Forbidden Highlander

that he had marked her. She should be upset, but she wasn’t. She was elated.

“Mine,” he whispered just before he jumped them into his chamber at the castle.

Fallon couldn’t believe he had given in to his desire to mark Larena. Feeling her body clench around him, knowing the anguish she felt at finding Malcolm, and the excitement he had experienced when she had come to him had been too much.

In the dark of night, she was his. Whether she would be in his bed when the sun rose was another matter. He had told her she was his, but in his heart he knew he didn’t have her. He never would either unless she gave her heart to him.

Fallon jumped them to his chamber and laid her on the bed before he crawled in next to her. She turned to him and rested her head on his shoulder. His mind was full of her. Even the beating of his heart was for her.

Lucan had asked him if he cared for Larena. Fallon wasn’t sure just what emotion was within him, but his feelings for Larena grew daily. She had no idea that she held him in the palm of her hand, and it was probably better if she didn’t.

Not even knowing she kept the truth of her ring and her knowledge of the Scroll from him could dampen his feelings. She had her reasons for keeping her secret, and though it hurt that she didn’t trust him, he tried to understand.

He let his fingers caress down her back. He wanted to clasp her to him and never let her go, but let her go he would. Chaining her to him would only make her want to leave.

Fallon knew in the end he was going to have to do the impossible. He was going to have to let Larena go.

He closed his eyes as a wave of pain swallowed him. The thought of not seeing her smoky-blue eyes every day, of not watching her lips form her breathtaking smile, or feel her hands on him, left him in a cold sweat.

“God, give me strength,” he whispered.

Broc flew southwest once he left the MacLeods. He had taken too much time. Deirdre would be in a rage when he returned, but he had one more stop to make.

The wind pushed him along toward his destination. He saw the great stand of trees well before he reached them. The massive forest was home to many creatures — and Druids.

He dropped down next to the loch and transformed back into the man he was. It was the only time he pushed his god aside, the only time he allowed himself to remember the man he used to be. It brought too many memories, but he had to make this stop.

Broc ran his fingers through his too long hair and used the loch to wash the blood from his body. Malcolm’s blood, and his own. His injuries had healed, but Larena’s cousin probably wouldn’t be so lucky. He straightened and wished he had thought to bring a tunic.

“Broc?”

Her sweet voice drifted to him from the trees. She emerged with a basket in one hand and her skirt in the other. The pale brown strands of her hair lay unbound around her.

“It is you,” she whispered. “I thought you might never return.”

He hadn’t intended to return. He had promised himself on his previous visit nearly six months ago that it would be his last. It was getting too dangerous for the Druids. But he’d been unable to stay away.

“I cannot stay long, Anice. There are evil people looking for you and the other Druids. You must stay hidden as I told you.”

Her smile never faltered as she walked to him. She dropped her basket and raised her hands to his face. “How I’ve missed you. I worry about you endlessly.”

“I’ll be fine,” he said, and tried not to slap her hands away. She was a sweet girl, but she didn’t always listen when it was important. “Did you hear me? You and the other Druids need to stay concealed.”

“We’ve used our magic. Even my sister added her magic to ours before she left.”

Broc stilled at the mention of her. She was the real reason he was here, the reason he couldn’t stay away. His heart pounded like a drum in his ears. “Sonya left?”

Anice cocked her head to the side, her eyes narrowed as she regarded him. “She said it was important, that she was needed elsewhere. She said it was to aid those who fought against Deirdre.”

Broc turned on his heel and ran his hand down his face. His heart pounded in his ears as his mind raced with possibilities.

He remembered when he had brought the two small girls to the Druids. He had continued to look in on them through the years. Neither of them knew his role in their escape from Deirdre, and he intended to make sure they never knew. He would have to answer too many questions about what had happened to their parents.

Sonya didn’t know of him at all. He hadn’t wanted Anice to know either, but she had caught him spying on Sonya. Broc had been desperate for another’s touch. He should have pushed Anice away. Instead, he had taken her as his lover, but his gaze was always on Sonya.

He faced Anice again and tried to ignore the hurt in her eyes. “When did Sonya leave?”

Anice shrugged. “What does it matter? She will be all right, as she always is.”

“When, Anice?” he demanded.

She shrank away from him, her brown gaze wary for the first time. She had no idea what a monster he really was or how many people he had killed. If she did, she would never have offered her body to him.

“Almost three months ago.”

Broc struggled to breathe. Three months? Sonya could be anywhere. She might need him. Didn’t she know it wasn’t safe for Druids to wander Scotland? “Where?”

“She said she was going to the MacLeods.”

Broc clenched his hands, unsure if he had heard Anice correctly. Sonya had been at the MacLeods’ the entire time and he hadn’t known? He needed to see for himself that she had made it to the castle, and the Warriors had allowed her inside. If there was one place he could believe Sonya was safe, it was with the MacLeods. For the time being.

“Anice, listen to me. Deirdre’s magic has grown. She is finding Druids that have been hidden for years. The magic you and the others have used might not be enough.” He wanted to tell her everything, of the Warriors and what Deirdre was after, but he didn’t have time.

She swallowed and jerked her head in a nod. “You won’t be returning, will you?”

“I cannot chance it. It’s too dangerous. For both ofus.”

“I thought we had a future together.”

Broc glanced down at the ground. He regretted using Anice, but he could not let her think they shared something. “There is no future with me.”

Tears fell unheeded down her face to drop onto her chest. “Godspeed, Broc.”

He waited until the forest had swallowed her once more before he dropped his head into his hands. It had never been his intention to hurt Anice. A moment of weakness had caused him to welcome her into his arms, and he would pay for it the rest of his life.

As for Sonya, she was his responsibility as well. He had made sure Anice never spoke of him, so he didn’t have to worry about Sonya telling the MacLeods anything.

Broc turned and raced away from the forest before releasing his god and taking flight. He would do whatever it took to keep the two Druid sisters away from Deirdre. Whatever it took.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Fallon waited until the door shut behind Larena before he opened his eyes. He had hoped what they had shared the night before would keep her by his side in the morning, but he had been wrong.

As much as he wanted to, he hadn’t stopped her from leaving. With a sigh, he rose and dressed, but instead of heading to the great hall, Fallon went looking for Sonya.

He had seen the way she’d stiffened when Broc’s name was spoken. It couldn’t be mere coincidence that she also knew Broc. There was something about Broc’s appearance and his helping rescue Malcolm that kept niggling at