Page 3 of After Midnight (Skye Druids #7)

Chapter Two

“ What the bloody hell is on his chest?”

“ It’s a fekking ward. He tattooed a fekking ward on himself. I don’t know whether to be worried or impressed.”

The voices, one British , one Irish , penetrated his brain.

Kurt knew those voices. He had to force his exhausted eyes to open, and when he did, he found Carlyle and Finn standing next to Elias , who had his arms crossed over his chest. And all three stared down at him as he lay on a couch.

By the way the other two regarded him with interest, Elias had apparently filled them in.

The only Knight missing was Sabryn . Had they left her out? Or had she refused to see him?

It was probably the latter. And fuck, that hurt as much as he knew it would.

Kurt shoved aside his fatigue and pushed himself into a sitting position. He rubbed his sore jaw and glared at Elias . “ Did you punch me?”

“ You were no’ listening,” Elias said with a shrug.

Carlyle sat on the arm of a chair, his bare foot propped up on the sofa cushion as he locked his turquoise eyes on Kurt . Recently combed auburn waves and the sweats adorning his body said that he, too, had recently woken. “ Took us ten minutes to wake you. I didn’t think Elias hit that hard.”

“ I hit verra hard,” Elias stated with a smirk directed at Carlyle .

Finn , with his dark brown hair and even darker brown eyes, was in his usual jeans and a tee. “ It wasn’t the hit. Look at him,” he said, jerking his chin toward Kurt . “ He looks like shite.”

Kurt felt like it, too. He swung his legs over the side of the couch and got to his feet, only to have Elias drop his arms and stand in his way. Kurt ran a hand down his face, trying to chase away the brain fog. “ Your best option is to let me leave.”

“ Not until we know everything,” Carlyle said.

Kurt threw up his arms and let his hands slap against his legs. “ Doesn’t Skye have enough problems? I can take at least one away.”

“ Why do they want you?” Finn interjected.

Kurt felt himself weaving and sank back onto the couch before he fell. If only he could shut his eyes. “ I didn’t follow the plan. Diana doesn’t like that.”

“ Diana ?” Carlyle asked.

“ My mum. She prefers to be called Diana rather than Mother .” Kurt worked his sore jaw.

“ How deep is she in the London Druids ?” Carlyle asked.

Kurt turned to meet his gaze. “ Deep . Diana has always set her sights on the top.”

“ Good luck with that,” Finn murmured.

Carlyle blew out a breath. “ Which means she’s likely working with Thomas .”

The group on Skye had just learned that Carlyle’s father, Thomas , was running the London Druids —not a group of elders as others in the organization believed.

“ She might be,” Kurt conceded. “ But Diana always has a plan.”

“ And what is that plan now?” Elias demanded.

Kurt scrubbed his hands over his face and blinked several times, trying to stay awake. “ Your guess is as good as mine, but it must have something to do with me. She wouldn’t send Parker to Skye otherwise.”

“ We’re going to need more than that,” Finn said.

Kurt leaned back against the cushion. “ Diana wants a dynasty. It’s why she married my father.

She did her homework and looked at the lineage of every male London Druid until she found one that fit her schemes.

My father, the poor sod, fell in love with her.

He thinks she can do no wrong. Whatever she wants, she gets.

Diana doesn’t just run the house. She dictates the lives of everyone around her. ”

Carlyle quirked a brow. “ But not you?”

“ She did for a long time,” Kurt admitted. “ Too long, actually. It was drilled into Parker and me from birth. She is the matriarch of our family, and she takes the role seriously.”

Carlyle sat up straight as he murmured, “ Bloody hell. Your mum is Diana Barclay , Viscountess Bridemere .”

“ The very one,” Kurt replied.

“ I knew the name Barclay sounded familiar.” Carlyle looked at Finn and Elias . “ Lady Diana doesn’t take no for an answer to anything. She’s beautiful and charming and, from what I’ve heard, very persuasive.”

Finn swung his dark gaze to Kurt . “ A lot of mums are like that.”

“ You don’t understand. She wants a dynasty, and you only get that when you’re at the top,” Kurt said.

Carlyle grinned. “ What he’s saying is that Diana is going after Thomas .”

“ Then we let them duke it out,” Elias said with a dismissive shrug.

Kurt shook his head. “ If only it were that easy. She’ll work with Thomas until the very end. She’s gained a lot of trust in the organization. She might be able to pull it off.”

“ How do you fit into those plans?” Finn said.

Kurt rubbed his palms on his thighs. It would be so easy to lean back and close his eyes. He’d be asleep in a second. “ Parker might listen to her, but he’s got a wicked temper that he does little to control. On top of that, he’s not smart enough to be the leader she needs.”

“ And you are, I take it?” Elias asked.

“ I’m the safer bet.” Kurt shook his head as irritation swelled. “ She let me think I had escaped. I should’ve known she’d pull me back in somehow.”

Finn grunted. “ Are you sure your brother is here to bring you home?”

Kurt frowned and looked at each of them. “ What do you mean?”

“ He’s asking if Parker is here to kill you,” Elias said.

Kurt shook his head. “ Family is too important to Diana . That isn’t an option.”

“ How long has it been since you talked to your family?” Carlyle asked.

Kurt said, “ Six years.”

“ That’s a long time. People change,” Elias pointed out.

Carlyle twisted his lips. “ And you won’t know until you and Parker are face-to-face.”

“ Why not just call him?” Finn asked with a shrug.

Elias’s brows rose in astonishment. “ That’s actually a good idea.”

Finn cut him a flat look, affronted. “ You say that as if I don’t have good ideas.”

“ They are few and far between,” Carlyle said with a chuckle.

Finn made a sound in the back of his throat. “ Both of you can fek right off.”

Kurt watched it all, fascinated with the dynamics and comradery between them. It was something he’d longed to have from his earliest memory. And he might have been able to have that with Parker , but Diana’s need for power ensured it never happened.

“ What do you think?” Elias asked him. “ Do you want to call Parker ?”

It was the last thing Kurt wanted. “ I can. I’m not sure if we’ll get any answers, but it won’t hurt.”

“ He needs to sleep first. He can barely sit up,” Carlyle said.

“ Who can barely sit up?”

They all froze at the sound of Sabryn’s voice.

It was Finn who stepped aside, giving Kurt a view of her standing in black pajamas and fuzzy pink socks with lime green aliens.

His breath left him as he gazed up at her, starving for a taste of her, aching to hold her.

It had been six long years since he had stood in the same room with her.

Six lifetimes of going over his mistakes and seeing all the ways he’d hurt her.

He’d stared at her picture for so long that seeing her in the flesh was almost surreal.

She hadn’t changed much. If anything, she had gotten more beautiful.

Her inky hair was cut at her jawline, showing off her long, slender neck.

She had always had an amazing body with legs that went on forever.

He had once caressed a finger over her high cheekbones.

Had kissed her lips and heard her moans of pleasure.

Had gazed into her fathomless, deep blue eyes.

Those gorgeous orbs locked onto him now. He tensed, waiting for her explosion of anger.

“ I’m making coffee. Who wants some?” she asked as she walked away.

Kurt had prepared for every conceivable reaction Sabryn might have—except being ignored. It left more of an impact than any words she might have said.