Midnight's Surrender

Chapter Ten

Dale walked around the chamber finding nothing. He supposed it could be buried beneath all the stone. The chamber had been built by Druids. The only real prize in the cavern was Rennie.

The realization slammed into him like a tidal wave. Rennie was the treasure Harriet searched for. How had he missed that? Rennie’s increased magic, the destiny the ancients spoke of, and even the writing on the wall by her ancestors—it was all for Rennie.

Since Harriet didn’t know how much magic Rennie had, or that the chamber had been waiting for her, it could be used to his advantage.

Dale glanced down at his wounds and realized they hadn’t healed yet. Blood seeped down his chest in thick rivulets. It was enough to cause him concern. Was it the MacBeth ancestors punishing him for being in their holy place? Was it the remnants of the selmyr bites?

Or was it Harriet’s magic?

“You aren’t moving very fast,” Harriet said irritably.

Dale glanced at her. “I doona know what I’m looking for. If I’m too hasty I might overlook it.”

Harriet sighed dramatically. “Just hurry.”

“Why do you want this object anyway?”

“Why does any Druid want more magic? I want to use it.”

He clenched his jaw at her condescending tone. How he was coming to hate the woman. But no matter how he looked at things, the odds of him and Rennie leaving alive were slim. Rennie had the magic, but she wasn’t adept at using it in battle.

That’s where Harriet was able to overpower her. As quick and agile as he was, the drough had an upper hand with him as well. It was a Warrior’s one weakness—well, that and the way drough blood could kill them.

Dale stopped and knelt beside Rennie. Her shoulder was bleeding slightly, and the material from her sweater had been burned away by Harriet’s magic. Seeing Rennie injured was all it took for Shomi to demand retribution and blood from Harriet.

He welcomed his god’s anger as he let it mix with his own. It was time he took a stand. Dale straightened and faced the drough who watched him with a dispassionate gaze.

“Well?” she asked. “What have you found?”

“Nothing. There’s nothing here.”

“Then you leave me no choice but to kill Rennie.”

Dale chuckled as he shook his head. “You might have more magic as a drough, but you lack intelligence.”

Her eyes narrowed on him dangerously. “You think to insult me? How is that helping your cause?”

“Think, drough. If you kill Rennie, you’ll never find what you’re looking for.”

“Her mother will know, and even if she doesn’t, I’ll get the land and search until I find it.”

Dale shrugged nonchalantly. “I foresee you spending years on that search and being left empty-handed.”

“Once I get inside, I will find it,” she snapped.

“Do you think if you own the land that you’ll somehow be able to enter this chamber?” He shook his head. “Think again, Druid.”

Harriet took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest. “Help me, then.”

Dale had known this offer would come, but it still didn’t make it any easier to hear. “Help you?”

“Yes. Come with me, and I’ll allow Rennie to live. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

“How is my going with you helping Rennie?”

Harriet smiled, adding in as much seduction as she could. It fell flat. Everyone would fall flat after Rennie, but Dale didn’t tell the drough that. He kept the displeasure from his face as he stared at the Druid.

“Dale, really,” she said with a teasing laugh. “You’ll convince Rennie to give me what I’m looking for, and then I’ll leave her alone. And you’ll be mine.”

The only one he wanted to be with was Rennie. He’d known it when he found her, and once he had tasted her kisses and claimed her body, that knowledge had only strengthened. His feelings went deeper than he had thought himself capable of, but somehow with Rennie, it made complete sense.

“Well?” Harriet demanded, her tone edging into annoyance.

Dale readied himself for what was coming, because he knew he wasn’t going to get out of it alive. Which was a pity. He’d have liked to tell Rennie he loved her.

Love. He really did love her. The shock of it turned into joy. Rennie had helped him find the man he had once been, the man he had thought forever lost.

“I’m losing patience.”

He peeled back his lips in a smile to show his fangs. “You can take your offer and go bugger yourself. No one could compare to Rennie, especially no’ you.”

Her anger was swift—and fierce. Dale felt her magic well up just before it pummeled him, bringing him to his knees. But she wasn’t done.

She methodically cut her finger and let two drops of her blood hang in midair before she flung them at him, sending them directly into his still-open wounds.

Dale clenched his jaw to keep from shouting from the anguish of it. He collapsed sideways while his body began to systematically shut down.

He lifted his gaze to Rennie and smiled as he comprehended what the ancients and her ancestors wanted her to do—she was the only one who could defeat Harriet. It might not be part of her destiny, but it would be a start. And he knew she could do it. If only he could tell her.

The edges of his vision grew dark as his body convulsed.

It was the bellow of distress that pulled Rennie into consciousness. She winced at the pain in her shoulder and opened her eyes to see Dale on his side, his body wracked in torture.

Harriet screamed in fury and sent blast after blast of magic into the invisible barrier keeping her out of the chamber. Rennie hastily crawled to Dale. As soon as she reached him he went still and limp.

“No,” she whispered and touched his chest, hoping to feel it move. But nothing happened. “No, no, no, no. I’m not ready for you to leave me.”

Tears stung her eyes and she quickly blinked them away. She didn’t understand how he could be dead. The only way a Warrior could be killed was by beheading or with drough blood.

With Dale’s open wounds and Harriet, Rennie quickly pieced together what had happened. Her head jerked up to Harriet. Never in her life had Rennie felt such hate and rage. She climbed to her feet and started toward the Druid who had ruined her happiness.

She watched Harriet’s meltdown as she screamed and stamped her feet before bending over at the waist and tugging her hair. Rennie couldn’t find an ounce of compassion or pity.

“Why?” Rennie demanded. “Why did you kill him?”

Harriet froze, her laughter loud and shrill as she flung her head up, her long, red hair flying around her, and straightened. “I did it because I wanted to. After you kill the first time, it gets easier.”

“You mean after you killed your husband?”

“Yes,” she hissed angrily. After a pause, she smoothed out her features and said, “Dale refused my offer. For that he had to pay. Not to mention I knew it would rile you. Now you will give me what I want.”

Rennie opened herself up to every ounce of magic in and around her. She silently called to the ancients and her ancestors and was rewarded with the white ribbons of magic from the fire moving toward her to tangle about her legs. The ribbons worked their way up her body, moving faster as they did.

Rennie waited for Harriet to comment on them, and when she didn’t Rennie realized Harriet couldn’t see it.

“Rile me? You’ve done more than that, Harriet. You’ve awoken a part of me you’re going to wish you had left alone.”

“You? Please.”

But Rennie saw the little quiver of uncertainty in Harriet’s demeanor, and she took advantage of it. Rennie imagined her magic knocking Harriet on her ass, and in the next instant, it did just that.

“I hope that hurt. I’m just getting started, Harriet.”

“You’ll never be rid of me!” Harriet screamed.

Rennie was up for the challenge. No matter her fury, she couldn’t take a life—not even one as evil as Harriet. Without missing a beat, she set up spells so Harriet could never step foot on her property again without suffering unimaginable agony.

As soon as she heard Harriet’s scream of pain and retreating footsteps, Rennie rushed back to Dale. She smoothed a hand through his hair and pressed against his wounds to stop the bleeding.

“I don’t know what to do!” she yelled at the chamber, hoping her ancestors or the ancients would help her. “Help me save him!”

When there was no reply, she leaned over him, refusing to let him go. The ribbons of magic swelled to encompass Dale with her.

“Heal him,” she whispered to her magic. She had never used magic to heal before, but it was worth a chance. If imagining what she wanted worked in removing Harriet, maybe the same could be done with Dale. Rennie closed her eyes and envisioned what she wanted as she said the words. “Remove the drough blood. Close the wounds. Remove the drough blood. Close the wounds.”

She repeated the words over and over, pouring her magic into him. Minutes ticked by with nothing. In response, she pushed her magic harder, further. Rennie could feel something strange happening, but she refused to stop and see what it was.

Please don’t die. I need you, Dale. I need you.

A warm hand covered hers. Startled, she jerked her head up to find Dale’s dark eyes open and looking at her.

“Dale?” she whispered incredulously.

“Aye, lass,” he said with a wink and tugged at a strand of her hair. “You saved me, Rennie.”

“You aren’t done,” the ancients suddenly said inside her mind. “Look inside yourself.”

Dale’s brow furrowed. “Rennie? What is it?”

“Hang on,” she murmured.

Rennie closed her eyes once more and searched through her magic as the ancients had instructed. Hidden deep inside herself, a small and brightly shining flare of magic different from anything else caught her attention.

She reached for it and drew it closer. As she did, she saw it was a spell to give one Warrior the chance to become mortal once more, binding his god forever.

With a smile she opened her eyes. “I know what my destiny is.”

He pressed on his now-healed chest before he sat up. “You mean it’s no’ bringing a Warrior back from the dead and removing the drough blood?”

Rennie couldn’t stop the bubble of laughter. “No.”

“There’s more?” he asked, surprised. When she nodded, he looked around her to the tunnel. “You got rid of Harriet.”

“For good.”

He frowned. “You didna kill her, did you, lass? You doona want that stain on your soul.”

“No, I didn’t kill her.”

“I can no’ take it anymore,” he said with a grin. “Tell me.”

Rennie swallowed and took one of his large hands in hers. “Do you like being a Warrior?”

“There are things I like. Feeling your magic for one.”

“If you had the choice to bind your god, would you?” she asked as she caressed the back of his hand.

For several seconds he stared deeply into her eyes. Then, he answered, “Aye.”

“I can do that for you.”

He merely sat there as he considered her words before he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “So my vision was real. I can grow old.”

“If that’s what you want. I have the spell that can grant one Warrior that gift.”

“And you would give it to me?”

She shrugged. “If you want it.”

“Aye, lass. I want it,” he said and tugged her to him for a heated kiss.

As their lips met, Rennie put her hands on his chest and pulled up the spell to bind his god. There was no need to say the words, for there weren’t any. The spell had to be passed from her hands into the Warrior of her choice.

It took but a moment, but as soon as the spell went into Dale, he jerked away from her, his eyes wide. “I can no’ hear Shomi anymore.”

“Is that your god’s name?”

“Aye. He’s always been so loud in my mind.”

“Not anymore. He’s gone.”

“Just like that?”

She nodded, unsure if he was happy or not.

Dale frowned and looked as if he were concentrating. “I’m trying to call to him so I can shift, but it isna happening.” His face broke into a wide smile. “Lass, you gave me what I didna think I could have.”

“You deserve it.”

“Do I? I’m no’ so sure, but I’ll take it,” he said and ran his fingers down her cheek. “I thought I’d never hold you again.”

“You can hold me for as long as you want.”

“How about forever?”

Rennie leaned into his hand that now cupped her cheek. “I like the sound of that.”

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

The seriousness in his tone caused her heart to skip a beat. “You don’t have to stay with me because you feel obligated, you—”

He put a finger over her lips to quiet her. “Hush, lass. I’m trying to tell you I love you.”

Rennie blinked, doubtful she had heard him correctly. “You love me?”

“With everything I have.”

“That’s good,” she said with a smile, her heart bursting with joy. “Because I love you.”

In an instant he was on his feet and tugging her after him as he practically ran from the chamber into the tunnel.

“Where are we going?” she asked, laughing.

“I’m taking you to be where I plan on keeping you for several days. We’re going to start a new tradition beginning on the winter solstice and lasting until Christmas morning.”

“And that is?”

“Seeing how many times I can make love to you.”

Rennie’s laughter only grew when they reached the surface and he lifted her in his arms and raced to the house.

She had gotten her Christmas wish after all. One that would last for many, many years to come.