I snatched my arm from him. “No one is taking anything from me,” I gritted between my teeth.
“The guards will follow you. After you sneaked out, your security detail has doubled. There’s no escaping them,” he countered.
“I’ll take William. With him by my side, you can rest easy if the others stay behind.”
Bash growled and ran his hands through his hair. “Damnit, Mackenzie! The two of you aren’t enough! You’ve seen what Abaddon can do!”
I rubbed the sides of my head as I felt a tension headache coming. “Bash, I understand why you’re worried, but you should know by now that I’m not the type to sit around and wait for others to take all the risks. I need to do things so I can figure this out, because if this is my fault, I—” I couldn’t even finish my sentence.
If this is my fault, I’ll never forgive myself.
“You can’t think like that anymore, Mackenzie. It’s not just you and me anymore.”
My head lowered as my eyes fell to my abdomen and I subconsciously touched my stomach. I knew he was right, but it was a hard pill to swallow. I lived my life recklessly because I only had me to worry about. Then Bash came along, and while I was still reckless, I wasn’t as bad. Now it wasn’t an option.
“Come with me,” I muttered. “I have to go, Bash, but I’d feel better if you were there. Please, just come with me.”
His jaw ticked as he took a moment to think about my offer before nodding. “Fine. But any sign of trouble, and we’re heading back to the castle. I’m not putting my child at risk.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
After packing a bag, I slipped it on and hurried to tell William what I wanted to do. Once we ditched my guards, the three of us headed to the rear of the castle and crossed the drawbridge that led to the expansive green field that took us to the entrance of Caledonian Forest. A winding, worn path through the trees opened up to the stables. Bash and William headed to the tack room while I made a beeline straight for Shadow.
“Hey there, buddy,” I whispered as I ran my hand through his black mane. “I know you’re probably tired, but I need you to take me somewhere.” Shadow responded with a neigh and nodded, lifting his front legs up and down.
The stable boys brought Shadow out and saddled him, prepping him for me to ride. When they were done, I climbed on and steered him toward where the others were waiting on me.
“Ready?” I asked.
“I’ll go first, and Sebastian, ye take the rear, aye?” William suggested.
“Sounds good,” Bash agreed.
William led the way and I followed him into the forest while Bash followed closely behind me. We rode in a single file line with nothing but the sound of horse hooves against the dirt path and our heavy breathing. The forest was unusually quiet. You couldn’t even hear the birds or the wind.
“Something doesn’t feel right,” Bash said after fifteen minutes of riding. “We’re alone—too alone.”
“Aye,” William muttered. “The forest has been cleared. By whom, is the question.”
“We all know by whom …” I whispered.
“That’s all the reason we need to head back, Mackenzie,” Bash warned. “It’s not safe.”
“Not before I see Angus,” I answered stubbornly.
We continued to ride in silence, but I could feel Bash fuming behind me. His anxiety poured out of him and made my skin itchy. He was nervous, and I wondered if this was the same way he felt whenever he sensed my anxiety through our bond.
After twenty minutes more, we emerged from the forest and onto the shoreline of Loch Lomond. The temperature had fallen and the wind gusted forcefully. Dismounting and tying our horses to the trees nearest the shore, we walked down toward the loch. While Bash and William stayed a few feet behind me, I squatted down just as the water ran up toward me. I placed my hand in the water, and with my free hand I extended a claw on my pointer finger and sliced open my palm. Blood dripped into the water.
“Angus, if you’re around … I need to speak to you,” I whispered into the stillness of the loch.
I could have entered the fae realm and searched for him, but I didn’t feel like doing that because I knew it would take longer. This way, whatever creatures on the other side of the Fae realm could sense my presence, hear my message, and pass it along. Now we just had to wait.
“Yer Majesty … how can ye do that?” William asked from behind me.
“Because of this.” I peered over my shoulder and pulled my sweater down to expose my shoulder and the fae tattoo on the back of it.
“Is that a fae tattoo?” he gasped.
“Yes.” I explained that the mark gave me access to the Fae realm without requiring a fae escort. I thought about the other tattoo on my hip; the one that protected me from any malicious magic. That one had saved my life countless times, right up until the moment it was burned off me. I still had the scar.
“Wow, I’ve never seen one before.” He cleared his throat before cautiously asking, “Yer Majesty, what happened to yer back?”
“Mind your business,” Bash growled as I covered my shoulder.
“Easy, Bash, it’s an innocent question. I’d be curious, too.” I bit my lip. “I was tortured by some vampires and didn’t have the opportunity to shift in time, so now I’m left with the reminder.”
There was a pause before he choked out, “And King Alexander allowed it?”
I smiled. “I handled it.”
I stood and wiped my wet, bloody hand on my jeans. It wasn’t the most ladylike mannerism, but right now I didn’t care. I would change clothes once I
