Bruce stood before her, eyeing her with those sharp, hateful eyes. Eyes that had once gazed at her longingly. Now, she knew that was nothing but a lie. He was dressed in clothes from the time. His dark hair was uncombed. Once she’d thought he was handsome. Now, she despised everything about him.
“Hello, Chloe. I see you managed to get out of your bonds. Resourceful, aren’t you?” His gaze flickered to her raw wrists.
Her mouth filled with saliva. She spit at him. It landed on his face. He instantly backhanded her. Evie cried out as Chloe went down, her cheek stinging. Her sister bent to help her back to her feet. Chloe pressed a hand against her cheek as Bruce wiped her spittle away.
“Bitch,” he said. “Do that again and you’re dead.”
“Kill me and you will have all of the MacLeod clan after you,” she shot back.
Evie’s grip tightened on her arms as she continued to hold her. “What do you want with us?”
Bruce’s glittering blue eyes flickered to hers. “Don’t you know? I thought that was obvious.”
Chloe was certain she heard the faint hum of Evie’s keystone in her pocket. She was also certain her own keystone continued to glow.
“We will never hand over the stones.” Evie lifted her chin a little higher in defiance.
“You will. But I’ll give you a little time to think about giving me the stones voluntarily before I take them by force.”
Chloe wanted to bite off another acid retort, but Evie squeezed her arm again in warning. She clenched her jaw tight to keep silent. Bruce cut her another scathing glance beforeturning back toward the open door. The men filed out, the door slammed closed, leaving them alone once more.
“Chlo, I think I know what we have to do.” Evie’s eyes were still pinned on the closed door, watching and waiting for their captors to return.
“What?”
She turned, locking eyes with her, and there was something sharp and glittering deep within, hinting at hidden knowledge. Or perhaps it was merely her best guess. Chloe’s stomach clenched as she braced herself for whatever her sister was about to propose.
“We have to use the stones together.”
She drew her brows together as her chest tightened and her palms grew damp. She had a feeling she wasn’t going to like this.
“How?”
Evie took a deep breath, expelled it, determined apprehension swarming in her eyes.
“Blood magic.”
CHAPTER 26
“What do you mean by that?” Chloe clutched her elbows and shivered.
She’d thought it already, but now she wasn’t so sure. How would they even invoke the blood magic? Was there a ritual? Was it simply slice the palm, squeeze the stone, and hope for the best?
Judging by what had happened to her when she had a vision, she wasn’t sure she wanted to do that here in this dank place. She wasn’t even sure what happened to Evie when she had a vision. Did she have the same reaction? Did she faint from the sheer exhaustion of seeing the different scenarios of the present?
Evie told her about helping Callum during the fight with Rory, but she never elaborated on how she felt in the aftermath.
And then, when Evie sliced open her palm, nothing happened right away. She shuddered to think what would happen should they try again with two pieces put together. What power would that give them both? And what would that power do to each of them and Evie’s unborn child?
“We put the stones together and then slice our—”
“No,” Chloe said sharply. She clenched her jaw until it ached.
Torchlight flickered over her sister’s face as she looked at her, the orange and reddish light playing across her confused features.
“But—”
“No, Eve.”
