Deep in her gut, she had a feeling that stranger had abilities beyond the majik he’d used to produce a sword.
And how had he entered her cottage without making a sound?
After dropping the trapdoor back in place and rearranging the weeds until the area appeared undisturbed, she took stock of her situation.
No money. No clothes. No phone.
She had Lann an Cheartais, which had stopped glowing.
Did that mean the blade had gone dark to shield her position in the woods or that the cranky weapon had returned to slumber mode?
Shaking off worry over things she couldn’t change, Casidhe started walking in the only direction that made sense.
To Fenella’s farm.
Getting the woman she considered a sister as much as a best friend to safety was her one priority at the moment. With no bicycle, she’d have to walk fast to reach Fenella’s farm twenty-seven kilometers away. She did a quick calculation and estimated it would take her almost four hours, less if she could make up time jogging the flat ground.
What if that stranger who broke into her cottage got to Fenella first?
He’d mentioned seeing Casidhe’s friend leave the ancestral research centre yesterday. What if a demon or yellow thing had followed this stranger ... then Fenella?
Terror had her moving faster. She took off jogging with determination.
After two short rest breaks and sweating a bucket of water, she had one last hill to cross before reaching the quaint farm she loved to visit. She gave herself an attagirl for running most of the way. That should be the current time between one and two in the morning.
Sparing a moment to catch her breath, she pushed again to make it up the last incline. In fairness to her aching legs, she hadn’t stretched before running this distance. The limited lighting allowed her to find her footing and reach the crest of the hill quickly where she paused to enjoy the moment.
Her tight chest muscles eased.
She’d reached Fenella’s home in time.
Her friend’s white farmhouse and barn stood out against the dark night.
Casidhe had always wanted to find someone to paint a picture of this wonderful place. It would make a great gift.
How many times had she visited here in ten years? Fenella would greet her with a smile and make her sit for a piece of pie and milk, then they’d visit all the farm critters.
New energy pushed her to rush down the slope, smiling the whole way. She’d been switching hands while carrying the sword as she jogged and her arms were turning into rubber, but she’d get a break soon. She’d suffer any discomfort to keep her friend safe.
As Casidhe neared the house, she looked up, blinked, and looked again. The relief she’d enjoyed spun away as fast as the last water swirling down a drain.
Something was wrong, very wrong.
Chapter 2
Daegan killed the last demon. He watched it turn into orange dust as he took a breath. His heart pounded his chest, but he’d survived and the lass was safe. What must she think after being attacked by Imortiks? In fact, where was she after being in his way earlier?
The silence tipped him off.
He took off running to the open door on the cottage and rushed inside. “Casidhe Luigsech!”
Gone.
Dropping his head back, he roared with fury.
The walls shook.
How had she escaped without him seeing her? She’d admitted the only door to the house had been the front entrance. That door had never been out of his sight.
Standing inside the cottage, which had been tidy and smelled of coconut when he’d first teleported in secretly, now looked like a bloody battleground. He wiped Imortik and demon blood from his sword on one of the bodies no longer glowing yellow, but the place stank of sulfur.
He raced around searching the cottage, opening every cabinet and closet door, hoping to find Luigsech hidden somewhere in the small structure. Nothing.
He shouldn’t be surprised she’d escaped.
The woman who had pulled an ancient sword from a hiding place behind a bookcase and wielded it in panic might have been terrified at first, but she’d also decapitated Imortiks. She hadn’t broken down into tears or run away screaming.
She’d swung that sword with the fury of female warriors from his time.
The minute he’d been distracted killing the demons, she’d slipped away.
Why?
He hadn’t threatened her.
Ruadh made a sound he took as a snort. You scared woman.
Maybe he had.
Regret washed through Daegan, because he had intimidated her about Cavan. She’d met with the mysterious being in the village not far from the ancestral research centre where she worked.
Who the devil could that Cavan be?
Why had he captured Tristan?
Without Luigsech, Daegan had no way to find Cavan.
He needed Cavan to get Tristan back. First, he had to track down the Luigsech woman.
What a mess. He’d come here to find a grimoire to protect all of his people the glowing-yellow Imortiks threatened. More pressing even than that? He had just two days left to save one of his Beladors back in Atlanta from execution by Sen and a Tribunal. Both would face Daegan’s red dragon if they killed Devon.
But retribution would not bring Devon back.
He had no time for regret. His honor drove him to take care with any woman, but he’d be damned if he’d lose even one follower. When in battle, succeeding to protect his people came first. When Daegan found the Luigsech woman this time, he wouldn’t allow her to escape so easily again.
No dancing around when it came to answering his questions either.
She would give him the information he needed and tell him how to find Cavan.
After one more thorough search of the cottage, Daegan limped back to the main room, favoring the leg an Imortik had clawed. His leg ached and his head throbbed just like he’d experienced after the first Imortik attack in Atlanta.
Those bastards shoved venom into
