Page 50 of After Midnight (Skye Druids #7)

Chapter Forty-Five

“ Why isn’t Kurt waking?” Carlyle asked.

Sabryn took the bit from the tweezers into her free hand and returned to Kurt’s wound to look for more.

Water dripped from her hair onto his back.

She was no longer cold. Fear and anxiety had sweat beading her brow.

She wanted off the boat, but they didn’t have the time.

How long could Kurt go without breathing?

How long until he was past their ability to save him?

The sea continued to thwart her attempts, causing irritation to flare. A frustrated scream built until the metal pinged against another particle. Sabryn removed it and immediately looked for more. Thankfully , she found the third, fourth, and fifth pieces easily. The sixth took more time.

With every piece she pulled out and Kurt didn’t wake, she returned to look for more.

Again and again, she removed metal from his body, piece by tiny piece.

Her back ached from bending, her knees screamed for ease, and her neck was straining from being at such an odd angle that she would likely never be able to hold it correctly again, but she would suffer through eons of pain if it meant bringing Kurt and Finn back.

A loud boom caused all of them to freeze.

“ What was that?” Sabryn asked.

“ That came from the other side of Skye ,” Callum said as he faced the isle.

Carlyle pointed. “ I see smoke.”

Sure enough, gray smoke ballooned against the evening sky.

“ That looks like it’s coming from the Fairy Glen area,” Callum stated.

Shock rocked her. Sabryn looked down at Kurt and then met Carlyle’s gaze. “ They told us it was a spell because they wanted us distracted.”

Callum faced her. “ Could they be trying to take out the location of the air pillar?”

“ Can they do that?” Killian asked.

That was easier than going after her, and with the Fairy Glen gone, Skye would fall. “ Get us there,” she ordered Callum .

“ It will take too long,” he said right before he shouted for Balladyn .

Emily dragged in a big breath and held Diana’s hand between hers. “ What do you want Sabryn to know?”

Diana swallowed with great effort, her face a pasty white. “ Fly .”

“ Fly ?” Emily repeated, unsure if that’s what she’d heard.

Diana’s eyes closed, and she nodded once. “ She …has to…l-let…go…”

“ I’ll tell her.” Emily looked over at Luke , who had blood up to his elbows.

“ Reggie .”

Her attention returned to Diana . “ Who’s that?”

“ Her husband,” Luke said.

Emily didn’t know how Luke seemed to have all the answers. “ Is he on Skye ? Shall we get him?”

Another tear leaked from Diana’s eyes as she shook her head. She met Emily’s gaze, silently beseeching her.

“ You want to call him?” Emily guessed.

Diana nodded.

“ Do you have her mobile?” Emily asked Luke .

He didn’t look up as he pressed more towels against Diana’s wounds, causing her to moan. “ It might be in the SUV .”

Emily released Diana and ran from the house to the Range Rover .

She flung open the driver’s door and quickly looked for the phone in the console.

Then she yanked open the passenger door and scanned the back.

She spotted blood on the leather as she climbed inside and checked under the front seats.

She opened the other passenger door to get out and heard the clatter of something falling from the vehicle.

When she jumped down, she saw a mobile phone.

Emily picked it up and raced back into the cottage.

“ I found it. I found it!” she hollered as she bounded into the room.

Luke wiped his forehead with his shoulder. “ You need to make that call now.”

Emily fumbled with the device, bringing it to Diana’s face to unlock it. In her haste, she kept hitting the wrong things. Finally , she found Reggie’s name and pressed send.

“ I got him,” Emily told Diana as she brought the phone to her ear. “ Wait for him to speak.”

Emily knew the moment Reggie answered by the way Diana smiled, and fresh tears fell.

“ Reggie ,” Diana whispered. “ Yo -you were…right…”

Balladyn appeared before Sabryn could get her thoughts together. The Reaper looked from Finn to Kurt and then at her. Carlyle , Callum , and Killian succinctly explained what was going on.

Balladyn’s long, black and silver hair was ruffled by the breeze as he held his hand out to her. “ If you are the speur pillar, you need to protect it.”

Sabryn numbly handed the bits of metal and tweezers to Killian as she got to her feet. Blood flowed into her cramped legs, providing a rush of relief. She didn’t want to leave Kurt and Finn but she had to defend the Fairy Glen .

“ We’ve got them,” Carlyle promised.

Balladyn motioned for him to stand. “ You need to come, too.”

“ Go ,” Callum urged hurriedly.

Carlyle jumped up and reached for Balladyn . In the next second, they were at the base of Castle Ewen , surrounded by Edinburgh Druids .

“ Let’s hope Balladyn returns with reinforcements,” Carlyle said as they moved back-to-back.

Magic surged through Sabryn as she eyed the Druids around her. They were repeatedly flinging magic at the ground and the monument behind them. They knew the pillar was at the Fairy Glen but didn’t know where, so they were going after everything.

“ If they keep this up, they’ll eventually land a direct hit,” Carlyle mused.

Sabryn reared back her hand and let loose a blast of magic at the Druid nearest her. “ Then let’s not let them.”

He chuckled before joining her. Their adversaries kept pelting the area but also directed blows at her and Carlyle . The Druids weren’t there on their own. Edie was likely nearby. Maybe even Parker . Sabryn intended to take down Kurt’s brother herself.

“ Watch out!” Carlyle yelled, shoving her out of the way as he raised a shield of magic.

Sabryn spun around and took his place to fend off more attacks.

Kurt came to with a bellow of pain.

“ Easy ,” said a voice he recognized but couldn’t place.

A hand rested on his back, keeping him down. He gritted his teeth as he felt something moving around inside his injury.

“ Just a wee bit longer.”

Another voice he knew but couldn’t name.

His head was clouded with agony, making it nearly impossible to string two words together.

He followed the leg lying near his head to see someone slumped over at his feet.

The boat rocked, making the man’s head roll.

A jolt of surprise went through Kurt when he saw Finn .

Kurt tried to get up again. This time, another set of hands joined the first to hold him down.

“ We have to get them all out. I just need a little longer.”

The Irish accent registered as Killian’s . At least Kurt was with friends again.

“ Sabryn ?” he called.

“ She’s gone now, but as soon as we get you healed, we’ll take you to her,” Callum said.

Kurt squeezed his eyes closed. “ What happened?”

“ Too fekking much,” Killian murmured.

Finn shifted his leg and grunted.

“ I think he’s finally coming around,” Callum said.

Kurt clenched his teeth as a spasm of pain shot through him.

“ I think that’s it,” Killian declared.

Kurt put his hands against the deck and tried to push up. The agony that movement caused made stars flash in his eyes. Hands helped him sit up and lean back against the side of the boat.

Finn rubbed his head as he slowly came awake. He blinked open his eyes to look at Callum and then Killian . When he spotted Kurt , he blew out a relieved breath and sat up. “ Where are Carlyle and Sabryn ?”

“ Balladyn took them,” Callum explained. “ The Fairy Glen is being attacked.”

“ Then we need to get there. Now ,” Kurt stated, feeling the urgency.

Finn nodded toward Kurt’s left arm, which he held protectively against him. “ Can you even move?”

“ I can stand, and I have my other hand,” he retorted.

Finn grinned and said, “ Balladyn .”

Kurt looked around for the Reaper , but Balladyn didn’t appear, leaving a knot of worry in his stomach that steadily built. He turned to Callum . “ Drive . As fast as you can.”

“ Do you see Edie ?” Carlyle asked between the booms of magic landing around them.

Sabryn had been searching for her from the moment of their arrival. “ Not yet.”

“ She’s here. I know.”

So did Sabryn .

Carlyle grunted as magic hit his arm. She shifted in front of him, blocking a strike against her while firing off one of her own. Sabryn smiled when her shot landed, killing the Druid who had struck Carlyle .

“ Where the bloody hell is everyone else?” he asked as he stepped to her right to intercept a blast aimed at her.

The ground shook violently beneath them. She stumbled back, wondering if it was an earthquake. Carlyle grabbed her hand and yanked her away from the slope seconds before the rocks would’ve fallen on top of her.

She’s here.

The whisper of the wind was featherlight against her cheek, the voice loud and clear.

Sabryn scanned her surroundings, searching.

Her gaze jerked to the side when she saw a patch of blond hair.

There , walking behind the line of Druids , was Edie .

Her lips curved into an arrogant smile as their eyes locked.

Emily’s stomach clenched in dread when Diana’s eyes fell closed, and her head rolled listlessly to the side. Luke checked for a pulse, and his shoulders slumped as he hung his head. He released the towels and stepped away from the bed until his back hit the wall.

The sound of a voice shouting through the mobile snapped Emily out of her stupor. She glanced at Luke as she brought the phone to her ear. “ Hello ?”

“ Who is this?” asked Reggie worriedly.

“ My name is Emily . Diana was attacked.”

“ Attacked ? Where ? How ? Is she all right?”

The panic in his voice made Emily’s throat clog with emotion. “ I … I’m sorry. I’m afraid she isn’t.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. When Reggie next spoke, his voice was tight and resolved. “ Where is she?”

“ The Isle of Skye .”

“ At the hospital?”

Emily swallowed and took Diana’s hand in hers. “ There wasn’t time. She’s at my house.”

“ I’m on my way.”

“ I didn’t think London Druids could come.”

“ I don’t give a bloody damn about some absurd rules,” Reggie snapped. He took a breath and calmly said, “ I’m coming to get my wife’s body. Now , tell me where she’s at exactly.”

Emily gave him her name and address. “ You should probably know that both your sons are here, as well.”

“ I know,” he replied, sounding as if he carried the weight of the world. “ I’ll see you shortly, Ms . MacLean .”

The line went dead. Emily lowered the phone and stared at Diana .

“ You probably shouldna have done that,” Luke said.

She turned her head to him. “ He has a right to his wife’s body. I think it’s time you told me how you got to Skye .”

“ I’ve been here for weeks.” He sighed and pushed off the wall. He grabbed one of the unused towels and wiped the blood from his arms. “ You need to get to Sabryn and deliver that message.”

“ Me ?” she asked, taken aback. “ It seems you know more about what’s going on than I do. I’ve only just gotten out— I mean, back…” She let her words trail off.

Luke walked around the bed and came to stand beside her. “ I know. Lock the door behind me. I’ll send Elodie or Scott as soon as I can.”

“ Why ? Diana is dead.”

“ That doesna mean Parker willna return.”

The truth hit her like a wall. “ Parker killed her?”

“ Yep . Be vigilant,” he told her and stalked from the house without another word.

Sabryn might not remember what had happened between her and Edie earlier, but she knew she had been winning—and not because Kurt had told her. She knew it for a fact. It was a feeling in her bones—and in her magic.

“ Sabryn !” Carlyle called.

She didn’t dare take her attention off Edie . Not when they were about to finish the battle they had begun hours before.