Page 17 of Blood Skye (Skye Druids #6)

Chapter Seventeen

“ I don’t like this,” Finn repeated for what felt like the hundredth time as he paced the room. His agitation had reached cosmic levels with the hope of containing it anytime soon nowhere in sight.

Four sets of eyes tracked him, their silence declaring what he already knew. Finn halted and gripped his head with both hands as he bent over and pulled his lips back, holding in his bellow of fury with the last shred of his control.

“ Let me talk to Mason ,” Melisse offered.

Finn dropped his hands and straightened before turning to the Dragon Queen . The Dragon Kings had chosen Scotland for their home, and the Fae had settled in Ireland . Melisse’s accent was a unique mix of both. She had spent millennia imprisoned and had been released only recently. Her unusual, whitish silver eyes were locked on him, and her long, silver hair with its black ends intensified her distinctiveness.

“ He doesn’t know me,” Melisse continued. “ I might have a better chance of getting something from him.”

Henry , her mate, sat on her right. He had sandy brown hair and hazel eyes. Nothing distinctive. Which had made him blend well when he worked as a spy for MI5 . Henry’s sister, Esther , sat on Melisse’s left and had the same brown hair as he did, though hers was longer. Her eyes were brown, though. On the other side of Esther sat Nikolai , King of Ivories . The towering Dragon King had light auburn hair and baby blue eyes.

“ Perhaps ,” Nikolai stated.

Henry grunted before replying in his posh British accent, “ Let me have a go at him.”

“ Mason will likely figure you’re a Druid . Same with me,” Esther said.

Melisse covered Henry’s hand with hers. “ I’ll go. I’m not a Druid .”

“ I don’t give a rat’s arse about Mason ,” Finn stated angrily. “ Carlyle is the one in trouble right now.”

After everything Finn had lost, after all he had withstood and overcome, he refused to let anything happen to any of the Knights . They had other families, but he didn’t. They were his only family. They were the reason he kept living, kept going. And he would ensure they remained alive and unharmed.

Nikolai shrugged a thick shoulder. “ I understand, Finn . Carlyle doesna want to be found. Mason could lead us to the London Druids , and we might get to free Carlyle’s father. So , aye. We need Mason .”

Finn couldn’t remember the last time he had felt such frustration. “ Carlyle is going to do something stupid. I heard it in his voice.”

“ He’s trying to keep you out of it,” Henry said. “ To protect you.”

Finn threw up his hands in disgust. “ I’ve been in the middle of this shite since we all went to Skye . He knows that.”

“ London isn’t playing,” Esther warned. “ They’re out for blood. They proved that by taking Thomas .”

Finn fisted his hands as his anger spiked. “ Guess what. Now , so am I .”

Melisse got to her feet. “ I’m going to talk to Mason .” When Henry rose to join her, she put a hand on his chest. “ Alone .”

Finn glared at the ceiling and shook his head in exasperation. No one was listening to him. They didn’t understand. Or maybe they couldn’t. Then , through the haze of his indignation, came the realization that if they could free Thomas , Carlyle wouldn’t have to go after the London Druids . It had been some time since his temper had gotten the best of him. Now that he saw clearly, he agreed with Melisse’s decision.

“ Is it a good idea to be on your own?” Nikolai asked Melisse .

Melisse’s smile was cold and hard. “ I dare London to try something.”

“ They don’t know the Kings are involved. If something goes awry and you react, they will,” Henry cautioned.

Nikolai blew out a breath. “ I’m sure London knows the connection the Skye Druids have to us. We might no’ have made our presence known to them, but I guarantee they’re making arrangements for when we do.”

“ I don’t think the Kings should make themselves known. At least, not yet,” Finn said when Melisse frowned. He ran a hand down his face and blew out a breath. It was easier to see the plan now that he had calmed down. “ One reason is because Rhona made it clear she wishes for her people to handle this without involving the Kings . Skye was attacked, not Dreagan .”

Esther crossed one leg over the other. “ And the other reason?”

“ Surprise ,” Nikolai answered.

Finn flashed a quick grin. “ Precisely . Stay in the shadows as you have been. You can move about more freely than the Knights or anyone from Skye .”

“ I doubt London knows about me.” Melisse looked at each of them. “ I agree with Finn . However , what I’m suggesting, I do of my own volition. It might give Ferne some answers about her brother, Carlyle answers regarding his father, and for the rest of us, an idea of just how deep Mason has gone.”

“ All of that would help,” Finn said.

The Dragon Queen nodded. “ I’ll be back soon.”

Finn watched her leave the hotel room with Henry on her heels, then walked to a window overlooking the street, where they had parked the vehicle. Henry opened the car door for her, and they shared a few words before Henry gave her a brief kiss, and Melisse drove away.

“ I’ve seen Carlyle in battle,” Esther said into the silence. “ He can take care of himself.”

Finn sighed as he faced the couple. “ Normally , I would agree. But he isn’t thinking of anything beyond getting Thomas away from the organization. One thing bothers me.”

“ What’s that?” Nikolai asked.

“ Why take Thomas ? He should’ve been forced to banish Carlyle from the family, same as Mason did with Ferne .”

Esther made a face. “ That’s right. Carlyle and Ferne told us London views any of their Druids who go to Skye as traitors.”

“ Which means they should be targeting Carlyle , not Thomas ,” Nikolai stated as Henry walked back into the room.

Finn nodded. “ And their response to treason is death.”

“ Ah . I see,” Nikolai murmured.

Esther looked at her mate and then Finn . “ Apparently , I don’t. What am I missing?”

“ If London wished to take Carlyle’s life, they could have done it the moment he landed at the airport,” Nikolai explained.

Henry sat on the corner of the bed, listening to the conversation.

Finn sighed as he perched on the edge of the windowsill. “ Exactly my point. Carlyle wouldn’t listen, though. Not even when Devon was at the townhome. She didn’t try to attack. Just talked. And all Carlyle could think about was that his father had vanished, and he had to find him.”

“ And now he’s alone with Devon ,” Esther said, her lips flattening in irritation. “ That is concerning.”

Henry spoke up then. “ And we’re sure it’s London who has Thomas ?”

“ Carlyle is sure it is. The problem is, we don’t know anything else. We only know Thomas is missing. It seems obvious that it’s London , but why ?”

Esther shrugged. “ To punish Carlyle , of course.”

“ Banishment or death is their usual punishment, though,” Henry pointed out.

Nikolai crossed his ankle over his knee and shifted in the chair. “ Is there a scenario where London might take Thomas to lure Carlyle here for another reason?”

“ You’re asking the wrong person,” Finn replied.

Esther pulled out her mobile. “ We know someone who might be able to tell us.”

After she dialed, Esther set the phone on the cushion and put it on speaker so everyone could hear.

“ Hello ?” Ferne answered on the fourth ring, sounding out of breath.

“ Bad time?” Esther asked.

“ Not at all. What’s going on? Did you find Finn ?”

Finn leaned forward and raised his voice as he answered, “ I’m here.”

“ Is this about my brother?” Ferne asked hesitantly.

Esther looked at Finn , nodding for him to take over. Finn cleared his throat and said, “ Mason is still at the estate. Things didn’t go as planned.”

“ I know. Rhona shared what happened with you and Carlyle ,” Ferne said.

Finn didn’t miss the disappointment in her voice. She and Mason were close, and his about-face occurred so quickly she was worried London had done something to him. “ Do you think there’s a reason London wants Carlyle ?”

“ Other than what they consider treason? No .” Ferne paused. “ Well …maybe.”

Nikolai lowered his foot to the floor and leaned forward so his elbows rested on his knees. “ Go on.”

“ I’m just speculating,” Ferne replied.

Henry joined in then. “ We need anything and everything right now. With Carlyle not answering our calls, you’re our only link to any knowledge about London .”

There was a sound like a chair scraping across the floor that came through the phone. Then Ferne said, “ The moment I learned someone was waiting at the townhome for Carlyle , I thought they had been sent to kill him.”

“ So did we. But Devon only wanted to talk,” Finn said.

“ If that’s the case, then she was specifically told to do nothing but speak.”

Finn crossed his arms over his chest. “ She was more than just an envoy. That woman is skilled and dangerous. I saw enough of it on the streets in Ireland to recognize it in others.”

“ And she was with my brother?” Ferne asked.

Finn grimaced but said, “ She was. Devon must have gone to the manor directly after speaking with us.”

“ I’ve never heard of her.” Ferne made an indistinct noise. “ Not that I know all the women he spends time with. Are we sure that’s her name?”

“ We don’t know anything for sure right now. Was there anyone he favored over others?”

“ Mason kept up appearances so as not to draw London’s attention. The elders liked to match Druids in the society to form what they called perfect matches they believed would grow a Druid’s power. The fact that Mum was so high-ranking in the organization made Mason a prime catch. The elders were constantly putting women before him. Mason played along, but his focus was always elsewhere. I didn’t realize he was looking into our parents’ plane crash until I arrived on Skye .” Ferne paused. “ Mason was furious when London kicked me out and forced me from the city. I think that made him dig in his heels even more. They’ve always had their eyes on him for big things. But to answer your question, no, there wasn’t anyone special.”

Finn sighed as he squeezed the bridge of his nose. “ When we went to the manor, Mason wasn’t in his room. I found him in the attic, but he wasn’t right. He looked right through me.”

“ What do you mean?” Ferne asked, a note of concern in her voice.

“ It was like he was sleepwalking.”

Ferne released a long breath. “ He isn’t the same brother I left. If London did something to him, he needs to be removed and brought somewhere safe.”

“ And we will,” Henry told her. “ Melisse went to talk to him. Right now, we need to focus on Carlyle .”

“ Right . Of course,” Ferne hurried to say. “ Sorry .”

Nikolai slowly straightened in his chair. “ Doona apologize for loving your brother.”

Ferne sniffed and replied in a small voice, “ Thanks .” Finn heard another sniff, but her voice was stronger when she spoke next. “ If the elders didn’t kill Carlyle when they had the chance, then they want something from him.”

“ Why him?” Esther asked. “ What makes Carlyle special?”

Finn could almost see Ferne shrugging when she said, “ I couldn’t tell you. But they always have a plan. And if he’s still alive, that means they want him that way.”

“ Not going to happen,” Finn stated. He looked from Nikolai to Esther to Henry so they understood where he stood.

Henry absently rubbed his chin. “ If London has Thomas , where would they take him?”

“ Headquarters , most likely,” Ferne answered. “ The building is heavily warded and impossible to break into. There were rumors about several levels belowground. I asked my mum once, but she laughed it off. If they’re holding Thomas there, they’ll anticipate Carlyle coming for him.”

Finn squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “ Unless Carlyle knows someone who can get him inside without being seen.”

“ Devon ,” Ferne said softly.

Nikolai tapped a finger on the arm of the chair, his gaze on Finn . “ You think Devon is setting him up?”

“ Don’t you?” Finn asked.

Henry shrugged. “ Possibly . Carlyle will have thought of that, too. If he thinks she can get him in, he’ll chance it. I know I would.”

“ Exactly . Emotions are ruling him,” Finn said as he pushed to his feet. “ He would never do anything so reckless otherwise.”

Ferne asked, “ Could Carlyle and Devon be working together?”

Finn snorted loudly. “ That woman might be walking sex, but she’s a viper. There’s no way Carlyle would trust her.”

“ Unless London has something of hers,” Esther offered.