Highland Shift (Highland Destiny: 1) Page 16

  “Worthington. The bastard. He drugged us and has us somewhere. It must have been in the champagne. He wants that damned mirror or something else. Och, Elena,” he cried, his voice pure anguish. “I should have protected you better. I was prepared for a fight. I never considered such a cowardly attack as poison. This is all my fault!”

  “Faolan, stop it. You didn’t do this. If this was Worthington, it’s his fault, not yours or mine. He is the one we need to blame, the one we need to fight.”

  “Aye, lass, fight him we will.” He smiled. “There is more to you than meets the eye, Elena MacFarland.” They shared a smile, each willing to give anything to save the other one’s life. They held each other, taking comfort.

  “Isn’t that just too sweet?” The voice came from outside the small window, and Elena jumped and started to pull away, but Faolan’s arms were steel bands. “I see it didn’t take the little slut very long to move on, did it? From one Laird to another, whatever pays the most. Whore.”

  His voice struck Elena with the force of a slap. Worthington! What the hell was he talking about? She opened her mouth to respond, but Faolan gave a little squeeze and shook his head.

  “Worthington, the girl is nothing, leave her out of this. It’s me you want. Let her go.” This time, Faolan put his hand over Elena’s mouth as she fought to protest.

  Worthington laughed. “What are you willing to deal for her life, wolf? Does she know who you are? What you are? What will you give me if I let her go?”

  So, Worthington knew who Faolan was. “What do you want?” Faolan ground out through clenched teeth.

  “The mirror. It’s the price for her life. Give me the mirror and I will let her go.” Then Worthington squatted down in front of the window to look at Faolan. Faolan growled. “Careful, wolf, you wouldn’t want that nasty habit to get out of control. Give me the mirror, and this can all be over. I’ll even let your servants go free.”

  Elena gasped. He had Lilly and Red somewhere, too.

  Faolan’s gaze was fierce, and he spit out, “You stupid fool. Do you think if I had the mirror I would still be here? Do you think this little girl has enough charm to hold the likes of me? I doona’ take Worthington hand-me-downs.” Faolan squeezed Elena’s hand behind her back, giving lie to the words he spoke. “I was using her to find out what you knew. It appears my time was wasted, you never told her your interest or business. Let her go, and we will get to business. I doona’ want her knowing any more about this.”

  “Tell me where the mirror is,” Worthington said flatly. He was watching Faolan and had a gun pointed at Elena. Faolan started toward the window, and then stopped in his tracks, trying to keep her behind him. “I’ll shoot her right through you. I can keep you alive and still kill her. Where is the mirror?”

  “I doona’ know where the mirror is, damnit, Worthington!” shouted Faolan. “Let her go, and I will swear an oath to give you the mirror when I find it.”

  Worthington said in a quiet, deadly voice. “I am not wrong! I know the mirror has surfaced. I can feel it. Now where is it?”

  Elena was standing there listening to them, and a picture of the mirror hidden in her room flashed in her mind. That must be the same mirror Worthington is looking for.

  Both men whipped their gazes to look at her, both wearing nearly identical faces of disbelief. She had an instant to realize that they both had seen the mirror she’d pictured. Somehow the things she pictured in her mind were being transmitted.

  Quick as a flash, Faolan jumped in front of her, and Worthington fired. Faolan crashed to the floor. One moment he was tall and strong, trying to save her; the next his body slapped hard against the stone floor, blood leaking from his chest.

  Elena didn’t know if he was unconscious or dead. She screamed, and tried to turn Faolan, to find the source of bleeding and stop it. “You bastard, you killed him!”

  “He’s not dead yet, Miss MacFarland. I must say, your cunning surprises even me. It is clear the wolf had no idea you knew where the mirror was. So tell me, were you planning to keep it for yourself, to find all your desires? Tell me now, where is my mirror?” His voice was black silk, sliding over her, raising gooseflesh.

  “Save him. Save Faolan and I’ll tell you.” Elena was still struggling to turn him over, with her hand pressed against his chest, trying to stop the bleeding.

  “Tsk, tsk, Miss MacFarland. Deals with you seem to have a way of working in your favor. Not this time. You tell me where it is. I’ll let you both go if I find it, and you can get him help. If you don’t tell me, I’ll leave you locked in this cell with his dead body, until you give up your secret. You will tell me now or tell me later, you won’t be able to defy me for long.”

  Elena’s bones chilled at his tone. She knew she couldn’t trust him, but it was the only chance Faolan had. Faolan was still breathing, but how bad was his wound?

  “You bastard. If I tell you, I want your oath you will come to let us go. Faolan must be saved.”

  “My word as a gentleman?” he mocked her. “Very well, you have it. Is it at the farm?” Elena nodded. Worthington continued, “Then you have my word I will have you released, providing I find the mirror.”

  Elena gritted her teeth. “Not good enough. If the mirror is where I say it is, you will return within an hour from right now to let us go.”

  “Agreed, my oath. Now where is my mirror?” he shouted.

  Worthington left as soon as she told him how to find the mirror. She knew Faolan would be devastated. She might be condemning him to an eternity cursed as a wolf, but he could not die. They would find a way to get the mirror back from Worthington. First, Faolan had to live.

  When she finally got him turned over, she was relieved to see the wound looked much closer to his collarbone than his heart. She removed his shirt and tore it in half, folded one part into a bandage and pressed it tightly. She rolled the other half into a rope and tied it awkwardly against his shoulder. It would have to do for now.

  It was cool in the cell, with the window opening at the top, but not nearly as cold as the outside temperature. The underground position of the room offered protection from the weather. She needed to keep Faolan from going into shock, so grabbed him by the ankles, twisted and pulled, until she had him all the way onto the edge of the rug. Once there, she folded the other end of the rug over Faolan, making him into a giant burrito. It still wasn’t warm enough, but the only other covering in the room was the tapestry. It would be next.

  Elena grabbed the bottom of the tapestry and pulled for all she was worth. No effect. She grabbed it again and swung, twisted, tugged, and pulled before it finally came loose. It fell like a ton of bricks, landing on her and sending dust motes around the room. She dragged it over next to Faolan.

  “Faolan, Faolan wake up. I need you, Faolan. Please come back to me.” Elena’s voice was choked with unshed tears. She cradled his head and checked on his wound. The bleeding had nearly stopped, but he was still unconscious. She gently felt around his head, feeling for any bumps or lumps. “Faolan, can you hear me? Faolan?”

  He started to moan. “Elena?”

  “Shh, I’m here, Faolan. Don’t try to move.”

  “What happened?” he asked hoarsely.

  “Oh Faolan, I’m so sorry. Don’t try to move. That bastard shot you. I thought you were dead.” Elena went on like that for a while until he reached up with his good hand and pulled her to him by the front of her dress and kissed her into silence. She was so stunned, she kissed him back before she got a hold of herself and pulled away.

  “Lie still while I check.” She pulled back the makeshift bandage, watching his face for any signs of extreme duress. Seeing none, she continued and probed gently at the edges of his wound. “Okay, I don’t know how, but you’ve stopped bleeding. Worthington will be back to let us out soon, and I’ll get you to the doctor, as soon as I can. Are you in much pain?”

  He tried to sit up, and winced. Elena pushed him back, “Wait a minute,” and she m
oved the tapestry against the cell wall. “I want to try to move you onto the tapestry. Do you think you can move if I help?” She knew the added thickness would help keep him warmer.

  “What do you mean, Worthington is coming back? Elena, what happened? How did I see the mirror?”

  “Oh Faolan, this is all my fault. I didn’t know about the mirror until I figured it all out yesterday. Then I thought we could have a romantic evening and then I would give you the mirror. I didn’t know he would come, I didn’t know he could sense it.”

  “Listen to me, Elena. This is very important. Doona’ explain anymore right now,” he said urgently, placing his fingers over her lips. “You can tell me later. There are some things I have to ken before he returns." Dropping his voice even lower, he whispered, “Did you find the mirror in the chamber? Does it have the spell?”

  “I found it in the first secret room, a long time ago, but forgot all about it. I found a spell book when I was locked in the chamber. The spell is hidden someplace else, not with the mirror.” Elena matched his whisper, in case Worthington came back unannounced and was trying to listen.

  “And you told him where to find the mirror?”

  She nodded miserably.

  “I have many more questions for later,” he said, “but this is really important. Since you were locked in the chamber, twice now your thoughts have been projected into my mind, and I think into Worthington’s mind today too when he asked about the mirror. When he comes back, you must block him from your mind. He will not let us out, so we must try to get him to come in.”

  Faolan lay back down and pulled the covers up high, then continued to whisper, “You must pretend I am hurt much worse than I am. Try for any boon that makes him come inside with us. If you canna get him to come inside you must go out. Doona’ stay in here with me. You must get out. He comes.” With that, Faolan closed his eyes, and moaned.

  “Faolan,” Elena cried, he opened his eyes and winked, then closed them and moaned again. “Oh, my God, Faolan, wake up. Please wake up.” Elena went over near the window and yelled for help. Not because she expected any to come, but because she wanted Worthington to believe she was desperate. Who am I kidding? I am desperate.

  “Miss MacFarland, stop your yowling. No one can hear you. Is he dead yet?”

  Elena shook her head. “Let us out! You promised you would let us out when you got the mirror. I know you have the mirror now, so let us out! I must get him to the doctor. He may be dying.”

  “Wake him,” he commanded.

  “I can’t. He’s unconscious. He’s lost a lot of blood.”

  “I have my gun pointed at Miss MacFarland, wolf, shall I shoot her?” Worthington asked silkily.

  Faolan groaned weakly. “No,” he moaned. “Let her go,” he said, sounding feeble.

  Elena looked up at Worthington. He was peering in through the window, his eyes fixed on Faolan. “You have the mirror, I can see it. You gave your oath, now let us go,” she demanded.

  Worthington ignored Elena and spoke to Faolan, “What is the spell? You will tell me. You cannot hope to win this battle, wolf.”

  Elena went to Faolan and added a gasp for effect, “He’s still bleeding. Get us out. You promised. He’s going into shock. It’s freezing, and we have nothing to keep us warm, no food or water. He needs a doctor.”

  Worthington turned, said “Shut up,” and fired his gun over Elena’s head. She screamed, and Faolan pulled her down and covered her with his body. Worthington began to laugh. “Never show an enemy your weakness, wolf. You will give me the spell.”

  “I doona’ know the spell. I never even saw the mirror,” Faolan said, still speaking weakly. “Let the girl go. I gave you my oath to help find the spell. A boon for a boon, the girl for my help.”

  “Come to the window, wolf. Look at the mirror,” said Worthington.

  “Help me, lass.” Faolan struggled to his feet, leaning heavily on her, barely able to lift his head. Only Elena knew he wasn’t putting any weight on her shoulders. They slowly crossed the cell.

  “Hand me the mirror,” Elena reached up expectantly.

  “Do I look stupid?” Worthington roared. “The mirror is mine. I will have my true desires! We have sought this mirror for hundreds of years, as have you. I will never let you have it, Wolf; I will see you in hell first.”

  Faolan stumbled, coughed, and moaned. Elena thought he might be playing it a bit thick, but Worthington seemed to buy it. Worthington held the mirror toward Faolan but kept it carefully back from the window, and only showed Faolan the silver plating of the mirror, not the glass. Elena focused, picturing the mirror on her dresser, imagining her reflection from last night, when she’d first put on her new dress. She didn’t want to reveal anything she’d seen in the mirror.

  Faolan slumped down against the wall, and Elena went back to work. “You’re going to keep us in here, aren’t you? We need blankets. We need food and water, light. We’re freezing; we’ll die by morning if you don’t help.”

  “An excellent suggestion, Miss MacFarland. You have one hour to tell me the secret to the mirror, wolf.” Without another word, Worthington walked away.

  They spent the time waiting for him to return looking around the cell while there was still a little light. Elena focused on the stones in the wall, looking for one that was loose, warm, or any other indication that something wasn’t what it seemed. Faolan walked around slowly and looked at the ceiling, the floor, and the window bars. The bars fastened on the outside; there was no surface to try to pry loose. The door was solid oak, with iron fastenings, and hung from the outside. There was no obvious way out.

  Worthington returned when the hour was up. Ordering them to sit against the far wall with their hands flat on the floor, he unlocked the hasp; then he propped open the iron grating that served as their prison bars. He threw in blankets, a flashlight, and a bag with food and drink. With a long, triumphant look at Faolan, he locked the grate.

  “I will keep you alive until you tell me, wolf. Tonight, however, you will solve a surprisingly persistent problem for me. Tonight, in this cell, that which you hate the most will destroy what you most desire.”

  Worthington walked away.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Faolan paced. He walked in circles muttering under his breath, the power of his words resonating in her soul. He came to a stop and sat heavily on the tapestry, his eyes closed. Elena left him alone for a few minutes, while she examined the contents of the bag: bottled water, crackers, cheese, apples, and a bottle of whisky.

  She took one of the blankets over to Faolan and wrapped it around his shoulders. Sitting down next to him, Elena untied the bandage and carefully checked his wound. It looked like it was several days old already! All the bleeding stopped, and the healing was well underway. She didn’t replace the bandage. She used some of the water to dampen an unsoiled part of the cloth and washed the blood from his shoulder, and then cleaned her hands.

  Faolan never said a word.

  “Faolan, I’m sorry.” No response. “Yesterday when I realized that I probably had found the mirror and spell, I was so happy. I knew I had it in my power to give you nearly everything you needed to break your curse. I kept thinking the only thing you still needed was your true heart. I knew you needed to focus on finding her, to not be distracted by me. I just wanted one night with you before I left. I didn’t think it could hurt,” Elena finished lamely, her heart breaking.

  Faolan still didn’t speak, so she stumbled on, “Now I realize my stupidity. My selfishness could cost you your life. I don’t blame you for hating me; I put my own pleasure before your well-being. I’m sorry. Oh God, I am so sorry.” Then the tears she fought so hard started to spill. She didn’t cry heart-wrenching sobs, just quiet tears, slipping down her cheeks.

  Faolan pulled her onto his lap and held her, while she cried for every lost opportunity, for the love they would never have. Elena cried for herself, for being such a terrible person, and mostly she cried for Fao
lan, because she was afraid Worthington would kill him in the morning. Faolan kissed her hair, rocked her, and cradled her in his arms.

  Eventually, Elena began to be aware of things besides her tears: his broad chest, naked and warm against her face, his strong arms surrounding her, and there seemed to be something pressing against her underside.

  She looked up at Faolan; his face was etched in pain. He brushed his lips so very lightly against hers that she might have imagined it. She had to look away. I betrayed this beautiful man.

  “Elena, love, ‘tis my lie that I canna live with. Look at me, lass. Let me look at you.” He cupped her face in his hands and the look he gave her seared her heart.

  “When Brigid came to the farm to meet with us, she told me the time to find my light, my true heart was here. I didna ken just what she meant, but I have a duty to listen to her. Her spirits have provided guidance much of my life. Names have e’er been important to Brigid, and I wondered if she was referring to a name. I used your computer.” And finally he smiled. “I told you once you had claimed my soul. Do you remember, lass?”

  Elena nodded, her heart happy to see a hint of her smiling Faolan.

  “So, there I was, looking at names and their meanings and I found my light. Elena means light. Brigid said I had finally found my light, and my light was my true heart.”

  “What are you saying, Faolan?” she asked, breathless, her own heart beating erratically.

  “I am saying you are my light, my true heart. You are all I have ever wanted, someone to love and someone to love me. I could spend eternity looking into your eyes, feeling your skin, listening to you laugh. I love you, Elena.”

  Elena’s heart rejoiced at his words. The breath she’d been holding was released on a sigh. That this man, tormented by a terrible secret for so long, could still love was amazing. That he loved her, nothing less than a miracle. She reached up to pull his face to hers, but he resisted with a little shake of his head.