was going on though.

*   *   *

Corann stood on the docks hidden by a boat as he watched the Warrior and Druid in the cafe. What was a Druid doing with a Warrior? And more importantly, what did the drough want?

The fact she remained despite his use of magic to get her to leave showed she was powerful. But how powerful? His experience watching over the Druids on Skye told him to observe the two for a time. He would see where they were going.

Isobel’s head surfaced from underwater. “Corann, did you find them?”

“Aye, lass.”

“Shall we question them?”

He looked down at the fair-haired Druid and drummed his fingers on his leg. “No’ yet. Return to the others and tell them to await my word.”

“We’re ready for battle.”

“Let’s hope it doesna come to that. Now go, Isobel.”

He waited until she disappeared below the water before he turned back to the Warrior and Druid. By the way the Warrior watched the female, it was obvious he cared. The Druid, however, was nervous, agitated.

She kept looking around, almost as if she knew she was being watched. And that magic was being used on her.

“Good,” he murmured. “You need to know I’m here.”

When the Warrior’s gaze turned his direction, Corann stood steady. This Warrior had been to Skye before. He always came on his own.

He would roam the land for a few days and then leave. This time was different. The Warrior had a purpose. Corann might have wanted to stay hidden, but he suspected he’d be confronting the Warrior soon.

Corann grinned when he saw the Warrior trying to see him. Corann didn’t use magic. He didn’t have to. The ship in front of him offered a shield that not even a Warrior’s enhanced eyesight could see through.

The Warrior’s attention turned back to the black-haired Druid. The last time a Warrior had sided with a Druid had left its mark on the land.

Deirdre had killed many of Skye’s Druids for their magic. She’d taken even more and made them slaves to do her bidding. Corann refused to allow anything like that to happen again.

He rejoiced to find another Druid, even one that was a drough. But he’d kill her if she dared to follow in Deirdre’s footsteps. 

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Aisley wanted off the Isle of Skye. It didn’t matter what argument she tried to give Phelan, he kept telling her he would protect her.

If she knew what it was that put her on edge, she would be able to tell him. As it was, since she couldn’t name it, he was confident he could take care of whatever it was.

“Stubborn.”

“What?” Phelan asked as he turned to look at her over his shoulder as he drove the Ducati along the road.

She didn’t bother to answer him. Instead, she studied the ruins of Armadale Castle before it went out of sight.

It wasn’t long before they reached Broadford, which Phelan told her was Skye’s second largest settlement. Despite her uneasy feeling, the views were dramatic and stunning. This was the home of her ancestors, the place where her magic came from.

She wished she had visited sooner. Even now she could feel her magic swelling, as if it knew where she was.

“Broadford lies in the shadow of the Red Cuillin mountains. The village origins date back to the cattle market that was held here in the 1700s. After the Napoleonic war, many veterans came here after 1815,” Phelan said when they slowed to go through the town.

She shook her head. “You’re like an encyclopedia. Is there anything you don’t know?”

“The bay is Broadford Bay. Oh, and there’s a serpentarium.”

“A what?” she asked. “You don’t mean snakes, do you?”

“Oh, aye, beauty. It’s home to snakes, lizards, and frogs. Want to see it?”

She shuddered. “I’ll pass, thanks.”

His laughter brought a smile to her face. Life with Phelan was certainly never boring.

They stayed on the A87 that hugged the magnificent coastline offering staggering views of the water and Skye’s many peninsulas as they twisted and turned with the road north.

When they reached Portree, he didn’t stop as she expected. Instead, he drove them to the Cuillin Hills Hotel and parked.

“We’ll get a start in the morning,” he said as he shut off the bike and waited for her to get off.

Aisley handed her helmet to Phelan as she took in the view of the harbor from the hotel high up a hillside. When she glanced at the hotel, she found the whitewashed brick to be a beautiful collection of gables. Then she caught sight of the mountain range. What had Phelan called them? The Cuillins.

“They’re the wildest and most jagged mountain range in all of the UK,” he said as he stood beside her.

“They’re beyond spectacular.”

“Have you mountain climbed before?”

She raised a brow as she looked at him. “Not exactly. Why?”

“That’s where we’re headed tomorrow.”

Aisley blinked. “You must be joking.”

“Afraid no’, beauty. Now, let me tell you about the hotel,” he said as he helped her off the bike and guided her toward the entrance. “Cuillin Hills Hotel was originally a shooting lodge called the Armadale Lodge in the 1880s. They’ve continually added onto the structure through the decades.”

Aisley could only marvel at his knowledge as they walked into the hotel. He held both of their bags, and with a smile at the older woman behind the counter, he sauntered over to her.

He was amazing to watch. Women practically fell over themselves to get his attention. Aisley stood to the side and observed as the older woman’s faded blue eyes crinkled in the corners at something Phelan said.

She giggled, just like a schoolgirl, her lashes fluttering. Phelan leaned an arm on the counter and flashed a bright smile Aisley knew the older woman wouldn’t be immune to. A moment later and he was handing her a stack of pound notes.

Aisley shook her head as he walked over to her. He gave her a smile. “What?” he asked innocently.

“Do you charm everyone?”

“What can I say? I like women.”

“And they like you.”

He winked. “I know.”

Aisley laughed while she followed him up the staircase to their room. The laughter died when she took sight of where they would be sleeping.

“You doona like it?”

She couldn’t tear her gaze away from the window and the breathtaking views of the Cuillin mountain range. “It’s spectacular.”

Firmly clamping her mouth shut, she turned to find a massive four-poster bed with a dark tartan comforter. The bed faced the windows, and she could only imagine what kind of view she’d wake up to.

“Rain is coming,” Phelan said.

Aisley glanced out the window to see dark clouds gathering over the mountains. “I’ve often heard that Skye’s weather changes daily.”