TheKnightsDruid Read online

  Surprised at the twinge of loss stabbing at her, she headed home. Usually she enjoyed the drive along the twisting two lane road, the forested area a siren song, calling for her to walk among the towering pines, gnarled ancient oaks and eucalyptus trees. Tonight she barely saw them, her mind focused once again on the tall stranger with the intense gaze.

  She never noticed the eagle which kept pace with her through the mountain pass.

  * * * *

  Vance watched Juliet make good her escape with a sense of satisfaction. Soon he would have the irritating woman right where he wanted her. He let his gaze sweep over the glittering crowd of people below, quickly picking out the tall blond man moving among the throng as if he still were King.

  Arthur.

  At long last he could face his enemy. Exhilaration spiked his pulse, victory would be his and this time he would savor every last bitter moment. The long awaited meeting now at hand, only one loose end remained. Motioning with a slight nod of his head, one of his men moved to his side.

  “You will go to Ms. Boyd’s home and bring her to me. Take another with you just in case she gets a bit difficult. Place her in one of the rooms below and take care not to damage her too much hmm?”

  “Yes, sir.” Enjoyment laced the man’s words.

  “Oh, and get Marco for me. I believe it’s time for Mr. Penner to make my acquaintance.”

  Vance moved down the steps noticing Marco moving a half step behind in a defensive position. Willing his pulse to slow, Vance kept his pace casual. Taking time to greet his guests with a warm air of civility he far from felt. No, what he truly wanted, hungered for actually, was the destruction of the man who haunted him from his first life as Mordred and now, in his recent incarnation.

  His hands fisted at his sides, aching to hold a sword once more, to cut down his enemy. Alas, the world had grown to be a much more complicated place than he remembered it being. There were laws to abide, civilized rules of engagement to be observed. Far different from the battlefield, which he preferred where might meant right.

  Vance vaguely sensed Marco and six of his best fighters shadowing his steps. He forgot about them as his concentration arrowed in on the man before him. He caught Arthur’s dark gaze holding it in silent challenge, noting Arthur’s men forming a protective half circle around his quarry.

  “Ah, Mr. Penner, so good of you to come,” Vance kept his tone cordial.

  “Mr. Hollister.” Arthur nodded coolly. “Drake and Merci send their regards.”

  Anger flared up briefly before he squelched it. No, he would not be baited. Nimue failed him, but he already knew that much from her week long absence. What he didn’t know was how?

  Arthur readily supplied him with that answer in a flat tone, “Nimue is mortal now with no memory of whom she is or what little part she played in your plans.”

  “I see, such a shame.” Vance sighed. “I always thought her a bit too over confident, never taking precautions in case things went wrong.”

  “You’re one cold bastard,” Arthur snarled low.

  Vance ruthlessly pushed the rage burning in his veins back. Once alone he would allow it to consume him, only then would he send someone to track the bitch down and haul her back here to face the consequences of her failure.

  “I am what you have made me, Arthur. No more, no less.”

  “Bullshit,” Arthur snapped. “That old dog won’t hunt, it’s been dead for centuries. You are exactly as you want to be. No one but you is responsible for your choices Mordred. All this time and you’ve learned nothing.”

  Vance barked out a humorous laugh. “Sorry to be such a disappointment to you, father.”

  “I am not your father anymore. You would do well to remember that,” Arthur warned.

  Vance’s eyes nearly glittered with malice. “I wonder what mother would have to say about this little reunion.”

  “Morgan Le Fey is dead, Viviane effectively bound her so she would not reincarnate, ever.”

  Vance shrugged, “Never say never. It has a way of biting you in the ass.”

  “I will say this only once, stay away from me and mine. This is the only warning I will give you,” Arthur ground out, turning and heading for the door without a backwards glance.

  “Sorry, Arthur, but that’s not likely to happen,” Vance promised darkly as he watched Arthur’s retreating back.

  Chapter Three

  Juliet let herself in through the kitchen. The lights were low giving the small room a cozy feel, unlike the mansion she grew up in. Her small ranch style home held a warm and comfortable aura to it. The kitchen’s pine wood paneling gleamed from a recent polishing. The tan ceramic tiles, stainless steel sink and fridge were simple and so unlike the world she came from. A small archway led out to a narrow hall, running from the front door to the living room. Done in shades of rose and tan the large sofa and matching chair sat around a low coffee table, marble flooring ran the length of the home with throw rugs of various colors of rose, tan and brown.

  Here, there were no housekeepers or cooks to care for her. She did it all herself and reveled in the sense of independence. For once she could do whatever she wanted. True she did still have functions she needed to attend, but she always stayed mindful of her responsibilities and was left alone in relative peace. Her nearest neighbor was a mile away giving her the privacy she required to commune with the woods surrounding her home.

  Kicking off her heels she sighed in pleasure and wiggled her toes against the cool floor. She padded down the hall to her bedroom only to be stopped as a light scratching came from her front door.

  What the hell? It sounded like an animal, a soft whimper confirmed her suspicions as she hurried and opened the door. She blinked twice at the huge black dog. If she didn’t know any better she would have sworn it was a wolf, perhaps a wolf hybrid? That would explain his docile nature.

  But those eyes!

  She’d never in her life seen any animal with eyes the color of vibrant emeralds. The intelligence looking back at her gave her a shiver of unease.

  “You lost, boy?” she spoke softly, reaching a tentative hand to scratch behind his ears, marveling at the soft fur between her fingers. His massive head tilted to the side, another whimper filling the warm air between them.

  With a sudden deep resounding bark the dog trotted inside as if he owned the place. Locking the door with a chuckle she followed the massive brute as he sniffed his way into the living room and plopped down beside her sofa.

  “Well, make yourself comfortable why don’t you? Don’t use my furniture as a chew toy while I’m changing,” she warned.

  His deep throated bark followed her into her bedroom. It took only fifteen minutes for her to shower and don her favorite pink tee shirt and matching sweat pants. Her face scrubbed clean of make-up, damp hair falling loose down her back to air dry. She felt slightly better.

  Unfortunately only slightly as Vance Hollister’s ultimatum bounced around in her brain like a ping pong ball. Her gut tightened remembering the horror of her secret being uncovered. A shudder crawled through her. Never in her life had she felt such repugnance for another human being, an irrational hate and the idea of being used, her magic twisted into something unnatural…or more unnatural than it already was…

  No, not going to happen. Ever!

  Pushing the whole mess out of her head she walked down the far too silent hallway. “Hey, Brutus, you’re way too quiet. Better not be munching on my stuff or I’ll just have to kick you—” She found herself facing the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. “Out,” she squeaked her throat suddenly bone dry.

  Recognition bounced around in her brain as she stared slack jawed at the same man she saw in the parking lot outside of Dragonwick Enterprises. Up close he was even more devastating than she realized. Still dressed in his tuxedo, his hair shone a burnished copper in the room’s lights. A strand fell over his smooth forehead and into bright emerald eyes. The same color as the dog’s, who, she noticed, was nowher
e to be found. Her heart thundered in her chest as butterflies filled her stomach. His piercing stare held her motionless, pulling her into those sparkling depths.

  “Ms. Brody, I’m Colin Hennessy and I need a word with you.”

  His voice slid over her an erotic caress of satin on naked skin, his accent strong with the lilt of Ireland. His lips were so firm, so sensual as they quirked up slightly on one side. She had an overwhelming desire to feel that mouth on her own. Her womb clenched as heat flooded her veins with a sharp stab of desire.

  Her voice was breathless as she asked the only question that came to mind, “Where’s the dog?” Even though she knew the answer, as impossible as it seemed, she knew the dog and man were the same.

  His gaze cooled. “What are you to Vance Hollister?” he demanded, ignoring her question.

  The mention of Vance doused her arousal better than an icy shower. “That is hardly your business,” she stated coldly, planting her hands on her hips.

  “Who are you to break into my home and demand anything from me?”

  “I am someone not to trifle with. You would do well to remember that, lass.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  His smile never reached his eyes as his gaze raked over her. She shivered at the dark promise his gaze held. Her heart stuttered then picked up speed. Her reaction to this man was unprecedented and scared the hell out of her. Instinct told her to run, the attraction she felt for him made him a clear danger to her. If she could make it to the woods she would be safe, suffused with nature’s pure energy nothing could touch her. She just had to get out of the room and through the front door before he caught her. A whimper caught in her throat as she turned to make her escape only to feel a hand clamp down on her wrist like a steel vise. He pulled her to him, his body close to her own. Only a single breath separated them. The scent of woods and spice wrapped around her and she breathed deeply.

  God he smelled so…good.

  “Not a wise choice, lass. Tell me what I wish to know and I’ll let you go,” his warm breath brushed over the shell of her ear, his voice a raspy growl sending tendrils of heat through her blood stream.

  “I don’t know anything,” she groaned, fighting her body’s reaction to him. “If I did I swear I’d let you know.”

  “Ah, you insult me, lass. Do you think I cannot tell when someone lies?” His soft words held a hard note of warning.

  She shivered with…excitement? What the hell was wrong with her? Her breath hitched as her gaze caught and held his. The irrational urge to rub herself up against him almost overwhelmed her. She gritted her teeth, fighting for sanity and took a small step back. Not that she could really go far with his hand still clamped tightly on her wrist.

  “I have no need to lie to you, Mr. Hennessy. Whatever you thought you saw is in your imagination,” she said coolly.

  The sudden pounding on the door startled her. Colin released her putting a finger to his lips, with his other hand he motioned her to the door. She hoped whoever stood on the other side would come to her aid if she asked.

  “Don’t even think about calling out for help. It will do no good.” His voice seemed to surround her like a caress.

  Another series of hard knocks had her hurrying to answer. Sparing a quick glance over her shoulder she faltered at the sight of the now empty living room. Where the hell did he go? The pounding sounded again.

  “All right I’m coming!” she shouted as she hurried to unlock it. The door jerked out of her hand, slamming into her shoulder. Pain radiated through her arm from the impact and she staggered back just in time to see a very large, very hard body barrel into her sending her crashing into the wall. Her head hit with a heavy thump and her world tilted crazily for a moment. Pain throbbed through her head, but she refused to go down. Blinking away the double vision she narrowed her gaze on the two men filling her hallway.

  Fear clogged her throat as she planted her feet wider apart, preparing for their attack. They were familiar to her and it took a second to recognize them as Vance’s men. She didn’t know their names, but she was damned sure she’d seen them in his army of bodyguards. Both were huge men, massive muscle roped over their frames attesting to way too many days spent pumping iron. The one nearest her gave her a cold smile and a shudder slithered down her spine. His dark blond hair was shorn close to his scalp, dark eyes assessing her with a lecherous sweep over her body. His buddy stood an inch shorter but no less intimidating with dark hair cut short and a crooked nose, broken one too many times.

  Great, just what she needed… Buzz-cut and Fugly. They stared hungrily at her like she’d suddenly become a tasty piece of meat. Her instinct told her they planned a very unpleasant evening for her. Well, they had an especially nasty surprise in store for them if they thought she would go along without a fight.

  “Whatever Vance ordered you to do…don’t even think about it. Leave now and I’ll forget about this whole thing.” Juliet’s words held more bravado than she actually felt. It would take very little effort on their part to overpower her in a physical fight, but she didn’t plan on fighting on the physical level.

  Buzz-cut took a step closer, his every move shadowed by Fugly. “Just what do you think a little thing like you could do?” Buzz-cut laughed.

  Juliet pulled hard on the raw power woven through the earth and air. The surge prickled over her skin, crawling over her body like a million ants. Another beat of her heart and an electric buzz raced through her bloodstream making her lightheaded. Building energy this fast was a dangerous thing. It took a great deal of concentration to keep the swelling magic from going wild. Plus the body simply wasn’t built to withstand that much power forced into it. Much like an overloaded circuit board one uncontrolled surge and everything around a ten yard radius fried including the magic user.

  Not good.

  She would have to use this energy fast before it burned her out, as it stood now the physic backlash was going to be a doozy so she needed to take out both of them before that happened.

  “Come and get it, boys,” she gritted out, thrusting her hands out in front of her which pulsed with a blue light.

  “What the fuck?” Buzz-cut demanded, an edge of unease sharpened his tone.

  “You wanted a piece of me, well you got it,” Juliet snapped, the pulsing light surrounding her hands flared white, the air crackled with static. Without warning the energy shot from her hands in two streams, homing in on her two would be attackers.

  It hit them in the chest with a hissing crack, throwing them against the door with such force the frame cracked and the walls shook. Both men slumped to the floor in a boneless heap unconscious, the sharp tang of ozone filled the room as the energy she summoned reverted back to the elements of earth and air.

  “Damn, woman, that was unexpected.” The deep accented voice slid over her exposed nerves, heightening her awareness of the man who suddenly appeared so close to her.

  Colin.

  “They didn’t give me much choice now did they?” Juliet snapped tersely, doing her damnedest to keep the world from tilting and the contents of her stomach from coming up.

  “Aye, that they didn’t,” he agreed with a pensive look.

  His intense regard kicked her pulse up a notch, clenching her hands into tight fists fighting against the irrational urge to stroke a hand over his strong jaw.

  “You’re a bit pale perhaps you should sit for a wee bit?”

  “A little help would have been nice,” she groused.

  “And if there was a need for intervening I would have. You seemed to handle them quite well by yourself. You’re a powerful little thing, I’ve never seen the like and I’ve seen quite a bit in my life.”

  Juliet tilted her head and grimaced against the throbbing pain taking up residence in her skull. Even the slightest movement felt like a hatchet cleaving into her skull. To her horror her knees wobbled, threatening to buckle under her. The backlash she dreaded engulfed her. Colin’s voice came from far off, his
words made no sense as her vision fractured into black cracks threatening to pull her into the dark abyss.

  Dimly she felt herself being lifted, heard Colin’s deep voice mumble something she thought was a curse. He felt so good, his body hard and warm. She laid her cheek against his chest hearing the beat of his heart and let herself fall into the blackness.

  * * * *

  Colin swore, scooping her into his arms as her knees buckled beneath her. Now what the hell was he to do with her? He couldn’t leave her here. Not with Vance’s goons sprawled by her front door. They may be out cold, but for how long? The fact that Vance would go to such lengths to get his hands on her only strengthened his certainty that Juliet Boyd was important.

  He cradled her light form to his chest, her cheek nuzzled against his chest. The faint rose scent of her hair reached his heightened senses and he drew a deep breath. Her eyes closed, dark lashes fanning over her pale cheeks.

  By all the saints, she was beautiful.

  A momentary surge of protectiveness coursed through him and was ruthlessly squashed. There was no room in his life for a woman. Not that he was a saint by any stretch of the imagination. He had taken many to his bed, pleasured and been pleasured in turn. At the end of the night he left them all without a backward glance. Relationships were a foreign concept to him and he fully intended to keep it that way.

  His mind went back unbidden to his first reincarnation and the only woman he’d ever loved. Ciara with her ebony hair and flashing blue eyes, so full of life and the promise of a home, children and growing old together.

  Instead, all was torn from him. Love...hope…happiness… nothing but ashes. His countless incarnations spent in endless searching for the only one who could fill the ever present void where his heart should be. But Ciara never reincarnated and after the countless centuries he accepted the fact she never would be.