The young man grinned as he made his way past her and into their circle. “I’ve found you at last! You canna believe how long I’ve searched for you. Where’s Malcolm?”
Dani had only an instant to wonder at his asking after Malcolm but not the MacGahan guards when another rustle of brush revealed a second visitor.
This one was huge and not the least bit friendly.
A wolf. White as snow and standing easily five feet from the ground to the raised hackles on his back, he drew his muzzle back into a snarl that displayed the biggest teeth Dani could ever have imagined. A low continuous growl issued from the beast’s throat even as saliva dripped from his fangs.
The beast paused, scanning the circle with what appeared to be an almost human intelligence as three men, swords drawn, stepped from the trees to take up their places, one on either side of the wolf and one behind.
The beast might be a mystery, but the men were all too easy to recognize. Torquil’s guards.
And then, it was as if everything happened at once.
Dermid ran toward her, away from the beast, while Dani threw herself over Christiana’s prone body, hoping to somehow protect the unconscious girl. Across the circle, Elesyria was on her feet, her arms lifted upward, her mouth moving rapidly, issuing some silent prayer even as what looked like lightning speared from the sky straight into her fingertips.
When she extended her arms straight out in front of her, the beast lunged. It leaped through the air, roaring as the lightning traced two paths of fire along its sides, sending the stench of burning fur up Dani’s nostrils. The huge animal smashed its head full force into Elesyria’s chest, slamming her body backward against a tree in a shower of sparkling fireworks. The Faerie slumped to the ground, unconscious, and the beast stood over her, his jaws widening as he prepared to go for her throat.
A high-pitched, continuous scream stopped the beast, forcing him to swing his massive head around to look for the source of the noise.
Only as Dani found herself staring into the beast’s soulless blue eyes did she realize that the screams came from her.
Forty
MALCOLM BURST UPfrom the cold water, flinging his head backward to send a spray of icy droplets flying through the air.
Freedom!
He breathed it in, reveling in its invigorating grasp. This was the feeling of being alive. The only thing he’d found to rival its wonder was the feel of Dani in his arms.
The sun was sinking, sending its last rays of the day to glaze the water, making it look like a pool of liquid gold. Spearing a fish under these conditions would be impossible.
He stalked from the water to the shore, his skin rippling in cold bumps as he grabbed up his plaid and wrapped it around his body, his mind already ticking off the possibilities.
A rabbit or squirrel was equally unlikely with night approaching. They would have to settle for whatever bits and pieces Christiana had managed to bring along.
He’d just reached for his shirt when the scream pierced through the forest.
It was Dani. He knew it deep inside his soul.
He dropped the shirt in favor of his sword, already running as his hand tightened around the weapon’s hilt.
This could not happen. He would not allow it to happen.
His lungs swelled in his chest as he neared the campsite, close enough to survey the field of battle from the cover of the forest.
His sister was down. Dani hovered over her like an angered boar over her piglet, with Dermid off to one side of her. Where the lad had come from, Malcolm had no time to consider, only that he appeared frozen in his fear.
Three located. Three who required his protection. With Dermid’s arrival there should be a fourth. The Elf. What had happened to the Elf?
To his left, the largest wolf he had ever seen, and straight ahead, three armed men, all advancing on his women.
The Battle Rage filled his heart as he burst into the circle, and he roared his fury as he struck, spearing his sword through the first guard’s back. The others turned, advancing on him as he withdrew his weapon, allowing the body to fall to the side.
A haze of red colored his vision, homing his concentration on the closest target. He sliced through the next man to reach him, opening his chest collarbone to belly. The man remained on his feet for a second, his body recognizing death before his mind caught up. The third, obviously young and inexperienced, ran directly toward him, screaming his useless threats, sword held high above his head. A swift feint and Malcolm twirled, harnessing his momentum to bring his weapon around with him, delivering a clear cut that sent the man’s head rolling across the forest floor to land at the feet of the massive beast.
The wolf swung its huge head around to fix him in its sights.
Good. That was as he wanted. Whatever it took to distract the animal from his original path, which led to those he loved.
