“I’m fine,” Duncan ground as he walked out of his cave. He glared at Arran as he moved past him to stand beside Quinn. “I’m all right, Quinn.”
Quinn looked from Arran’s white eyes to Duncan’s pale blue ones. “Tell me.”
“The…pain is returning.”
Quinn lowered his gaze and sighed. He’d been dreading telling his friend what had occurred with Ian, but Quinn could no longer put it off. “You feel Ian’s pain.”
“I do,” Duncan agreed. “Did you see him?”
“I wasna able to speak to him, and he had no idea I was there, but I did see him.” He told Duncan all that had happened the day before with William and Ian. When he was done, Duncan stood with his fists clenched and death in his eyes.
“I will kill William for this.”
Quinn nodded. “I plan on doing the same. Ian is holding up well, my friend.”
“How much more can he withstand?” Arran asked.
Duncan moved until he was nose to nose with Arran. “He will withstand it all.”
“Easy,” Quinn said and pushed the two men apart. “Arran wasna casting doubts on Ian’s strength. He’s worried, just as I am, about Deirdre turning Ian to her will.”
Duncan peeled back his lips to reveal his long fangs. “Never. Ian will never surrender to her.”
Quinn wanted to believe Duncan, but Duncan hadn’t seen the torture. “Be that as it may, we should be prepared either way.”
“I know my brother. He willna submit to her,” Duncan repeated.
Arran crossed his arms over his chest and jerked his chin to the Pit entrance. “What happened with Broc earlier?”
“It was Broc and Isla,” Quinn said. “The orange Warrior was to prove to me that Deirdre dictates everything.”
“But she let a Warrior be killed,” Duncan said.
Quinn sighed. “She killed the man who housed the god. She didna kill the god.”
“Shite,” Arran murmured. “Even with the gods unbound they canna be killed?”
Quinn shook his head. “The gods will descend upon the strongest in the bloodline.”
“Except for your bloodline,” Duncan pointed out. “You, Fallon, and Lucan are the last of the MacLeods.”
“I know,” Quinn said. “Regardless, Deirdre proved a point. If we doona submit, she will find those that will.”
Arran blew out a breath. “Is that all Broc had to say?”
“Deirdre has granted me a boon in exchange for going to her. Broc will return in the morn for my decision.”
Duncan turned and glanced at Marcail. “You havena told her, have you?”
“Nay,” Quinn admitted. “Once I’m with Deirdre, I will do my best to free everyone here. I doubt she will allow me to return and speak to either of you, so be on the lookout for any opportunities to escape.”
Quinn saw that both Duncan and Arran were about to argue the point. He caught sight of Charon and made for the copper Warrior.
“What brings you to my side of the Pit, MacLeod,” Charon said as he rubbed one of his horns. “Did Arran confess to hitting your woman?”
Quinn didn’t believe the nonchalant attitude Charon tried to pass off. The Warrior’s eyes saw everything.
“Aye,” Quinn finally answered. “Arran and Marcail told me what happened.”
Charon’s dark brow rose. “Interesting.”
“What I find interesting, Charon, is that you would willingly spy for Deirdre.”
Instantly, the copper Warrior’s demeanor changed. He pushed from the wall and glared at Quinn. “You dare much speaking to me in such a way.”
“I’ll speak to you however I wish. I’ll admit Deirdre is powerful. Her magic is fierce and swift, and she doesna tolerate betrayal. But these are your people being killed in her mountain.”
“Not my people,” Charon growled.
“You’re a Highlander. Every man, woman, and child brought to this mountain, whether they be Druid or Warrior, is a Highlander. So, aye, your people. Deny it all you want, but it’s the truth.”
Charon turned his head away.
“I took you for a strong Warrior,” Quinn continued. “I’ve seen the way you watch everyone down here. You use your charm when you can and your brawn when you have to. What I doona understand is how you could be so weak as to not fight against Deirdre.”
In a blink Charon was in his face. “You know nothing of what you speak.”
“I know much more than you ever will.” Quinn shoved Charon away from him. “We all have sad stories, and we’ve all had someone we love taken from us. You should know the difference between good and evil.”
“I know the difference.”
There was something in the Warrior’s eyes, something haunted, that stopped Quinn from saying more. “Maybe you do.”
Charon turned and strode into his cave without another word.
“Eventually, Charon, you are going to have to choose sides.”
A harsh laughed followed Quinn’s words. “I already have, MacLeod.”
Twenty-three
Isla’s gut churned with bile, but she dared not move. She stood still as stone in the chamber Deirdre used to kill Druids and take their magic.
It was a room Isla hated with every fiber of her being. Just being inside it made her skin crawl, but having to watch a Druid die made her want to vomit.
“Dunmore did well, didn’t he?” Deirdre asked her.
Isla nodded, unable to speak. She swallowed and tried not to look at the frightened young Druid strapped to the stone table in the center of the chamber.
Deirdre cocked her head to the side as she regarded the young girl. “Thanks to your sister’s magic, Isla, I no longer have to wait until the spring equinox to find those that I search for. It was so tedious having to wait, especially when I am building an army.”
Isla parted her lips and breathed in through her mouth to stop the nausea that rolled in her stomach.
“It took me too long to realize you, Isla, are stronger than your sister. Aye, Lavena is a seer, but you, you are almost as perfect as the Warriors.”
Isla had heard enough, and though she knew she would be punished again, she didn’t care. “You know I don’t do your bidding willingly.”
“Ah, but you willingly submitted to my command once upon a time. I told you then you would always be mine, Isla. I meant it.”
“Why keep Grania? She was nothing to you, just a little girl.”
Deirdre’s smile vanished as she sneered down at Isla. “I suppose your torture wasn’t enough yesterday. Should I take the lash to you once again for being so insolent?”
Isla turned to face the Druid about to die. “Do as you wish, Deirdre. I care not.”
And that was the truth. Isla had stopped caring. Lavena was no longer her sister, and Grania, dear precious Grania, was no longer the adorable little girl she had loved so dearly. Both her sister and her niece had been corrupted by Deirdre.
Isla understood then what she hadn’t so long ago: that she couldn’t save Lavena or Grania. If only she had known before, she might have saved her own soul. But it was too late now. She was damned to an eternity in Hell, and after suffering under Deidre’s wrath, there was nothing in Hell that could frighten her.
“Now,” Deirdre said as she walked to the Druid on the table. She placed a hand over the girl’s chest and
