Page 3 of Blood Skye (Skye Druids #6)

Chapter Three

Carlyle’s worries were mounting. On top of Mason’s odd behavior and locating his father, he also agonized about whether or not Finn had gotten clear of the attackers. There was also the fact that the assailants had targeted Devon . It might just be a ploy to throw them together. Whatever it was, he’d get to the bottom of that and so much more soon enough.

He had thought he would have to carry her kicking and screaming out of the estate. Instead , she willingly remained at his side. At least for the moment.

Carlyle glanced over his shoulder at her. She was several steps behind him, wearing a deep frown. Her dark eyes briefly met his, and he saw specks of what looked like blood on her face. He faced forward and concentrated on remembering the way out of the hidden tunnels throughout the manor and beyond. At one time, Carlyle could’ve run through them blindfolded. But that had been years ago. He was pulling everything from memory now.

When they reached a door, he held up a hand, wordlessly telling Devon to stay put. He unlatched it and shut off his torch, painstakingly opening it inch by inch until it was wide enough for him to peer out. His gaze landed on the pond. He leaned farther out and looked left, making out the edge of the manor in the distance. He smiled because he was exactly where he wanted to be.

Carlyle motioned for Devon to follow. Once they were outside, he closed the door and scanned the area, looking for anyone else. He stealthily moved to the nearby hill and lay against the slope to look over the top to the woods beyond. The tunnels had gotten them close but not close enough. He made his way back to Devon .

She stood in a moonbeam with bits of pottery and wood in her black hair. He moved close and kept his voice low. “ Who attacked?”

“ You know who it was,” she answered.

“ So , you knew I was coming tonight.”

She shot him a dark look. “ I did not.”

“ You’re seriously going to tell me you didn’t call them in.”

“ You seriously want to do this now?” she hissed.

Carlyle would concede the point. It didn’t matter if she had called in reinforcements. Nothing would stop him from taking her. If she wanted to act like she wasn’t with the assailants, he had no problem making her think he would leave her behind. He returned to the hill and moved to the top. He didn’t look back or warn Devon , he just took off.

The sprint to the first set of shrubs passed without incident. As he was surveying his next move, Devon reached him. He hid a smile and took off to the next cluster of bushes. This time, she was right on his heels. They had one more set of shrubs before the expanse of lawn to the woods. Carlyle used to tease Mason’s mum, Alicia , about how she kept adding to the garden. Now , he wished she had extended it even more.

They safely reached the last bushes, but just as Carlyle was about to race to the trees, he spotted men walking the perimeter of the house—looking for him and Devon , no doubt. Carlyle scanned the windows he could see, hoping to find some sign of Mason or Finn . If anyone could survive an attack like that, Finn could. Growing up on the streets of Cork had taught him things few understood.

“ Now ,” Carlyle whispered when he saw their chance.

When Devon began to fall behind, he grabbed her hand and pulled her along, releasing her once inside the safety of the trees. She was out of breath, her back plastered to a tree trunk, but he wasn’t the only one scanning the area. Carlyle stood in silence for several moments to make sure nobody was waiting for them before he started walking.

He’d hidden his car two miles away, which gave their pursuers plenty of time to find them. He glanced over his shoulder at Devon . She hadn’t said much, but she would.

Unless this was all a setup. Would more black-clothed men surround him before he got to his vehicle? Would they take him to London ? Perhaps they’d bring him to where they’d taken his father. He wouldn’t have minded any of that twelve hours ago, but that’d been when Saber could track him. If they took him now, no one would know. Not Saber , Finn , or any of the Knights .

Finn . He had to believe his friend had gotten out. It didn’t matter if Mason was with him or not. Still , Carlyle couldn’t know any of that for sure unless he spoke to Finn , and he couldn’t return to the manor without being taken.

Carlyle halted and then faced Devon . “ Talk .”

“ You’ll have to be more specific,” she replied.

“ The intruders.”

She sighed. “ In case you didn’t notice, they were firing at me, too.”

“ Odd , isn’t it? Since you’re one of them.”

Her gaze skated away.

“ Which means you knew I was coming and thought to trap me.”

Devon blew out a harsh breath and cut her eyes to him. “ One more time. I didn’t know you would be there.”

“ For a minute, let’s say I believe you. Why are Druids using guns?”

“ Those weren’t regular bullets.”

He raised his brows, motioning with a hand when she didn’t continue. “ And ?”

“ There are a couple of different cartridges. One will render a Druid incapable of drawing on their magic, and another can turn the Druid’s magic on them.”

“ What was used tonight?”

Devon shrugged and shook her head. “ I have no way of knowing that.”

“ What the fuck is wrong with you people?”

“ Is that a rhetorical question? Because you were one of us.”

Carlyle snorted. “ Were being the operative word. But why attack Mason ? You have him under your thumb. And if they really did come after you, why?”

“ You’d have to ask them.”

“ Perhaps I will.”

She lifted her chin. “ This is as good a place as any for us to part ways.”

“ Oh , I don’t think so. You’re coming with me.”

“ Because you think I have answers about your father.”

“ I don’t think. I know ,” he retorted.

Devon took a step back.

Carlyle followed her with a step of his own. “ You can attempt to run, but I came to the estate for you tonight. One way or another, you’re coming with me.”

“ I’m not going anywhere with you.”

He smiled then. “ Your friends saw you with me. That’s what they’ll report. So , even if you fight me now, no one will know.”

“ You bastard.”

“ Perhaps you should have better friends.”

“ Like yours?” she fired back. “ Where’s Finn ?”

Carlyle’s smile faded. “ I would do anything for my friends, and they for me. They are the kind of people who always have your back. But you wouldn’t know anything about that. Last chance. You can come with me willingly, or I can prove the lengths I’m willing to go to for my father.”

“ You’ve signed my death warrant.”

“ You did that the moment you aligned with the London Druids .”

She rolled her eyes. “ Then I guess the same could be said about your father, Mason , and every other member.”

“ Walk ,” he demanded.

“ Direction ?” she countered.

Carlyle pointed over his shoulder. She shot him a look of pure hatred and walked past him. As she did, he turned and fell into step behind her. His thoughts returned to Finn . He had to trust that the Irishman would not only make it out of the manor but also get somewhere safe. Without a way to contact each other or the other Knights , they were on their own. Finn knew where Carlyle planned to take Devon , but he didn’t know how to get there.

The only words he spoke were to direct her on where to walk. An hour and a half later, they reached the black Range Rover . He walked to the passenger door and opened it. To his surprise, Devon got in without complaint. He started the vehicle and drove out of the woods, heading back onto the dirt road that would eventually take him to a paved one and, finally, the highway. He glanced at Devon to find her eyes closed. He didn’t trust her, but even if she tried to get out of the SUV , she would learn that was impossible. He had spelled the locks after he shut the door behind her. He would be the only one opening the Range Rover’s doors.

Carlyle and Finn had argued over where to bring Devon . Any of his or his father’s holdings would be the first places the London Druids searched for Devon . Instead , he would go two hours away to a place Mason’s dad, Shane , had brought them to when they were still at uni. It was still too close to London for his liking, but there was no getting around that unless he wanted to take Devon to Skye . And that wouldn’t happen unless there were no other options.

He reached for his mobile, only to remember that he no longer had it. Carlyle didn’t like being out of touch with his friends. Not just to update them on his endeavor, but also to find out why he and Finn had been ordered to dump their phones. He’d learn all he needed soon enough, though.

About an hour before dawn, Carlyle pulled up to the secluded lodge. Mason had retained it when he became the Earl of Brannelly and kept the caretakers who maintained it. Saber had taken care of the specifics to ensure no one was around the lodge for a fortnight.

Carlyle parked the SUV and shut off the ignition. Devon had slept the entire way, and it had surprised him. He wouldn’t shut his eyes if he were in the company of enemies. Perhaps she didn’t consider him a threat. If so, that would change soon enough.

He got out and walked around to the passenger side. The sky was lightening to a soft gray in that weird time between darkness and light. He opened the door and noticed for the first time that Devon was in a long-sleeved, navy silk pajama set with white piping along the trim. Her dark gray Ugg slippers were muddy from their trek through the forest.

His gaze lifted to her face. She had her head turned away from him, her long, thick hair a river of midnight over her shoulder. He found himself staring at her pale neck. The speck of blood he’d noticed before yanked him from his musings. Carlyle shifted closer and caught a reflection of something in her hair, finding shards of glass there and caught on her clothes.

“ Devon .”

Her eyes snapped open. She looked ahead before turning her head to him. Her gaze darted to the stone lodge again before focusing on him. “ I suppose it’s useless to ask where we are.”

“ It is.”

He didn’t miss her slight wince when she exited the vehicle. Just as he shut the door, he saw something dark and wet on the black leather seat. His head whipped around to Devon , and he found the back left side of her shirt wet and clinging to her body.

Carlyle shut the door. “ When were you going to tell me you were injured? Never mind,” he replied as he walked to the front door. “ Let’s get inside.”

He knew the lodge had been stocked with everything he had asked for. Carlyle shut the door and flattened his hand on it, whispering a locking spell. The magic would slowly work its way around the entire structure. He looked at Devon to find her entering the library. For just a moment, Carlyle let himself think back to the first time he and Mason had walked through the doors here, taking in the ancient feel of the stones, the wooden beams dating back hundreds of years, and the magic woven through every inch of the lodge and the items within its walls.

A drop of blood on the floor brought him back to the present. Carlyle found a first-aid kit and called to Devon . She entered the kitchen, where he awaited her. She looked from the medical supplies to him before taking the chair he had situated in front of him.

She sat with her back to him and pulled her length of hair over her right shoulder, then slowly unbuttoned her top and let it fall down her left arm. The overhead light wasn’t enough. Carlyle used his torch to shine light directly on her wound as he began picking glass from her flesh.

He leaned close and saw goose bumps rise on her skin when his breath fanned her. She kept her gaze down and her left hand fisted on her leg. Despite the depth of some of the shards, she never jerked or made a single sound of pain as he worked. If her white knuckles were any indication, however, she felt it all.