Page 8 of Blood Skye (Skye Druids #6)

Chapter Eight

“ And what is that?” Carlyle demanded.

Song looked up at him. The shadows contoured his face, creating a visage that promised fiery retribution. She could lie to him. It would be easy. Lying was always easy. But she had already divulged so much. Why not tell him the truth? Knowing wouldn’t stop what was coming. Nothing could stop the London Druids .

Except maybe the Skye Druids .

“ There are whispers in the organization of fire walkers being sent to eradicate the Druids on Skye .”

He blinked and took a step back. “ You can’t be serious.”

“ You wanted to know.”

“ I won’t do it.”

She briefly lowered her gaze to the ground. “ You can deny it all you want, but we both know you will. They have your father.”

“ Is London what’s causing the issues on Skye ?”

Song licked her dry lips. “ I couldn’t tell you.”

“ They really intend to wipe out thousands of people all because they want revenge?”

“ I wasn’t given a reason, you know that.”

His lips curled into a sneer. “ That’s shite. You blend into the background, picking up all kinds of information when they don’t know you’re there.”

“ You think so, do you?”

“ Maybe that’s why they’re after you.”

“ They have their sights set on you, remember?”

He shrugged, his lips twisting. “ So you say. Could be you’ve found yourself in a spot and thought using my father to get out of it was the answer.”

“ Wow . You have quite the imagination.”

“ Nothing else makes sense. You claim they weren’t watching me to know I was at Mason’s last night. You also claim they aimed at you. Oh , and let’s not forget this wild story about wanting to use my fire walker abilities.”

Song had been honest, and he hadn’t believed her. Not that she blamed him. There was no trust between them. Quite the opposite, actually. Still , she didn’t like being called a liar.

“ I’ll find the truth,” Carlyle promised before spinning on his heel and continuing on.

For just a moment, she thought about going a different way. In the end, she trailed after him as she had since they’d left Mason’s . London thought they knew Carlyle . They believed they could handle him like they did everyone else. But they were wrong. So very wrong.

Carlyle came from a powerful family but he didn’t use their influence. He created his own way, formed his own group of friends, and all the Knights seemed to live by a code only mentioned in fiction. He did what was right. He didn’t care about power or fame. He fought for those who couldn’t fight for themselves.

She didn’t need to remind Carlyle that he would have to choose between his father and those on Skye . He knew it. She saw it in his eyes. He was losing either way. And that decision would tear him apart.

Why did the prospect of Carlyle being ruined in such a way bother her? She couldn’t afford to allow emotions to interfere in her duties. She’d made that mistake once, and that was all it took to ensure she didn’t do it again. Carlyle was like so many others she had encountered. There was nothing special about him.

At least that had been her initial thought.

Every time she believed she knew what to expect from him, he surprised her. He had been gentle and kind to her, his enemy. She barely remembered such emotions coming from anyone. It muddied things in her mind. That way lay chaos and a slow, agonizing death.

The toe of her boot caught a root, causing her to twist to remain upright. She felt the pull in her stitches. Pain stopped her in her tracks. She reached out for something to grab with her right hand, and her palm scraped the bark of a tree. She dug her fingers into the trunk and felt a nail bend backward. Her legs wobbled. She knew her knees would give out at any moment. Sweat broke out over her body, her stomach roiled, and the world began to swim nauseatingly. She tried to say Carlyle’s name but found her jaw locked.

Song didn’t know how many minutes passed before the throbbing lessened enough that she could think clearly again. Somehow , she had remained on her feet. She looked around for Carlyle , but he was nowhere to be seen. And she had no idea which direction he had gone in.

What good did it do her to be with him? Their trust issues would only grow until one of them turned on the other. That was if London didn’t find them first. She had a place she could go to get cleaned up and lay low for a bit until she could figure out what was going on. All she had to do was get out of this magical obstacle course.

She carefully continued forward. She couldn’t see a path, but Carlyle had wandered through the trees with certainty. He had trained with Shane , but she had been trained by the London Druids . She doubted anything in the course was worse than what they had put her through. If she could live through that, she would survive this.

Song listened for any signs of Carlyle or the extraction team, but the night was quiet within the undetectable walls of the course. It seemed not even animals wanted to be within it. Step by step, she moved forward.

Suddenly , she came upon a body of water. She didn’t relish getting wet, so she opted to walk around it. Then she spotted the bridge. She headed toward it, only for her foot to slip on some dead leaves, tumbling her into the pond. Just as her head broke the surface, something grabbed hold of her and yanked her down.

She looked into her father’s face. He was troubled as he kneeled in front of her and gripped her arms. “ Remember , sweetheart. Don’t let anyone near your sister. Your mum and I will be back as soon as we can. You’re protected, but your sister’s life is in your hands.”

Song nodded glumly. Ever since her sister was born, everything had been about her. Everyone who came to the house always wanted to see Jai and talk about her. They whispered, watching Jai intently.

Her parents rarely played with her anymore. One of them was always gone while the other paced the room, their thoughts occupied. Unless Jai needed them.

“ We love you,” her father said and kissed her forehead.

Then her mum was there. “ My sweet Song . You’re an amazing daughter and sister. I hate to put this on you, but we don’t have a choice. You’ll watch over Jai , won’t you?”

“ Yes , Mummy .”

“ It’s important that you wait for us to return,” her mum said.

Song nodded. Her mother kissed her, and then her parents were gone, leaving her and Jai alone. She looked over at her sister, who lay sleeping in her bassinette within an orb of magic.

The hours dragged. Song played with her dolls and watched the telly. Jai slept. Oddly , Song didn’t get hungry or thirsty. The sun rose four times before the door to the flat opened. Except it wasn’t her parents. She didn’t recognize the men.

“ Hello , Song .” The man squatted in front of her. His blond hair was short, and his blue eyes were bright. “ I have something for you.”

The memory vanished as she was jerked from the water.

“ I’ve got you. I’ve got you,” Carlyle said, his arms wrapped around her.

She stared at the water as he dragged her onto land. He lowered her to the ground and kneeled in front of her, his large hands holding her face as he forced her eyes to meet his. Then he blew out a breath and sat heavily beside her.

Song shivered in the chilly night air—and from the memory. She hadn’t thought of her sister as Jai in ages. Song tried to look away from the pond but couldn’t. It had a hold on her. Just as that long-ago scene did.

“ I told you to wait,” Carlyle said.

She closed her eyes but could still see the man’s smiling face. “ I didn’t hear you. What was that?”

“ An obstacle I was trying to stay away from. No matter how much you try to stay out of the water, it always gets you. And once it does, it forces you to face the things in your past you’ve ignored.”

Song opened her eyes. “ I can’t go back in.”

“ We won’t. Can you walk?”

“ I will.”

He got to his feet and held out his hand. She took his with her right and let him pull her up.

“ Your hands are like ice. We need to get you warm.”

The wet jeans clung to her legs as her feet squished in the soaked socks and boots. The trembling of her body caused her shoulder to continually pull so that her pain never relented. Yet she put one foot in front of the other. Carlyle moved quickly until he realized she had difficulty keeping up. Then he slowed. Not once did he berate her to make her move faster. He said nothing, simply altered the pace of his steps.

Song didn’t look where they were going. She didn’t pay attention to anything around her. Everything went into staying upright and following Carlyle’s footsteps. It was all about survival.

“ This way,” he urged.

She glanced to where they were headed down a hill and followed. She had to walk sideways down the steep embankment. It put a strain on her body that had already been pushed to its limit. She stopped against a sapling and leaned her weight against it.

Carlyle was beside her in an instant. “ We’re close.”

“ Go . Get out while you can.”

“ I told you at Mason’s that I wasn’t leaving without you. I meant it.”

The words barely registered before she found herself draped over his shoulder. She should be outraged, but she couldn’t manage even that. His body heat seeped into her wet clothes and warmed her.

He reached the bottom of the hill and began to run. It jostled her injury to the point she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from crying out. She tried to keep her arm against her body as much as she could. Every time it fell, she would tug it back up beside her. Carlyle’s shoulder dug into her stomach, but she didn’t care. There was no way she would’ve been able to get this far without him.

After everything she had told him, he hadn’t left her. He thought she had answers. Maybe he even believed he could turn her against London . That would never happen. Not while they had her sister.

Carlyle suddenly stopped and bent his knees to set her down. He took one look at her and flattened his lips. Shouts came from behind them in the distance.

“ Put your arm around me.”

She wrapped her right arm around his shoulders, and he lifted her into his arms and started walking. If he continued like this, they would both be caught. “ You should leave me.”

“ Probably ,” he replied.

Song felt her stitches pull again. “ I won’t tell you anything.”

“ You keep reminding me of that.”

“ Obviously , I’ve not gotten through to you.”

His eyes briefly lowered to hers. “ I don’t leave injured people behind. Besides , I still think you could be useful.”

“ Only because you don’t know who they’re after.”

“ Oh , I think I know.”

She looked at his profile. “ Who ?”

He never answered. Her eyes closed and it became difficult to keep her head up. She rested it on his shoulder, wondering—not for the first time—why she kept going to sleep around him.