Page 36 of Blood Skye (Skye Druids #6)

Chapter Thirty-Six

Carlyle glanced over at Song as they drove around the isle. She sat tense and still, her knuckles white as she clutched her hands together.

“ I don’t know what I’m looking for.”

It was the fourth time she had uttered those words. He reached across and covered her hands with his. “ We’re not looking for anything,” he reminded her. “ We’re just going to the co-op to pick up a few things. No one expects you to do anything right now.”

Song had seemed excited at the prospect of driving around Skye . Now , he regretted it. It was too soon. She wasn’t ready. She was still getting accustomed to deciding things for herself.

“ Right . I know that,” she said and looked down at their hands. “ It’s just that I supposedly have this ability. What if I can’t use it?”

He gave her a squeeze. “ That isn’t something we need to worry about today. And even if you can’t, you’re still a part of us. For as long as you want to be.”

“ I want to be.” She looked out the passenger window, her frown of worry still in place.

While others had slept, he and Song had remained in his room. They talked and simply held each other. At one point, she dozed. Holding her as she slept had felt right and perfect. Carlyle had savored every second of those precious few hours.

Those happy thoughts didn’t last, though. Because there was still the threat of Thomas . They had come away from London with their lives, but things were far from over. Thomas wouldn’t give up. As worrying as that was, if Song could, in fact, see the tears in dimensions, then she was an asset other Druids would want.

There was a lot to consider. They had talked about some of it, but they needed to delve into so much more. And it wasn’t just the two of them. Now that they were on Skye , others’ lives were at risk. The dark cloud that was Thomas and London would remain over them until his father was dealt with. But not until the evil on the isle had been contained.

Carlyle pulled up alongside the curb and turned off the engine. Song watched the people milling about town.

“ It feels wrong to be here,” she whispered.

He rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. “ It was the same for me when I first came. Ferne , too. But the isle has a way of washing away the lies we were told about this place.”

“ What if Shi lied? What if I can’t see the tears? What if there wasn’t a spell? Or what if she didn’t really remove it?”

“ Then you can’t.”

Her head swiveled to him. “ Just like that? No big deal?”

“ Just like that,” he replied. “ And not a big deal. The Knights didn’t come to Skye because we thought we were special. We came because one of ours was in trouble. And we stayed because we want to help.” Carlyle jerked his chin in the direction of the window at the tourists and locals. “ Look at them. What do you see?”

“ People going about their days.”

“ That’s who they are. Some have magic, some don’t. Some were born on Skye and can trace their lineage back generations. Others were drawn here, and a few remain. Others go home. But there will always be that pull to Skye . This place is magic.”

She scanned the water and shoreline.

He drew in a breath and slowly released it as he stared at her profile. “ There are still battles to come. London isn’t our only enemy. There’s Edinburgh , and most likely others we don’t know about yet. There is safety here, but that doesn’t mean we’re safe.”

“ You think I’m worried about that?” she asked as she looked at him.

“ I think you deserve to feel it.”

Song flipped her hand over and interlaced her fingers with his. “ I feel it with you. And we both know nowhere on this planet is safe. It’s an illusion that causes people to lower their guards. That’s how they die.” She paused. “ But I am scared. Mostly , I’m afraid I’ll fail all of you. I want to do something that will make up for the things I’ve done.”

“ You already have. You stood against Thomas .”

“ I need to do more. I want to find the tears. But if I can’t, then I will stand with you and fight.”

He grinned. “ I relish the idea. But I require a promise from you.”

“ If I can give it, I will.”

“ If things become too much, if you get tired of the battles, or of being attacked, tell me.”

She nodded. “ I promise I’ll tell you if that happens.”

“ Good .” Carlyle brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “ Ready ?”

“ Ready .”

When Carlyle exited the SUV , he looked at the faces around him. Any one of them could be from Edinburgh . George had already sent people to infiltrate the Druids here. She wouldn’t stop until she got what she wanted. At one time, Carlyle would have sworn London wouldn’t send anyone, but he knew differently now. Druids were ready to sacrifice themselves to help propel London’s power struggle.

Carlyle came around the front of the vehicle and took Song’s hand as they walked to the co-op. After so many centuries, why were London and Edinburgh so worried about the Skye Druids ’ power? There had been Druids on the isle for tens of thousands of years. Why now? What had changed?

“ Carlyle ,” an Irish voice called.

He smiled at the sight of Killian walking toward them, his blond hair ruffled by the breeze. Next to him was Callum . Their friendship had begun shortly after Killian arrived, and the two remained close. Killian had been raised with money and power and carried himself like it. Callum , on the other hand, was introverted, mainly because his family was shunned by most on the isle. His mother left, and his father was an abusive drunk. Callum ran the family boat shop, keeping food on the table. He wore his long, shoulder-length light brown hair gathered in a queue. His amber eyes were wary, watchful. The two men were opposites in nearly every way but had found a kinship.

“ Afternoon ,” Carlyle replied in greeting.

Killian and Callum halted before them. The Irishman’s olive green eyes landed on Song . Killian flashed a wide smile. “ You must be Song . I’m Killian ,” he said and held out his hand.

Song took it and smiled softly. “ Hello .”

“ That’s Callum ,” Killian said, hooking a thumb toward his friend.

Callum dipped his head. “ Hi .”

She returned the nod. “ Nice to meet you both.”

“ We’ll be coming to the manor later. We’re on our way to get Ariah for lunch. You two are welcome to join us,” Killian offered.

Carlyle sidled closer to Song to make room for others to pass them. “ We’ll take a rain check. I want to show her a bit of the isle.”

“ You’re going to love it here,” Killian told her. “ Everyone does.”

Callum looked away. Killian noticed, too, but neither Carlyle nor Killian mentioned it.

“ We’ll see you later, then,” Carlyle said.

Killian waved. “ Have fun.”

Carlyle and Song continued toward the co-op.

“ Callum . You told me about him,” Song said in a low voice. “ He’s the one who mended the tear in the dimensions?”

“ Mended , healed. We’re not sure what he did. But , yes, that’s him. He didn’t even know he could do it.”

“ He carries a lot of pain.”

Carlyle nodded. “ Sadly , he does.”

“ What happened to him?”

“ His family has a history that repeats every generation. Rumor is it’s a curse. The mother is either killed or leaves, and the father gets sloshed and violent. The sons never drink, swearing they’ll be the ones to change things.”

Her face wrinkled with sorrow. “ But that doesn’t happen.”

“ Not according to Rhona . That’s why so many claim the Kilmuirs are cursed. Callum told Killian he was going to be the one to change things.”

“ How ?”

Carlyle held the door open for Song . “ By never having children.”

“ That would do it,” she said as she walked into the store.

Carlyle looked toward the checkout and spotted Kirsi ringing up some customers. He steered Song toward the rear of the store and dropped his voice to a whisper. “ I think there’s something between Kirsi and Callum , though neither have done anything about it.”

“ That’s sad.”

“ You’ll notice Callum with bruises or other injuries sometimes. It’s better not to mention them. Most of the locals believe he’s fighting others. We suspect his father is beating him.”

Song halted and faced him. “ Callum is a grown man. He could fight back.”

“ My fear is that he will. After years of taking the abuse, he won’t just knock some sense into his dad, he might do worse.”

“ He might kill him, you mean. I hadn’t thought of that.”

Carlyle looked over the shelves at Kirsi . “ Somehow , whenever she’s in trouble, he’s there.”

“ Sounds like he loves her.”

“ I think he does.” He looked into Song’s dark eyes. “ But he’ll forsake any happiness he might find to ensure he doesn’t turn out like his father.”

Song twisted her lips. “ I can’t say I blame him.”

“ He thinks he’s alone. He’s not yet realized that we’re all watching over him.”

“ But not all the time.” Song put a hand on his chest. “ Would he call if he was in trouble?”

Carlyle shook his head. “ Before Killian , I would’ve said no. Now that he and Killian are close, Callum might call him.”

“ He won’t if he’s going to the lengths you say he is to keep the violence hidden.”

Carlyle grunted in agreement. The talk ended as they grabbed what they needed and made their way to the counter.

“ Hey ,” Kirsi said. “ Glad you’re back.”

Carlyle grinned. “ Me , too. Kirsi , this is Song . Song , Kirsi .”

“ Hello ,” Kirsi said as she began scanning the items. “ I promise I won’t expect you to remember my name. I can’t imagine how many of us you’ve met already.”

Song chuckled. “ Quite a few. I’m good with faces, but it’ll take me a bit with the names.”

“ You can count on me if you need a nudge,” Kirsi told her, adding a wink.

Song smiled. “ I have a feeling I’ll be taking you up on that.”

Carlyle paid, and they walked out. The moment they were outside, he noticed Song’s smile drop. “ What is it?”

“ You told me everyone’s story, and I’m finally putting faces to names.”

“ And you’re realizing that Kirsi was the one who went into The Grey .”

Song nodded. “ She’s also the one Ferne saw destroy the evil.”

“ Yeah . In my opinion, Kirsi is too young for such a role. But sadly, I didn’t get a say in everyone’s positions.” He opened the boot of the SUV and put the bags inside. “ She won’t be alone. We’ll be standing with her.”

“ The stories you told me seemed just that. Stories ,” Song said once they were inside the vehicle.

He started the engine and pulled onto the road. “ And now?”

“ I’m seeing the people attached to those tales. It makes them real. But I need more.”

“ You want to see the locations.”

She turned her head to him. “ Will you take me?”

“ Today ?”

“ I need that connection.”

Carlyle had thought to take her to a couple, but he hadn’t planned on doing it so soon. “ Give yourself a few more days on the isle.”

“ Please .” Song put her hand on his arm. “ I can handle it. And I’ll tell you if I can’t.”

He drove for several moments, mulling over her request. By denying her, he would be doing exactly what Thomas had: controlling her. “ Is there a place you want to see first?”

“ Whichever you choose.”

Carlyle turned at the next intersection. The blue sky was bright and clear. The sun warmed them, hinting at the summer ahead. He pointed out some locations as he drove, telling her about the coves only the locals knew about and the best places to eat.

“ What about the best places to fish?”

He smiled as he took a curve. “ I’ve not done any yet.”

“ We’ll have to change that.”

“ I’ll make sure of it.”

Carlyle was happy to see that Song had relaxed after departing the manor. She wasn’t focused on being able to see the tears anymore. Which was why she wanted to visit the locations of their battles. Not that he blamed her. He’d happily take a distraction to forget about debilitating fear, too.

“ You see that house on the hill to the right? The one with the blue door?” he asked.

She searched the landscape before nodding. “ I do. Oh , they have horses.”

“ That’s Willa and Jasper’s place.”

“ Wait ,” Song said. “ Don’t tell me. Willa is Scott’s sister. Their father, Luke , is missing.”

Carlyle smiled. “ Correct . And Jasper ?”

Song drummed her fingers on the door, a frown puckering her brow. “ Is he the one George sent over as a spy?”

“ He was, indeed. Good memory.”

Song stared out the window, taking in the scenery. She didn’t ask where they were going, and he didn’t tell her. Carlyle still wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing. The next time he glanced at her, he saw she had fallen asleep. It wasn’t surprising given how neither of them had gotten much rest the last few days.

Carlyle debated whether to keep driving, but something had brought him here. In the end, he slowed and turned off the road to begin down the long driveway.