Midnight's Temptation

CHAPTER FIFTY

Phelan’s skin tingled from the feel of Aisley’s magic. There was great sadness in her magic, but it didn’t stop him from vowing to kill her as she’d asked him to do in Inverness.

Mixed with Aisley’s magic was the cloying, sickening feel of drough magic. Phelan recognized Wallace’s magic from the rest of the droughs he sensed.

It was Wallace he’d felt on Skye. Whether or not the bastard attacked Aisley or it was some elaborate setup didn’t matter.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Wallace’s voice shouted through the trees.

Phelan nodded to Charon and walked the path his friend had told him about. It would take Phelan around to flank Wallace. Malcolm was supposed to take the other side, but they hadn’t heard from him. Whether he showed up or not was anyone’s guess.

There was time for one more try. Phelan moved silently through the trees as he sent a quick text to Malcolm. Almost instantly Malcolm responded to let him know he was already there and watching Wallace.

Phelan smiled. It was going to be up to him and Malcolm. The other Warriors would do their part, but they also had to keep the Druids safe. He and Malcolm didn’t have that problem.

Wallace was set up atop a small rise that was protected by huge oaks, alders, pines, and chestnuts. There was a steep slope leading up to Wallace’s back. The ground on the remaining three sides were gentle rolling hills.

Phelan clenched his jaw when he felt the magic behind Wallace preventing anyone from attacking there. Wallace had set up the battlefield distinctly to his advantage.

Much as they had done at Dreagan. Wallace hadn’t known what he was walking into then, but Phelan and the others certainly did.

No one knew this woodland as Charon did. As soon as they’d discovered that’s where Wallace was, Charon had drawn a quick map of the forest.

Once Broc discovered exactly where Wallace was, it was simply a matter of Charon showing where everyone needed to go to be most effective.

Phelan unleashed his god and watched the gold claws extend from his fingers as he braced a hand against the trunk of a tree. Fighting droughs was what he was meant to do.

To his left the other ten Warriors had taken their places while the three MacLeod brothers would be visible to Wallace.

Phelan peered through the foliage and spotted Quinn with Fallon and Lucan on either side of him. Quinn’s rage was palpable. The brothers removed their shirts so Wallace could see the black skin and claws of their shared god.

As many battles as he’d been in, Phelan knew this one could change everything. With Aiden being held captive, it was up to Fallon and Lucan to control Quinn if something should happen to his son.

Phelan continued through the trees until he found the protruding rock formation Charon had told him about. He lay outstretched on his stomach and peered down at Wallace. Though he wasn’t as close as he wanted to be, there was a distinct advantage to him taking the higher ground on the next hill.

He let his gaze slowly sweep the area until he spotted a young lad, Wallace, and a black-haired little girl. The toddler gave him pause, especially when she turned her head and he saw fawn-colored eyes.

Phelan continued his search until he found Aiden being held by two female droughs using magic to keep him submissive. Though Aiden was fighting it.

A smile pulled at Phelan’s lips. It was just like a MacLeod to be stubborn enough to think he could get out of a situation like that alone.

But no matter how much of Aiden’s magic Phelan felt, it wasn’t enough for Aiden to overcome his captors.

Then Phelan saw Aisley.

His breath left him in a whoosh, as if someone had kicked him in the gut. Her midnight locks were in disarray and tangled. Her clothes were dirty, and he could almost swear he smelled blood on her. Fresh blood.

She was standing a ways behind Wallace and in front of Aiden. Yet she didn’t move. Not a twitch of her fingers or quirk of her lips. Only the breeze rustling the leaves dared to sweep through her hair.

A strand tangled in her eyelashes. He waited to see her move it out of the way, but nothing happened. Her gaze was riveted on the little girl Wallace had ahold of.

Phelan made himself look away from Aisley. If he continued, he was likely to think the expression on her face was one of dejection and pain.

He knew better.

After how easily she’d lied to him, Phelan didn’t trust what his eyes saw or what his ears heard. He’d already anticipated that if he came in contact with her he would believe the opposite of whatever she said.

“Are you going to wait forever?” Wallace shouted to the forest.

Phelan peeled back his lips when he saw Wallace exchange a smile with the lad next to him. The bastard thought it was funny. By the time Phelan got done with him, Wallace wouldn’t have anything to smile about.

The MacLeods walked out of the shadow of the trees and halted. Fallon had his arms crossed over his chest while Lucan’s hung by his side in anything but a casual stance. Quinn, however, had his hands fisted and his lips peeled back as he growled.

“Put a leash on it,” Wallace told Fallon of Quinn.

Fallon quirked a brow. “Release his son, and I willna have to.”

Wallace opened his mouth in a dramatic O and glanced over his shoulder at Aiden. “You mean him? I’m afraid that’s no’ going to happen.”

“Then prepare to die, drough,” Quinn said menacingly.

In response, Wallace laughed. “You dim-witted thugs think you can walk up and kill me? After all I survived? I came back from the dead and gained more power in the process.”

“You’re no’ the first,” Lucan said. “Deirdre did it before you. Better, I think, too.”

Fallon nodded. “Deirdre did do it better.”

“I doona give a shite how many people have done it,” Wallace ground out, his vanity showing by the thickening of his accent. “I’m back, and you willna be getting rid of me so easily.”

Quinn took a step toward him before Lucan and Fallon grabbed his arms. “Keep thinking that. We’ve no’ killed two powerful droughs for nothing. You’re next on the list, Wallace.”

“And I’m shaking in my shoes,” Jason said with a chuckle. “What none of you yet realize is that I have the advantage.”

Lucan gave a derisive smirk. “With three droughs?”

“With three droughs.”

It was Wallace’s cool demeanor that got Phelan’s attention. The bastard might be a sociopath, but he had a plan. And one they weren’t prepared for.

There was no time to warn the others. Phelan called up his power and altered the forest so Wallace thought the MacLeods were gone. It was done seconds before Wallace let loose a blast of magic along with three knives that rose from the ground and aimed right at the MacLeods.

Phelan spotted blood on the knives and knew it was drough blood. The brothers got out of the way of the knives and magic and scrambled back into the forest. Only then did Phelan drop the imagery. Wallace let loose several more blasts of magic in the trees that came too close to hitting the Warriors.

If Phelan didn’t do something, Wallace would get lucky and manage to hit one of his friends. Phelan got to his feet. Before he could jump in front of Wallace, lightning zapped through the forest and zinged one of the women holding Aiden.

* * *

Aisley waited for the lightning to strike her. Instead, it was only one of Jason’s newest recruits that fell to the ground, her lifeless body smoking from the zap.

Her knees were locked, which was the only thing keeping Aisley upright and still instead of running to Gillian. Out of the corner of her eye, Aisley saw Aiden elbow the other woman. She was older, and he was able to gain an advantage, even with the drough’s magic.

She wanted to see if Aiden got loose, but Aisley’s attention couldn’t be diverted from Gillian who was still beside Jason as he continued to blast his magic in the trees.

Aisley screamed Gillian’s name when the lightning came again and struck steps from her. When Gillian started to run to her, Jason grabbed Gillian’s arm to keep her with him.

“No,” Aisley said. She wouldn’t stand by and watch her daughter be put in danger.

Balls of fire, more lightning, and even water shaped like a spear hurdled into the small clearing coming closer and closer to Jason.

The teenager was taken out by a water spear to his chest. Jason paid him no heed. It was as if the droughs Jason had recruited meant nothing to him.

Her magic welled within her. She could use it against Phelan and the others. If she did, it would prove to Jason she was allied with him.

It would give her Gillian. She could rock her daughter to sleep at night, teach her about magic, life, and boys.

The world spun as Aisley’s ears rang and she found herself on her stomach on the ground, pine needles sticking into her cheek. By the smell of burnt earth, it seemed she had almost been struck by lightning.

It was the sound of Gillian screaming for her that had Aisley moving. She bit her lip and tasted blood when she moved her hands beneath her to push herself up.

The wounds on her back gushed blood. She had already been weak from lack of food and the torture. The more blood she lost, the weaker she became. How could she help Gillian then?

Aisley grew dizzy when she put pressure on her injured hands to steady her. Slowly she moved her legs so that her knees were underneath her.

She blinked and focused on her fingers. That’s when she saw the dark trail of blood that ran down her arm and over her hand to pool on the ground.

“Mummy!”

Aisley tried to send magic to Gillian to bring her, but Jason was too powerful. Even with his concentration on the Warriors, Aisley couldn’t get to him.

* * *

Phelan saw the blood running down Aisley’s arm. But what sent a shock through him was the child screaming for her. It couldn’t be possible though. Aisley’s daughter had died when she was just hours old.

“That’s the other magic I feel,” Phelan said as it all began to make sense.

He expected Aisley to run to her daughter, but it was taking her an obscene amount of time just to climb to her feet. Had Malcolm’s hit hurt her more than he realized?

Phelan started to go to her when he remembered who she was—what she was. Instead, he turned his attention to helping Aiden get free of the drough holding him.

It was almost too easy. Aiden had already caught her off guard, and it took little effort on Phelan’s part by altering the drough’s perception of the world for Aiden to get away.

Instead of disappearing into the forest as Phelan expected him to do, Aiden went to Aisley.

Phelan turned away from the scene and focused once more on Wallace. His fellow Warriors weren’t putting the full force of their powers into the attack because Wallace held the toddler.

If they were going to get anywhere, Phelan would have to remove the child from Wallace. Maybe then he could get off a clear shot at Wallace, ending it all.

Or would it end it?

There would still be Aisley.