

BY Claudy Conn

Edited by Alicia Carmical

Cover by Dawn Sullivan

CONTENTS

Copyright

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Sneak Peek

About Claudy

Copyright Page

Craving—First Thirst

By Claudy Conn

http://www.claudyconn.com

Copyright © 2017 by Claudy Conn at Smashwords

Edited by: Alicia Carmical

Cover Artist: Dawn Sullivan

All rights reserved

Published in the United States of America

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Names, characters, and events depicted in this book are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

Prologue

DEVIN MACLEOD

1875

I REMEMBER THE DAY I rode ahead of my lumbering coach. It was so long ago, but that day remains strongly emphasized in my memory. It was, for me, a turning point in my life.

Until then, I had spent a year conflicted by warring emotions.

I was on my way to MacLeod Castle—my ancestral home from London.

It had been a damned long trip, but along the way, I made promises to m'self, to m'late uncle, m'father and m'mother—promises I meant to keep.

I couldna go on wallowing in my solitude and grief. I had to pick myself up and do the right thing.

Finally, I could see the pinnacles of the home m'uncle had always told me one day would be mine. It was a sad fact.

As I approached our family seat, I stared at the fairy-tale castle of turrets and pinnacles against the blue sky. It was magnificent.

Awe swept through me and the feeling that always accosted me as a child, returned. I was proud of the men who had carried the title before me. I wanted to be, or at least try to be, as good and just as they.

In a few minutes, I would enter the castle and be addressed as his lordship by all the staff—some of whom would be strangers to me.

Here was a responsibility I meant to honor with fortitude and to the best of my ability.

I had not seen m'uncle since m'mother's passing just over a year ago. I should have visited him because he had written and asked me to come. I meant to, but I thought I had time. I didn't know he was ill. I should have known, but I didn't.

Thus, I lost the chance to be with him in his last year.

I loved m'uncle—how had I not realized from his letters that he was ill?

When I received a letter from his solicitor advising me that m'uncle had passed quietly in his sleep, I had to read the words over and over for the unexpected, and unwelcome, truth to sink in.

I was the last one left in my immediate family.

He had no children, and I was next in line for the title, as well as the sole recipient of his considerable wealth. All mine, the title and all MacLeod estates. I would have preferred to have him alive and with me still.

When I recovered from the shock, at least two new emotions raced through m'heart.

One was profound grief.

M'uncle was a rare sort, forever jolly, forever kind. He had never married and had always treated me like a son. He and m'father had always been close.

I should have spent more time with him.

All through school, he maintained our bond by writing to me often when I was home with m'parents at MacLeod Manor. He would visit often when we couldn't come to him at the castle.

His loss on top of both m'parents' loss was deeply felt and I was overcome with sadness.

Selfishly, the second emotion I felt was a sudden determination to be a better man than I had ever been before.

This past year I had behaved like a self-absorbed bastard.

Bloody hell, as I look back, perhaps I deserved what was soon to become m'fate? Ah, but nae, nae, I dinnae think anyone deserved the fate I was slammed into.

Aye then, I had spent a devil of a year. I behaved as though I was surely hell-bent and hell-bound.

Excuses are just that, but if I give m'self one for the way I was that last year, it was that I was young—four and twenty. It was shortly after m'birthday that I lost both m'parents. First m'da, and then within months, m'dear mother.

It was said that m'mother died of grief after m'father's passing. Aye, so they said, and so I know, for I watched it happen. I couldna do anything to stop it.

I went into a frenzy of misery and sought out the wrong kind of consolation.

I went through m'comfortable inheritance (m'father was m'uncle's only and younger brother) and though not wealthy, he had managed to leave me quite enough to carry on his legacy. I am ashamed now to admit how I selfishly dived into excessive hedonism to forget...forget how helpless I had felt watching first m'father and then m'mother die. She went into a decline, right before m'eyes, and never recovered. Ye cannae know how useless I felt saying her name as her hand went limp in mine.

In short order, I ran to London from our estates just outside Inverness, and immediately got swept up into a whirlwind of drinking, gaming, and women—so many women.

I behaved like a coward unwilling to face life. There are never any excuses for weakness. I see that now.

Aye, but I was four and twenty...and bloody hell, I was on fire.

Women were luscious things meant to be revered and enjoyed, and I had enjoyed them.

Drink? Well, that allowed me to forget that I had lost all that was dear.

M'uncle's passing changed everything. It was as though I woke up from an unending nightmare.

His passing made me realize how much I had to make up for.

I had been irresponsible and it was now time to be the man both m'father and uncle would wish me to be.

Ah, good intentions. Aye, but mine were pure and I was on the right road.

Those first months I set everything in order at m'late father's estate. It was m'duty to make certain m'tenants had what they needed for their farms to thrive. It was m'duty to make certain m'father's legacy was carried on as he would wish, and I did just that.

MacLeod Castle was only a half day away and I was busy between m'manor and the castle in those first months. Too busy for anything else because I dove right in and worked with m'late uncle's estate man and MacLeod Castle continued to thrive, as did its tenants.

All was well, though...I couldna resist the charm of a barmaid now and then. Aye, I was only human, after all.

It was with the intention of taking the pretty Miss Sue, the Red Bull's very fine barmaid, into the barn after a pint or two that I went there that damned night.

I wanted her lovely tits and ass beneath me. It was as simple as that, nothing more. I was a man wanting the feel of a woman in m'arms. She was a woman who wanted m'attentions.

I was enjoying a pint at a small table near the door and Miss Sue called out to me, with a smile and a wink. I raised m'glass to her.

Taking a sip of ale, I glanced towards the open double doors and went very still on the seat of m'chair. Aye, but there stood a beauty...oh, such a beauty. She was stunning!

She stood inside the doorway of the tavern and when our eyes met, she pushed her long blonde hair away from her shoulder and her cloak opened and came apart. I stared at her full swelling breasts nearly falling out of the low scooped bodice of her black velvet gown.

Our eyes had already met, and I found I couldna look away from her.

M'dick was hard and throbbing and m'brain was oddly fuzzy.

Her eyes sparkled deep hazel, and I fancied I saw a hint of amber in their recesses.

Her lips were cherry red and she licked them as I stared, and she smiled at me. She seemed, however, hesitant about entering the tavern.

I got to m'feet and as I moved towards her, her eyes never wavered from m'face. M'body was on fire, but I remember thinking it dinnae feel natural.

But a young man doesna always think when his cock does it for him. All I knew, all I saw was the beauty looking helpless and in need of help.

As I approached, I asked gently, lest I frighten her, "Are ye in need of assistance?"

"Yes, I am," she said softly, so softly, with a glint in those amber tinged eyes.

I noted that her accent was English and I smiled, I hoped, reassuringly. "Far away from home?"

She gave me a quirky look but answered, "Very far. My coach has lost a wheel and my driver has been unable to repair the damage. He went up the road towards a nearby farm, but I came here in the hopes that I could acquire lodgings for my maid and myself for the night. But...I see this is only a tavern."

I was surprised. "And yer maid left ye to walk here alone?"

"My maid remained in the coach. She is elderly and I did not know how far I would have to walk..."

"There is an inn just a bit farther down the road...in the center of the village. It is small, but quite clean and respectable. It should do for a night. Allow me to walk ye there," I offered. It is what any gentleman would do, but to be honest, I dinnae have gentlemanly thoughts, or even plans in m'head right then. I was on fire for the lovely.

"Oh, would you? Thank you so very much," she said, and put her gloved fingers on my bent arm.

Aye, I was unnaturally taken with her. But I gave that notion no thought.

Damn, but as I walked beside her, she spoke so quietly I had to bend to hear her and all I could think about was touching her full breasts. As she moved, one breast slipped out of her bodice and her nipple was taut and pink, and I stared.

She stopped, and said as she held it towards me, "Touch me if you want."

I did, though I had a sudden urge to run. Now, I know why that was, instinct, but then, I thought it was because I was sure this was all moving too fast. I make it a rule to never take advantage of women. I have empathy for their position when they are unprotected in our society. It occurred to me, in spite of her forward manner, that she was alone and perhaps vulnerable. I didn't want to do anything to her she might regret.

However, she put a stop to all such considerations.

She took m'hand and put it on her breast and I caved.

I was reckless and hungry and I fondled her, pulled at her nipple and teased her, pleased to hear her gasp with pleasure.

I bent m'head and got into position to suckle her exquisite perky pinks, but even as I heard her groan, she pushed me away and whispered, "No, not here. When we get to my room, I will give you a night you will never forget."

She moved against me, making m'body ache for her...and even so, a warning light went off in m'brain. Something I couldna name, call it m'gut. I was, in spite of my hunger for her, wary in a way I had never experienced with any woman before. Again, something whispered in m'head—run!

I have asked m'self since that night, Devin, what were ye thinking? I wasn't.

I ignored the instinct I should have followed. Och aye, and I led her towards the inn at a slow pace and tried to keep up a steady stream of conversation. She wasn't very talkative, except to tell me she was about to fuck me to death.

That shut me up, as I had rarely heard a woman say anything close to that and I have had a bawdy wench or two in m'day.

It was a particularly dark night. There was no moon to light our way, but we made the walk undeterred. All the while I couldna shake the feeling that something was off about her, and about her story.

"As soon as we get to the inn, I'll send a groom with a wagon to fetch yer maid and yer luggage," I said as we passed the stables of the small inn.

She smiled up at me and whispered, "How kind you are." She stood on her toes and kissed me then, hard...our first kiss and when she pulled away she told me, "My name is Allora Brently and I am on my way to Brently Manor. You will remember that when you awake."

I was surprised again. Brently Manor had been abandoned years ago and had stood empty. When I awake? What did she mean by that? I supposed she wanted me to remember her. I said, because I knew Brently was in near ruins, "But...surely the old manor is not in any condition to receive ye?"

"Ah, but it will be in good time."

"Time?" I scoffed. "Och, lass, it will take a great deal of time and...work. The place is in disrepair." I felt some concern for her. After all, she was a woman, and it seemed without male protection.

"When one has time, it is of no consequence, you see," she said and added, "have you ever thought what it might be like to be young and beautiful for all time?"

"Nae, it isn't possible," I answered. "So why think about it."

"Because it is. It is very possible," she said, and pressed up against me. "How old are you, sir?"

"I am about to turn five and twenty," I said smiling. "M'birthday is next week."

"Well then," she said, "'tis time, Lord Devon of MacLeod...for you to grasp life with a fever and never let go." Her arms went around my neck as she kissed me again, and it was a kiss of desperation and hunger.

I was taken by her kisses, by her touch, and was quite off balance.

Something about her intensity...about the blood she drew from my bottom lip as her teeth grazed over it, made me want to get her safely inside the inn and turn away for home. Aye, m'body ached to lie with her, ram m'self into her, but m'brain clicked off a warning I couldna deny.

The pretty, lively Sue was all the body I needed that night, m'logic drilled into me just in that moment.

I was not enamored with Allora Brently, and in fact, I felt wary now, more than I had during our walk towards the inn. Something was off about her...something about her repulsed me.

I took her into the inn and under the disapproving eye of the innkeeper, acquired a key for a room abovestairs and started to hand it to her.

"Walk me up," she said.

I wanted to refuse, but felt compelled to do as she asked. M'brain said nae, yet I followed her upstairs.

"Look at me," Allora said after she closed the door and leaned back against it. "Look deep into my eyes, Devin, and listen to me."

As a moment ago, when she compelled me to walk her upstairs, I found I couldna look away.

"I have chosen you," she said. "It is an honor you will one day thank me for. That's right, you are about to enter a world where life is eternal. You are about to be mine forever!"

I felt her teeth sink into m'neck. I felt the blood drain from m'body slowly and then everything went dark!

~ One ~

PRESENT TIME

Bobbie Skye:

Manhattan, NY

I PUT DOWN THE box I was filling with personal items I just could not throw away. I have only a week left before I will be out of a job, and because my job was managing the apartment building where I live, I will also be out of an apartment.

The building is going condo. Boom!

I sealed the box and plopped on the borrowed couch that had served to comfort my ass for the last year, and sighed.

On the coffee table was my mail. Sure that it was nothing but bills, I had not yet looked through the few pieces scattered there.

Negligently, I fingered through the envelopes and found one that looked business-like. Hopeful, so hopeful it was from one of the companies that had interviewed me, I quickly ripped it open and read:

Dear Miss Skye,

MacLeod Castle, which is thirty miles outside Inverness, Scotland, has been in the MacLeod family for centuries.

Until recently, I have managed the estate for his lordship, who is abroad.

I find my activity at my firm hinders my ability to properly look after the estate and its neighboring properties.

Therefore, we have been put to the task of hiring an estate manager and should you accept, that would be your position at MacLeod. This position would give you great leeway in the smooth running of his lordship's estates.

Your name was submitted with high praise and a staunch recommendation.

Attached herewith, you will find a contract with a generous offer, as we realize you will be taking on quite an ambitious job and taking it on with little to no assistance.

Also, please note, a bedroom suite will be prepared for you at MacLeod with everything you might need for your comfort.

If you decide to accept this position, you must respond to us at once by signing the contract enclosed and returning it immediately. A fax will do.

Also, should you accept, a first class airline ticket will be made available for your journey, again, as per the contract.

Thank you,

Jeremy Ascot

Ascot & Harcourt

I blinked and reread the letter. "What?" I said out loud. And then added, though I was alone, "Are you kidding me?"

The news was heaven sent. But something made me shiver as I read it over one more time and wondered out loud, "Wait...who highly recommended me?"

I was talking to an empty room and therefore, no one offered a reply. So, I took to pacing and waving the letter around in the air.

Choices at the moment were limited—here was a contract, Inverness, a castle—no choice there. Easy peasy...had to go to Scotland. I mean, I was ready, so ready for it.

I read the contract and stared at the salary I was being offered. Hell yeah, this was a no-brainer.

But who recommended me? I couldn't help repeating this question to myself.

I moved to the mirror hanging over my side table and stared. "Okay, witchy girl, time to scan this letter for a clue."

Here is the thing. I am not only a witch, but, as my aunt is fond of telling me, a very powerful and immortal witch. So I scanned it for magic and found none. Zip, nada.

I reread the letter again. Was this real? I stared at the salary being offered and shook my head. This was more than I ever hoped to earn in one year. Hell, it was enough to cover me for five years!

I looked into the mirror again, staring at the mass of red hair piled and clipped up high on my head. It was a jumble of waves that fell from the top of my head all the way down my back. I needed to give it some attention, maybe a trim?

Purple eyes stared back at me. Yes, my eyes are purple—yuck. I had always wished they were normal, like blue or brown, anything but purple.

Aunt Elle laughed at me whenever I told her that and insisted my eyes are not purple but violet and beautiful. Yeah, well, Aunt Elle has walls of green and orange in her bedroom, with beads for doors, and is given to wearing sparkling turbans. We have different ideas of what is beautiful. Thinking of Aunt Elle always makes me smile.

However, back on point. What were the odds of a Scottish firm reaching out to me? I mean, this was nuts, right? Right, I answered myself. Who did I know that would recommend me to them?

Thinking about Scotland made me dreamy. All I had ever wanted was to go to the Highlands and discover my roots. My grandmother was from Scotland...the Highlands to be exact, which made this offer more than appealing.

My grandmother had sent my mother off to New York twenty-two years ago. She met my dad and they were married almost immediately. I came along ten months after that.

I was orphaned at ten years old and my mom's best friend, Aunt Elle, took me in.

Raised in NYC, I am every bit a New Yorker. So this job offer naturally tickled my suspicion bone into hyper-drive. On top of NYC instincts, I have trust issues as well.

Someone was playing a joke on me. I was getting excited for nothing?

Things like this didn't happen to people like me. In the years after my parents' death, I believed that luck would never be on my side ever again.

My parents were killed in a train wreck—our first vacation together. I was thrown clear and lived. Sure, I lived, but they were gone and I was just a kid. I would have gone into the system if Aunt Elle hadn't arranged to keep me. She is also a witch, though a mortal one. I always suspected she magically tweaked the child services paperwork so that she had immediate guardianship of me. Easy enough, as Mom and Dad's will named her as my guardian.

Here is the thing. My mom shouldn't have died in that wreck. She was an immortal witch. It is hard, very hard to kill our kind. Or so, Aunt Elle told me and said Mom told her.

The ugly truth, and one that gives me nightmares, is what happened during the derailment. My mother was pinned and her head severed by a metal beam that came bolting through the windows and caught her dear and beautiful neck, taking it completely off. Thank the fates, I had not seen this when it happened.

My father had been human. I won't say 'only human' because he had been my hero—there was 'no only' about him.

But being human, he had been crushed beneath heavy debris and died a slow death before they were able to free him.

As I said, I was flung from the train car and barely received a scratch, as I have that immortal thing going on.

Aunt Elle was there for me in every imaginable way. She was my savior, my go-to person, my font of wisdom and understanding. I would have floundered in the foster system without her. She was named my godmother, but was not written up as my legal guardian.

She saved me. She loved me like her own. The foster system, which is difficult enough for human children—would have been, for a young witch coming into her own, impossible.

The months after my parents' deaths were difficult. Even with Aunt Elle hovering to comfort, the nightmares and sorrow tormented me.

Elle is a robust and finely tuned earth-bound witch who took control of my life. Tall and full bodied, with cocoa delicious skin, dark eyes, and an absolutely dazzling face and heart. Thank all the fates for my Aunt Elle.

When Mom died, I wasn't fully in control of my powers. I had only just learned how to use some of my magical skills.

Aunt Elle's magic comes from the earth and is light and basic. She taught me as much of her mortal witchery as she could, and she made a home for us. She showed me how to manage the might of my very different mana.

I needed the discipline she taught me to use because my magic was way off the charts strong.

Elle tried to research my ancestry because she said my magic wasn't even diluted by my father's human blood and that my mom's magic had never been as strong as mine.

I will never forget her sacrifices, and there were many, because she chose to raise me. For one thing, Aunt Elle had only been thirty when she took me in. Now, I realize how young that really was.

She gave up a great deal in those first years. She hardly dated and only once nearly got married. I so liked him. He was human, big, strong, flirty, and Denzel Washington handsome. I thought the match would take, but in the end, she caught him cheating. I learned another lesson. A man has to be more than a pretty face.

I also learned how strong Aunt Elle was. This wasn't the first heartache a man had caused her...because it isn't easy to get away with cheating on a witch.

She gave up on men for a few years after that one, who she told me she thought was her only soulmate. I told her he could not have been. I believe a soulmate could never want to be with anyone else. I am twenty-one and haven't found mine yet. Oh, I've dated and once, just once I thought I came close to it, but there it was, the 'cheating' factor.

Giving him up had been easy. Life, no matter the pain, will always move on.

Even after a tragedy such as I experienced with my parents, it is a sure thing that life just keeps on trucking.

I suppose it is an unassailable fact of life. Somehow, I got through it all.

High school was fun. I was wickedly popular. I suppose my penchant for using my magic at opportune moments played a number one role in that fact. Speaking of cheating, I suppose that is cheating in a way, but hey, magic is who I am, and I never used it to do anything but 'nice' things.

We live in Greenwich Village, but Aunt Elle basically pushed me out the door of our comfy loft and told me to dorm at NYU. She said I was cramping her style and hugged me in a way which told me I wasn't, but she thought it was time for the chick to fly.

I got an apartment near the university with two other friends, and those were really wonderful years. Lots of studying put me at the top of my class, but there was also so much fun that came with my new freedom.

By the time I graduated, I had an impressive résumé in business management. Luck, or Aunt Elle, I was never sure which, put me in this apartment complex as the managing director. Free rent, very little salary, but I was happy.

Then they sold the building and here I was without a job or place to live.

I waved the letter in the air and narrowed my eyes before I called on Shama, which is my altered state of mind, something I have learned to call on for my deep and secretive magic, magic I haven't quite mastered yet.

I don't use a familiar or a wand like Aunt Elle. Never had the need. That seems to be something mortal witches need to complete their spells.

I just concentrate and my Shama usually produces what I need.

I also use a language unknown in the Human Realm.

I put the letter to my forehead and chanted the word Amme three times, and a 3-D vision appeared. It was in full color, and that made me smile. Sometimes my visions come only in black and white, not sure why.

I saw a mature woman at a desktop computer. She was printing out the letter that had been dictated to her earlier. I scanned the room she occupied and found a letterhead, yup, it was Ascot & Harcourt. The vision faded and bleeped out.

Okay, so this was real. This wasn't someone's idea of a joke.

Besides, I'm not sure I really believed this was a prank. After all, who would play such an elaborate joke on me? To what end?

I couldn't think of any friend of mine who would go that far for a laugh.

Okay, let's reason this out. Let's go with what I know. What I know is this is a job I need. What's more, it is a place to live, as well as to work, and holy good gosh, this job was in Scotland. This was a dream come true.

However, what did I know about Scottish estates? I guess I could learn on the job—trial and error? I'm a quick study.

Who could have given this law firm my name, let alone a sterling recommendation? That question disturbed me.

I did what I always do when I hit a brick wall. I picked up my cell phone.

Aunt Elle answered, and as I always do when I hear her voice, I smiled. "Aunt Elle, you going to be home for a bit? Can I come over?"

"Yes, baby, what's wrong?"

"On my way, I'll be there as soon as I can."

I grabbed my bag and hurried outdoors. If I took this job, and I was pretty certain I had already decided to do just that, I could afford a cab.

I flagged one down and it wasn't long before I was in the elevator and stepping out to find Aunt Elle standing there with the door flung wide open.

She pulled me inside and said, "Sit!"

I laughed and plopped down on her yellow cotton sofa, threw down the letter on the coffee table, and hugged a pillow to myself.

She eyed the letter and then eyed me. "Well, now, baby, what's wrong?"

I have always told her that her power was in her voice. Soft and soothing and her logic was always unassailable. I had come for some of that comfort food.

She has a way of putting things in perspective. "Auntie...did you do this?" I pointed at the letter. "I know you...it is just the sort of thing you would do to help me out."

She picked up the letter but didn't read it as she frowned and asked, "Do what, Bobbie my love?"

There it was, Aunt Elle being coy.

A knock on the open door drew our heads around. Rafael! I jumped up and ran to hug him. Rafael was a friend of both my mom and Aunt Elle for as long as I can remember. Also, he is a vampire. My mom spelled a charm he wears around his neck that allows him to travel in daylight. It is a well-guarded secret.

He is tall and beautiful, with silky dark auburn hair and amber eyes. Latin American handsome and very sexy, he was fond of telling me.

He hugged me and I noticed he was frowning. "What is it, Rafael?" I asked.

His voice was grim. "I'm here to warn you, Bobbie. I had just arrived at your apartment when I saw you get into a cab. I guessed you were coming here."

"Warn me? Warn me about what?" I was astonished.

He looked at Elle. "You were right. Your instincts are always spot on, Elle. Someone was making inquiries about Bobbie's mother, and trying to maintain a low profile while they were at it."

"A witch?" my aunt asked.

"No, a vampire with a French accent. No one I spoke to knew who he was and as far as I can tell, he has already left NY. Luckily, the people he questioned are friends of mine and yours. They did not mention Bobbie's existence and he did not seem to know about her. He left believing Bobbie's mother was the last of her line."

"I don't like this, Rafael," Aunt Elle said thoughtfully. "Why, after all this time, would someone...a vampire, be looking for Bobbie's mother?"

He shrugged and plopped down on the sofa. "Dunno, but vampires looking for a witch...never a good thing."

I plopped down beside him and he put his arm around me. I looked at Aunt Elle. "You knew?"

"No...I had a vision. Rafael checked it out for me. I don't like this, baby." She walked away, taking the letter with her and I saw her reading it.

"You take this job, Bobbie, you take it and leave right away," she said.

"Job? What job?" Rafael asked.

I took his hands in mine. They are always so cold, but I didn't care. I adore Rafael. He is like an older, caring brother. "In Scotland...managing an estate."

"Oh, I like that. Yeah, take it. I'll come visit you in jolly 'ole Scotland."

I laughed. "Jolly 'ole England, not Scotland."

"Why can't Scotland be jolly?" he quipped playfully.

I turned back to look at Elle. She was pacing. Aunt Elle is many wonderful things, but she is also frustratingly secretive.

"Ok, give. What else did you see in your vision?" I demanded.

"Darkness and blood," she said simply. "Now I know why."

"Aunt Elle, did you arrange this job for me?" I asked.

"No, I did not, but...it has come just at the right time. I want you out of New York as soon as possible."

"There is nothing some Frenchie vamp can do to hurt our Bobbie. I'm on it," Rafael said, getting up to take Elle's shoulders in his big hands. "Even if she wasn't my little sister, I owe it to her mom."

I looked at both of them and realized they were seriously concerned. "Wait, what is this all about? Why would someone looking for my mom mean that I could be in danger?"

"My vision was shrouded in a dark mist and, Bobbie...you were in it," Aunt Elle said. "I have a good feeling about this job in Scotland...about this man, Ascot. You must take the job."

"I'm off," Rafael said suddenly.

"Where to?" I was amazed as I watched him march towards the still open door to the elevator.

"Going to find out a little more about this Frenchie vamp," he said, and smiled broadly. He looked at Elle. "I'll be in touch."

"But you said he left?" I called after him.

"Even so, would like to find out who his clan is," Rafael called out and left.

"This is all so crazy," I said, and shrugged off all the nonsense about a French vampire. "So, you think I should take the job...go to Scotland?"

"Yes, and while you are there, find an hour to go to the 'Witching Wall'."

"The what? Is that a joke?"

"No, you might connect with your grandmother's memory there. It is a stone monument she created and left there in Inver Park, just outside MacLeod Village."

"Wait, what? You said MacLeod Village. Are you telling me that the job I am taking is where my grandmother was from?"

"Yes, it is why you must take it," Aunt Elle said, and looked away from me.

I just stood there, my mouth open, with nothing coming out.

"This is getting way weird," I finally said.

"I know your mother didn't speak about her much to you...she always believed you would have forever together."

"All she ever said was that my grandmother was a dear and good immortal witch that loved her and would have adored me had she lived. It always struck me as horrible that both died...I mean, they were immortal. How does that happen?"

"I know, baby. Your mother knew how your grandmother died, but she told me it wasn't something she was ready to share..."

"Which begs the question, Aunt Elle, was I recommended for my skills, or for my bloodline?"

"Does it matter, Bobbie girl?"

"Yes, no, no—not really. At the moment, I need the job and well...the salary and Scotland is just too much to turn down," I answered, getting excited, really excited now for the first time. This was real.

"Bobbie, with this strange vampire asking questions, I want you to be careful during your travels. Do what you need to do to protect yourself from vampires...you have it inside of you to hurt them. You know that, right?"

"Sure, I know that, but...I only had to do it once when I was walking back to the dorm and a newbie attacked me. He didn't know any better and one flick of my wrist and he learned right quick that witches were off limits." I looked at her and giggled.

"This is serious, Bobbie," she said without smiling. "There was one thing your mother told me about your grandmother that you should know. You were too young when we lost your mom, but you should know that your mana was inherited directly from your grandmother. She was not only immortal, but considered amongst her kind...of which there are not many, to be the most powerful of all immortal witches on earth."

"Are you kidding?" I was amazed.

"The power, her power skipped your mom...but your mom told me she saw that power inside of you. She said you glowed with untapped magic. With such power comes great responsibility, and now that you are going to Scotland...well, you should know all of that, because you may soon be called on to make use of that power."

I started to say something but she hurriedly interrupted. "Let me finish," she said. "What you call your Shama is an altered state and one that I couldn't expand or teach you about, as I have no clue just what it is except that your mother mentioned that she believed it was powerful enough to open portals to other realms."

"Whoa!"

"That's it, that's all I got, kid. Are you okay...do you need traveling money?"

That was my Aunt Elle, always giving. "I love you, no, I don't. The contract says they will provide me with airfare and I've still got a stash. It really is an outstanding offer."

She smiled. "I know, I looked at the attached contract. Good, but I mean to find out more about this law firm and MacLeod. Take the job while I investigate the castle's history and its lords, past and present. I'll email you whatever I find. And you know, you can always come home to me. My door is always open to you if you find this isn't right for you, or if you just want to hang with your old Aunt Elle."

I laughed. "I told you already I won't do that to you. I have no intention of cramping your very sexy style."

She laughed. "You would be lighting up my home."

"Okay, this is getting too soppy for me." I paused and sighed. "So, you are sure, you want me to take the job?" I wanted the job. I wanted this to work out. I wanted Elle to push me in that direction. I sensed she wanted to push me in that direction.

"Take it, my dear. You are certainly up to the challenge and the adventure," she answered softly.

"But...I will be so far away from you," I wailed. Elle had been my rock. How could I break away and go across the Atlantic?

"Time you broke loose from childish tethers. Bobbie, you know I will be a phone call away," she answered.

I wanted to hug her, so I did just that, and said, "Come on, I'll take you out to dinner."

"Ohh, starving," she said, and went for her purse.

She stopped in front of the cage elevator and stared into space for a moment before hugging me fiercely.

"Er...Aunt Elle?" I croaked out. "You are crushing me."

"Baby girl, take this job, but be cautious...avoid the darkest corners of MacLeod. Something unseen just fluttered in my head and I'm not sure what it is. I do know one thing, you are being pulled to Scotland for a reason. Make that reason your own. Don't allow anything or anyone to use you beyond your own wishes," she said, and tapped my nose.

I laughed and said, "Not your usual pep talk. Now, I'm going to use my credit card and splurge, Auntie Elle. We will go uptown for lunch."

She shook out the dark amber colored silk scarf, yet another color to the many she already was wearing, and said, "How do I look?"

"Like a goddess," I told her as I looked her up and down. "As always. And you would be exquisite in anything."

Elle had to be a little over forty, but she looked twenty-five. When I asked her about her age, she would just wave it off and tell me no one needed to know that number.

I knew she would only be a phone call—perhaps with our joined magic only a touch away. But so far, my Shama could only transport me short distances. I had only tried using a portal twice before and the farthest it took me was from my apartment to Aunt Elle's loft.

"Excellent," she teased with an arched brow. "Never know who I might bump into."

It was later that afternoon when I made it back to my apartment and plopped down to study the contract.

As I picked up my pen, I got a sudden sensation...a vision of a gray swirling cloud and a distant voice whispered my name.

What the hell was that?

Damn, just what was this all about? A strange vampire inquiring about my mother—a very oddly convenient job...in my grandmother's old village?

Did I believe in so many coincidences? Not one bit. Was I up to this challenge—this new adventure—hell yeah! I had always wanted to know more about my grandmother and mother. Here was my chance.

I signed the contract and then hurried out of my apartment, down the block busy with pedestrians, crossed the street teaming with cars and taxis, and headed into the Office Supply store.

Did I hesitate before I put the signed contract into the fax machine? You betcha! But I sent it anyway.

~ Two ~

FLYING OVER SCOTLAND WAS an experience I will never forget. Yes, the view from my first class window was breathtaking, but it was more, so much more than that.

It was as though whispery clouds reached into me and melded with my soul. It was as though a clan song began humming its tune in my head. A clan? Had my grandmother been part of a clan?

Oh, I had so many questions.

I was worried only once on this trip. When I passed through the TSA and saw someone watching me, I knew he was a vampire at once. Supernaturals on the alert, and I was, can always recognize one another.

Our eyes met. His were red. His fangs dropped as he stared at me. I couldn't see much of his face, as his hat was pulled low.

He turned away and with vampire speed vanished.

He was able to travel because it was still dark...only 5:00 AM, though my flight wasn't 'til 7:00 AM.

What had that been all about? Was this the French vampire Rafael had been worried about—the one who had inquired about my mother?

I was too excited about this trip to think much more about it. No doubt he had been at the airport for another reason, and picked up on me as a supernatural. He saw a witch...stared for a moment, and nothing more to it.

The flight in first class was a dream. I have only once before been on a plane with Aunt Elle when we went to New Orleans for Christmas. I had nearly squealed with delight the entire trip.

In Scotland, I was whirled through customs, helped into a limousine and off we went down the main highway heading for MacLeod.

It didn't seem very long before we turned off onto a well-traveled country road, and my driver was so wonderfully pleasant, keeping me entertained with conversation.

As we drove, I noticed that the road narrowed and appeared to be scarcely traveled, as we didn't pass more than a few other vehicles.

The scenery—the farms and pastures danced in rhythm with the song in my head. The Grampian Mountains, obscured by a light mist, rose into the heavens and yes, Scotland spoke to me. It was as though the melody I heard said, "Ye have coom home, child, ye have coom home."

Was I being fanciful?

In spite of the fact that I am a supernatural, I am not whimsical...well, maybe a little, but those were the words I heard in my head, I was sure of it. It didn't worry me—quite the opposite.

I was going to have to get to the 'Witching Wall' Aunt Elle had told me about, as soon as I could, and satisfy my curiosity.

Within thirty-five minutes we were turning onto a long winding asphalt drive whose sign denoted MacLeod Castle.

We pulled up to the gates about one hundred feet into the driveway and an elderly man stepped out of a small cottage. He nodded at the driver, stared without smiling at me, and moved to an electric box, pressed it and the gates opened wide.

We drove through while I oohed and aahed out loud.

The neat driveway was lined with oaks on either side and as we drew closer, I saw an expanse of the famous (I had read up on the castle) MacLeod Gardens.

I had googled the castle and saw a photograph, and even though I knew what to expect, I sat forward in the back seat of the limo and felt like a child with presents under the tree. I didn't know where to look first.

Aside from the fact that it was, really was a medieval castle brought into modern times, I would have been impressed had it been in ruins.

My imagination had already run wild after I read about the fifteenth century Highland structure's history and the lords that had occupied the seat over the years.

The landscaping, as we approached the front stone courtyard, kept my eyes open wider than I thought possible. This was like stepping into a fairy tale.

I stared at the beautiful sandstone castle, then scanned the gardens, then back to the castle before my eyes were captured by the horses in their pastures. I have a passion for horses and as we drove slowly past them, I couldn't stop the squeal that escaped my lips.

We drove by the beautiful stone and dark oak trimmed stables and up to the huge sandstone archway that led to the front doors of the Keep. Holy hell—I was going to enter a Keep! How amazing is that!

I bent my head backwards and stared upward at the majestic castle as my driver came to a stop.

Spring flowers in an array of colors were everywhere, but especially here at the entrance of the Keep. Lush garden beds and topiaries had decorated the lawns we had driven by, but here at the entrance, there were pots and pots of every size filled with flowers and lush greenery and it was mesmerizing. I found it difficult to look away.

Was I really here? Could this amazing thing really be happening to me? Other than being a witch, I haven't had very many adventures...like, none, zero, zilch. Should I pinch myself?

All the while I felt this warmth reach up from beneath my feet, in the air, all around me, as though telling me 'welcome home.'

We parked in the courtyard and the driver beat me to it and got the door opened before I jumped out.

Outside? There it was, that feeling again. It was as though warm and cuddly magical fingers had reached up from the earth, and stretched through the atmosphere to envelop me. I heard something soft and gentle in my mind and it said, "Welcome home, Bobbie."

I gasped out loud, caught myself, and coughed.

However, all at once, the feeling of warmth and welcome changed and turned ugly.

I looked up and saw a dark cloud—just one dark cloud, and while I stared at it, a shiver ran through me.

The driver drew my attention away, saying, "Have ye ever seen Hawthorne trees in bloom, miss?" He indicated with his chin and I looked in that direction to ooh and aah some more.

The lovely trees lined the walkway that led to the wide arched front door and their fragrant scent filled the air. All at once, I felt myself transported into the deeper recesses of my mind—into my Shama.

Hawthorne trees, my mother taught me, were sacred to immortal and mortal witches alike. The witch in me wanted to run to the Hawthorne trees and touch. The witch in me wanted to rub against the bark, breathe in the magic from the leaves and be at peace.

I was drawn almost irresistibly to the trees.

As I strolled past them to the front door, I couldn't stop myself and reached out to touch a branch.

I was immediately transported into a vision.

I saw the figure of a woman in black and she frightened me. Suddenly, she turned, and her fangs dripped with blood.

What the hell?

I shook myself free, but a petal from one of the flowers fell and landed on my cheek and as I took it off, I swear, I heard it say, "Beware, witch, beware."

Ok, this was freaky, even for me. Also, it was epic. I mean, honestly, I am, even though I am a witch, a bit of a skeptic about anything I haven't experienced before. This was a very different experience and while it was exciting beyond thought, I wondered if I wasn't just being fanciful.

"Go on, then," Daniel, my driver, told me. "I'll follow with yer luggage."

Luggage? I only had one suitcase and one overnight bag. College tuition had left me with very little left over for clothes or shoes.

For a moment, I put aside my Hawthorne tree experience and stared at the castle. Oh, but it was undeniably magnificent.

I moved forward over the flat blue-stone steps and hesitated to take another moment to admire.

The architecture was exquisite, and I imagined all the history the stone walls held within, as well as around the grounds.

The building was made of sandstone and designed with lovely fairy-tale turrets. The two wings, which flanked the arched front doors to the Keep, were partially and beautifully covered with ivy. The Keep was three stories high. At the roof of the Keep was a battlement that stretched to a whimsical conical blue slated turret at each end. The two wings were designed much the same, and the whole affect had me in awe.

Everywhere I looked, there were flowering vines attractively adorning huge, dark wooden posts, and arched hideaways.

Everything spoke of ancient, yet it was obvious that it had been lovingly restored and modernized by a contractor who had taken great pains to maintain the building's original integrity.

Daniel eyed me and asked, "Are ye all right then, miss?"

He was elderly and dear, with shocks of white hair protruding from his wool peaked cap, and this made me smile.

"Yes, oh yes."

"Then ye aren't worried, are ye? Shouldna be. People talk and say how MacLeod is haunted because of...well, I dinnae think any ghost will bother ye." He smiled kindly.

"A ghost? No, I hadn't heard that. I didn't read that anywhere in its write-up either." I was immediately thrilled. A ghost? I had never interacted with a ghost. "How great is that!"

He laughed. "Do ye believe in ghosts, miss?"

"Of course, doesn't everyone?" I smiled and gave him an enormous tip, I could afford it now.

He thanked me, but there wasn't time for more as the front doors were opened wide and I got my first view of the Great Hall.

"Okay, wow," I said out loud as I wondered how the hell I was going to manage all of this. Where—how do I start?

If this were a hotel bringing in money, I would know exactly what to do, but this entire place was a private residence, and the money to run it had to be unbelievably enormous. If they asked me to find a way to save money...well, that would be a challenge.

I already knew that Lord MacLeod didn't allow paying visitors and therefore didn't offset their taxes with income. What did it take financially to manage all of this and was bill paying part of my job?

Well, I would figure it all out tomorrow. Even though I had jet lag, I was psyched and absolutely had decided today was for exploring!

A middle-aged man with his gray hair severely plastered to his oval head, stood waiting at the open front doors for me to recover from my fascination with everything. I noted then that he neither looked patient nor welcoming.

I gave him a smile, but did not receive one in return, so I took open stock of him and noted that his faded blue eyes while he regarded me were not cold, but they were not friendly either. What was up with that?

His lips were thin and he was dressed in what I assumed was a butler's uniform of black except for the white shirt-points, black tailed coat, pants, vest, and a black and white striped tie.

He said without warmth, "Welcome, Miss Skye."

I ignored the cool reception and decided his job probably required him to be aloof. Auntie always teases me and says that I am 'too nice—too open' and would defend the devil himself.

I don't think that is quite true, but I do like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

At any rate, I stepped past him and stood in the Great Hall I had been openly admiring. The rectangular room housed a round table in its center. An iron and wood chandelier hung over the table where a large ceramic pot held a gorgeous array of flowers.

Otherwise, the room seemed starkly under-furnished.

I smiled to myself to see a suit of armor standing in one corner of the room beside a stained glass arched window and beside that a tall palm. The other walls were adorned with what appeared to be family portraits.

One in particular caught my eye, but as my driver had put down the bags and was taking his leave, I turned back to thank him once again.

I watched him leave before my attention was taken by the butler who coughed and apparently waited my instructions.

I said, "So, then, since I'll be working here, why don't you call me Bobbie and I'll call you?"

"Davis," he said, still aloof. "I will have your bags taken to your quarters, Miss Skye, by one of the cleaning crew."

"Oh, do you have a crew living here at MacLeod?" I asked curiously.

"No, they come in once a week. We asked them to come in today to make everything in readiness for your arrival, as per Mr. Ascot's instructions. Ah, here is Samuel..." Davis snapped his fingers and waved over a young man, who I guessed to be just a bit younger than I am. "Aye, then, sir," Sam said, smiling and nodding to me. "Want me to take this up for miss?"

"Precisely," Davis said.

Sam took up my two suitcases and with one last smile my way, hurried up the wide set of stairs.

"Mrs. Tunny should be here in a moment. She will give you a tour of the house and take you to your room."

"Fantastic," I said, ready to be happy whether he was or not.

He bowed himself off and as I watched him go, I returned to the portraits, stopping before one in particular.

Oooh...he was handsome. It was done of, I suppose, one of the lords...one from the late 1800s judging by his clothes. He was tall, with his white shirt billowing in the wind. His black hair was windblown as well, and he had a wild look in his blue eyes. He was my type, I noted immediately and laughed out loud at myself, but put a hand over my mouth as I heard the sound of approaching steps and turned away from the painting to find a plump woman with short brown, lifeless hair approach. I judged her age as mature. Her manner of walking was brisk, no nonsense, as was her appraisal of me.

I noted her style of dress, a dark gray pantsuit and cream colored blouse made her look more like she sat behind a desk than stood at a stove, and wondered if she had several roles here at MacLeod.

Her aura of detachment made my witchy senses wary. It was as though she already disliked me. What was going on here? Didn't Davis and Mrs. Tunny want me here?

I gave her a bright smile. She didn't return one. In fact, as she got closer, I saw something like irritation in her hazel eyes.

Why? I hadn't been here long enough to annoy anyone.

She said, "I'll show ye to yer room, Miss Skye, so ye can freshen up before Mr. Ascot arrives."

"Oh, I was hoping to get a quick tour..." I said, disappointed.

"There isn't time, but before I leave for the day, I will acquaint ye with yer surroundings. Mr. Ascot called and said he wanted a word with ye upon yer arrival. I just got off the phone with him and he should be here in thirty minutes."

"Oh, you mean now—so soon?" I was instantly dismayed. I had thought I would have a day to myself, to look around the grounds and get my bearings, and set up a plan to offer him before our meeting.

"Indeed, he said it was important, though he didn't tell me why," she said primly, and pursed her lips. "Aye, then, if ye wish to freshen up, yer room is in readiness." Her voice, like the way she held herself, was aloof and definitely displayed an unwillingness to do more than she was required.

"Thanks, okay," I said, ignoring her tone and her demeanor. "Want to point me in the right direction and I'll find my room on my own?"

"Nae. I will show ye the way," she said, looking a bit surprised.

"Okay, then," I said, wondering why Davis and Mrs. Tunny didn't seem to be happy about my being here. Ah well, maybe they thought I would get in the way of their routines? Just what were their routines? Who had been giving them routines? Perhaps all it needed was a bit of time to win them over?

We took the wide, highly polished stairway. The railings were beautifully carved and although the posts at the top, as well as on the bottom, were adorned with ferocious open-mouthed gargoyles, the carvings were impressive.

At the top, I patted one of the gargoyles' heads and giggled. "I suppose these guys guard the upper floors?" I only meant a bit of levity.

Mrs. Tunny said, "As a matter of fact, MacLeod legend says they do."

I felt my eyebrows rise. Was she teasing me right back and with a straight face? I wasn't sure what to make of her.

I glanced down the long wide corridor, surprised at how bright it was without any lights being turned on. At each end of the hall was an arched lead-paned cathedral styled window. Ah, hence the bright hallway.

As it turned out, my door was the third from the staircase and on the right side. Mrs. Tunny opened it wide and stepped inside, with a wave of her hand for me to follow.

She handed me the antique styled key and folded her hands in one another.

"I think ye will find everything ye need here. Ye have a suite of rooms, as Mr. Ascot requested, and of course have the freedom to move about the castle and its grounds."

"A suite of rooms—I'll say." I laughed and looked around. We were standing in an enormous bedroom. The large four poster bed facing us was covered in a glorious display of mauves and soft lavender flowers and variegated shades of green fronds. The wide, long windows on either side of the bed were adorned with drapes of the same design and colors, and held back with green roping. A huge TV rested on a wall table in front of the bed.

French glass doors opened onto a balcony from a sitting room at the far end of the bed where a desk was neatly situated. The desk faced a wall of bookshelves.

"Indeed," she said, and led the way past the bed, in the opposite direction of the sitting room and opened another door. "Here, ye will find yer bathroom."

I looked inside. "Holy cow!" It was nearly as large as the bedroom, with a whirlpool tub, a large tiled shower, and marble everywhere. A long vanity with amenities spread out on a decorative tray, and flowers, with an enormous window above it.

A long window brought in the light. I just stared.

She turned and started to leave, saying over her shoulder, "As promised, a computer and printer have been set up for ye in the library, where ye will be meeting with Mr. Ascot soon."

I turned and rushed her. I am a hugger and that was just what I did. I hugged Mrs. Tunny. She looked taken aback.

"Thank you, I love this room. Thank you so much," I told her enthusiastically. With the enormous salary I was getting, plus free room and board, I had expected to find myself in 'servant quarters' somewhere out of the way.

She didn't smile, though her lashes flickered. "I am only complying with Mr. Ascot's wishes." She started out of the room and stopped. "Miss Skye, I am not certain if Mr. Ascot advised ye that ye will be here alone in the evenings. There is a large staff that comes in to do gardening and cleaning here at MacLeod, but none that lives here, ye know."

"Oh? I didn't know that. I simply assumed most or some of the staff..." My voice trailed off as I thought of myself alone in this huge castle. I was surprised he had not told me. "Not even the butler, Davis?"

She made a face. "Not even Davis. And...meaning ye no disrespect, but I dinnae think this is a place for a young woman...at least, not at night. Ye might want to see if he—Mr. Ascot, can make other living arrangements for ye. I wouldn't like m'daughter to be here alone at night and I dinnae like to see a sweet lass like yerself in that position."

She surprised me again. She did like me, just not here. "You are very kind. Thank you, Mrs. Tunny, is that because of the ghost?" Getting to the point is another one of the things I do that startles some people. "Because if a ghost comes knocking at my door, I don't mean to let it in." I only meant to tease and make light of it.

"'Tis no joking matter, child, and look at ye...no more than a slip of a girl, by yerself here at night. I dinnae like it and that is a fact," she answered on a frown.

"Okay, I'll lock all the doors and I won't wander around the castle at night. How is that?" I answered, hoping to allay her concerns.

"Not good enough, child. Ye have no idea what has happened here in this castle..." She shook her head. "Well, then, in the end, ye'll remember that I warned ye. I didn't mean to scare ye, though, just keep ye alert. Davis said we should stay out of it. He said it wasn't fair to frighten ye and put notions in yer head, and perhaps he is in the right of it, but...ye are such a chipper young thing, and I wouldn't want to see ye hurt."

I sank into myself. Had their initial aloofness been triggered by concern for my situation? How dear that was. "How kind. Thank you. I won't forget this, Mrs. Tunny, and if I find anything amiss at night, I will revisit the subject of my living arrangements with Mr. Ascot." I patted her hand. (I am also a toucher). "When we spoke about my contract, he did make it clear that one of the requirements was that I take up residence here at MacLeod, but I am certain if anything wasn't quite right, he would totally understand if I wanted to live elsewhere...especially since he didn't mention that I would be alone here in this enormous place."

Her lips already tightly set got tighter. She said, "I'm thinking his loyalties lie elsewhere, seeing as his relationship to the present Lord MacLeod, who no one has seen in over twenty years, is a bond of...well, never mind. Ye just watch yerself."

Apparently, that was all she meant to say on the subject because with that, she turned sharply and marched out of my room.

She left me in deep thought. Mr. Ascot and the present lord had a bond? Well, they must be friends then after all. The two must be nearly the same age—probably near fifty, no doubt?

Well, this was all really interesting, but I had better hurry and freshen up.

I turned to my opened suitcases where they lay on the bed and picked out a simple outfit that would be both personable and business-like for my first meeting with my new boss. I changed my mind and picked out another outfit, something I could wear for a quick dash about the grounds and the lower levels of the house after our meeting. Right, black and white silk sweater with fitted sleeves, black jeans, and my ankle high, black hiking boots. I pulled out a denim jacket as well, even in late spring it was cool in the Highlands.

I hurriedly threw off the clothes that had served my travel and made a mental note to find out if we had a washing machine and dryer on the premises.

I gave myself a quick whore's bath over the sink, dried myself off, a spritz of perfume and a brush through my tangled hair left it shining. I hesitated with my hair. Should I put it up or leave it long for this business meeting?

I left my hair down and threw on my clothes and pulled on my boots, thinking I probably should change my socks, but didn't.

Catching my breath through this whirlwind, I stopped and stared at myself in the long mirror on the bathroom door. I turned this way and that. My black jeans were low waisted, so I inspected my rear...no skin showing. Good. Couldn't do anything about the size of my breasts, they were large, and even with my denim blazer on, they weren't easy to hide. I didn't want to give any wrong impressions. Right. I took my five foot five self out of the bathroom and headed for the door, and stopped to the sound of a faraway voice calling my name. What the hell?

~ Three ~

Devin

I COULDNAE TAKE M'EYES off the lass. I watched her get out of the limo and something moved inside of me. I dinnae know what or why, but she intrigued me.

This witch was remarkable in every single way.

Aye, she might be the answer to m'problems, but the affect she had on m'system, on m'body, told me, here was trouble.

Her magic was stronger than anything I have ever seen. It glowed gold all around her. Gold particles sparkled off her creamy cheeks and the glitter of her violet eyes was mesmerizing. Such eyes. Never have I seen their like.

And then it happened, the thirst.

I have nae felt such a thirst in years.

Here in my banished realm—Trinity, I have all the nourishment I need. This realm is made up of many parts and here in its jungle are animals enough. I dinnae kill. I take what I need, only what I need.

Bloody hell, but her scent wafted over me as she passed within inches of me. How can this be? I haven't been able to touch or smell anything on the other side...in twenty-two years. How is this possible? And her blood...I can feel its pulse and it pinches m'thirst.

I can see everything on the other side of my present world, but I can't smell or touch anything in the Human Realm, which I nae longer inhabit. Was this her magic getting through?

I studied her, this unusual lass, this Roberta Skye.

She was, och aye, quite a ravishing creature and I couldna take m'eyes off her lips, lush and rosy, pursed as she allowed her thoughts to take her expressions. I watched her as she entered the Keep.

I followed her, listened to her, och aye, but the sound of her voice shimmered in m'mind. I watched her mannerisms, light and quixotic, and when she came close to the invisible wall between this realm and hers, I felt desire so deep I took a step back.

What was happening? Over the years, I have the curse and the blessing of being able to look on m'castle and immediate grounds here from the jungle of Trinity.

The jungle holds the wall between our two worlds, but never before have I been able to pick up on the scent of someone in the human world.

I watched as Bobbie Skye tried to win a smile from Davis and then Mrs. Tunny. They didn't want her there. They both made that fact obvious, but it did nae deter her.

And it occurred to me that I brought this young lass into danger...what have I done? Damn, bloody damn, but I hated Allora.

She was the curse of m'existence.

At first, rumors have made it difficult for Ascot to keep people on at MacLeod, though finally, he was able to get the employees to work during the daylight hours.

Fuck me, but this witch's flaming long locks cascaded and framed an exquisitely piquant face and her body was driving me mad with hunger. As she moved upstairs, I wanted to grab hold and bring her up against m'self, hold her, touch her...bloody hell!

It was in that moment that I looked into those violet eyes of hers and realized the lass was an...innocent. Aye, there was an air of innocence about her that caught and held m'interest.

She went in to wash up and I let her be. I wouldna spy on her when she should be private. I wouldna sink so low, even though I was sorely tempted.

She came out dressed and looking ravishing. She made me hungry for a taste of her lips. Aye, but her flame colored hair swayed as she moved and it touched her ass, such an ass. I wanted to grab hold and ram m'self into her and please her over and over...

She played with stray strands of flame over her forehead and she blew them away and said out loud, though she was alone, "Hair, red and messy...hmmm." She glanced at the clock and said, "Well, I don't like to use magic for such simple things, but I'm out of time."

With a twirl of her finger, she was downstairs and looking for the library.

Och aye, but her magic was like a white light, full of beauty...as she was.

Bloody hell, I wanted to fuck her, right there in the Great Hall, m'Great Hall. I wanted to fuck her and then fuck her again. I have never wanted a woman with the intensity that I want this one...

M'hands ached to touch her and suddenly, I realized I was fantasying about sinking m'fangs into her neck...hell...nae...never!

What was I thinking? I don't taste human blood...nae since that first time, that first awful time when Allora had turned me.

Allora had killed me and made me into a monster.

But I had regained myself. I was in control of the blood lust. I will never give up that control.

Allora cursed me with the thirst, and I hated her for it.

But after that night, that first monstrous night, I knew I would never again give in to the craving. I knew I would beat the thirst...aye, and I did.

I wouldna be the beast she had wanted me to be.

That fateful night I walked a lass home. A lass called Allora Brently. How could I have known she was a vampire?

How could I have known she had decided to turn me?

I would soon learn that Allora always got what she wanted. I would learn many things about Allora...the first of which, she didn't care if I hated her or nae, as long as I was hers.

That night, she sucked just enough blood out of m'veins to put me at the brink of death, and then forced her blood down m'throat.

I still remember how I gagged, but she wouldna stop until enough of her diseased blood found its way into m'system. She then suffocated and killed me.

When I awoke to her hateful, gloating smile, I was in a frenzy of confusion. She was naked and straddling me. I was naked beneath her.

"What...what happened?" I stupidly asked. I knew. We had heard about vampires, even in our out of the way Highlands village. Some believed in their existence. Until then, I had nae. But dying had nae wiped the memory of her fangs sinking into me.

Of course, Allora taught me the truth of it all.

She ran her hand over my chest. "You are mine now. I gave you eternal life."

"I dinnae want eternal life..."

She ignored my response and asked, "Are you thirsty?"

Thirsty? Holy hell, I was...I was so thirsty. That first need, that first thirst is like a man dying in the desert, crawling towards an oasis. He sees naught but that pool of clear cool water. All I saw was blood.

That first thirst made me want to die for real and never wake up.

I dinnae answer her.

She slapped me across m'face and shouted, "Are you thirsty?"

I heard my voice, hoarse and hungry, "Aye."

"Come here!" she snapped.

I was confused. She wasn't talking to me. She was looking over her shoulder. I saw then a young, naked, and deliciously pretty lass with perfect little tits, walking as though in a daze towards us from the corner of the room.

Allora touched the woman's perky breast and fondled her for a moment. I felt sick and disgusted with m'self as I watched her because m'dick was hard and twitching, but the thirst made me want to sink m'teeth into the woman's neck where I could see the vein already opened by Allora's fangs.

I was suddenly starving, and needing unspeakable things. I wanted the poor lass in every imaginable way, but most of all, I could hear her heartbeat and that pounding drove me insane. I was clutched by madness. It is the only excuse I have ever given m'self for what happened next.

She took the girl's wrist and put it to m'lips.

"Drink!"

"No!" I resisted, but m'head was beating a drum to do just that. I needed to quench the thirst, that first all-consuming thirst for blood. Ye can't think of anything else. I dinnae see anything but a way to the blood.

"Drink!" she demanded.

And that first time...that only time, I became a monster.

I sank m'vampire fangs into that poor lass's wrist. Her eyes were vacant, but her blood was warm, so warm...

It was a feeding frenzy that I had no control over. I took and took and pulled her beneath me. I ravaged her body, pumping m'self into her while I drank, and until she lay lifeless beneath me.

Even after all these years of repentance—over one hundred, I feel sick at the memory.

I was evil that night. Evil beyond m'worst nightmare.

Allora mounted me after she threw the dead girl's body off the bed.

I saw the girl lying lifeless on the floor, but before I could contemplate the horror of it all, Allora mounted and rode me hard and fast and when I heard her go off, I threw her down on the bed and rammed m'self into her with a force I didn't know I was capable of until then. I told m'self later, it wasn't me, and I swore it never would be again.

Allora screamed m'name over and over and as I sank m'fangs into her neck. All at once, I again saw the lifeless lass on the floor and I froze.

I had been fucking Allora harder than I had ever fucked before, but the sight of the girl, the knowledge that I had done that to her, made me push Allora away so that I could jump from the bed and run.

"No!" I shouted as I scrambled to get m'clothes from a nearby chair and dressed in the blink of an eye. Vampires own speed and mine was out of control. I had to get away from Allora, and from what I had done.

I had no idea where I was in that moment...and then I remembered. I was at her home. She had taken me to her manor—Brently Manor!

I made it home to MacLeod and sped upstairs to m'chambers. I was a vampire. I would never again be able to look into the sun or walk in the daylight. I was a beast with a bloodlust.

I spent a few nights in self-pitying agony, but I had to feed. I couldna get away from that awful fact.

But I had vowed to m'self that never again would I taste human blood. I was determined to keep that promise. So I went out at night and discovered I had skills and abilities that I could use to help me survive, and hunted whatever game I could find.

However, after a week went by, Allora made it known that she meant to keep what she produced. She had created me and meant to have me and make me serve her needs.

She arrived outside m'balcony doors and demanded I let her in.

I refused. She described m'friends, the servants that had been working for me for years. She made me aware that she knew who they were. She did so with one purpose—to make me understand what she could do.

She told me I had a choice, to let her enter m'home or accompany her to Brently. I realized that Allora, an ancient vampire with evil in her cold dead heart, would destroy anyone I cared about if I dinnae do one or the other of her demands.

I couldna, wouldna give her an invitation that would allow her to come and go at MacLeod whenever the whim took her. Ye see 'tis true, vampires need an invitation to enter yer home.

I asked her for time to adjust to m'condition. Oddly enough, she agreed.

Over the next weeks, as I learned to control the thirst and while I quenched it with animal blood, I also learned how to take only what I needed and not kill the poor creatures I had to use to survive.

Allora returned and repeated her demands. This time she didn't mince words and advised me that she would kill everyone I had ever cared about if I dinnae submit to her demands to remain with her.

I loathed her, but I couldna allow her to hurt people who were dear to me. I had friends and tenant farmers, servants, and people I cared about. I couldna stand by and let her destroy the world I loved.

In the end, I did go to her, but with the mandate that we live abroad. I couldna have her near m'village...near the people who were dear to me.

Allora is temperamental and unpredictable. There was nae saying when she would strike out and hurt a human I cared about. Aye, they were human. I nae longer was.

However, the humanity in me still was strong. I dinnae think I even craved human blood after that first night Allora turned me.

At any rate, she accepted m'bargain because it suited her. Allora, I discovered, loved Europe far more than Scotland.

We traveled together and the longer I was with her, the moodier and more miserable I became. I hated her. She liked me that way, she said. Fucking her was just that—fucking. She tried to call it making love and that made me furious. I would throw her off me when she spoke of love.

She would go off on her own for days on end. I had nae idea where she went or with whom and I cared even less.

During that time, I studied ancient spells and dark magic. Bits of information about her and the Ancient Vampire Clan that ruled the dark side of Europe got through to me, and I stored that information to use against her one day.

Whenever she returned from one of her jaunts, she would ask me if I missed her and I told her the truth she didn't want to accept. I told her I reveled in every minute I had without her in it.

It was the turn of the century, more than twenty-five years had gone by since she first turned me, and I had learned a great deal about what it meant to be a vampire. I was getting closer to the end of m'imprisonment. I would never again see the people I loved—nae while she was alive. But I had a plan.

I began to pick fights for nae a reason...out of nothing. I started to annoy her at every turn. I had a goal.

One day, she attempted to dispose of m'tin of pig's blood.

That was a mistake. I may nae be an ancient, but I had been training m'self, enhancing m'skills, and this time, I went on the attack.

I go to a great deal of trouble every week to travel to nearby villages and stock up from different butchers so as nae to draw attention to m'self. It isn't easy to keep the blood fresh, but I manage.

I wasna about to allow her to interfere with anything I did to retain what humanity I had left. As it turned out, m'speed and strength matched her own.

She hadna expected me to zero in on her with such force, but I did. I had her blonde hair in m'hands as I bent her back and threatened her with the leg of the chair I had just broken.

She looked momentarily taken aback.

I promised to kill her the next time she interfered with me.

So she, instead, took to taunting me about m'pig's blood whenever she was around. She called me many ugly names. I dinnae listen or care. I was, in those days, biding m'time.

Even fucking her now was becoming difficult for me. I turned away from her demands more often than not. She threatened to return to MacLeod—the threat was always there, that purposeful threat. So I fucked her hard. I even tried to hurt her, but she liked it rough.

I was in hell. A man of m'stamp doesn't take to being ordered about—used as she used me. So I continued to bide m'time and waited.

Years passed, och aye, twenty-five turned into fifty and then one hundred. That was what I had waited for. That was the time of m'independence, in that hundredth year.

We were in Paris at the moment of m'decision to leave.

I think she had grown weary of m'moods. She was away from our hotel room much more than she was there.

I dinnae think she would care when I left and at any rate, it dinnae matter. M'loved ones were gone. She could not threaten me any longer.

I had secretly been keeping MacLeod under m'management through an estate manager and that was where I headed in the year of 1975.

I think she needed a change from m'constant display of loathing for her, because she dinnae coom after me.

M'time to leave had come with the passing of all I held dear. She couldna threaten me any longer.

I returned to MacLeod. Wealth that had been mine had tripled with m'investments over the years and I had already arranged for documents to be created, should I need them.

Without Allora's knowledge, I had met with a gypsy some years past. I paid her well and she gave me what I needed to become a day-walker. It was so simple. A long forgotten herb. A weed really, that I perfected and spelled with m'own dark magic for extra potency. It doesn't work as well on vampires that drain and kill humans.

I used to have to take the potion every single day, but now, m'body has acclimated to it, and absorbed it in such a way that I only need a booster once a month.

We grow it all over MacLeod. I dried enormous amounts and kept them with me when I traveled. Moonweed—a wonderful botanical miracle.

When I was sure Allora had forgotten all about me, I decided to remain at MacLeod permanently and reestablish m'roots at home. I began m'research for a cure for vampirism.

I couldna give up hope, but a part of me believed there wasnae one. Even so, I have found some solutions over the years with m'experiments in botany and discovered another rare plant. Wolf-Rose in small doses seems to curb m'need for blood and reduces the craving. I had to build up a tolerance for it, as it made me quite ill at first.

And then, twenty-two years ago, I met a lovely lass, och aye, m'darlin' Sarah Ascot. She was soft and good and m'love for her was as gentle as she. She was m'hope for a relatively normal life.

When in the presence of another supernatural...we are able to sense one another. Maybe nae at first, but after a bit, ye can feel the magic in the other.

I felt it across the room, and I knew she was a witch.

I took her to dinner and confessed immediately what I was and waited for her to confide in me as well.

And one day she did. She told me that not only was she a witch, but an immortal one, and Jeremy, her brother, was a warlock. I thought then, how lucky am I to have found someone to share m'life forever.

I thought perhaps redemption was mine. I liked her so very much and that like turned into a soft love. It dinnae have the wild passion I had dreamt of as a young man, but it was good.

But apparently repentance was not enough. The fates decreed I still must be punished.

Apparently, on a whim, Allora decided to visit me at MacLeod.

She couldna have entered had Sarah nae invited her in.

I was late getting home. Jeremy and I had been to town on business and we stopped by the pub. I was late...too late.

M'young bride had nae notion...and if she did, it came to her too late.

I was only ten minutes away. Ten minutes!

I never thought to tell m'bride about Allora. If I had told her about Allora and cautioned her never to invite the bitch inside, I would have been on time. She wouldna have allowed Allora inside.

Instead—

I returned to find m'new bride's head on our bed.

Allora left the ashes of m'bride's body beside it. Her note read, I will kill everyone you love.

I collapsed in a heap of agony.

Pain spread through m'body and mind. I cried to the fates that had done this to an innocent, for Sarah had been an innocent. I vowed then to find Allora and tear her apart, bit by bit.

That was all I wanted. I could think of nothing else and nothing else in m'life mattered.

I tracked Allora down, but I am ashamed to own that each time I found her, I was unsuccessful in m'attempts to kill her.

She is an ancient with great skills, and abilities I had nae then acquired. She knows how to stay alive, however, each time I learned something new and incorporated it in m'plans. And I had Jeremy's magic to aid me.

Aye, I was so full with the need for revenge and couldna waver from m'purpose. M'last attempt came very close to killing her.

It was then, in that moment, I finally saw the sudden fear in her eyes. In that moment, she realized I would never give up and that she would have to constantly look over her shoulder. It was that last time when I saw she understood in the end, I would destroy her.

Because I know her. Because she is a survivor, I should have expected something. I should have known she would decide to strike back.

I should have seen it coming. I dinnae.

I knew she nae longer wanted me. I knew she nae longer was even remotely attracted to me. I had seen the look in her cold, amber lit eyes. Only hate remained...and a measure of fear.

That last time, I had come close to beating her at her own game. I became cocky—too cocky with the realization that I was skilled enough to accomplish m'goal.

She knew one day when she least expected it, I would be there.

Why hadna I expected a preemptive retaliation from her?

It was some months after m'last attempt on Allora's life that I sat at m'desk, planning m'next attack. I thought she was settled for a time in Venice where a number of ancients reside. She is an outcast. They regard her as a liability, but she likes to remain on the edges of their circle. Now and then, they throw her a bone, and invite her to one of their balls. In return, she does their dirty work from time to time.

I know the city well. I was working out a way to corner her in a place she wouldna be able to escape...while she was sleeping during the day.

I had forgotten that she could now enter MacLeod at will.

I looked up from m'desk in the library and there she stood, but...she was nae alone.

M'first thought was, run!

Och aye, a man's pride is often his downfall.

Pride beat the notion of running out of me, even though logic said it was the only way I would survive this encounter with Allora. She had come at me on her terms, nae mine!

Instead of running, I stood and said, "Get out of m'home, ye evil bitch."

That was stupid, I know. I knew as soon as the words were out it was stupid bravado. Every instinct told me I still had a chance if I would only use m'vampire speed and outrun the night.

She was nae, could never be, a day-walker. If I could outrun her in the dark, which I knew I could, I would be ready for her tomorrow night.

That damn pride wouldna let me move.

I took a moment to study the lovely lass standing unhappily at Allora's side. Allora had her hand around the woman's throat.

I realized at once, as the aura of her magic encasing her glowed brightly, that she was a powerful witch. I sensed she wasn't with Allora by choice.

Allora had the witch in her clutches somehow. Och aye, but I knew in that moment I was in serious trouble. I could feel the witch's power radiate between us. All her energy was focused on me. In the witch's lovely eyes, I saw her beg m'pardon.

Aye then, it was confirmed, nae here by choice.

M'darlin' Sarah was a witch, not as powerful as this lass, but I was familiar now with the glow a White Witch radiates. This one was a Witch of the Light, aye, but the mana burning around her was strong, so strong. She wouldna kill me. She wouldna kill. I was sure of it. Why then had Allora brought her here?

Time dinnae stand still. Time moved swiftly and laid me low.

Even as I planned m'next move, everything went to hell.

In the flash of a moment, m'damned bloody world once again turned upside down. Ye think I would have seen it coming. Ye think I would have learned by then.

The witch beside Allora said a few words in a language I didn't recognize and the next thing I knew, I was staring at Allora and the witch through a transparent wall. Some kind of clear shield allowed me to look through at them...but I was nae longer in the human world. I was in another realm altogether.

I looked around and saw I was standing in a jungle of sorts. Ruins soared into the sky at quite a distance. It looked like a temple of sorts. Rolling hills rose into a mist miles away.

Where was I?

"What have ye done?" I asked, trying to pound on the transparent shield between m'self and m'home.

"Punished you. You can watch your estate fall into ruin as the years go by. You can think what your life would have been had you loved and stayed with me—taken me as your wife!" she snapped, and her face was drawn in rage.

I closed m'eyes. Allora's witch had sent me to another realm where I would be able to see into m'world, m'home, m'land, but be unable to communicate with anyone in m'world, in any manner. M'eyes snapped open as I realized m'fate.

"I am sorry, My Lord," the witch said. "She threatened my daughter."

"Enough," Allora shouted.

The witch broke free from Allora and started to chant, but Allora put a finger up and said, "Remember, I know where you sent your daughter."

The witch stopped immediately and Allora pulled her against herself and sneered before saying, "Ah, but you need an introduction, you two. Devin, this wonderful witch, who has sealed your fate forever away from your precious life here in your precious human world, is Lisa MacForly. She is an immortal witch of stupendous power. She alone can lift the spell that keeps you on the other side, but you see, I don't wish her to lift that spell...not ever." So saying, she produced a sword and with one swift movement, she did the unthinkable and beheaded the poor woman in her grasp.

I watched, horrified, as the witch's body sank in Allora's hold. I was stunned immobile as Allora swung the head she had severed, just as she had done with m'bride a year before. I watched as blood poured onto the floor and screamed with the agony I felt. I emptied m'lungs as I did m'heart.

Allora continued to swing the witch's head to and fro as she laughed and it was a maniacal sound. She stopped suddenly and came closer to the shield between us. "You know, don't you? You know why I killed her. Because her kind is always doing the 'right thing'." Allora sneered. "I knew that as soon as I went off on one of my junkets, she would have returned here and undid the spell. I knew that. So I made that impossible."

I said nothing.

Allora's smile was hateful. She shrugged and eyed me. "You—Devin, are the only one I have ever wanted...ever loved, and you hurt me. What reason could you have had to leave me for so long and then marry another? You could have played with other women. I am not unreasonable. Eternity is a long time. I would have allowed such as that. But you married her!" She gave me her back as though composing herself. "Well, you will live to regret it. You will live on the other side in another world. Only she—Lisa MacForly, can undo the spell, and she is gone. You are forever cursed. I knew she meant to free you. I knew it the moment she sent her daughter off to New York. She would have faced me down, and as she was the most powerful witch I have ever encountered, I couldn't take the chance that she might have been able to outdo me. No. So I struck first. I caught her by surprise, didn't I? She wasn't expecting me to kill her. I outwitted a great Witch of the Light, because we all know White Witches think with their hearts. All I had to do was outthink her." Allora arched a look at me. "Good is never ruthless."

"You threatened her family to get her to do this," I said resignedly, sick inside.

"Yes, of course." She laughed and turned the witch Lisa MacForly's head and body into ash even as she scorched away the blood from the floor. "People will wonder what became of you. No one can see or hear you on the other side. You will become a mystery of sorts as you suffer over the years." She started to walk away, but apparently couldna resist as she turned back to me, and her lip lifted in a sneer. "No one defies me."

I watched her go with only one thought in mind. I would escape and destroy her once and for always. I would hone in m'skills...and I would find a way out of here...

Allora dinnae know all there was to know about magic spells, light or dark. She dinnae realize that a witch with the power to enact such a spell, has a bloodline that can follow through. Och aye, but I knew it! M'studies, m'work looking for a cure for m'vampirism, had delivered me into the world of the occult. The poor witch had a daughter in the States. Aye then...hope was still alive, and I would find a way out of this realm and find Allora and finish her once and for always.

Allora also dinnae realize that m'darlin' bride had an immortal warlock brother—Jeremy.

I bloody well would have m'revenge for m'bride's murder and m'bride's immortal warlock brother, Jeremy Ascot, would discover me and aid me in m'efforts.

Ye see, Jeremy, though he probably wouldna be able to free me, I knew he would try, and would still be able to speak with and see me. He was a supernatural. He would see the transparent wall and me on the other side immediately.

And Jeremy did come looking for me.

And Jeremy's investigations to discover Lisa MacForly's immortal daughter finally paid off, but too late. It had taken years because she had married and had another name and had somehow obscured the name MacForly from the records. No doubt when she heard of her mother's disappearance. The poor woman was cruelly, freakishly killed in an accident...but her granddaughter, who calls herself by a boy's name, Bobbie Skye, was alive and well.

Jeremy decided we had to get her here and see if she could help us and thus he made her an offer she could not refuse.

Which brings us to this day.

Bobbie Skye has arrived.

Would she be able to break me out of this realm? I have not seen her use much of her magic yet and cannae be certain she possesses her grandmother's abilities.

However, after Jeremy's phone conversation with her, he said that her magical aura was something he had felt even over the airwaves during their short conversation. He was sure that she owned the ability, if nae the knowledge, to free me.

But as I watched her happily bounce about her room, I realized she was an innocent.

Was I putting her in danger? Of course I was.

Also, she had nae been trained in the arts of her heritage. How could she have been when both grandmother and mother had been taken from her?

Jeremy said her aunt was a mortal witch with limited light powers. Was the lass equipped to stand up to Allora should Allora return here?

I would have to make this lass aware of the dangers.

Jeremy had said we needed to walk her through it all slowly, but I dinnae agree.

This lass must nae be harmed. We have to tell her what she is up against and allow her to choose her own way. Aye, we brought her here to help me, but at what cost?

Looking at her now, the thirst burns through me. Why? I haven't felt this intense need since I discovered the orchard, Wolf-Rose. Something about everything she is makes me want to taste her—her tongue, her lips, her skin...her blood.

Luckily, I had the dried bulb and root cuttings in an old snuffbox I carry around with me in case of an emergency. I planted them and within the month, I had a veritable forest of it growing around the place I made m'own.

Twenty-two years I have been here.

Suddenly, I had to tell the lass and plastered m'self to the shield, but she did a thing with her finger and transported herself to the Great Hall.I had to take a few steps on m'side of the wall to follow her from the Great Hall as she made her way to the library. Bloody hell, I can't seem to take m'eyes off her.

Right then, I forced m'self to think of something else and concentrated on the problem at hand and Jeremy's insistence that we keep her in the dark until she has acclimated to the estate and to the fact that I am a vampire trapped in another realm.

I dinnae agree with this plan.

I kept poor Sarah in the dark. She knew I was a vampire, aye, but she dinnae know about Allora. This bonnie lass needs to know and be prepared.

Jeremy is afraid she will bolt and that is nae a good reason to keep her ignorant of the dangers ahead. She moves in a way that makes me hard and hungry.

I want to feel her near. I want to reach out and touch her cheek...when I suddenly realized that I had picked up on her scent.

Impossible! I havena been able to smell anything on the other side for all these years. Was I imagining this? I took another whiff. She was honey sweet with a touch of pine and something else, something I couldna name. She wore nae perfume. This was her own scent.

She looked up and across to me.

Nae, nae, impossible. Jeremy had spelled the shield so that she would nae be able to see me. She walked right up to me and stared.

And damn, bloody damn, her violet eyes slay me with warmth and innocence and drags out m'humanity, which says I must make her run far away.

As her frown deepened and she continued to stare at the shield, I found I couldna keep m'eyes off those full breasts demanding attention. Och aye...beautiful and womanly and her nipples were begging for a kiss—m'kiss.

How the hell had she avoided being taken by some strapping young man for a mate? How was it she had no man in her life—no man at all.

M'dick was hard with need and dripping. M'eyes were riveted on her, on her every move. I watched her pull her sweater down, as it had ridden up from her waist and displayed the creamy skin of her midriff. She would soon make her way to the library to meet with Jeremy, but he wouldna tell her what danger she might be in. He needed to tell her. She eyed m'shield once more and then grimaced and turned away. What had she seen? What had she sensed?

I had to keep her safe from Allora, which meant she needed to be told, and then whatever she decided, we needed to do before Allora found out about her existence.

Once Allora knew there was a descendent of the witch who put me here, all hell would break loose and she wouldn't rest 'til that descendent—Bobbie was dead.

The thought of Bobbie being hurt...of Allora taking her life, made me physically ill.

Jeremy had kept tabs on Allora all these years and we were lucky she had nae thought to return to Scotland yet, but I know her and I know one day she would want to come back and see MacLeod in ruins. She would want to taunt me. That day was coming.

Besides that, she always returned for a time to Brently Manor. It was almost a compulsion of hers.

"Bobbie, lass," I called out loud.

She turned from contemplating the shelves upon shelves of books and went still. "Did someone call me?"

She heard me? How could she hear me?

"Bobbie...go home," I hurriedly told her. "Ye are in danger here."

"What? I can't quite hear you. Wow, you sound miles away. Are you talking through some device?" she pursued as she began examining the room.

"Nae, not a device," I said.

"Ah shit, really?" she said, which made me chuckle. "Is this some trick to scare me?"

"Nae then, nae tricks," I answered.

She frowned. "What then? Are you the ghost I was told about?"

"Listen to me, lass, ye best go home and far away from here," I told her.

I couldna survive another tragedy and the thought that Allora could destroy this innocent would be now the worst thing that could happen, and it would be because I selfishly brought her here.

I can be content with m'lot. Why not? I am accepted in our community, even though they know what I am. I can speak their language, though it took some months and effort to accomplish that. I have had female companionship from time to time, m'lot is nae awful.

Many of this race are quite exceptionally beautiful. Their delightful almond shaped eyes are a lovely part of their features. The race accepts one another whether dark, white, or gold as all the same. Indeed, I would rather stay here where I dinnae really belong, here with m'Trinity people, rather than cause the lass harm.

Bobbie Skye moved closer to the shield and whispered, "Where are you?"

I have never felt before, not even with m'darlin' sweet Sarah, this degree of desire. What is wrong with me?

Bloody hell, she licked her cherry lips and a surge of red hot blood flowed through m'brain and made me put m'hands on the shield again and shout, "Go home, lass. This is nae the place for ye."

She stared and calmly asked, "Why?"

Jeremy had said she wouldna be able to break through his shielding spell, but she was the granddaughter of a most potent immortal witch and while she couldna see me, she could hear me.

"Okay, ghost, if you need something from me, you'll have to speak up. Where are you?" she said unafraid, only concerned.

I dinnae answer. This wasnae working.

I watched as she pulled a face and spoke to herself, "Not imagining this." Her eyes narrowed, "Does Mrs. Tunny want me to leave so badly that she would try and scare me?"

She came right up to the wall and stared right at me.

Could she see me?

"Okay, ghosty, or whoever is trying to scare me, know this—I don't scare off easily." She waited and as I dinnae make another sound, she narrowed her eyes.

"What the hell is going on here?" she asked no one in particular.

I had to speak to Jeremy. He had to send her home.

~ Four ~

Bobbie:

I DON'T SCARE EASY. I never have. The worst thing that could happen...already did when I lost my parents. With all the magic between my mother and myself, we were unable to stop fate from exploding our world.

I am also a realist, well, within the borders of my magical world. So, first thing I told myself was that I had not imagined that faraway voice in my room.

Second thing I knew was that I had to get answers to my questions.

In a wayward moment, I gave in to my Shama and transported myself to the Great Hall, and realized that had not been a wise thing to do. Either, or both, Davis or Mrs. Tunny might have caught me suddenly appearing. I would have to be more careful.

As both Davis and Mrs. Tunny weren't anywhere to be seen, I wondered briefly where they were and what they did during the day. I headed down the long wide hallway to a set of double doors and opened one of the doors and walked into a huge room. I sighed with relief and satisfaction that I had found the right door. Judging by all the books, I was certainly in the library.

My first reaction was joy. Pure and simple joy. Why? Because of the books and more books on shelves and shelves everywhere I looked. I love books.

This room was for me nirvana and sent me into a state of ecstasy, which made me forget ghosts and magic.

From what I could see, this huge chamber housed every classic book known to man. Hell, here was the most exceptional use of space I have ever seen.

Out of nowhere, Davis appeared at my back and stood to one side. I gave him the smile I was feeling and his eyes opened wide.

I explained, "Books."

He apparently couldn't help himself and gave me a half smile. "Yes, miss."

I put my hands together and tried to restrain my squeal of delight, which only made it explode out of my mouth as a loud squeak.

I looked at Davis again as I went to a wall of shelves that had a circular ladder to its second story and added, "This is...a book heaven. This is a dream. A...a bookworm's paradise and here gushing before you is a grade A bookworm—that's me, bookworm."

I think he grunted at my declaration, so I naturally winked at him and moved to finger as many books as I could whilst reading their titles out loud. I turned back to him and said, "Davis. These...these are...magnificent."

"Yes, miss," he agreed.

I went towards him and ignored the startled look on his face as I grabbed his arms. "Davis...many of these are first editions."

He inclined his head. "It is what I have been told. His lordship's family collected them over the centuries you see, and I believe his lordship was also an avid collector."

"Damn, will I ever be able to read all of these?" At the moment, that was the only problem I foresaw in my future. I got on tippy toes and dropped a kiss on his cool cheek, as I couldn't contain my enthusiasm, and I believe that shocked the bejeebers out of him, but I also think I saw a twinkle light up his eyes.

I moved along the shelves, unable to restrain the sounds of delight as I continued to read title after title of classics bound in old leather.

I turned back to inspect the rest of the large room.

Bookshelves closeted long lead-paned windows with cushioned window-seats that overlooked garden beds alive with spring color.

The furniture in the dramatic room gave it a cozy feel, as brown leather chairs and small sofas were scattered with occasional tables throughout. You could pick out a book and plop yourself down for a read anywhere you chose.

A fireplace dominated the back wall, though it was not presently lit, and at the front end of the room set in a bowed window was a gothic desk facing the length of the room and the fireplace.

The computer, fax machine, and printer all looked out of place set up in an L-shape beside the desk.

The room had various reading lights set up throughout, but the light from the windows would have been more than adequate.

I was so caught up in this wonderful room that I didn't notice that Mr. Ascot had arrived and stood watching me until I turned back to Davis, who inclined his head to both of us and announced that he would bring refreshments.

That allowed me time to inspect the new arrival. He was not at all what I had expected. For one thing, I had assumed he would be if not elderly, at least of mature years. He wasn't. He couldn't be more than in his late twenties.

He was also quite tall, lean and if not exactly handsome, very easy to look at. His eyes were gray and warm. His hair was long and a bit windblown in style, framing his pleasant face. His smile was easy. No. He was not what I expected at all.

He stretched out his hand in welcome and said, "Hallo, Miss Skye. I hope you had an agreeable journey."

His accent, I had already noted when we spoke on the phone, was British, in person, it seemed more so, and quite gentlemanly.

I immediately gave him my hand. "Yes, yes, thank you." People always say yes when asked that question by a host, even if your flight was from hell. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Indeed, I should have made myself known, but it was very pleasant watching your enthusiasm for his lordship's book collection. I am quite enamored of them myself." He released my hand and in old world style, seemed to bow ever so slightly. I was struck again by the fact that he appeared to be no more than in his late twenties, yet there was something old world about him and...something else that rang a bell in my head. I wondered how long he had been attending to the MacLeod estate. As I smiled at him, I was tickled by another odd sensation, something elusive. What vibe was I getting off him?

"Well, it is great to meet you so soon after arriving here," I said in response to this.

"And for me, Miss Skye," he answered, "it is lovely to put a face to the voice."

He was dressed for business in a three piece brown suit and I wondered what he would look like in casual clothes.

He moved towards one of the brown leather winged chairs and with a slight movement of his hand, invited me to take a seat.

I did and he pulled the matching chair up closer before he sat and leaned back. "Well, Miss Skye, you must have a great many questions?"

He gave me an encouraging smile so I dove right in. "Questions?" I almost snorted but controlled myself. "Oh yeah, I have a whole lot of 'em. But first, I have to admit to you, Mr. Ascot, I haven't a clue how to begin my job here at MacLeod."

"Yes, of course. I believe that once you have been here a week or so, you will get a feel for the estate and be better equipped to take on the responsibilities associated with its smooth running."

"Right," I said doubtfully. "But while I am getting acquainted, I would like to know what needs the most attention. What do you wish me to handle first?"

"Yes, of course, perhaps I can draw up a list of duties...?" he said as much to himself as to me as he fingered his bottom lip.

"Yes, good, but I hope you don't mind if I pester you with questions, not only today, but day after day and until I get my bearings," I said.

"Pester me away, Miss Skye," he said, and his hazel eyes twinkled warmly. "I welcome questions."

I sighed with relief and said, "Call me Bobbie. Or is this like Downton Abbey and we need to stick to the formalities?" I wasn't being funny. I wasn't sure.

He laughed and said, "Ah, Americans and their nicknames. Bobbie for Roberta, of course. No, we don't need to do the Downton Abbey thing. Indeed, so I shall, if you will return the favor and call me Jeremy." He pyramided his fingers and paused our conversation to turn and smile at Davis, who had just entered with a huge tray.

I watched the tray filled with delectables and realized how ridiculously hungry I was. Davis set the tray of refreshments on the coffee table and as he unbent, I stared at tiny sandwiches and frosted little cakes and scones!

I said, "Wow...this looks great, thanks, Davis." I immediately took up a cucumber and cheese sandwich and popped it into my mouth. As I swallowed, I looked up and once again saw the hint of a smile tickle Davis' lips, but he soon bowed himself off. I turned back to Jeremy who was chuckling softly before he asked, "Did they not feed you on the plane?"

"Oh, they did, but I have a really big appetite, and seem to need food every couple of hours," I explained casually, as I couldn't very well tell him that my inner witch was forever burning up my calories. I took up another sandwich and apologized, "I'm famished."

He laughed out loud and said, "Indeed. I think I'll join you."

I swallowed the small sandwich whole and noted he appeared to eat with relish as well. He took up a plate and piled it on, scone, jam, and butter, and I giggled and did the same.

We ate in comfortable silence for a few moments before he brushed his hands together and sat back, indicating he was ready to resume our discussion.

He smiled and said, "Hmm. There now, that is better."

"Yes," I agreed, and poured two cups of tea and handed him one.

He sipped and I noted his hazel eyes regarding me curiously as he put down his cup and brushed away a stray auburn wave from his forehead.

I could see he was looking for a way to restart, so I kept quiet and allowed him to find it.

"Miss Skye..." he started.

"Bobbie," I corrected.

He inclined his head. "Bobbie, yes...tell me how you like Scotland thus far."

I chuckled. "Well, I love what I have seen, but I'll give you a better answer once I have roamed about and gotten a feel for it."

"Of course," he said.

I saw his eyebrow rise and his lips twitch as I took up two small cakes and devoured them between sips of tea. "So good," I offered.

He leaned forward and said, "Indeed, I like these little pink ones..."

We both laughed and after a few moments sat back in our chairs. Gone were any of the tensions that accompany a first meeting.

He shook his head and sighed. "Right then, Bobbie. Now that we are fed, I suppose you want to address the subject of your duties, but I feel..."

"Yes, my duties," I interrupted. "I really do need to know what is expected of me."

"Indeed, but first, you see, I wanted you to rest from your flight and enjoy getting to know your immediate surroundings before I worried you with all of that." He waved his hand about. "You should take a few days to acquaint yourself with not only the estate, but the village and the surrounding countryside. Then we can get into your duties here."

"That is all very nice, but I am something of a workaholic. I have to tell you though, I had this feeling...when I stepped out of the plane, it was as though I was coming home, and I would love to start roaming about."

"I know what you mean by that. Scotland has become my home, even though I hail from London. I had a feeling for Scotland as soon as we arrived..." he said, and then suddenly frowned and turned away for a moment. When he returned his gaze to me, I saw a curious light in his eyes, but he said nothing, so I leaned forward and broke the silence.

"Well, then, I am sure you are busy and I don't mean to keep you with small talk—so if there is a list of things you need me to attend to while I get my bearings, please let me know and I will get started tomorrow." I so wanted to explore the castle and its grounds before dark.

"I do, in fact, have just one thing that needs doing as soon as you are able," he said, and his eyes regarded me thoughtfully.

"Only one thing?" I was surprised.

He smiled. "Yes, be at ease here. Find your way on your own. Then we'll talk about your duties. Deal?"

"Yes, deal. Sounds like a plan. Wonderful. That was just what I had in mind. However, if you could just fax me a list of things that need managing, I could study it and put together a framework..."

He laughed. "Indeed, right then." He stood up. "I'll fax you that list—general duties for now, and then as we move on, we'll get into all of your duties. How is that?"

"Great, perfect," I answered, and breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this wouldn't be as difficult as I had begun to imagine? "You are quite right. Getting a feel for MacLeod will give me a solid idea of the general workings of the estate before I see how best to get things done efficiently and economically."

"Sounds good to me. I really don't have the time this place requires and you will be taking a great deal off my hands. We used to have a manager a few years back who lived on the grounds, but one day, he just up and left, and I have been attending to it since then."

That made me pause before I asked, "Tell me something, Mr. Ascot..."

"Jeremy," he stuck in.

I gave him a quick smile. "Jeremy, if you don't mind, I am curious about something."

"Ask away," he answered, but I saw a wary look come into his eyes.

I was about to ask him about the ghost rumor, as I know what I heard and needed the truth, but then it happened! All at once, right before my eyes, I saw what I had felt.

It hit me like a slap across my face and called me 'stupid'. I was in total shock for a moment and couldn't speak. I just hadn't picked up on it at first. I suppose I was just too wrapped up in all the books here at my disposal.

Magic. Magic glowed all around him. No, not just glowed but pulsed.

What the hell was wrong with me? Even though I was excited about the books, I would have normally, after a moment or two, noticed his magic aura.

Why hadn't I recognized it immediately? And then the answer to that question hit me as well.

He had shielded himself. He had tried to hide his magic from me with some kind of shield, but my Shama, obviously stronger than his, broke through!

What the hell were the chances of my boss being a warlock?

What was going on here?

Not only am I a witch. I am a New York witch. That means very little gets by even a young witch like myself.

There was no doubt whatsoever that Jeremy Ascot was a warlock.

What was more important was the fact that he had to know I was a witch. He had to know it because a glan (human) wouldn't be able to see his magical aura. He shielded himself against me because he knew I would see him.

What I had been sensing from the moment I had looked him over was magic—not earthly, but potent immortal magic. I felt the hair at the back of my neck sizzle with wariness.

Could I be wrong? No, absolutely not.

However, because it seemed incredulous, I doubted myself for a moment. I mean, come on, what were the odds that the MacLeod attorney would be an immortal warlock? I was being ridiculous. But...mana vibrated all around him. It wasn't earthly mana, but of the immortal brand. I am a skeptic, so I went further and wondered if this could be my magic bouncing off the walls?

No. This—his magic, had a different aura than mine. Way different.

I stared at him. Warlock, warlock, warlock. It was there for my Shama to address and confirm.

It hit me in waves.

I had been so involved in my head about my new job, about the castle, and jet-lagged that I had not noticed at first.

But his White Magic light was edged with darkness.

Was he a Dark Warlock? No. My instincts told me no. Most of his aura was swathed in white light. It glowed all around him, though certainly not pure. He had dabbled in the dark energy...for whatever reasons I couldn't imagine.

I was stuck in place, staring at his aura, and unable to speak for a moment.

He regarded me quizzically and said, "Miss Skye?"

"Bobbie," I answered, buying time.

Logic, Bobbie, I told myself. Break it down. He knows you are a witch. He knew you were a witch when he hired you. He hired you not for your managing skills but because you are a witch.

I got stuck on that for a moment.

"Bobbie," he corrected himself and smiled at me. "You had a question?"

A question? Hell, I had a hundred of 'em.

I deflected. I had to buy time. Was I in danger? If he knew I was a witch and he was a Dark Warlock, was I brought here for some awful purpose?

I avoided staring at him by turning to wave at the large collection of books on the shelves. "Right, I had a question and it is this," I stalled. "The owner, Devin MacLeod...what is his story? I mean, he has this amazing home...these books...but I understand he has been away for well over twenty years or so?" I couldn't very well accuse Jeremy of being a warlock, could I—should I? I should. I have always been a straightforward kind of gal. Take it on, deal with it, be done.

I swallowed because no doubt was left. He was a warlock. Here in Scotland at MacLeod Castle—a warlock.

I have only one powerful warlock amongst my dearest friends. He had been Auntie Elle's closest and oldest friend—literally oldest, as he is an immortal and has been alive for five hundred years. He is my dear Manfred. I adore him. He, like the vampire Rafael, has always served in the capacity of an uncle to me.

"That is a pretty general question," Jeremy said. "How do you know there is a story?"

I had already forgotten what I asked him and had to think, oh yeah, Devin MacLeod.

It struck me that Jeremy was far too cautious about answering a perfectly natural question.

"Because, apparently, people think the place is haunted," I said boldly, and met his gaze straight on. Okay, time to face the facts. He didn't want me to know that he knew that I am a witch. He didn't want me to know that he is a warlock. Why?

"Ah, and do you think the place is haunted?" he asked, and made no secret of studying me for my reaction.

"I have an open mind about that sort of thing, ghosts don't worry me. They, I am told, are looking to finish unfinished business. I say, let them get to it. What I am asking you about is the owner of MacLeod. What can you tell me about him that I should know?"

"He left here more than twenty-two years ago, a year after his wife vanished. It was presumed he was heartbroken at the time and went off to Europe to make a new life for himself. He keeps in touch with me and that is all you need to know for now," he said. His voice was low and his hazel eyes went dark.

My Shama was on the alert. There was more to this story, much more. I could see that I had hit a nerve and touched on something he did not wish to speak about—yet he was a warlock. What do I do? Do I tell him I know?

However, every witchy sense I had put out a warning that screamed right out loud in my head—danger, danger. Not now, not yet, don't tell him you know what he is my gut advised. So I didn't.

"I see," I answered.

"Well," he said, starting for the door as though someone had lit his butt on fire. "I must be going." He handed me his card. "Call as often as you like."

I already had his number in my records, but I took the card and said, "I will."

I watched him go without a backward glance and fell on the rest of the little cakes. I had just arrived and matters were already getting complicated. Should I leave? Why was I brought here?

I popped one more miniature cake into my mouth and then another and in spite of my concerns, groaned with pleasure. I love sweets, fries, pizza and oh so many food items I can't list them all, and my friends hate me because I can eat and eat and never gain weight. Witchy advantage to make up for witchy inconveniences. However, now, I needed to figure out just what was going on at MacLeod, because something strange certainly was, and I no longer believed for a minute that I was brought here to manage the estate!

~ Five ~

OKAY, WHAT I NEEDED was some fresh air and exploring to clear my head. I slipped into my denim blazer and headed outdoors.

Walking always works to get my thoughts in order. Also, I had to take a moment to enjoy the end of an incredible day. The air was crisp and the breeze touched my face with the sweet smell of spring blooms.

Now, connecting with nature, my inner witch exploded with power and put matters into sharp perspective.

One—even humans don't easily believe in coincidences like I was encountering. Witches don't believe in them at all, and the fact that Jeremy Ascot was an immortal warlock and I was an immortal witch...that was a whopper coincidence.

I strolled over to the pasture fence and a chestnut mare lifted her pretty head and whinnied to me before she trotted over and nudged me for a pet. I rubbed her nose and said, "What do you think of all of this? Really weird, right? What does this warlock, Ascot, want with me? Do you know, and is MacLeod haunted?"

The mare made a sound and nodded her head.

"Aha, so, you agree, weird things going on and MacLeod is haunted." I gave her a last pat and moved off.

I had to think. I remember Auntie Elle telling me a few times to be sharp and stay away from the darkness. I hadn't thought too much of it at the time. What had she meant? I was going to put a call into her as soon as I had more information.

Ghosts? What do I know about ghosts? Auntie Elle had told me she came across a ghost in New Orleans once and helped the poor soul move on. She said he was able to communicate with her and tell her his unfinished business. She helped him get his closure and off he went. Was the MacLeod ghost trapped and needing someone to help him move on?

I wasn't quite sure what the ghost had been trying to tell me, but I knew one thing. I hadn't been afraid of it. No dark vibes there at all.

That brings me back to Ascot. Should I call him and confront him? Right now, he didn't know I knew he was an immortal warlock. Should I put him in a position where he would have to admit it all and tell me why he offered me this job? I was sure the job was a 'front' for something...but what? Should I call him now? Should I wait 'til tomorrow and ask him to meet with me in person?

I like facing things head-on.

So, there it was, my decision. I was going to call Jeremy Ascot and ask him what the hell was going on at MacLeod and why bring me here on the pretext of managing the estate.

I sighed right out loud. There goes my cushy job. Too good to be true.

I would soon be out of a home and a job, and I had so wanted to stay in Scotland.

Okay. Can't do anything today, so just going to put it out of my head for the evening. What I wanted to do now was head for that beautiful barn right around the bend!

Horses and riding had seduced me at an early age.

Aunt Elle used to take me to the stables at Central Park and it didn't take long before I was riding twice a week and in heaven when I was on a horse.

I made my way into the beautiful stone and polished oak stables and found an elderly baldish man who I guessed to be in his sixties. I liked him at once. Perhaps it was his twinkling faded blue eyes, or the big grin on his face as he stepped forward to greet me.

He told me his name was Jeff and within two minutes we were talking about our mutual love of horses.

"This place is spotless," I cooed as I looked around.

"Aye, doing what I love makes it easy to do m'job. Also, I live in the loft above the stables, have done for nearly fifteen years, so down here is just an extension of m'home."

"Oh, that is wonderful. You live on the grounds. I thought no one lived at MacLeod." I had to stop myself from clapping my hands.

"Aye, but I stay indoors after dark..." he said quietly. "And ye should as well."

I noticed then long nets of garlic at both ends of the stable aisle. I eyed him. "Garlic?"

"Aye." He shrugged. "Can't hurt."

I laughed and decided to drop the subject. Everyone has their different fears.

He then introduced me to a gelding and said the horse was a gentle soul and could use with some exercise if I had a mind.

Oh yeah, I had a mind.

We parted on the best of terms and I headed for the bridle path he had pointed out. He called out after me, "See to it, miss, ye head home before dark. Wouldna want ye to get lost."

I smiled and said that I would as I took a wide path from the stables towards the Pine Forest where the dirt path continued.

I stopped before entering the woods, as the day was moving into dusk. Well, I could just walk a short distance and then backtrack after all?

All at once, the sound of someone sighing was too clear to deny.

I turned sharply. No one there.

Then I heard, "Bloody hell...I can't go any farther, lass."

"What?" I said, and made a circle in place. I stared at the tops of the trees surrounding me, I looked through the path, I looked back at the field. "Who said that?"

Nothing.

"Come on, I heard you very clearly. Why are you hiding? Are you trying to scare the new girl on the block? Well, listen up, not working. Now show yourself, or are you scared of me?"

Still absolutely nothing.

I looked up at the trees again, picking out a few with low branches that someone could climb. No one there. I tried to discern if someone was hiding amongst the lower evergreen bushes, but if someone was, I couldn't find them.

A chill feathered up my spine and all my instincts were on alert. I know what I heard. So, now what?

It was late, perhaps not the time to explore the Pine Forest. After all, how would it look if I got lost on my first day? I'd feel a fool.

And then an unmistakable scent hit my nostrils. Something evil was in the woods, hiding in the shadows.

I have very good senses and I took another whiff. Blood!

There was no mistaking the scent. Fresh blood...? What the hell was going on?

"Hurry, lass...get back to the house. He can't enter the castle. Get back, hurry!" that familiar voice yelled worriedly.

Sounded good to me.

I backtracked towards the barn, then took a short cut through the pasture to the house, scampering over the post and rail fencing, and breathing hard as I reached the stone paving.

I looked back over my shoulder as I rushed inside and found both Davis and Mrs. Tunny in the Great Hall staring at me.

"What is it? What happened?" Mrs. Tunny asked. "Ye look as though ye bumped into the divil himself!"

"Oh, it's nothing. Spooked myself when it started getting dark," I said as casually as I could.

"Look, we are on our way home...we always leave before it gets too dark," Mrs. Tunny said. "Come home with me. I'll put ye up 'til Mr. Ascot can find ye a place of yer own. Ye shouldn't be here after dark." She reached out and clutched my hand. "Aye, ye are most welcome. Do come...but make up yer mind. We have to leave now!"

"That is so, so kind, but I'll be just fine here." I was surprised by the complete look of distress that filled her eyes. Davis stood stoically at her side, not saying a word, but the disapproval he felt was a palpable thing.

"Right then," Mrs. Tunny gave it up, "I left ye m'number on the kitchen counter. Keep it with ye and if ye want me to fetch ye...I will, but ye'll have to meet me outside. I won't get out of the car...not here...not after hours."

What the hell was going on? These two were genuinely afraid. I managed a smile and said, "Got it and thank you so much, Mrs. Tunny. If I feel threatened in any manner, I will call you." No point arguing, as I could see how really concerned she was.

Davis said, "Aye, then, miss. Personally, I don't think ye'll be threatened, but from time to time, strange things do occur here. I used to stay in the butler's quarters when I first started working here ten years ago, but...I found I'm more comfortable in town. Near the pub and all. Ye might feel the same seeing as ye are so young and should get out some."

I was amazed. I had not expected Davis to give me more than the time of day. "Thank you, sir. That is something about which I will really give some thought."

"Well, 'tis five-thirty now, best stay to yer suite after seven and ye'll be fine. Let's go, Mrs. Tunny, I'm meeting a few friends in town after I drop ye off."

I watched them walk across the courtyard. Davis got into an old SUV and Mrs. Davis got into a blue sedan. I stood at the door and waved when Mrs. Tunny turned to stare at me. She didn't wave back.

Something had been in those woods. Something that had smelled of blood. It wasn't human, my Shama told me that, but I hadn't stayed long enough to know just what it was.

What kind of a world had I stepped into? And once again, I heard Auntie Elle telling me to stay out of the dark.

I went back inside, and bolted the front door. I had a vague notion of where the kitchen might be and found it. I was surprised by the length, breadth, and its modern design. Everything had been updated.

I went to the huge fridge and opened it to stare.

Mrs. Tunny had made me a tray with my name on it. Oh, I liked her!

I poured myself some wine, heated up and then gobbled my sausage and mashed potatoes and headed for my room. Jet lag was catching up to me.

As I entered, I heard the same strong male voice I had heard before and he said, "Aye, then..."

I stopped dead in my tracks.

What the hell? Was there really a ghost at MacLeod? If so, then, bring it.

~ Six ~

DEVIN

I COULDNA HELP M'SELF. The words were out before I could stop them. I knew she could hear me. She had heard me now twice before...here in the castle and then outside on the grounds.

I suspected a vampire was making his way through the woods. They have an affinity for MacLeod Village because of Brently Manor. Allora lets them take refuge at her place in exchange for...favors.

I cannae express the relief I felt when she was safely back inside, away from whatever vampire had been passing through. Aye, then, simply slipped out.

She spun around and demanded, "Okay...where are you, and what do you want with me?"

I couldna ignore her any longer. I had to answer her and I did with a question, for I found it hard to believe that she was able to break through Jeremy's shield.

"So, ye can really hear everything I say?" I asked.

She put a hand to her chest as though calming the beat of her heart, took a step backwards and said, "I think so."

"Good," I told her. "We need to talk."

She said nothing more for a long moment, but it seemed as though she forced herself as she moved towards the sound of m'voice and added, "Wow, okay, I'm having a conversation with a ghost. This is a first for me. Aunt Elle said it would happen one day if I just opened my mind to it. She has conversations with ghosts, but I never have and..."

"Hush, lass, and listen to me," I told her, thinking she was babbling because she was nervous.

"Okay, cool," she said, and put her hands on her perfect hips. "Just tell me how I can help you move on?"

"Move on? What do ye mean?"

"Well, you are haunting here because you have unfinished business and need to..."

"I'm nae haunting anything," I told her. "I'm nae a ghost." She couldna see me, so it was nae wonder she would think I was a ghost.

She moved in closer and strained to see a body to match m'voice. Ah, bloody hell, but the lass moved me in ways I dinnae understand. I cleared m'voice and tried to ignore the hard-on throbbing in m'pants. "Listen, lass, I dinnae think ye should stay here at night. I think ye should stay in town, like Davis and Mrs. Tunny suggested."

"Wait, what do you mean you aren't a ghost? Of course you are, though you probably don't realize it. And why shouldn't I stay here?"

"For too many reasons for me to list," I told her, hoping to scare her enough to agree to live elsewhere.

"Look, I'm not getting this. I need those reasons spelled out. I signed a contract to live and work here, and I came all the way to Scotland to do just that. My job is here. You are not going to scare me off. I know, or at least I have read, that ghosts do like to scare people off, but I..."

"Lass, lass...listen to me. I have told ye, I'm not a ghost. It isn't safe here for ye here at night. Dinnae worry about yer contract. I'll arrange for it to be altered and the estate can well afford to put ye up in town."

She studied the place where I stood. In fact, she came so close all I could think of was her luscious lips...ripe and kissable.

She couldna see me, yet she stared right at me and asked, "Who are you?"

"Aye, then, sweet lass, ye would nae believe me if I told ye."

"Well, here I am, believing already that you exist on some plane. So, what does that tell you? It tells you that I am open to an explanation. Let me be the judge if it is a rational explanation or not."

"Rational, eh?" I said on a chuckle. "Does all of this seem rational to ye?"

"That depends on one's perspective. You see, I am a supernatural, a witch in fact. Not only a witch, but an immortal witch that Auntie Elle is certain hails from another realm—meaning, I'm not human." She put up her hand and waved it near the shield. "There is something between us, isn't there?"

"Aye," I said simply.

"Right, so, here I am telling you who I am and when I am done, I'll want to know who you are. Deal?"

"Perhaps," I answered.

"No, not perhaps. Deal?"

I sighed heavily. "Deal."

"Okay, Auntie Elle did a search and it ended with my grandmother. No history before my grandmother. Don't have a clue who my grandfather was and don't know anything else about my forebears. Auntie Elle is a human witch, but she taught me all she could about White Magic, so here I am talking to someone I can't see. Now it is your turn. Who are you?"

I chuckled. How could I help it? She was so matter of fact, and so easy to talk to. "Ye are very open about yerself."

"Well, I'm talking to a ghost, so why not? Who ya gonna tell?" She wiggled her eyebrows and I laughed out loud and said, "I see."

"Yeah, but I don't. So answer my question or I am walking out of this conversation without another word," she threatened.

Bloody hell, this lass has spirit.

"The wonder is that ye can hear me because a friend of mine installed a potent spell to prevent any supernatural from hearing or seeing anything past the shield that covers the transparent wall between our worlds."

"A friend? Are you talking about a warlock friend? And what do you mean transparent shield between our worlds?" she asked, one brow up. And immediately answered herself, "Sure, of course. Your friend is Jeremy Ascot!" She paced a moment and came back to the wall between us and said, "You are in a different world? So, what is your business here at MacLeod...with me...and why is Jeremy helping you?"

"Och aye, but ye get right to the point, don't ye? Perhaps yer a bit too inquisitive for yer own good," I told her sharply. I saw it all now too clearly. The lass was brave and spirited. She would rush in to help us without concern for her own safety. I had to get her to leave because she was nae a match for Allora.

"Look, I was offered a job and accepted it in good faith. It turns out, however, the job was not offered in good faith, was it? It turns out the reason I was hired was because of my witchy powers. Well, I have to tell you right up front, you have a problem. Auntie Elle says I have not realized my full potential. My aunt is a mortal witch and was, she says, limited to her own mortal training. So, why don't you start with the truth since I am being open with you? Who are you and exactly what do you think I can do to help you?"

"Right then, truth is it? Aye, I can see ye won't settle for less. Jeremy has advised me against letting ye in so soon. He wanted ye to get acclimated to MacLeod...feel comfortable and..."

"And what, trick me into your scheme?" She shook her pretty head and brushed her flame colored locks away from her face with an impatient gesture. Her sharp gaze seemed to look right into my eyes. It was unnerving.

"No, not trick ye, lass. We dinnae wish to frighten ye on yer first day," I told her gently. "And now I'm thinking we made a mistake and ye shouldn't be here..."

"Too late. I am here and now too curious to let go. So spill, and don't worry about scaring me off. When I get frightened, I recover and take it on. So let's get back to the facts. Who are you and why was I hired to come here?" She folded her arms across her exquisite breasts and damn, but her cherry lips screwed up and I wanted to take her in m'arms and kiss her luscious mouth.

"Here is the thing, lass, I will tell ye who I am and why we searched for ye. Aye, I will tell ye that and explain why we asked ye to coom here if ye will but leave tonight and go to the inn in town and stay there 'til Jeremy can find ye a flat."

"No, I am not going. I won't even discuss this until you tell me now...everything I need to know and why you are afraid for me to stay here at night. You owe me that."

"Aye, then, I do, and if I tell ye m'story...will ye leave?"

"I will consider it, depending on whether or not you give me all the facts. And don't lie. I can tell when people give me an out and out lie. Lies scratch my witchy senses."

She was a persistent little thing. Aye, then, she was a lie detector. We had nae known that about her. How many other brilliant skills did she own?

"'Tis a long story and it isn't pretty. Ye might hate me in the end," I told her.

"I might and I might not, so spill," she said.

Och aye, but I liked this Bobbie Skye. She wasn't just beautiful of face and body. Her soul was enchanting. She was a beacon of loveliness. It was only fitting I tell her the truth, all of it.

"Right then, 'tis a long story and it goes back a long way, back to 1875."

"Whoa, okay, so now we have a starting point, but, first, who are you?"

"I'm Lord Devin MacLeod," I answered her grimly.

Her violet eyes opened wide and for a moment I got lost in their depths. I watched her as she processed this information. "So...that was your portrait down in the Great Hall?" She nodded to herself. "I wondered why there were no other...newer portraits of MacLeod lords."

"Aye," was all the answer I meant to give on that score for the moment. I watched the expressions flit over her face.

"Are you telling me you were born in 1875?" she asked.

"Nae, I was in m'early twenties in the year 1875 and inherited MacLeod from m'uncle."

"Right," she said, and sat down. "Of course."

I told her then, couldna stop even if I wanted to. It spilled from me like a broken dam with a force that required I give her every detail of m'life, m'death, m'one lapse as a vampire, and then m'struggles to control the thirst.

I told her of m'torturous years with Allora. How I had to forego all I cared about while I traveled with a female vampire I despised. I recounted how I was able to escape from Allora when all m'loved ones were gone and how I met m'bride and m'bride's brother, Jeremy. I told her of m'guilt...of m'loss..." I hesitated then and fought back against the anger that welled inside of me. "I was married in 1976...and made the mistake of thinking Allora had forgotten about me."

Her hand went over her mouth and she cried out, "Oh no..."

I blinked because I saw her thoughts collide in the flitting expressions on her face, so I dinnae spare any details. I wanted her to know how brutal Allora was and would be. I had to warn her who would be coming in the end...for her. She was the only one that could free me and Allora would want her dead.

"A vampire cannae enter one's home without an invitation. Sarah didn't know about Allora. That was on me. I should have told her. I should have warned her, but...."

"Your bride invited her in," she said gravely, and closed her eyes.

I dinnae know why, but all at once, and for the first time in years, I wanted to howl to the heavens and release m'pent up emotions.

Bobbie spoke then and I responded to her soft voice, looking at her with wonder as she said, "I am so sorry..."

"Aye, Sarah invited her in and she brutally beheaded her."

"Oh, my good gosh," Bobbie said, and a tear made its way down her cheek. I wanted to assuage her discomfort, but she needed to hear the truth. She needed to protect herself because I was stuck on this side of the shield.

"Jeremy and I plotted to take Allora down after that." I felt m'anger bubble up again and took a moment to control it. "I think revenge was what kept m'going, so I'll nae apologize for it. Aye, then, afterwards...I wasnae successful at first. Allora is an ancient and I, even over a hundred years, was nae quite a match." I looked away, remembering the day I nearly had her. "I had one advantage. Ye see, I was then, and I am still, a day-walker. She was nae. Nor could she ever be. I found Allora in the shadows and pulled her into the sun. She should have shriveled and died, but I had nae secured her and she broke free from m'hold and with her ancient vampire speed, she escaped. After that, I suppose she knew I had become a serious threat."

Bobbie closed her beautiful violet eyes.

I had to tell her everything. She had to know the serious danger she was in. So I went on, "I should have expected her retaliation."

"What did she do?"

"She arrived with yer grandmother, who had nae choice in the matter. Apparently her daughter, yer mother, had been threatened. Yer grandmother had already put yer mother on a plane to New York, but she knew if she did nae comply with Allora's wishes...Allora would find her. So it was that Lisa MacForly reluctantly spelled me into this realm, and after yer grandmother did what was required, Allora beheaded her."

"No...oh...so that is what happened to my grandmother. I am not sure if my mother ever knew," she said, and tears flowed down her creamy cheeks.

"Allora knew, ye see, that yer grandmother would undo the spell as soon as she could and then find a way to protect both her daughter and herself. Allora is cunning and ruthless."

"And I know this...only bloodline can undo an immortal witch's spell," Bobbie said on a heavy sigh. "Shit, shit, shit!"

I was taken aback by this and in spite of the seriousness of the conversation, a chuckle escaped me.

She looked again in my direction and said, "Not funny, My Lord."

"Nae, nae at all funny, and the thing is that while we dinnae think ye are in immediate danger, ye will be if Allora gets wind of the fact that MacLeod thrives and a descendant of yer grandmother is here."

"Well, then, we better get ready," she told me.

"What are ye saying?"

"Today...when you told me by the forest you couldn't go any farther, when I thought you were a ghost, something was in the woods. We both know it was a vampire. But not just any vampire...it was evil. I picked up on its aura. I picked up on the scent of blood because it had just had a meal somewhere else. So, we have vampires in the equation. I am acquainted with two vampires. One is like an uncle to me and the other was my BFF at college. I know a thing or two about vamps."

"It was probably staying up at Brently," he said resignedly.

"Right, so it is a good bet he will report back to her that MacLeod is running smoothly and there is a new girl installed within its walls," Bobbie said, and clucked her tongue. "Trouble sooner than later, it would seem."

"Aye, and now, I'm nae certain returning ye to New York will help if she finds out who ye are. Allora will track ye and finish ye...so that ye cannae help me."

She grinned without fear. "You mean she will try."

~ Seven ~

BOBBIE:

AN ANCIENT VAMPIRE WHO could come and go at will inside of the castle. That was what he was saying. That was a sure problem. Rafael had always told me never, ever invite a vampire into your place.

Why should I get involved? This was scary shit. Yeah, but how could I not get involved? This Allora bitch had beheaded my grandmother!

Okay, let's weigh the facts.

I am a witch...but did I have enough training to go against an ancient vampire? No. Simple answer. Ancients had a reputation of being without any semblance of humanity. Hence, they were ruthless and cunning. They were super strong, vicious, determined, and each ancient had his/her own supernatural skills. Ancients were nothing to take on lightly.

That weighed down one of my hands.

What brought up the other hand was the grandmother I had never known because of Allora. Oh, that brought up the other hand big-time.

Allora beheaded her and robbed my mother and me both.

Justice walks a fine line with vengeance. I was cool and collected, so I didn't think I was after revenge, but I did want justice for the grandmother I never had a chance to meet because of a murdering vampire. Also, ridding the world of an ancient was a good thing.

Here was another matter. My grandmother had unwillingly imprisoned Devin MacLeod. Yeah, he was a vampire, but not one that took human lives to survive. Somehow I knew my grandmother would want me to free him. The fact that Allora killed my grandmother meant that even Allora knew my grandmother would have returned to free him if she had lived.

So, how do I stay alive and work on his rescue?

Naomi, my BFF, survived on pig's blood. She said that she had to work her other skills to stay as sharp and strong as other vampires who lived on human blood.

She had let me in on many secrets that went on in the vampire world so that I could have my magic on the ready if need be to counter any attack I might encounter.

I knew the story about having to be invited in and that was a plus, but Naomi told me about a vampire who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer and burned down some woman's entire home to make her come out to him.

So, if I stayed elsewhere, Allora might be just the sort to burn me out.

I had to work on my skills.

Auntie Elle had taught me a spell to use if a vampire was stupid enough to try and attack. Pain is a deterrent, and most witches can induce pain in other supernaturals.

I got good at it and can do it with a thought.

But I needed more.

MacLeod was waiting patiently for me to think things out.

So I told him, "Okay, so we know that whatever vampire was lurking in the woods here at MacLeod might be a spy for Allora. Then again, could be a vampire who had obviously just fed and was hiding. So let's assume the worst and we have this bitch vampire capable and desirous of keeping you in there and therefore doing away with me. My grandmother would want me to free you, and I want to get justice for her horrible murder, so, I'm in."

He growled. "No, lass, yer grandmother wouldna want ye in danger..."

"No, she probably wouldn't, so going to use some precautions," I answered. "Like you said. If that vampire was her spy, then bingo-bango, Allora will come for me no matter where I am. I'd rather get it over with here and be done with her."

"But, lass, I allowed Jeremy to bring ye here because I dinnae realize ye were an innocent...totally untrained in the skills ye need to defeat Allora when she cooms," he answered sharply.

"Ah, well, our warlock, Jeremy, can help me in that regard. He is an immortal...so his magic is pretty special, and I'm sure he can help me dig for mine. Besides," I shrugged, "I might free you before she gets here and then you can take her down." I smiled in his general direction, although I couldn't see him.

"But, lass..."

"I'm staying and if she comes, I'll deal with her. I have a couple of deterrents for vampires."

"Garlic doesnae work," he said gravely.

I laughed. "I know, but Holy Water does. I have a vial of Holy Water on a chain necklace that I will wear from now on. I'm not reckless, you know. Also, I know of a potion or two that I can use as a shield she won't be able to immediately get past." I put up my hands. "I'm staying and I'm helping. She murdered my grandmother and if my grandmother was anything like my mother, she would never let you suffer because of something she did."

"Nae!" he shouted, dipping into a deeply sexy Scottish accent. "Allora is devious and powerful. She will kill ye in a horrible way. Do ye ken, lass? I dinnae mean to be so harsh, but ye need to know. I cannae have yer life on m'hands. I need yer help, aye, but I think we can achieve that if ye would but stay to the light and spend yer nights safely tucked in where she cannae enter."

"Not happening. I don't run and hide. You can't hide forever. Sure, I could stay safely in the light a week, two...a month—then what? No, this needs to be handled head-on. I mean to do that," I told him. "You don't know me, My Lord. When I take something on, I see it through."

He sighed. "What ye need now is yer sleep so ye can think clearly. I can see ye are travel weary...go in, take yer shower, and be at rest. We'll talk more on the morrow."

"Where will you be when I am in the shower and changing?" I asked.

"I wouldna spy on ye, lass, when ye need yer privacy. No, lass, I wouldna do that. I'll walk away, though I mean to return and see that ye are safe. I'll keep watch for ye so I can at least alert ye."

"Okay, that sounds fair. Good-night, My Lord."

"Och, lass, but I wish I was on yer side of the shield," he said in a voice that dripped with sex.

I felt my body, my entire body blush.

I hurried off to the bathroom and closed the door, leaned my back against it and sent witchy feelers out, making sure I was alone.

* * * * *

As it turned out, sleep had not come easy.

Nightmares plagued my active brain. Demons and fangs, blood dripping from their ugly mouths as they bent over my neck.

I felt myself flaying my hands and then a voice whispered in my ear over and over, and called my name—his voice!

I awoke with a start to find my bangs matted against my forehead where beads of sweat had collected. I sank back down. I hadn't drawn my drapes and I could see the stars in a blue-black sky outside.

"I'm sorry, lass, I woke ye as ye seemed to be having a distressful dream." His voice so close, so sexy.

I pulled the covers up to my neck as I had apparently been too warm and thrown off my T-shirt when I was tossing and turning. "Uhmmm, I thought we had rules about privacy. Still in bed here."

"I have been doing a tour of the house and grounds and heard ye cry out," he said.

I knew vamps didn't need much sleep and he seemed sincerely concerned. So I didn't read him the riot act and said instead, "Thank you. I was having a horrible dream." I glanced at the clock. It was five in the morning and I groaned.

He chuckled. "Can ye go back to sleep, lass?"

"No, no point in trying. Didn't get much...too many things to think about, you know?"

"I do," he answered. "I know all too well. What have ye planned then for yer morning?"

"Shower, then I'll head downstairs, get some hot black coffee, and call Jeremy. I mean to get him over here pronto."

"Why? Do ye mean to berate him then?" He chuckled softly and hot damn, his voice traveled through me.

"He deserves it, but no, I don't see the point in that. I have a plan."

"Do ye?"

"I do, and it is helpful that he is an immortal."

"Is it?" he said.

I stared at the divider, wishing I could see past it and talk face to face with him. "Well, yeah. As an immortal, he knows things that Auntie Elle didn't and I'm going to ask him to help me develop my powers."

"Right ye are. Pick his brain and learn as much as ye can, but the one thing he cannae teach ye is the spell yer grandmother used to put me here," he said gravely.

"Not necessarily so. Only my grandmother or someone of her bloodline can free you, but the spell is probably known to an immortal warlock, don't you think? Even if he tried to free you in the past with various spells, it wouldn't work, not because it wasn't the right enchantment, but because he wasn't the right bloodline."

"Aye, I think ye are onto something. Smart lass," he said. "Beauty and brains, a catch for any man. Why aren't ye taken?"

"No one," I wiggled my brows, "has done more than catch my eye."

"And ye want someone to catch...what then?"

"My heart. Simple. Not saying I haven't come close. I did once...but he proved himself all for himself." I shrugged as I recalled the one man I had ever slept with. My Naomi had warned me about him. She said he was a player. She said he was shallow. She said she absolutely despised him, but did I listen? No. I was infatuated. That was when I was a junior in college. After that...after him, I never let anyone else get close.

"Ah, did he break yer heart then?"

"No, but he bruised it and my pride. Didn't like the feeling. More careful after that," I answered. "What about you? Was Sarah your first love?"

"She was m'first serious love. Before her...I dinnae think I was meant to be with anyone. I dinnae think I deserved to be with anyone decent. I'm a vampire...ye see..." his voice trailed off.

"Sarah saw past that and didn't care," I said, curious about the man that went with the sexy voice.

"Aye, she saw past it, and I let her down..."

"No, you didn't." I put my hands up and waved in the direction of his voice. "Now, off you go so I can get up and shower."

"Do ye always sleep in the nude, lass?"

I narrowed my eyes. "How do you know I'm nude?"

"I was here when ye threw off yer top..." he answered, and I swear I could feel his grin.

Even though I couldn't see him, I gave him the evil eye and said, "Go on...get."

He laughed and said, "As m'lady wishes."

~ Eight ~

SHOWERED AND DRESSED IN my usual uniform of jeans and tank top—this one a pale shade of blue. I picked up my denim jacket and headed for the kitchen, made coffee and consumed almost three cups, with the oversized scones lathered in butter and jam, and silently thanked Mrs. Tunny for her baking skills.

I took my last bite, wondering what the frigging hell I was doing playing with dangerous ancient vampires.

My thoughts bumped into one another and I made a decision to dive into my Shama. Davis and Mrs. Tunny weren't due for another hour, so I closed my eyes and traveled. A whole lot of white doors appeared in my mind's landscape. Which one would give me the answers I so wanted and needed?

I heard a flute behind one of the bright white doors and opened it wide and went inside. The music was mesmerizing and began to form words. What do you need, Bobbie Skye? the melody asked in a gentle whisper.

To help a vampire trapped by my grandmother. He is in another realm. He wants to come home and she would want me to help him.

Ah, you need training to enact that spell. Without training, the spell could go horribly wrong. Come back when you are stronger.

That was all I was getting as I felt myself shoved out of the white chamber and standing before its locked white door.

I went to another door and tried to open it, but no matter what I did, it wouldn't open. I started frantically going from one door to the next. None would open for me.

So I did what I do when I am desperate. I fisted my hands and screamed with frustration, Oh, come on! I need help. My Shama is supposed to help me.

You need training, the voice in my head, my voice, answered. So, my Shama wasn't about to allow me to use what I couldn't handle.

Apparently, that was the only answer I was going to get for now.

Okay, at least I was on the right track. Instinct and a good dose of common sense told me Warlock Jeremy Ascot was about to play an important role in my future.

I downed the last of my third cup of coffee and as the sun was now coming up, I headed outdoors. I needed air and some exercise.

I had called Aunt Elle during my limo ride to the castle. She would be expecting a call from me soon to say I was settled in. Should I tell her how settled? Oh no, she would be on the next plane and in danger here. Aunt Elle was human, and I wasn't exposing her to an ancient vampire. Hell no! This was something she couldn't help me with, so I would have to put on a happy face and a merry voice.

I was all grown-up and capable of making my own decisions, whether they turned out to be good or bad ones. I was ready. Everything that makes me who I am said I had to help Devin MacLeod escape his curse—a curse I absolutely knew my grandmother would not want him to suffer. She had no choice, but I do. The how was the only question I had.

It was a really cool morning and I dug my hands into the pockets of my denim jacket as I walked, not really looking around as I tried to sort through all my thoughts.

I wondered where Devin MacLeod was. Could he see this far outside? How did that invisible wall thing work? Did the wall travel with him?

It was daylight, so no danger from vicious vampires looking for a meal. In general, I had never been worried about vampires. Now and then, coming home at night, I would be watchful, but I knew I had the skills to deter the ordinary vampire.

I thought of Devin again. Odd, as I couldn't yet put a face to his voice...

And then I thought of Jeremy. He needed to get his ass over here pronto and he had some explaining to do. How odd to think of Jeremy—a warlock, as a vampire's brother-in-law. Could things get any stranger?

I was about to find out as the cool morning breeze brought the scent of something gross, really gross to my nostrils. It was like stepping into garbage left outside for a week.

I stopped and looked around. I was out in the open. I purposely had stayed away from the woods. What the holy hell was that awful smell?

"Time to play, witch!" a hoarse voice exploded out of nowhere.

I stared.

A Red Demon, covered in scales, with eyes that burned gold, was grinning at me and flexing his disgusting muscles. He was about twenty feet away from me.

Behind the ugly and I might add naked, disgustingly naked demon was an open portal swirling and spluttering. My witchy senses told me this portal was rudimentary and wouldn't last long. This portal would close. The demon was here for a job and one he had to accomplish quickly.

That job? Evidently he meant to kill me...which he was coming close to with his scent.

In general, I don't like demons. They are a nuisance and without any moral compass. You can't reason with them.

My aunt had always taught me never to take the time to reason with a demon bent on attacking. This particular one was really gross, all brimstone and drool. Eweee.

My mom and Aunt Elle had taught me how to handle a demon when I was only seven years old. They don't stand a chance against a witch's magic. Most of them don't seem to understand that, and demon attacks seem to occur on a regular basis.

I whipped my hand towards the earth and brought up all the water I could muster beneath the demon's grotesque feet. It was considerable. I held the water just beneath the surface, and thinking he was about to get lucky, he played with his super gross cock.

Oh, this thing had to go.

Water worked on many demons. I held the water at bay, but now I gave him a smile and brought it out of the earth with a force that sent him flying backwards and into his spluttering portal.

He screeched all the while. I smiled.

Closing the portal was easy.

I used a simple spell to lock it on this side. He had not come from the Demon Realm. He had come from somewhere not far off. Even my basic witchy training had taught me to recognize the different classes of portals.

So, where had he come from and who had sent him? Allora. No other would be interested in taking me out. Did she know that I was a MacForly descendent? Or did she just want me out of the way?

Unsettled, even though I had won this first round, I ran, not walked, back to the castle. Just outside the front door I stopped and caught my breath.

With more haste than my usual hasty self, I made my way into the Keep and pulled my phone out of my jeans pocket and called Jeremy.

"Bobbie..." he said pleasantly.

"Don't Bobbie me. You need to get over here, now, right now. It is one thing to bring me here because you need help, but quite another to let me go this alone. Vampires and demons? Come on. We need to do something and soon." I was angry.

"I'll be right over," he said.

* * * * *

I paced like a lunatic in the library while waiting for Jeremy.

He rushed in and said, "What has happened?"

"What has happened?" I was naturally incredulous. "You dare to ask me that? How could you bring me here and then not tell me the truth?" I accused, and couldn't stop my wagging finger. "Yesterday, I was being watched by a vampire...in the woods just before dusk. This morning, a demon, a Red Demon, I am sure you know the type, came out of a portal in broad daylight...a naked demon...gross, and I had to deal with it, so you don't get to ask the questions! I do."

He sank into a nearby chair and buried his head in his hands before he said, "Heaven forgive me. You were attacked?"

"Not yesterday, but just a while ago...you could say that." I sat across from him. "And no sense pretending any longer about anything. I have spoken with Devin and know the gist of the story."

"You...you spoke with Devin?" He seemed more astonished about this than the fact that an aggressive demon had paid me a visit. "That is...impossible. I shielded him against supernatural detection."

"Well, apparently not against my supernatural detection, but I can't see him," I said. "However, never mind that. I want answers...I thought it was Allora we had to worry about. What's with the demon and if there was a vampire lurking about, does that mean she will be arriving next?" I looked up from my chair and even though I couldn't see him, I looked for him. I couldn't see if he was there, and he wasn't participating in the discussion so I asked, "Devin...you here yet?"

No answer.

Annoying. Where was he?

"Wait...I...how...?" Jeremy tried to speak.

"As I said, I am asking the questions," I reiterated. "Will the vampire in the woods yesterday report to Allora? I have to figure on the safe side that he will. And what has a demon to do with anything? Does she use demons to do her dirty work?" I demanded.

He shook his head. "This is unexpected. I have never known Allora to consort with demons. She despises all supernaturals other than vampires. However, she may have called on one in exchange for a boon she might allow him. As to the vampire...I don't think the one you saw in the woods reports directly to her. I have seen him in the village in the evenings and I know he is staying at Allora's place, Brently Manor, but only because she houses vampires there from time to time. However, I am concerned about the Red Demon. They don't do favors unless they get one in return. Who is he working for if not Allora?"

"Well, I'll tell you this. I think if the vamp I encountered yesterday is staying in her place, he must have her cell phone number and given her a call to let her know a woman was installed at MacLeod. She may not know my bloodline and still want me gone," I offered to myself as well as to Jeremy. I waved this all off. "But that is beside the point. I should have been told about all of this as soon as I arrived." I put up my hand and stalled his retort. "Let's cut to the chase, Jeremy. You are an immortal warlock. You brought me here to help rescue Devin, who is trapped in another realm, and I am willing to try and free him, but I need to know everything I might encounter here at MacLeod!" I gave him a look I meant to be withering and added, "And just so we know, I don't like demons, spiders, or snakes."

He sank into his chair and stared at me. "I honestly don't know what to say. I have never encountered a demon of any kind here at MacLeod before."

"Well, you should have informed me when we had our little talk yesterday about my situation here. You should have told me the truth and the truth is the only thing I will deal with here, or I am gone."

"Truth? Devin wanted me to tell you everything immediately and give you the opportunity to return to the safety of your life back in New York."

"Okay, I get it. He is your friend...your brother-in-law, and you didn't want to blow a chance at freeing him. Fine. But from here on out, no secrets, agreed?"

"Agreed, Bobbie," he said sincerely. He then lifted his hand and chanted a few words in a language I didn't recognize, but which immediately translated itself through my Shama.

He stood and put his long fingers out for mine. I gave him my hand and stood with him as a world began to appear before my vision.

I realized my mouth was open, and sucked in my bottom lip. I was astounded as I stared into another world, one of lush vegetation and colorful birds.

In the distance, far away from the jungle before me, was a building...no, not a building, but a ruins of some sort.

Devin, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Finally, one word escaped me, "Whoa."

It was at that point that I heard Devin's voice and that of another's—a female giggling and then calling out, "Devin...darling...?"

Devin came into view, but she ran ahead of him and gave us her back as she put her arms around his neck.

He removed her arms and said, "Loli...ye need to return to the village, now."

I stood transfixed as I saw Devin MacLeod for the first time. Well, not for the first time, as I immediately recognized him from the portrait in the Great Hall.

Here, however, he stood, his broad chest bare except for the Celtic runes tattooed near his shoulders and over his massive biceps.

Holy frigging shit! Damn, but he was hot. He was handsome...ruggedly handsome, with twinkling blue eyes and a killer smile.

The girl he called Loli whined as he set her aside and complained, "I will go back if you come back with me." She turned to stare in the direction he was looking and asked, "What do you see on the other side, Devin?"

Loli was lovely, with caramel silky skin, elf-like pointed ears, almond shaped dark eyes, and long black hair. She wore a white tank top much like mine, and cut off jean shorts that barely covered her very fine ass.

Devin took her shoulders. "Go back, Loli, ye don't belong here, and yer father will be worried."

"He never worries when I'm with you," she said, and pouted. "Don't you like me, Devin? Don't you want to be with...?"

"Ye be a lovely lass, but nae, I cannae be with ye, child. Ye are far too young for the likes of me. Ye have yer whole life ahead of ye and it is Topser ye should be following about. He wants yer company."

"I am not a child. Women my age already have children," she said, and put her hands on her hips.

"Er...Devin!" Jeremy interrupted.

"A moment, Jeremy," Devin said, not looking our way. "Off with ye, Loli. Go home now!"

She stomped her foot but did, in fact, turn and rush off.

I didn't blame her for wanting a piece of the gorgeous hunk standing in front of us. Holy good gosh, he rocked my insides.

He wore cut-off jeans that nearly reached his knees, and some kind of sandals that looked handmade. That's it. Nothing else, and he was a hunk of hot big male that caught my interest and made all my lady parts tingle.

"Well, then," Jeremy broke the silence. "When you are ready for introductions of the viewing kind, Devin of MacLeod...meet Miss Bobbie Skye, who can now see as well as hear you."

He eyed us and said, "Well, now, we are on even ground." He waved a hand over himself. "I apologize for m'appearance, but I was helping Loli's father and brothers with their barn and haven't had a chance to go home to shower and change."

A missy giggle escaped my lips and made me want to slap the side of my head. He made me feel like a school girl crushing. I felt a blush burn my cheeks. Damn, hot damn, but he looked like the best Tarzan I had ever seen, and the thought of being his Jane had me licking my lips.

Hey, but I know better than most that looks don't mean squat.

Somehow I managed to squelch my way too much interest in his looks and say, "Hi, Devin."

He smiled and said, "This must be quite startling for ye to take in all at once."

"Well, after the demon I met this morning, not too startling," I answered.

He marched up to the transparent wall between us and said, "Demon, lass? What are ye saying?"

"She was accosted by a demon...this morning on MacLeod grounds. A Red Demon," Jeremy said.

"Bloody hell...Jeremy...what has a demon to do with us? Why would a demon appear here?"

"Look, if it wasn't Allora, and I don't think it was, I can only guess that the vampires at Brently Manor know she is a witch. It is possible they are playing dark games...made a deal with the demon who came here...to bring her to them in exchange for something."

"Why would they want me if they aren't presently working for Allora?" I asked.

"Yer blood. Yer 'almost' encounter with the vampire yesterday allowed him to get yer scent. Witch's blood is like Ambrosia. Very rare, very desirable," Devin said.

I didn't answer as I digested this.

"So, what is the plan?" Jeremy asked suddenly.

"You don't have one?" I threw up my arms. "Of course, why would you have something as basic as a plan? We had a vampire in the bush, and now a demon in the grass, but no plan. Great, just great."

Jeremy laughed and under Devin's sharp eye, found himself coughing away the laugh.

I eyed them both, hands on my hips.

"Och aye, basic is it? Well, as a matter of fact, I have a plan," Devin said. "First, ye cannae stay here at night."

"Demons come at all hours," I answered. "So we need a better plan."

"Going to stay with her here at MacLeod," Jeremy stuck in. "I have already decided that is the only way to keep her safe. I'll have all my calls and as many of my appointments as possible routed here, and that way..."

Devin's eyes narrowed. "That will look odd."

"Doesn't matter what it looks like. It is the answer. She needs to be here and she needs protection."

"Uhm, let me remind you that she is standing right here and she managed quite well on her own handling said demon. She sent him back from whence he came," I told the macho men looking consideringly at me.

"Could have been a fluke," Jeremy said.

"Hey! It wasn't," I snapped.

"How did ye do it, lass?" Devin asked gently. "How did ye send him back from whence he came...and where did he come from?"

"His portal was rudimentary. Not the kind that can take one long distances. I saw that at once from the manner in which it was behaving. Look, I am an immortal witch. I use the elements, and in this case, since he was a demon of fire...easily recognizable by the fact that his skin was scorched and leathery...soooo, I called on the water in the earth and used it. Fire demons don't like water. It melts them. Anyway...sent him back into the portal and I locked it after him. He won't be able to use it to return here again. He'll have to conjure up another and demon magic isn't exceptional with regards to portals. So he won't be back for a bit, and next time, I shall simply have to kill him and be done," I answered, and added, "as a rule...I don't like killing things, but now and then, I guess I'll have to make an exception."

I couldn't help but notice the silence that followed my little diatribe. Both men looked at me as though seeing me for the first time.

I snapped my fingers, and gave them the eye. "What?"

Jeremy said, "You are more capable than I had thought."

"Which brings me to you," I told him. "I need you to train me. My Shama says I need training."

"Your what? What is your Shama?" Jeremy asked.

"It is the magic I can feel under the surface that my Aunt Elle wasn't able to totally...access," I told him. "You, being an immortal warlock, can access it and teach me the best way to use and handle it."

"Well, let's hope I can," Jeremy said. "I am going to go and collect my things and arrange matters with my office and get back here as soon as I may."

"No, wait...I have some knowledge of Druid wards. My mother taught me two wards when I was ten...when she thought we needed to protect our home. They are, she said, unbreakable. We need to ward the castle and the grounds if we want to walk freely," I said.

"Ye know, lass...ye can return home, be free of all this ugliness. 'Tis nae yer problem," Devin said.

"No, I'm staying," I answered.

Devin's voice, when he finally spoke again, was laced with irritation. "Do as I ask, Bobbie Skye. Ye must. I can have Jeremy here terminate yer employment and thus, save yer life."

"No, even if he does that, I won't leave. I am going to help you. Look here, this Allora bitch hasn't been here since she incarcerated you twenty-two years ago. According to Jeremy, you guys don't even think the vampire yesterday was spying for her. So, if she hasn't even checked up on MacLeod, then we have some time before she does. Right? Right. She wanted you to watch your home fall apart and into ruins. She didn't know about your warlock brother-in-law here. So, she doesn't know about me. For the time being, there are things we can do to protect ourselves and then begin the process of freeing you."

Jeremy looked at Devin and they both sighed before Devin said quietly, "There is one thing ye haven't taken into account. Surprise is something Allora does. When she cooms, we won't be expecting it."

"I will always expect it, so she won't take me by surprise," I answered. "Just give me a couple of days with the warlock, Jeremy, here. Let's see if he can help me unlock some of my powers and then...we'll see," I told them both. "Besides, I do have some magical skills already and a brown belt in karate."

Devin frazzled his thick black hair. "She is a stubborn lass."

"She is also a MacForly," Jeremy said thoughtfully.

I smiled. "There ya go. So, now, My Lord, you can go off and play with your pretty friend while Jeremy collects his things, returns, and we start the process of warding and training. Big schedule for today."

"Play with m'friend...are ye talking about Loli?" He chuckled. "Is that what ye think I was doing? Nae, lass. I was helping her family and she has a habit of following me about, but why I should be explaining that to ye, I dinnae know. At any rate, I'll get back to what I was doing and look in on ye later."

He turned and marched off in something of a huff and I wondered at it.

What had I said? And why did the notion of him and the lovely Loli being an item disturb me so very much?

~ Nine ~

A NEW DAY LOOMED and it has been said by many people in the 'know' that if you can 'make it' in New York, you can 'make it' anywhere.

I think that is very true for mortals and immortals alike.

I learned a lot living in New York about human nature. I learned how to deal when given a lousy hand. I learned about immortals and all kinds of creatures that lurk about in and out of the city. By all that is witchy, I certainly have encountered any number of supernaturals willing to hurt or help, depending on their life experiences. I know the signs to look for.

The mission I have probably stupidly taken on, might, just might get me killed. I will have to look sharp and watch my back. However, I had no intention of giving up and going home. My grandmother raised my mom and my mom was the best of the best. Both of them would want me to free Devin MacLeod from a spell only our bloodline could undo. Besides that, I wanted to free him for reasons I couldn't quite name.

A question came to mind. Was it a binding spell keeping him in his realm? Binding spells come in many forms. Earthly witches generally use their wand, or at the very least a familiar. I don't use either...only my Shama, and my Shama wasn't telling me anything until I had some training from another immortal witch.

Here is the trick. There are so many different types of binding spells and I would need the exact one my grandmother used in order to undo it.

I know a couple of earthly spells taught to me by Aunt Elle. They aren't very strong and certainly would not hold up for years, let alone over twenty years, like the one holding Devin on the other side.

Right. So somewhere in my Shama was the answer and it was up to Jeremy to teach me enough to go back into my brain and find the answers I need. Ah, thinking of the devil, the library door opened and Jeremy stood, grinning and rubbing his hands together.

"Good morning, Bobbie. I trust you slept well?"

"Like a baby. With you down the hall, and his lordship on watch, I had no worries," I answered, wondering where Devin was and if he was with Loli.

It didn't take long for Jeremy and me to start our first session together, and as we worked on spells I had never even known existed, the morning flew by.

Then he decided we needed to do defensive training. He didn't warn me.

He threw a ball of fire at me. I deflected it and smiled too soon as a snake wrapped itself around my ankles. I screamed and destroyed the illusion and put my hands on my hips and made a face at him.

He laughed. "Good, you are a very quick learner. Now, tell me, why do you call your magic your Shama?"

I frowned as I gave it some thought. "Hmm. Not sure, but I have since I was a toddler, and it stuck."

"So, then, it was before you lost your mother?" he asked.

I closed my eyes. "Yes, as I said, when I was a toddler...maybe three years old. Mom encouraged me to store my magic in a safe place in my head where I could get to it when I needed, but never in front of glans— you know—humans."

"Did your mother come up with the title Shama?" he asked, and he seemed intense.

"Yes. She said it was part of our heritage and that she would teach me all about it before I turned sixteen. She said we had lots of time and she just wanted me to enjoy my childhood and not think about it. By the time I was ten, I had a knack of storing everything magical I could do, and things I couldn't quite understand how to do, in the deepest part of my brain...my Shama is loaded with locked doors that I go to when I need an answer, but it won't open the door with the answer to the spell we are looking for."

He didn't speak at first. He put a hand to his forehead and said, "Bobbie, I need to research this. I'll be back later."

"Where are you going?"

"I have family journals at home. They go back...let's say, centuries. Something about the word Shama rings a bell." He turned and started out of the room. "I won't be long."

"Wait!" I called after him. He turned and arched a brow at me. "What do you want me to do today?" I asked, suddenly at a loss. I did feel safer with him there.

He smiled. "I left you a manuscript. Acquaint yourself with it. If Davis or Mrs. Tunny asks what tasks I've set you at, you tell them I want you to compile a manuscript on the history of the MacLeod family. That his lordship requires it. That will give you cover for a bit longer, as they will eventually realize you really aren't here to manage the estates."

A moment later he marched out and I turned to find the hunk of all hunks staring at me through the transparent wall that separated us.

Hot damn but he sent erotic shivers through me. Something about the way his gaze traveled over me, lingered over my breasts while my nipples got sensitive and hard, made me think of being pressed up...oh no, no, no. Not ever. He was a bloodsucker. A vampire. Not doing a vampire.

"Bobbie," he said my name like it was the only name he ever wanted to say. His voice was low and damned sexy.

I stared at him because for that moment I was lost in the fantasy of sex, hardcore sex, not love, not emotions, not relationship, no, just sex...with him. He was a vampire and he would have stamina to match my own...

Bobbie—what are you doing?

I am not big on the idea of one-nighters. My friends laugh at me, but I always wanted more than that. This hottie changed that with the blink of an eye, and I was thinking a one-nighter was just fine with me.

I moved closer to the shield. Was I panting? I should be ashamed...no...that couldn't be me breathing so hard I sounded like a bitch in heat. Noooo.

He said again, "Bobbie." Nothing else. Just my name and my knees turned into gobbety-goo and melted. I put my hand on the back of a nearby chair and steadied myself.

"Er...yes?" I finally managed.

"Can ye enact a shield around yerself, lass?"

What? What had he asked? Oh...a shield...around myself? Where had that come from?

"Why?" I asked.

"Because it would serve to protect ye if ye were surprised by Allora..."

"Oh! Good thinking." It was a great idea. I had something, but I wasn't sure it worked against vampires. "Yes, well, sorta. Not sure it would keep an ancient vampire at bay very long. It is a spell...something my mom taught me when I was eight. I ran out into the street to get the ball my dad had thrown. You see, I missed catching it and ran without thinking. A car stopped inches away from me. Mom was hysterical, crazy hysterical, and stood me in front of her and chanted something. I laughed at her and reminded her I was immortal like her, but she said that, even so, if the car had taken off my head...or set me on fire...I would die. She said she enacted a shield spell. I asked her to teach it to me so I could protect my dolly, and she did. I haven't a clue if it would work against vampires. It works against humans and...I guess vehicles...?"

"Do it, Bobbie," he cut me off impatiently. "At the very least it would be a deterrent and give ye a head start..."

I put my palm against the invisible wall that kept him on the other side. It wasn't glass. It was transparent, translucent, and sparkled when I came in contact with it.

His brows went up. "It has never sparkled when I have touched it."

"No? Odd," I said, and put my palm flat against it. He immediately matched my palm with his own. A blast of sensations swept through me. Hot damn, he felt it, too. I saw the startled look in his blue eyes.

I swallowed and tried to ignore the fact that I was clenching my thighs.

"A shield..." I said, trying to get back on point. "But I'll have to practice...once I enacted a shield around myself for fun and forgot it was there and my best friend, Suse, a human," I inclined my head at him, "bounced right off it." I sighed. "I doubt the shield I learned as a kid is as multifaceted as my mom's was..."

"Meaning?"

"Well, the shield my mom constructed around me protected me from danger—any kind of immediate danger, while allowing me to interact with whomever I wished. She had said she would teach that particular skill to me when I got older, as it was complicated. She told me it was a part of my Shama and always available to me, but I needed training in the arts and sciences to connect all the ingredients." I shrugged. "We never had the chance to go any further."

My palm still rested against the wall between us.

I watched, mesmerized as he moved his pointer finger over my palm. He planted his palm once again over mine, and I swear I heard a growl in his throat. It was so erotic a sound and I felt the wetness make my little panties damned uncomfortable.

He whispered my name and a shiver swept through me and my body went into hyper-drive. What the hell?

"Bobbie," he repeated. "If ye are going to remain here in the evenings, enact the spell before dark sets in."

"Okay, I will work on it all day 'til I get it right." That seemed a reasonable solution.

He turned and stared into the jungle at his back a moment before he dropped his hand and asked, thoughtfully, "Do ye have any special kind of magical locomotion available to ye?"

"What do you mean?" I knew what he meant, but he looked like he was getting ready to leave and I wanted him to stay a bit longer.

"A vampire has super-speed. An ancient vampire—faster than that. If ye needed to escape. Do ye have any kind of speed?"

"Well...I jog and never seem to tire," I offered.

"That is nae what I mean. Jeremy—for example, has perfected a locomotion known to the Fae as shifting. It is similar to passing through time. He cannae do it over long distances, but it takes a great deal of power and he dinnae like the sensation of being a part of space. He is, as I told ye, an immortal, but he has almost one hundred years on ye, so I am nae sure ye can learn this form of travel quickly enough to matter, lass."

"I know about 'shifting'. Auntie Elle told me a great deal about the Fae, but...I don't know how it works."

"Devin!" Loli called as she pushed away the lush green vegetation and stroked his arm. "You must come now."

She couldn't see me but I could see her, and Devin's reaction to her. He smiled and took her chin and said, "Why must I coom now?"

"My father and brother say you must."

"Loli, ye are nae being truthful," he accused. "What could they want me for now?"

"Come and see then for yourself," she said as she twirled her black hair around her finger and stared without seeing me. "Who keeps you talking here so much lately?"

"A friend," he answered, and turned back to smile at me.

"I heard you call your friend lass. Your friend is a woman. You are talking to a woman," she accused hotly.

"And that, m'dear, is of nae concern to ye."

She huffed and folded her arms across her bare middle and her elf-like ears turned red. I felt for her. She was obviously infatuated with him.

He eyed me and said with a resigned sigh, "I had better go see what the problem is now."

"Yup," I answered, because I suddenly realized that while I felt for her, I also felt a whole lot of jealousy I had no business feeling!

~ Ten ~

JEREMY RETURNED AND DROPPED three leather bound manuscripts on a nearby coffee table in the library and drew my attention to one.

I smiled. "Did you find anything about my Shama?" I asked. I really hoped he had. I would love to know my family's origins.

"No, not yet, but I will. In the meantime, read that." He pointed to one page in particular. "All of this is packed with information that can help us proceed with your training, but this page has something you will need right away." He clucked his tongue and added, "I have to go out for a couple of hours as I have a closing I can't neglect, but don't worry, I'll be back long before dark."

"I'm not worried. I don't need a babysitter," I told him archly.

He smiled and said, "No, that's good, because when all is said and done, I think I may."

I laughed. I liked him. I watched him leave and curled up in the corner of my favorite leather sofa and stared at the page he had indicated.

Mrs. Tunny stepped into the room as Jeremy had left both library doors wide open and she cleared her throat.

I smiled and said, "Hi, and good morning, Mrs. Tunny."

"Indeed, miss. It is a lovely morning. I...er...met Mr. Ascot on his way out and he informed me he stayed last evening down the hall from ye and would be staying here for a time."

"Yes. I hope it won't mean more work for you? He thought we would do well to work long evenings for a time and that it would be convenient for him."

"No, no, and I am that pleased...very pleased that ye won't be alone in the evenings," she said, and actually smiled warmly at me. She eyed me and asked, "Would ye like coffee and some eggs? I've made Davis a plate and there is plenty."

"Oh, what a doll you are. Yes, yes, I would. Shall I come to the kitchen?" I said.

"Tch now, lass, I can see Mr. Ascot set ye to working already so I'm happy to bring ye a tray," she answered and hurried off.

I spent the rest of the morning, after devouring eggs, toast, and wonderful potatoes, studying Jeremy's manuscript. He was quite right. That one page he had pointed out was jam-packed with very important spells. One spell in particular caught my interest. I have a good memory. I immediately memorized it, worked it over in my head, and then put the spell to the test—sorta.

It was a protection spell and in this case, for myself. A personal shield of sorts, a bit different than the one my mother had taught me.

I grinned as I made my way to the kitchen to try it out on Mrs. Tunny.

It was nearly lunchtime, and as I came up beside Mrs. Tunny I got a whiff of the banana bread in the oven and said, "Oh, yum...smells so good."

She eyed me. "Ye could do with a little meat on yer bones, child. Here sit..." she said, and reached over to steer me to the table.

I didn't remove the shield and her hand seemed to stop short of my arm. Surprised but only mildly curious about this, she waved me forward and said, "Sit, go on with ye now, and I'll put a nice chicken sandwich before ye."

I couldn't help but smile to myself. It had worked!

Now all I had to do to remove my protection shield was to blink and silently chant—San fhaclair air fad. Apparently it was from an ancient Gaelic language that Jeremy had discovered, loosely meaning terminate.

Unlike myself, he and his sister knew where they had come from and why. Reading through the beginning of the journal, I discovered that there had been a war in Jeremy's world, a world called Osmis—Land of the Wizards.

During the war, Dark fought Light for control. He and his sister had not reached their majority yet, but were old enough to survive on their own. His parents sent them to the Human Realm for their protection when things looked dire. Jeremy wrote in the journal that his parents were never heard from again and when he came into his full powers, he discovered his realm had been destroyed.

He and his sister managed and then she met and fell in love with Devin MacLeod.

I felt a twinge of something I couldn't name reading this, but brushed the odd sensation away. All things Devin MacLeod were troublesome and confusing to me.

I looked at Mrs. Tunny, who was covered in flour, and I laughed out loud. "You have as much on you as on the cutting board," I told her.

She laughed. "I do, don't I. 'Tis m'own fault. I dinnae have the flour tin tightly closed and some of it spilled when I took it down from the cupboard. I'll go wash up when I'm done."

"Mrs. Tunny, I need to purchase a few things, some toiletries and such that I didn't have time to shop for before I left New York. How do I get into town? Is there a bus or something?"

"Och aye, child, one way or another we can get ye there, but can ye drive?"

"Sure," I said, excited at the notion of venturing out on my own.

"Well, we have a serviceable SUV in the garage. It is meant for our use...but mostly Davis uses it. Jeff, down at the stables, has a pickup for his needs. The key for the SUV is in the central hall on the key rack near the door. Feel free. Are ye going now?"

"No, I have a few more things to do," I told her.

She gave me a long look. "Well, don't go too late. Ye need to get back before dark."

"I will," I told her, to hopefully get off the subject. "Can you be honest with me and tell me why you think I need to be worried about the dark?" I had a notion that Mrs. Tunny knew a great deal more than she was letting on.

"Do ye believe in things beyond yer ken?" she asked.

"Yes," I said, and looked directly into her eyes. "Yes, I do."

"Right then, did Mr. Ascot tell ye about the night his lordship left here...?"

"Yes, he did," I said without giving up anything.

"Did he now? Well, then, I'll tell ye this. Odd doings that night. Servants lived here in the castle then and one of 'em...was but a boy then. The lad snuck into the kitchen for a snack and heard someone at the door. He, being a curious lad, took a peek and saw her."

"Saw her?" I knew, of course, Mrs. Tunny was referring to Allora.

"Aye, her ladyship, who the servants were fond of, invited the woman indoors and the lad was stunned by the stranger's beautiful face, though he said he feared her at the same time. The lad nearly passed out when he watched the beautiful stranger suddenly produce a sword and just as suddenly strike. He said it happened just as his mistress realized what the woman was...but before she had a moment to defend herself." Mrs. Tunny looked at me hard. "The lad was twelve, so when he told his parents, they couldna believe him. There was no body, no blood, no sign of her ladyship. She simply vanished. The lad's name was Tom Franks. After that, the family was kept on even after his lordship, unable to deal with his grief, moved abroad."

"I see, but what precisely are you telling me now." I wanted to know what she knew.

"Tom Franks is a good friend of m'son and friend of Davis' son. They work at the same corporate firm in London. Aye, so we knew his side of the story directly from him. He was a friend and we know what he saw really happened. He wasn't a fanciful lad and wouldna make it up. We know there was something...wrong that happened in the castle and then last month, Tom and m'boy, William, were on business in Paris when Tom saw her. He saw her. He saw her ladyship's murderer in Paris. She looked, even after twenty-two years, exactly the same. We, all of us, already believe in vampires and Tom was sure that night that he was looking on an ancient vampire. Davis and I both believe him."

I studied her for a moment and asked, "Have you reason to believe in vampires? Do the villagers all believe in vampires?"

"Aye, many do and Davis and I have reason. M'husband was killed by one. They wrote it off, but I saw the puncture marks and they couldna hide that he was drained of blood. They said it was a cult with a blood fetish, but I knew. Davis was m'husband's close friend. He was with me when I had to go to the coroner's office. He saw what I saw, and he believes. There are stories villagers tell that go back a hundred years...about vampires." She eyed me. "Do ye think I'm just a superstitious fool?"

"No. I agree with you. Vampires exist. I don't just believe it, I know it. I will take precautions," I told her.

She sighed. "Garlic won't work. And that one...that killed her ladyship—she was invited in, don't ye see. Her ladyship made the mistake of inviting her in. She can come and go at will at MacLeod. So then, Mr. Ascot staying here is all well and fine, but how can he protect ye from an ancient vampire?"

"We are on it and you don't have to worry," I said, and threw my arms around her.

A minute later I devoured the lunch she set for me and before I left the kitchen, she wrapped a large cookie in a napkin and handed it to me.

I grinned and waved it at her as I left the kitchen, calling out, "Back to work for me."

Whew! Mrs. Tunny and Davis believed in vampires. Well, now that explained a great deal. No wonder they didn't want me here at night and no wonder they always made certain to get home before dark.

I spent another hour reading and studying Jeremy's manuscript, took a call from him saying he was delayed at the closing, and decided to head to town.

I got the SUV keys from the brass key rack near the front door and hurried out and to the four car garage in the courtyard.

Inside the neatly kept garage I found three classic beauties from the seventies—a Corvette convertible in blazing red, a silver Jaguar, and a black BMW. I smiled to myself. Devin MacLeod had apparently liked cars back then.

I walked over to the SUV, a dark green Jaguar F-pace and admired its lines. As it was new, I imagined that Jeremy had purchased it for use at the estate.

I got inside and realized from the 'new car' aroma that it had to have been a recent purchase and wondered if he had installed it for me.

I set the GPS for the village and started off, but as I backed up the car, I heard Devin say, "Aye, lass, do what ye must, but coom back before nightfall."

I turned in the driver's seat. There he stood, his legs akimbo and his arms folded across his muscular and massive chest. His glorious black hair framed his chiseled handsome face and his blue eyes devastated me with his obvious concern.

"Hi...don't worry. I practiced putting my shield in place and yes, I'll get back as fast as I can."

"So ye say, but remember, ye dinnae know the likes of Allora Brently."

"I won't be too long," I answered, and backed up the SUV.

I looked in my rearview mirror and saw him still standing on his side of the transparent wall, watching me.

He looked forlorn. He was a big man, a supernatural. He stood watching me go, and his expression told me a story.

Hmm. Wheel was on the wrong side, I chuckled to myself as I got the hang of driving on the opposite side of the road. Yup, I was no longer in Kansas.

Devin MacLeod took over my thoughts. I was drawn to him. I told myself it was because of the circumstances, my grandmother had cast the spell, but...even so, something about him called to me.

Damn, but I was going to find a way to free him!

~ Eleven ~

I WAS STARVING BY the time I finished my little tour of the main avenue of MacLeod Village. The town was made up of charming little shops with window boxes full of colorful flowers. It was a little river town and some of the stores and one quaint little café was located right on the river.

I stuffed my bags into the SUV and made up my mind. A seat with a view of the river and a spot of tea and those little cakes. Oh yeah.

How could I pass that up? I didn't.

Inside, the décor that accented the dark beamed ceilings was perfect, just as I always imagined it would be. Tables and chairs were set up on the balcony overlooking the quiet river and although it was quite crowded, the hostess found a place for me. It was heaven.

"I heard someone mention some ruins nearby. Brently, I think they called it. Is it open for tourists?" I asked the waitress who took my order. I wanted to get a feel for what the villagers thought of Brently and just where its location was.

"Aye, but ye dinnae want to go there," she answered, and shook her head. "Best go towards Inverness if it's ruins ye want to tour."

"Oh? Why?"

"Brently Manor is privately owned, and though it has fallen into some disrepair, it isn't the kind of place ye would want to explore, even if it was allowed."

"Oh, is that the only ruins nearby?"

"Aye, miss..."

"Bobbie," I answered.

She laughed. "What is it for, Bobbie?"

"Roberta." I pulled a face.

"Och now, Roberta is a lovely name."

"Bobbie," I emphasized, and she grinned.

"Dinnae go to Brently." She shook her head. "Besides, 'tisn't open to the public."

"Oh, ok, maybe I'll just drive by it and take some pictures. Is it far?"

"Ten minutes or so by car." She shrugged and then made a show of shivering. "Went there once with m'friends after school, some years ago. Never will again. Ye can smell the evil in that place, ye can."

"Oooh, thanks then, I'll avoid it," I said to appease her as I made up my mind to visit Brently during the day and soon. Perhaps there was something hidden there that would help me find the right spell to free Devin?

I lingered over delicious tea, scones, and yes, little sandwiches, when I noticed the overcast sky. Hmm, it was getting late and I didn't want to drive in what looked like was going to be a downpour, so I headed for the SUV. Although it was already well after six by the time I headed back for the castle, I didn't think it was really quite dark yet. However, Naomi had taught me that many vamps can roam about as long as there is no direct sunlight. But that wasn't why I was on edge. I had a nervous sensation in my gut...a foreboding I couldn't shake.

Perhaps it was only because Mrs. Tunny had me spooked? I put my foot down on the gas and moved out a bit faster and there he was, in the middle of the road, smiling!

Right in my path...a vampire with his fangs dripping with blood and a woman limp against him.

He held her tightly and I knew when she opened her eyes and looked towards me she was still alive. Damn, damn, double damn! How the hell do I save her?

What do I do? What do I do? I can't leave her for him to kill, but that was just what he wanted, for me to challenge him. I couldn't run him down, which wouldn't kill him but only knock him out for a time, not with him holding onto her.

Shama! I went into my head and searched the archives for something, anything I could find to use to help rescue the poor woman and still get away clean. Shama allowed me in and pointed me in the right direction.

I found it. First, I hurriedly shielded myself, stopped the car completely and got out. Bravado is something I learned when I was a twerp of a kid.

"Hey, vamp...were you waiting on me?"

"Nothing personal, but I have my orders," the creep in black leathers and spiked brown hair said. He made the mistake of bending towards the woman as he told me, "First, I'll finish my meal..."

I put out my hand and shouted, "Téarmaí cosúla!"

The vamp dropped the woman and put his hands to his head as agony filled every nerve ending. He screamed as he knelt beneath the weight of the pain.

I have always been good transporting myself short distances. I call it my poof thing. Would I be able to transport both the woman and myself back into my car?

I poofed in a cloud of violet smoke, took the young woman's limp hand, and poofed us back into my car.

Whew! Done. Wow. I would have patted myself on the back, but I had no idea how long I could keep the vamp in pain.

I had never shut off the car, so I simply put it back in drive and sped past the vamp as quickly as the car would take us.

I knew as soon as I was out of range, the pain I had inflicted on the vamp would stop, and he could, with super-speed, follow us.

I had to be ready because we still had to make it into the castle from the courtyard. What I planned to do with the poor woman then, I hadn't yet figured out. One thing at a time!

Sure enough, I saw him or rather a flash of him in my rearview mirror. He was taking a shortcut through the woods. Apparently he knew MacLeod woods very well. I knew he meant to intercept me at the castle courtyard.

I was going to have to kill this thing...this murdering, inhuman thing. Was I ready to do that? I have never been good at killing things. Even when I kill a spider in the house, I have nightmares about its family mourning it. Crazy shit.

I looked at the poor young woman limply lying beside me. Oh yeah, this was a do or die, or rather, kill or be killed moment in my life. This vamp was going down. No regrets afterwards.

I reached the courtyard and parked as I speed dialed Jeremy. He answered at once.

"Bobbie...where the devil are you?"

"Outside in the courtyard. Attacked by a vamp. Have a woman he nearly killed with me. Can you help me distract the vamp while we get her inside?"

"Damn! I'll be right there!" Jeremy snapped and a moment later, the vamp that had arrived at my window was now backing up as he stared at the warlock coming at him, stake in one hand, fireball in the other.

The vamp tried to use super-speed to escape, but Jeremy already held him in place with a spell.

I stopped dead and watched, thoroughly impressed.

Jeremy charged him and took him down flat on his back with very little effort, it was as though he was controlling the vampire with his mind.

He screamed with ferocious anger as he drove the stake into the vamp and then lit him on fire with the fireball of magic.

Only ash was left behind.

In the blink of that proverbial eye, only ash where once a monster had been.

The next thing I knew, Jeremy was at my side, picking up the unconscious woman I was still holding up with some effort. I have some extra strength that is derived from my magic, but have never really had to draw on that strength before today.

I followed Jeremy into the house and then into the library where he laid the woman on one of the sofas.

He fetched a cloth and some whisky, drank a shot and then put another to the woman's lips.

She spluttered over the strong brew.

Jeremy put his palm over the woman's wound and whispered something I couldn't quite hear. However, my eyes opened wide as I watched the vampire bites heal right before my eyes. Jeremy Ascot was a healer!

The woman's eyelids fluttered and she whispered, "What...what happened?"

"You tell us, dear child," Jeremy said, patting her hand.

"I...I am not sure," the woman said.

Our eyes met and I returned my attention to the woman. "Can you sit up?" I asked.

She answered by doing just that and said, "Who are you? Where am I?"

"I found you unconscious out on the main road not far from MacLeod," I answered. "Do you remember how you got there?"

"I...I was in my car..." she offered, frowning as she put a hand to her forehead.

"Yes, I noticed it on the side of the road," I told her. "You got out of your car. Why?"

"Someone was lying in the middle of the road and I remember now...it frightened me...I was sure I should stay in my car and call for help, but something...something made me get out."

I looked at Jeremy. "Are they capable of compulsion at a distance?"

"No," Jeremy said firmly. "They must look one in the eye, but they are capable of influencing those who are susceptible to suggestion."

"What?" she asked us. "What are you saying?"

"You were telling us you stopped to help someone, my dear," Jeremy hurriedly stuck in. "That you got out of the car..."

"Yes, yes...I was afraid, but I couldn't allow the man...I remember now, it was a man...to die, could I? I am a nurse, you see," she said.

"And then?" I prompted.

"And then...I must have fainted...I don't remember anything after that," she said.

I was relieved. She didn't need to remember this and suffer nightmares all her life. "Well...you are okay now," I told her.

"What about the man in the road?" she asked. "Did he get help?"

"Oh, yes. It turned out that he had a bit too much to drink and his family was called and off he went."

"Oh good," she said, and tried to stand.

Jeremy detained her. "Take a moment...tell me, what is your name?"

"Betsy Scarbough," she said with a half-smile and then added, "I must get home. I am late and my husband has to get to work and won't leave until I get there. We have a son...and work shifts so we can look after him ourselves."

"I will take you home. Do you have your cell? You can call him while I drive you home," Jeremy said.

"Yes...yes...but my car?"

"If you need help retrieving it, you can call us in the morning and one of us will get you to your car, deal?" I said, and smiled encouragingly at her.

She took both my hands in hers and said, "Thank you. I can't say why...but I feel as though you saved my life tonight."

"That is silly. You probably were so busy working today you forgot to eat. Why, look at you, thin as a rail," I offered as Jeremy supported her and walked her towards the hall.

I was thankful both Davis and Mrs. Tunny had already gone home, or I would have had to do a whole lot of explaining and I wasn't ready for that.

Jeremy and I exchanged glances as he said, "I will return as soon as I may."

I turned then as I heard Devin, who had arrived in time to witness the last of our adventure. He released a string of curses while I waited for Jeremy and Betsy to be out the door. With their departure, I wagged a finger and said, "Stop! Calm down, Devin."

"Calm down? Evidently she was a ruse to get to ye!" Devin snapped. "That means Allora knows ye are here."

"She doesn't know that I am Lisa's granddaughter, does she? If she knows, if this was because of her, I'll bet she simply doesn't want a woman installed at MacLeod. That is my guess," I told him, because all this had already occurred to me.

I threw off my denim blazer and moved to pour myself some wine.

He said nothing while I threw down a glass.

"Ye broke yer promise to me, lass," he said quietly.

"Time ran away from me..." I offered.

"Nae good enough. This cannae happen again. If her vamp doesn't report in to her...soon, she will become suspicious."

"And send another? I'm ready."

"Or she may coom herself," he grumbled. "Ye aren't taking this seriously."

"Oh," I managed to restrain the snort, "I am taking it very seriously."

"What kept ye so late this afternoon?" he asked. "Did ye meet someone who made ye lose track of time and promises...?"

"Are we getting personal?" I returned, my chin up.

"Am I?" he answered.

"I could ask you where you were when I first arrived here with Betsy, but I didn't," I shot back.

"I was helping Gregor over at the dam. He is an engineer working on a problem. Why would it matter?" he answered.

"It doesn't. I am just saying, I give you space and privacy."

"Nae, lass, why were ye so late?"

"I got hungry after shopping and there was this charming little place on the river. I took tea there and lingered longer than I should have. That's all. Then there he was in the road with Betsy looking half-dead. I got out and slammed him with pain. Got her, got in the car and raced here. He was fast and met me here. Jeremy staked him and set him on fire...with some relish I might add."

He heard me out and suddenly laughed. "Look at ye two—a team."

"All three of us are a team. You are a part of this, Devin," I said. "How old do you think this vamp was? He was able to influence Betsy while she was in her car. Not compel...but influence her to get out."

"Aye, he had to be at least a hundred or more years...nae more than that or he wouldna have coom here so willy-nilly."

The library door opened wide and Jeremy stomped into the room, finger in the air and blabbering one sentence after another, finishing with, "So we start tomorrow!"

"Er...uh...what?" I asked.

"Wards. Druid wards. We install them first thing around the immediate perimeter. It will stop everything...maybe even Allora, from getting past them."

"It won't stop Allora," Devin said. "She has been invited, which bypasses any ward that could be installed at MacLeod...at least, that is what I have always understood."

"Well, at least it will keep all other supernaturals out!" Jeremy said on a growl.

"Aye," Devin said and turned to me. "Ye look tired, lass."

"Yes, I think I'll just go up and have a shower and turn in." I turned to Jeremy. "I'm sure Mrs. Tunny left you something delicious to heat up in the fridge."

He rubbed his hands together. "Right. I'll catch a bite and then I have some paperwork to get through. Good-night, Bobbie."

* * * * *

I waved myself off and headed for my room, noting out of the corner of my eye that Devin remained at the wall as I climbed the stairs.

"Go away," I told him as I reached my bedroom door, opened it, and went inside.

"Now, why would ye be wanting me to go away? I'm on watch, and so I shall be after yer experience this evening," he said in a voice that clearly indicated he would brook no argument.

I had my back to him. "You said you would honor my privacy. Now is that time."

"I did say that, and so I shall. Go on, ye can change in the bathroom suite, so off ye go, take a nice hot one, and I shan't worry ye while ye are in there."

I looked over my shoulder in his direction. "Well, then, thank you, yes, I'm going to take a long hot bath..."

"With bubbles?" he asked.

"Yes," I laughed then, "with bubbles."

"Then go on, and let me know when ye are covered in the bubbles and I'll stay with ye and we can talk about this new development."

"I don't think so," I answered, and went into the bathroom.

"Are ye prudish then? I can remain with m'back to ye while ye bathe," he said.

I released a heavy sigh. "Oh, damn it then, just wait 'til I get in." I hurried into the bathroom. Got the tub started, brushed my hair and clipped it at the top of my head.

I looked to make sure he wasn't about and dropped out of my clothes and into the tub. Oh, it was good to sink into its oily hotness.

I moaned with pleasure and heard him whisper, "Och aye, but ye sound pleasured and that pleasures me."

I ignored this and said, "I discovered something when I was at the little café this afternoon."

"Did ye? And what was that?"

"Brently Manor scares people off...even in the daylight. I wonder why," I said, hoping he would know.

"Now, lass, dinnae be thinking of going there...nae even during the day!" he snapped.

"What makes you think I am thinking of going there?" I snapped back.

"'Tis edged in yer voice, written in yer eyes. Ye can barely contain yerself about it."

I laughed. "Well, that's true. I do think I might be able to uncover something we can use against her."

"Ye can't. I lived at Brently for a time and never found one thing that I could use against her."

"Hmm, I guess you are right. I worked on a protection spell and tested it out on Mrs. Tunny...who, by the way, believes in vampires. She is convinced her husband was killed by one."

"I know," he said gravely.

"Was it your vampire? Was it Allora that killed him?"

"Nae, it had to be a vampire passing through, nae even one of her disciples. They do from time to time. I've always thought MacLeod draws them because of Brently Manor," his voice trailed off.

"Well, she and Davis believe in the existence of vampires. Apparently there was a servant's child who saw Allora that awful night when she...well, that night. He saw her again in Paris when he was there on business just a few days ago. So at least we know she is in Paris."

I sank lower into the bubbles, which were beginning to disappear.

"A few days ago? Bobbie...lass, she could be on her way here at any moment!"

"But why would she? She hasn't been here in twenty plus years. Why would she come now?"

"To Allora, time means nothing. If she is enjoying herself, she will remain where she is...until she gets bored or has reason to return."

"I have an idea, Devin," I said, and realized he was staring at the swells of my breasts, which some of the dissipating bubbles had exposed.

"Aye, do ye? As do I," he said huskily.

I could have told him to turn around. I could have. I didn't. My thighs clenched in the water and I felt a sudden urgent need as I looked into his eyes.

I did, however, dip lower again and gather more bubbles around my exposed breasts.

He laughed. "Why in the world, lass, would ye wish to cover up such beauty? Och aye, but ye are perfection."

"Stop!" I told him.

I knew I was safe at that moment from falling under his charms because he was in another realm. However, it took all the willpower I had to keep from getting out of the tub while he was watching. I wanted to. It was brazen and wanton and every inch of me was moved to do it. But that cautious girl inside of me stopped me.

So, with supreme resolve, I pushed away all thoughts of teasing him, of wanting him, and reminded myself the hunk was a vampire.

"Stop? Nae, lass. I cannae do as ye ask for I find m'self drawn to yer beauty, to yer smile, to the light in yer violet eyes—such eyes. If I were on yer side of this damned wall, I'd be crushing ye in m'arms, I would."

"Don't talk like that. We are from two different worlds. You are a vampire...and, well...never mind all that. What I wanted to tell you was my idea about Brently."

"Nae, ye cannae go there. Get it out of yer head. Ye would be at her mercy there. It is where all her powers are always renewed. Forget it." His face had turned stony, his eyes, those blue eyes clouded over with a dark storm and in their depths, those eyes of his glowed red with fury. "I forbid it, Bobbie Skye. Ye would be putting yerself in danger. Do ye hear me?"

"What danger? I'll go during the daylight...a bright sunny day..."

"Don't ye think Jeremy has already tried that? It nearly cost him his life. The windows are all covered so nae light gets inside the manor, and when he went inside, he was met with a pair of vampires resting during the daylight. Allora buys allegiance with favors. The two vamps heard him and attacked. It took all his magic and the tearing down of a few drapes for him to get out. And it was all for nothing. Allora wouldna leave anything there for someone to find and use against her."

"A man has a different way of looking at things. As a woman, I might see what Jeremy couldn't. First chance I get...going there," I told him. I was convinced she had a very special secret, something that, if known, could help defeat her once and for all.

"Nae," he shouted. "I cannae in good conscience allow it. 'Tis m'fault ye are here. 'Tis m'fault ye have been drawn into this ugly deed. I cannae let ye go to Brently. Promise me, lass, ye won't go there, because if ye dinnae promise this, I shall have Jeremy send ye packing and ye will nae be allowed at MacLeod again."

I raised a brow. I don't take orders and I don't like threats. However, he was my boss...in a way. I also was not about to distress him if I didn't have to. A long sigh slipped out before I made up my mind and said, "We'll see. I'll drop the idea for now." I turned on the jets and pushed into two at my back. The pleasure of the water pressure drew a groan as I closed my eyes.

"Would that it was I making ye groan like that, beauty," he said on a low note that sent shivers through me.

I opened my eyes with a snap. His words filled me with desire and need. I couldn't allow that to happen. I told him, "Turn around. I want to get out and dry off."

"Do ye really want me to turn around? I'm thinking ye have the look of a woman who wants something else."

"Oh, do you?" He was all too right. I wanted him. He was a vampire in another world and I was hot for him. "And even if I did..." What was I doing? "You are there, and I am here!" I said with resignation.

"Och aye, there is that, but I'm counting on ye to remedy that situation." He grinned like a boy and for a moment, just a moment, I melted like a fool.

I bitch-slapped myself.

I called on my brain to start functioning and sternly said, "Turn around, My Lord, and give me the privacy you promised would be mine."

Without a word, he turned and started to walk away. I was aware of a sinking feeling of absurd disappointment.

"I'll be back and watch over ye when ye are sleeping," he said.

I didn't answer, but damn, I felt like a stupid school girl crushing over someone quite out of reach!

~ Twelve ~

IT WAS EARLY MORNING and I was deep in my Shama when I heard a whisper. Roberta...deeper, Roberta.

My mom was the only one that called me Roberta. Was it her voice? It sounded so much like my mom, but the tone was hushed and distant, and it had been so long since I had heard my mom's voice.

On the chance that it was her voice, something she may have installed in my memory banks for a day when she wouldn't be with me, I asked, Mom...is that you?

Yes, love. You need to open the door, the one with our family emblem. Everything you need to know is behind that door.

Mom...Mom...how is this possible? How am I speaking with you?

I had a vision that your father and I would not always be here with you, so I planted a memory of us in your mind and tried to answer some of the questions you might ask. Go behind the door with the crest.

I don't see it.

Don't open your eyes—open your Shama, call on it, command it!

"What are ye doing, lass?" a voice at my back asked.

Devin snapped me out of it and I was just a little irritated at the interruption. I wanted to find that door. I wanted to listen to my mom's voice...see her smile, see my dad.

I frowned at him, sighed, and said, "Trying to find some magic that will help."

My cell phone rang.

I took it out and saw it was from Jeremy and said, "Hi, what's up?"

"I'm out on a job, but I am on my way back to the castle. Get ready, I will need your blood. We are going to install a Druid Blood Ward."

Click and he was gone.

My blood?

Luckily, I was already dressed in comfortable gray sweats and a matching gray and blue tank top. I hurried downstairs to the library. I lit a few lamps as the sun had not fully risen, and the sky appeared to be overcast.

I heard Devin rustling on the other side of our transparent divider and turned towards him as he asked, "What is it? What has happened? What did Jeremy want?"

"Jeremy is on his way back...we are, apparently, going to install the Druid wards now." I hesitated and then dove in. "Devin, whenever I see you...whenever we interact, you appear to be in something of a jungle terrain. Is where you are now the only viewing area you can see MacLeod through? When you are elsewhere in that realm...can you see MacLeod, or only when you are here in this one spot?"

"Only here. Apparently the transparent wall between our worlds allows me to see all of the castle and its immediate grounds," he answered, and directed an intense gaze at me. "Why do ye ask?"

"Because," I realized I was truly on to something, "that means this...where you stand, is where the original portal is. Where you stand...where you view MacLeod, that is the other end of the portal. Where was my grandmother, and Allora, when she created the portal?"

"In m'bedroom," he said thoughtfully.

"That is important. Don't you see? Magic is pretty specific to its elements. Certain elements control portals. Your portal would have my grandmother's mark, a blood-mark, so once I find the elements she called on, and add my blood, I am pretty sure the portal will open." This notion had me excited. It seemed so simple that I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it immediately.

"A portal? Jeremy and I considered so many different things, but we never thought of a portal. Ye must be in the right of it. Bloody hell! Of course," he said with enthusiasm.

"Yes, and I've got to get to work on this," I told him, expecting him to leave me to do my thing.

"Aye, I'll just stand nearby and make certain ye aren't interrupted by anyone who shouldna be interrupting ye," he said in the voice of a man who didn't mean to be dissuaded from what he obviously saw as his duty.

I grimaced and waved at him. "Whatever. Quiet...I need quiet."

"Why, what are ye meaning to do?"

"Go into my Shama," I told him impatiently.

"Aye, then," he said, folding his arms and taking a stand.

I shook my head and closed my eyes, only mildly disconcerted by his presence, and yet somehow pleased that he was there ready to warn me if anyone, even Mrs. Tunny or Davis, peeked into the library.

"Right, here goes," I said out loud.

* * * * *

I was shaken out of my Shama by Jeremy, who marched into the library calling my name, "Bobbie!"

"Yes, yes," I said, getting up from the winged chair that hid all of my body and most of my head.

He stopped short and was suddenly distracted. "Your hair...is glowing...like a flame."

"Well, I am a redhead," I answered, perplexed.

"No, not just red...but twinkling and glowing," he said in awe.

"Oh, that," I said. Aunt Elle had told me about this many years ago. "It happens now and then. I hope it wasn't flying around my head as well? It does that sometimes."

"It happened when the lass went into what she calls her Shama," Devin explained.

Jeremy's expression was one of admiration and I felt a blush fill my cheeks.

He said, "Well, while your red hair all twinkling and glowing may be something to see, you might not want anyone else to see." He paused and put a finger to his nose. "So don't go into your...er...Shama when anyone else is around."

"Which reminds me," I said. "You, Tunny, and Davis are pretty tight. I know they told you what they believe...about the vampire."

He looked surprised. "Yes, amazing that Mrs. Tunny trusts you already. Here is the thing, while they might suspect I have magical qualities, I never did confide that to them. You should keep that sort of thing to yourself, Bobbie. Safer, easier."

"They know, Jeremy. They aren't daft," Devin said. "Ye haven't aged, ye have certain qualities they have noticed over the years. 'Tis why they confided in ye and told ye about Mrs. Tunny's husband and the vampire."

"Perhaps, but suspecting and knowing are two different things, my friend. Now, enough of that. I have news and it isn't good. Shall I give you the news...or should we install the wards first?"

"News. We need to know the news," I answered, and slumped back down into the brown leather chair with a thump.

"I'll get right to the point. Allora's presence in Paris was confirmed by one of my operatives in Calais. She will be in England tonight. I have a notion when her spy vamp didn't check in, she became suspicious. There is nothing for it. She will no doubt make her way here within the week," Jeremy said, looking as grim as he sounded.

Devin exploded, "The devil ye say!" His fists were clenched at his sides as he stepped up to the transparent wall and shouted, "Blast her to hell."

"Don't I wish I could do just that! Look, my operatives are superb at what they do. They are immortal mages and have been trailing her from the moment I made contact with you, Bobbie. It was my operatives who finally found you. So, this is what we have. I am told Allora only travels by night, which is something that has never changed over the centuries. I am expecting them to report to me early tomorrow morning as to her most recent whereabouts and if they have discovered her immediate intentions. As of this morning, they believe she is still unaware of your existence, Bobbie."

"So, you knew...all this time where Allora was?" I asked.

"Yes, Mrs. Tunny and I speak often, and I knew that Allora had been spotted in Paris recently and I directed my operatives to investigate. It hadn't mattered in the past where she was going...or why, but now, with you here, well, that changes everything. We need to keep you safe. This...you being here, is as much my fault as it is Devin's. I put two of my best operatives on her. They have been watching from a distance, careful that she doesn't spot them. Allora is very astute."

"And they are sure she hasn't spotted them?"

"They are sure. They are shifters and can change into a raven, a beast, or a different persona at will. No, she has no idea she is being trailed."

"And they—these...uhm, operatives, do this for...money?" I asked. I wondered immediately if they could be paid off. If Allora did notice them, could she buy them?

"Investigations are how they make a living, but in my case, friendship is involved. Besides that, they have their own reasons why they want Allora brought low. Aaron, Caswell, and I go back many years...and they were friends of my sister as well," he said as a sad expression fell over his face.

Devin had been standing, quietly listening, but at this he said, "Jeremy, ye and the lass are in grave danger. Allora is cooming here...and she can coom and go at will. I cannae protect ye both stuck here on this side."

"Look," I stuck in hurriedly, "neither of you can decide anything for me. I have made the decision to help you, Devin, and will protect myself from her one way or another." I smiled at Jeremy. "Besides, we made a pretty good team, Jeremy and I."

"He was naught compared to Allora!" Devin shouted.

"And I am an immortal witch with my eyes wide open. I can protect myself," I answered angrily. "You both brought me here on a pretext. Then you tell me you need my help. I said yes to helping. End of story. Besides, Jeremy and I will ward our rooms with our blood. I don't know of any vampire that can get past a Druid Blood Ward. I know...I read about it in one of your ancient manuscripts last night. Druid wards are probably older than she is."

Jeremy's brows went up. "She isn't wrong there. And you are sure you used the correct incantation?" Jeremy appeared impressed and asked before I could answer, "The door and the windows as well?"

"Yes, Jeremy, it was so fascinating. I drew on an ancient Druid ward and the spell just came to me as though I knew it all my life...I simply put a drop of my blood at the windows, the doors, and I even did the walls. I stood back and watched the blood spread and encase everything between my room and the outside world. My Shama was like a beast in my head...all dark and hungry, but I knew when I was done that it had worked."

"Druids have used Blood Wards for eons," Devin said quietly. "Their gifts coom from the Fae and in return for their powers, they must keep the walls of the Dark Realm up so the Dark Fae cannae escape. No vampire, not even Dracula himself, could pass through a Druid Blood Ward."

"That is impressive," Jeremy said. "Right, now we should do the outside perimeter of the castle as well."

"Aye, but she isn't easily deterred. She doesna think like we do. Her ways aren't ours and she will find a way to kill Bobbie, if she can, and I cannae have that," Devin said with feeling.

We all just stood and stared at one another.

I broke the silence. "Going to have to face her eventually, aren't I?" They didn't answer me, so I pointed a finger at Devin. "One day, if not now, she will discover that I exist and she will come for me. I would rather be here...ready for her, than walking down the street not expecting it. Don't you get it? This is my fight."

"She has a point there. At least...I'm here to help Bobbie. The way I see it, this is something we all have to face and be done with. Now is as good a time as any," Jeremy said, and sighed before adding, "eventually, Allora will realize your bride had a warlock brother and she will come for me as well. Like Bobbie, I'd like to see the hammer dropping and stop it if I can."

"So, now the question is, how do we ward the place with both Mrs. Tunny and Davis watching?" I said.

Jeremy laughed. "They have seen some stranger things in their time...but first..." He picked up his cell, which had been ringing, and read the message. "I have to go to the office. I'll be back in time to walk the perimeter with you, Bobbie."

I watched him leave and turned to find Devin had stepped closer to the clear wall between us. He put his palms up and I put up mine to his. We were all in a fight to the death and knew it. There was no running, and we knew it.

Even with the shield between us, a spark sizzled from his palm to mine. Damn, right through the barrier, a spark like I have never felt before, and it went zapping through my blood, and made my breath hitch.

"Did ye feel that, lass?" he asked huskily.

"Feel it? It almost knocked me out, yeah, I felt it. How is this possible?" I asked, feeling heat course through me as I gazed into his bright blue eyes and saw an amber glow deep in the recesses. He is a vampire, I told my stupid heart. A vampire.

All at once he said, "I can smell yer blood...?" He looked down and at my palm. "Yer bleeding..."

I was. The wound I had made with my scissors last night had opened up. How could he smell it? "Whoa," I said to ease the fact that this was startling. "How?"

"Tell me, lass...when ye were in yer mind, in yer Shama, what did ye find?" His question was edged with excitement.

"My mother was there in my head. This was the first time I have ever heard her. She left me a memory and told me it was activated when I was in mortal danger. Devin, I...found enormous magical powers, but I only tapped into them for a little while. I just wasn't there long enough," I said more to myself than to him. Had I absorbed a power I would be able to call on now to help Devin?

~ Thirteen ~

I STARED AT DEVIN as my thoughts tumbled into one another. I had heard my mother whisper a word, and that word exploded out of me before I knew what I was doing, "Ramabien."

Waves of gray mist swirled between us, and suddenly vanished. In the swirling mass's place was a silver sliver opening between our worlds, no more than five feet tall and one foot wide.

I licked my lips and Devin said, "Stay back, lass, we dinnae know what this is...do we?"

"No, but we are about to find out," I said, and amazed myself by putting my finger into the shimmering opening in front of me. I am adventurous, yes, but this was way dangerous. I could lose a hand, or have it stuck between worlds. What the hell was I doing?

A tingling sensation took over my body and my Shama came to life in my brain all on its own and said, Go ahead, Bobbie...now!

In went my hand, and a force so strong took hold of my entire body and pulled me into what I suddenly realized was a live portal.

The next thing I knew, I was tumbling into tall palm fronds and a jungle of green vegetation and about to land on my face when strong hands grabbed hold of me. His arms were around me, steadying me as I actually collapsed from the recognition that I had just been pulled into another world!

"Lass...how did ye do that? Yer here...yer actually...bloody hell!"

All at once, his lips were covering mine and once again, I was falling into an abyss of sensation.

His lips sparked an erotic reaction in my blood, one I had never experienced before. His mouth moving on mine, parting my lips as his tongue only licked at my bottom lip, made me want to lie down and spread my legs. No words. No questions.

He pressed my lips apart with his. His tongue found and danced with mine, taking me on a journey of pleasure, and one that I had never imagined possible.

I was locked in that kiss and never wanted it to end. I was locked in that kiss and wanted more, so much more, when all at once, he abruptly pulled away!

He set me on my feet and stepped back from me. His gorgeous head was lowered, as though he couldn't meet my eye, and he said, "Forgive me, Bobbie."

"I...I..." was my brilliant response, because I wanted back in his arms. I wanted his tongue in my mouth. I wanted him. Why had he stopped?

"How did ye get through the barrier?" he asked, and dropped his hands from my shoulders. "Did ye figure out how to create the portal—is that it, lass?"

Wait, what? He had just passionately kissed me. Ah, it was, a 'wow—you opened the portal' kiss. A thank you kiss.

It was difficult to concentrate on anything, but I managed to get myself together and said, "Well, I'm not sure. A word came to me and I...just shouted it and then, well, here I am." For a moment, only a moment, I was moving in a world of shock.

Shock that I had found the portal. Shock that I had not only been kissed by a vampire and survived, but shock because I wanted more kissing—more touching—more!

However, I am resilient. I shoved my confusion aside and assessed the situation. He had been thrilled and kissed me out of gratitude. That was all it was. So I said, "Okay, then, come on, let's get into the portal and home!"

He turned and looked back toward the place I assumed he had come to think of as his home. "I need to say good-bye to m'friends. They have been here for me for a very long time. I cannae just leave and have them wonder what became of me."

"Right, of course. You go...I'll stay here, right at the spot...and do what I can to keep it open if it looks like it might close." I waved him off as I tried to forget about his kiss still making my body tighten for more.

He nodded and vanished into the lush growth.

I paced as the minutes ticked by and turned into twenty, then thirty, and then one hour. Suddenly, I felt a wave of relief as he returned, grinning like a boy. He took my hands into his and whispered, "Bobbie, did ye miss me?"

That was all he said, but it swept through me like a caress.

I looked away from him to the silver sliver of a portal still shimmering with life and said, "Ready?"

He nodded. I took a step to the narrow portal, squeezed his hand, and started through. As I entered however, I felt our connection break. I was no longer holding his hand as I fell with a loud thump into the library.

Devin—where was Devin? I looked back and saw him standing up against the divider between our worlds. He stood with his fists pounding the invisible wall that was still somehow keeping us apart. His forehead was bent onto the wall.

Why was he still on the other side?

* * * * *

Needless to say, I told him I wouldn't give up and I marched on down to the library.

I was at a loss to understand, so I did the only thing I could—I started ravaging the ancient manuscripts I found there. I was frustrated and feeling damned inadequate when Jeremy stormed into the library, rubbing his hands and asking if we could take some lunch before we headed outside to do the wards.

"Mrs. Tunny left us something. I'll go heat it up in a minute," I said, and watched him stride across to the bar and pour himself a vodka on the rocks.

"Would you like me to pour you one?"

I pointed to my white wine. "Ahead of you."

He sat and sipped and when I returned with two chicken pot pies, I dove into what had occurred earlier with Devin. He rubbed his forehead and said, "Poor bastard. He must have had his hopes up...?" He stared at the shield. "Where is he now?"

"Not sure. I haven't seen him all morning," I said, looking out the window wistfully, wishing he was here on this side. "Jeremy, have you heard any more on Allora?"

"No, nothing. I haven't heard from my men, but I don't expect to until tomorrow morning. Which is a good sign. It means Allora has stayed put for the moment."

"I think we need to..." I started and his phone rang.

He picked it up and nodded, grunted, and said he understood before he clicked off and looked at me. "Allora has called for a meeting with her old vampire clan in London. My men aren't sure what this means. They are trying to find someone who will talk for money."

"Will a vampire do that?" I was surprised.

"One of the vampire underlings would," he said.

I was surprised and frowned over this new development. "This clan wouldn't have an interest in Devin—why would they?" I asked, worried.

"No, I wouldn't think so. It must be something larger than our problem here at MacLeod. All the ancients have humans working for them during daylight hours. My men were able to tap into one of them and get hold of an invitation. At any rate, the invitations were for her clan yes, of which there are only four left. However, the invites also went out to six of the ancients who are not part of her clan."

"Oh, that doesn't sound good," I said, really concerned.

"My men will keep us posted," he said.

We downed our lunch in silence when his phone rang again. When he was done listening, he turned to me and said, "I am sorry. I have to go. I can't leave this client in the lurch. She is elderly and is having trouble with her nephew, who is trying to move her into a senior's home. She wants to remain in her own home and has a nurse in attendance, so I see no reason why she shouldn't. It can only mean her nephew is trying to get hold of her money. I can't put this off."

"Of course you must go," I said with feeling.

"Right..." He got up and looked around, as though he was forgetting something.

"Jeremy...I am often direct—to the point of being nosy, so let me ask. You seem to be devoted to your work and to Devin. Do you not have anyone—anything else in your life?" I was curious about him.

"Ah, it is complicated," he answered, and smiled. "And I prefer simple and easy."

"Meaning no commitments and you have the immortal thing going on. Complicated," I said, nodding. "I get it."

He chuckled. "That and the fact that...well, I haven't been lucky enough to be swept away by any one woman."

"So, you are laying low. I know the feeling." I sighed and pushed back from the table, got up and started to take the dishes to the kitchen.

He jumped up before me and said, "Here, let me."

A twirl of his finger and magically they were gone. I raised a brow.

"All in the dishwasher," he said, and laughed, then touched my shoulder. "Bobbie, I'll be back as soon as I can...and we'll install the wards."

I was nodding when I felt Devin's presence before I saw him and turned away from Jeremy.

Devin stood, his fists clasped at his back, as he regarded us with a frown and asked, "Having fun, are ye?"

Jeremy laughed and answered promptly, "More fun than you are, I'd wager. Have a good sulk, did you?"

"I wasnae sulking, lad. I was working off m'frustration. I went in and helped m'friends with the dam. I told ye, they have trouble cooming from the other side of the realm, and need to shore up their defenses," Devin said sharply.

His deep Scottish accent always seemed to become pronounced when he was distressed. It occurred to me that there were people he cared about in the place he had called home for so very long.

I felt for him. He had almost made it back to his castle. How heartbreaking for him. He had watched me come and go and had been unable to follow.

No wonder he was in the throes of his angst. I couldn't blame him. I had raised his hopes and then dashed them to the ground. I had to make it right. At all costs, I had to find a way to free him!

I walked up to the shield and looked into his blue eyes, blue and tinted with amber in their recesses, and something else was there—humanity. I told him quietly, earnestly, "I have been reading all afternoon, Devin. I will find a way to achieve your freedom."

He ran his hand through his mass of black silky hair, even as his gaze never broke with mine. He put his hand on the invisible wall, and I felt a tentacle of who he was reaching through the border between us. It was as though he touched my face in a caress. What the hell? Was I imagining this?

No, I wasn't. He felt it, too. I saw the expression flit across his face and then he said, "Did ye feel that?"

"Yes...yes, what is happening?" I answered.

"I dinnae know, we have a bond. I felt it from the start—when I first looked at yer face, I felt it. Mayhap because of yer blood...yer grandmother's blood, and connection to her original spell."

That was a slap across the brow.

That was a knife to my belief that we were connected by attraction. No, it was only because I was the one who could free him.

I was filled with a disappointment that stunned me in its intensity. He didn't feel what I felt. He thought, and perhaps rightly so, that our connection was through my grandmother's spell.

After a moment I managed, "I see...yes, of course."

He said, "The answer won't be in the old manuscripts, lass. It will be..." his finger touched his head, "in yer very fine head. The answer is there, in what ye call yer Shama. I know it, ye know it."

He looked away from me and turned to Jeremy. "Any news on Allora?"

I turned to Jeremy as well and noted that he was studying us intensely. At Devin's question, he threw his hands up in the air and said, "As I told Bobbie, she has called for a meeting of the ancients. I have nothing else." He started to collect his things as he made ready to leave.

"The ancients despise her," Devin sneered. "I remember how they treated her, gossiped about her. Why would they allow her to call a meeting?"

"Apparently, what I know from my operatives is only a rumor that she has become Ramon's lover. He was the one that actually called the meeting at her instigation, and requested his other ancient clan leaders hear her out. It is scheduled for this evening, so at least, for now, she is in London for yet another day."

"Ramon? Allora and Ramon?" Devin seemed stunned.

"They were seen in Paris together...often," Jeremy answered. "My men didn't think anything of it at the time...but now that a meeting of this magnitude has been called, they and I think it is of great concern."

Devin paced and when he came back to face us he said, "Allora was always going on and on about vampires being superior to Lycans and humans. She used to tell me to think about a world where we could rule and use humans as food. Keep them alive and working for us and compelled to do our bidding, as well as willing blood donors."

"Impossible," I said.

"Agreed. The vampire clan leaders were content with matters the way they stood. They like their anonymity. Most of them have over-coom their instinct to kill when they feed and manage quite well in the human world. They have developed a complex system of clubs where humans worship them...similar to a cult."

"You mean humans willingly offer their necks?" I was shocked.

"Nae, the ancients and some select vampire members have to use compulsion, which can be time consuming and a drain on their energy," Devin answered quietly.

"Nightclubs? Yes, it all makes sense," Jeremy said.

"But Allora was always interested in how I became a day-walker...I wonder if she means to hold this out as a promise to the Ancient Clan she can deliver on?" Devin said.

"Walking in daylight. Ramon of Vystruc, the head of the ancients, would be interested in that, I believe...if he thinks it's possible."

I waved my hand in some agitation. Jeremy took it and held it tight. "It will be okay." I smiled at him, but all my thoughts were on this new development. Jeremy continued to hold my hand and as I didn't want to pull it away and offend, I left it there for the moment.

"You are a day-walker, Devin," I said. "She would believe you have notes about your experiments...here at MacLeod."

However, Devin was looking at us strangely and said, "Jeremy..."

"Yes?" Jeremy said as he looked Devin's way.

"Ye can release Bobbie's hand now." Devin's voice was low and hard.

Jeremy looked confused for a moment, but dropped my hand and said, "Right." He then rubbed his hands together with some excitement and hurriedly added, "Upstairs...I'll get the notes and take them to a secure place...I know, the safe at my office."

"Nae, lad, that won't work. Allora must never be underestimated. That was m'mistake...it put me here. Once Allora arrives in town, she will find out everything she needs to know by compelling locals for information. She'll find out about ye, about yer last name. Lord love ye, but dinnae ye see? She'll find out ye are Sarah's warlock brother and that ye and I have been, are still working together. She'll go into a rage and then she'll center all her efforts in destroying ye—but nae before she tortures ye for information. Two things we need to do, one, ye need to stay out of her reach by any means ye have, and second, get those notes to me now."

"Yes, I'll get them right now," Jeremy said. "But...how can I get them to you?"

"Bobbie can," Devin said softly.

"Holy shit, yeah!" I realized. "Of course, I may not be able to get you out, but I can bring you whatever you need, and Allora the bloodsucker won't be able to do anything about it!"

He laughed out loud. "Ye do realize, I, too, am a bloodsucker," he said with a rueful grin.

"Yes, but of a different sort. You don't kill and you don't drink human blood," I reminded him.

"Brilliant, lass," Devin whispered. "Ye reminded me that even if she got m'notes, it probably wouldna help the ancients...they have killed and been living on human blood too long for m'formula to work on them."

"Still, formulas can be adjusted. Let's get this one out of their sights," Jeremy said, and excitedly rushed out of the room.

I turned back to Devin. "You know Allora. She does what she wants, but...why go to all this trouble? Why do this—why entice the other ancients with something she might not be able to deliver?"

"She has always wanted the freedom to travel during daylight. She has always wanted feeding to be more than the hunt, something she could have at will," Devin said. "Behind it all, the truth is, she enjoys stirring up trouble more than she cares about these issues. She likes chaos. It is who she is," Devin said irritably.

I wished I could touch him. No, not just touch him. I wanted to fall the hell into his big, strong bear arms!

I had been putting on a brave face, but deep inside I was worried sick. No one wants an ancient and fully charged female vamp on their tail. I sure didn't, and I wanted to free Devin. I said softly, "I am so sorry I haven't found my grandmother's portal spell to free you yet. You should have been able to use that portal with me...I thought I could pull you out with me."

"Nae yer fault, lass, and what ye have accomplished gives me hope, nae dashes it. Ye found a way to create a portal and ye did it with ease. Ye'll find what ye need to free me. I know it. I have given the matter a great deal of thought in the last few hours. It isn't a spell keeping me here. Nae. Yer grandmother used a portal, aye, a specific portal that Allora would nae be able to duplicate. She dinnae spell it to keep me here on this side. Nae. She believed once Allora was gone from Scotland, she would return and open the portal to free me. Work on that premise. Go into yer head and find yer grandmother's style. Find her way of thinking. What I think ye need is to figure out yer grandmother's way of it...something peculiar to her nature."

Here was the problem. I had never known my grandmother. I didn't know her quirks, her likes and dislikes. I wanted to cry.

He must have seen the tears forming in my eyes even before they started to spill because his voice caressed me. "Bobbie." He put his large palm up to the transparent shield and I put mine up as well. "Before ye do anything else, ye and Jeremy must do the Druid Blood Ward around the outside and inside perimeter of the castle. Perhaps it will slow her down at least."

"I will, Devin. I will do that with Jeremy as soon as he returns from his appointment. Then I will find my grandmother's spell and free you. I promise."

"I know ye will, Bobbie lass, I know ye will."

~ Fourteen ~

JEREMY FOUND AND CARRIED piles upon piles of notebooks in his arms as he stampeded into the library, calling out that he found them. He dumped them into my waiting arms and said, "Take them to him. Go, go now, Bobbie. I am late and have to run, and will be back as soon as I can."

I hesitated for only a moment as I looked at Devin waiting on the other side.

Danger! my brain shouted.

You are crossing over into an ocean of uncertainties, but I knew just what I was doing and knew I had to.

The anticipation of being with Devin MacLeod filled me. I have been thinking about him, about his kiss, about his touch, and here I was going to him.

I chastised myself. I was only crossing over to give him his notes. I wouldn't be there long enough for a kiss.

I wanted him to kiss me again and wondered if he wanted to.

Damn, hot damn, I wanted more than kissing. Why was my libido so out of control?

Jeremy broke into my thoughts, "Bobbie...what is it? Why aren't you going through?"

"I..." What could I say? I had to create the portal. I had to go through, and yet I couldn't move.

I reasoned with myself. I had a mission. Get the notebooks to him, get back and work on a spell that would open my grandmother's portal. But I couldn't move, and then Devin's voice caressed me.

"Coom to me, lass..."

His voice was low and hungry. His voice stroked and feathered over my nerve-endings. His words, those simple deeply accented words made my knees weak. At that moment, looking at him, into him, it was as though no one else in the world existed.

I whispered the word that would allow me to go to him. "Ramabien."

At my back, Jeremy exclaimed excitedly, "Egad! I have never been able to create a portal to another realm. Once, I created one between my office and my home...but this?"

The silver sliver was wider this time when it appeared and as it grew wider still, I put my hand inside. I hugged the notebooks to me and stepped through.

I, however, hadn't gotten any better at portal landings. I tripped as I tried to find firm ground. Notebooks flew and flopped out of my hold, scattering around us. I was about to go on my face and tried to recover my balance, but teetered precariously.

Devin caught and steadied me with speed and ease.

Our eyes met and held. All I could think was 'blue', his eyes were so blue, but in their recesses, reminding me what he was—red flames danced.

That should have dissipated any desire I had for him. It didn't. Instead, it drew me to him.

I looked at my black boots.

He said, "As fascinatingly in fashion they must be, I would prefer ye look at me."

My head flew up and I met his intense gaze, but immediately moved away as I bent and began picking up the notebooks.

He scooped them up with his vampire speed and settled them under one arm.

Jeremy said worriedly, "Right...come back now, Bobbie, before the portal closes."

"Nae," Devin answered for me. "She cannae go back just yet. I want to show her something on this side."

"What?" Jeremy asked curiously. "Something that might help her figure out how to open the correct portal?"

"Perhaps," Devin answered with ever a slight smile, and I wondered at it, but said nothing.

Jeremy frowned and seemed reluctant to let it go. "I have to leave. Mrs. Currin needs me and I can't let her down, but are you sure you'll be okay, Bobbie?"

"Don't worry," I answered. "I can reopen the portal if it closes, just as I did now—go do what you have to do and then we'll meet and do the wards."

"Aye, then, Jeremy, later," Devin said, and took my hand with his free one. His smile was enigmatic before he offered, "First, let's get these manuscripts stashed. I have a place apart from m'friends in the town, nae far from here."

As it happened, it was only a five minute walk, but the difference in the landscaping was dramatic. The lush jungle vegetation softened and then vanished. A wide field of tall grass led into a pine forest whose earth was covered in pine-straw.

"How is this possible?" I asked, looking around. "We went from jungle into this beautiful if somewhat dark forest?"

"Conditions in this realm are varied, controlled by Fae magic. As it turns out, the Trinity Realm was dying a few hundred years ago. Apparently, a very potent Seelie Fae Prince discovered them and lent a magical hand. Ye could say he rescued the entire realm. The prince gave them everything they needed to prosper and survive."

"Who was he?" I knew a great deal about the Seelie Fae. My aunt claimed my mother had been friends with a Fae princess. "I know," I interrupted him before he could answer. "It was the legendary Prince Breslyn!"

He looked surprised. "Aye, but how the devil would ye know about him?"

"My Aunt Elle told me stories of the Fae she had learned from my mom...before the accident. I've heard amazing things about Prince Breslyn. He is a Fae legend. Wow, how exciting is this!"

Devin laughed and touched my chin. "There is an innocence about ye that confounds me."

"What does that mean?"

"For one thing...yer beauty slays me, lass. I cannae understand what ye are doing here unattached. Surely ye have been courted and tried? Surely ye must know in this modern age about things beyond...those innocent eyes?"

"I am not innocent," I told him gravely. "I am a modern woman...but you are right. I don't have much experience with uhm...romance. Being an immortal witch has its drawbacks."

We turned a bend in the forest path and a small cabin made of cedar and stone stood in the grassy clearing. A wide front porch with stone pillars ran the length of the cabin. On the raised porch two rocking chairs and a small table looked warm and inviting.

Everywhere you looked there were pots of colorful flowers and unusual herbs. I looked at Devin and asked, "Some of those herbs...you use for day-walking?"

"Aye, and other things," he said mysteriously. He stepped up to the front door of oak and glass and opened it wide. "Nae m'castle, nae MacLeod, but it has served me well all these years."

I stared in amazement and said, "I don't know why, but I had some notion this was a primitive realm...you spoke, I think, once about a tribe?"

"Ah, family members are called tribes here, but their amenities are as modern as you have on earth."

"But...you live out here alone?"

"Aye, early on, I decided that I should," he said.

We were still standing at the doorway. He took my elbow and eased me inside. I felt bold as I stepped within and asked, "Why? Why live alone?"

"I am nae much of a joiner. I have always preferred to be on m'own...even when I was still a human."

He stepped into the center of the open room. I had lagged behind still as I took it all in.

He smiled encouragingly. "Dinnae worry...I dinnae bite." He grinned like a boy and I think, in that moment, I knew I was in love with a vampire.

He gave me space and walked over to a wall cabinet and set all the notebooks and journals inside of it.

I continued to take in my surroundings. The open floor plan allowed for a small kitchen, a round table and chairs, a sofa and coffee table, and of all things, a television.

I pointed. "You watch TV here?"

He laughed. "Now and then. As I said, their amenities mirror yours on earth."

I had expected everything to be primitive, and was certainly taken aback.

At the far end of the open floor plan was an open door. Idly I walked towards it to have a look, and stopped short.

His bedroom. It was his bedroom. The bed was huge. The coverings were gray and black, and hell, I turned and walked away from it.

Another door led to a small but complete bathroom.

I know my mouth was open because he laughed as his finger pushed up my chin to close it. "What do ye find so surprising, lass?"

"Plumbing," I answered at once, ignoring the fact that I could still see his bed. "You have it." I pointed to the bathroom. "Electricity...you have it..." I pointed to the fridge and the ceiling fan spinning slowly above our heads.

He shook his head and gave me a rueful grin. "Right...because as I said, we have all the modern amenities."

"I...when I saw the jungle..." I started to explain.

All at once, I was in his arms.

No warning, no special look, no lead into it...just in his strong arms, against his solid hard body. Vampires were supposed to be cold. If he was, I sure didn't notice. My heat must have made up for it.

He whispered as he lowered his head, "And there it is again, that innocence. Och aye, Bobbie, do ye know how much it means to me that ye trusted me, that ye stayed here on this side, that ye came here with me?"

"I...I..." There it was, my inability to think or speak.

"I'd wager ye have nae idea how much I want ye, lass. I'm burning for ye, I am, and I don't seem to have the will to stop m'self."

He was a vampire I told myself. Logic, my logic got lost somewhere in my mush brain as I looked into his blue eyes.

His mouth covered mine as one hand took my ass and slammed me up against him. His hard-on pressed against my belly and my sex clenched in anticipation of what was next.

He broke away from me and his voice was low and hoarse. "I have dreamed of having ye here in m'cabin from nearly the first moment I saw ye, and now that ye are, I feel m'body and mind shake and tremble for ye." His mouth was on mine again. His tongue sent me to the land of sensations—all good.

He pressed his hard cock against my body and his kiss became another and then another.

He had said he was burning for me. Hell, I was a lit torch reaching for the sky!

Damn, I wanted him. He was the most sensuous man...vampire, I have ever known. I wanted his magical touch to roam all over my body. I wanted his kisses. I wanted to feel him inside of me.

I didn't want conversation. I didn't want that distraction. Words make you think.

I didn't want to delve into consequences.

What I wanted was primal and feral. What I wanted was him, now...here and now!

Off went my tank top. Yup that was me taking it off, and hell, I don't know where it landed because my eyes were on him, my hands were traveling over his bare solid chest.

He growled as he stood back to eye my nipples. My reaction was to lick my lips.

"Bloody hell, ye drive me wild," he said, and his mouth was back on mine as he took control. His hands covered and fondled my breasts and made my knees bend. Everything he did felt right, felt good, so damn good.

His fingers took my taut nipples and did something with them that made my kitten purr for more. His knee parted my thighs, which had been clenching together, and then his knee pressed on my sex and made me gasp with pleasure.

My boots? I don't know how I got them off, but they were gone. My jeans went the way of my tank top. I have no idea how I wiggled out of them.

He picked me up and carried me into the bedroom. No sooner had he laid me on his bed, and he was out of his own jeans, and I watched, enthralled with the size of his cock, as he stepped out of his sandals.

I stared because although I haven't seen too many naked men, I was pretty damn sure there weren't too many built like him.

He was magnificent.

I realized two things: One—he turned me on far more than Thor with his big hammer, and I love Thor. And two—his dick was going to be a job to fit inside me.

Fascinated with his size, I reached for his cock.

He stopped me by taking my hands and raising them above my head, and holding them up by my wrists as he said, "Nae yet."

He bent his head to lick one nipple over and over until I squealed with pleasure as he still imprisoned my hands above my head. His machinations were absolutely tantalizing. He thrilled my body. He destroyed all and any thought of saying no.

I got close to a climax as he suckled one nipple and then the other, and I squirmed, wanting more and more.

"Yer tits, love...are perfect...so perfect. I could suckle here all day...all night." His voice was a gentle caress.

He worked me with his tongue and his talented lips, sending rippling sensations to my clit and as I twitched beneath him, he whispered a promise I knew he meant to keep.

His fangs grazed my nipples, first one and then the other, but it didn't hurt. The buzz it created in me was erotic and made a bran mash of my brain.

"I'm going to taste every inch of ye, Bobbie lass. I'm going to make ye scream m'name when ye go off and ask me to stay and give ye more, and I'll give it to ye. I'll give ye everything ye need and want," he whispered as his lips took mine.

My breath hitched when he lowered his face to my thighs and dove inside and found my clit with his tongue. I arched my back as his tongue did a lap dance inside of me.

He nibbled there and then his fingers joined the party as he found my spot and took me well over the edge.

He was right. I shouted out his name as my body jerked and arched and filled with undeniable release. I squeezed the muscles of my sex to prolong the pleasure, but all at once his cock was there at my opening, parting me wide.

He plunged into me with a groan and said my name over and over as he moved harder and faster and took me to yet another realm. It was beyond anything I have ever known. We were bound to each other in a black sky as rockets went off in my body.

I was lost in a land of pleasure, so much pleasure, and it built up until my pussy clenched around his cock and I called out, "Yes...oh yes..." And yet another explosion took over and rocked me 'til I collapsed in a heap beneath him, unable to move.

His climax was all-consuming as he called my name. But even as he finished, he quickly pulled out of me while I was still enjoying the aftermath. He picked me up and had me on the bed on my hands and knees as he entered me from behind.

I gasped as he rocked me and taught me what fucking really was.

He moved his dick with an expertise that took every nerve in my body and pleasured them. His hard and talented cock produced red-hot blood in my veins and when he said my name, "Bobbie, tell me, lass, what do ye want?"

I called out, "Don't stop...fuck me, Devin...fuck me."

"Aye, I mean to fuck ye 'til neither one of us can move. Bobbie, what a fine ass ye have," he said as he pumped me full of pleasure and fondled my butt.

Suddenly he was moving with a hard rhythm, pulling out, shoving himself back in and he growled when I climaxed again and he spilled his seed inside of me.

We rocked against each other, with one another, before he pulled me cradle-like into his arms and stretched beside me. He pushed my damp hair away from the side of my face and whispered, "I love yer flame colored hair...it's like ye, volatile and hot."

I turned to look at him, but I couldn't speak. I still didn't want words to interfere. I felt his dick against my butt and he was still stone solid. I turned and moved so I could reach, hold, and stroke it.

"Hungry are ye still, m'sweet beauty. What would ye like to be served?"

I answered by pushing him back on the mattress and lowering my head to his exquisite cock. I licked its length and eyed him.

He grinned and said, "Do ye taste us then?"

I still didn't answer. Instead, I began lightly sucking its head, taking more of him into my mouth, more still, down to my throat as he groaned and pushed himself deeper into my mouth.

Caught up in a passion I have never known, I sucked on him with an ardor that took me to a place where I could only feel, where there was only the two of us. I stroked his balls and pressed myself against him as I felt a burning urgency work itself to the top of my mountain.

He made a wild sound as he took me up under my arms and laid me on my back. "Nae yet," he said hoarsely. "First, tell me what ye want. Tell me now."

I had just been about to go off. I felt a craving I couldn't control. "You...in me, that's what I want now."

His blue eyes were bright with flickering red flames in their recesses. His face was drawn in exultation as he positioned his dripping cock at my apex and rubbed, entered, circled, and then plunged deep, and then each thrust seemed deeper still.

He filled me and moved in such a way that there was no holding back as he brought me to that peak and pushed my button.

Off I went in a series of explosions. My muscles clenched around his dick as my body jerked and he called my name as he went off.

I couldn't speak, I didn't want to. Women often worry about what's next. We worry about tomorrow. But right then was all I wanted.

Those other intrusive questions about what was next were banished from my mind as soon as they entered. This was special in the here and now. I didn't have much experience with romance or sex, but just enough to know this was undeniably remarkable.

He had partially collapsed over me, but he soon rolled off, took my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles before he made a low moan in his throat, grabbed my ass with one hand and managed with that vampire strength of his to pull me on top of him and position me.

He held me in place and whispered, "Ye beauty, ye."

I started to push off and said, "I had better be getting back..."

He sat up and as he did, he shifted me so that his cock, still incredibly hard, was between my thighs. My knees and legs straddled his hips. "Ah, lass, I don't mean to let ye out of m'sight. Nae. I mean to fuck ye all through the night so when ye leave, ye won't have any doubts."

"Any doubts?" My breath hitched. "Any doubts about what?"

"About where ye belong," he said, and his hands cupped my face as he leaned in and kissed me as though he could never get enough.

And apparently, neither of us could get enough.

I told myself this is nothing but sex. Only sex.

A moment later he rammed his cock into me even as his hands fondled my bouncing breasts as I pumped and rode him. I leaned backwards as he moved inside of me, his thrusts were ravenous and filled me as I looked down at his handsome face and knew I never wanted this to end.

His hands were all over me. Those fingers of his worked my breasts, my nipples, and my ass. He whispered praise and need as one of his fingers dove into my butt, in and out as his cock worked my clit and I never knew it was possible to go off so often. Damn, hot damn!

And then out of nowhere, the question lit in my brain—how was this going to end?

He held me to him and said magical things in my ear when I suddenly realized I had to get back!

"Devin—I must go. Jeremy is alone at MacLeod and we need to get the wards done..." My gut told me to hurry.

"Ye can't do the wards at night," Devin said. "Ye'll go in the morning...at first light. Stay with me, lass."

I jumped up and though I dearly would have loved to shower before putting my clothes on, I started pulling them on with magical speed.

"I have to get back," I explained as I pulled on my boots.

He frowned and stood and oh my good gosh he was gorgeous, but I was resolute. He touched my face and said, "Of course, lass. Whatever ye want, whenever ye want. But dinnae worry about Jeremy, he knows well how to take care of himself."

"I'm sure...but..."

"Right then," he said, and pulled on his jeans and slipped into his sandals. "I'll walk ye back to the portal."

He scooped me up and we traveled vampire speed to the clear wall between our worlds where he set me on my feet.

"Right then...nothing looks amiss," he said, and dropped a light kiss on my lips.

I stared into the library and breathed a sigh of relief. He was correct. Nothing looked disturbed, and yet—I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

The portal still shimmered, though humans could not see it. "I have to go, but...I will find a way...I know I will, and free you soon."

"Go then, but until ye do...dinnae stay away from me, lass...I dinnae think I could bear it," he said with feeling.

I looked into those blues of his and whispered, "This is crazy...you and I."

"Nae, 'tis right and good and always meant. Say ye will return to me tomorrow," he demanded.

I wanted to. Why shouldn't I? "Yes...but not until Jeremy and I have installed the Blood Wards."

I turned back to the portal, but he stayed me with his hand on my hip. Oh damn, I had to leave immediately or he would tempt away all resolve.

I broke away and dove into the open portal and came out the other side in the darkened library. The stillness all around me should have been a comfort. It wasn't. An uneasiness took over and a shiver shimmied up my spine.

It was then, all at once, that a whiff of something met my nostrils.

I hurriedly closed the portal and stood my ground, ready to take on whatever threatened. Someone was there...in the shadows. I could just make out a form.

A female form.

She stepped forward towards me. She was, of course, alone. No other vampire could enter without an invitation.

I readied myself.

I heard Devin shouting at my back, but I had to concentrate. I didn't have time to do anything but protect myself.

Devin was screaming for me to return to Trinity. He was screaming for Jeremy!

I was frozen in place as I searched the shadows.

She was tall, lithe, and graceful. Her blonde hair was like silk. Her amber lit eyes were alive with fury. Her skin was pale and she had a classically lovely face. She moved with caution, so she was aware I was a witch.

How the hell did she get here? She was supposed to be at a meeting in London?

My Shama was already on the alert, always protective when I was in danger, and damn, I was in danger. I could feel her power.

The ancient vampire Allora stood eyeing me, and she wore a sneer on her face.

Something glinted in the narrow ray of moonlight that shined through the window. A sword. She held a sword. Was this the sword she used to kill my grandmother? If so, it was now even more powerful than it had been. Damn, I was in trouble!

Shit, shit, shit!

* * * * *

I would never leave you hanging:

Here is an excerpt from the first chapter in Craving-Torment

I stepped into the portal and the first thing that hit me as I stepped out and into the library of MacLeod Castle was the stillness.

The room was clothed in the darkness of night. The scent of the leather bound books that usually gave me comfort and excitement—didn't, because another scent met my nostrils and made them flare.

An uneasiness took over and a shiver shimmied up my spine.

It was then, all at once, that the scent became stronger and I knew I was in serious trouble.

I heard Devin at my back screaming my name.

"Bobbie...coom back, now! Bobbie...ye cannae stay there..." he shouted and pounded at the divider.

I hurriedly closed the portal. There was something else in the room with me and I didn't want them to go through the portal.

In the darkest corner I saw someone move. Someone was there just taking a step forward, watching me all the while.

I could just make out a form.

A female form.

The female stepped forward towards me. She was, of course, alone. No other vampire could enter MacLeod without an invitation.

I readied myself. My heart was pounding, as I knew just what I was about to face.

I heard Devin's calls. He was distressed and shouting for me to return to him. I couldn't pay attention to what he was saying. I had to concentrate on facing this threat. There was no running away from it. This threat would follow. I knew I had to zero in on my Shama with all my might if I was going to protect myself.

"Jeremy!" I heard Devin scream his name as he moved off to Jeremy's quarters to get his attention. Devin knew what I was about to face. I don't know how he knew, but he did. Had he managed to pick up the scent or was it gut instinct?

The female moved forward and I could see that she was tall, lithe, and graceful. Her blonde hair was like silk. Her amber lit eyes were alive with fury. Her skin was pale, but she had a classically lovely face. She moved with caution, so I knew she was aware that I was a witch with some power.

"Allora," I said softly.

She did not respond.

Damn, but Jeremy had thought she would still be in London. Had she taken an evening flight? A charter, perhaps?

She was supposed to have a meeting with the ancient vampires of her clan. What had happened? Had that meeting been canceled?

My Shama was already burning with instructions, always protective when I was in danger, and damn, I was in danger. I could feel Allora's power, a might specific to her aura. I concentrated on it, learned its perimeters as my magic scanned her and shielded me.

The ancient vampire Allora stood, eyeing me, but the sneer she wore on her face told me she didn't know who I really was. Oh, she knew I was a witch...but that was all she knew.

Something glinted in the narrow ray of moonlight that shined through the window. A sword. She held a sword of some potency. Was this the sword she used to kill my grandmother? If so, it was now even more powerful than it had been. Damn, I was in trouble!

Shit, shit, shit!

"Allora," I said again, as calmly as I could muster and felt ashamed that my voice was shaky.

"Hello witch," she finally responded. In her hand, pointed at me was a sword of some size. I couldn't help but look at it and out of the corner of my eye, I saw her smile.

I already disliked her for so many reasons, top of which, for beheading my immortal grandmother and taking her away from me before I ever met her.

In that moment, a feeling I have never experienced before entered my heart. Hate.

My witchy senses totally on call and alert, I watched her. It was then that I sensed something was terribly off about her. I blinked to make certain my suspicion was correct.

Oh yeah. My suspicion was correct.

I watched her entire body, sword and all as it faded in and out, right before my eyes. I didn't think this was an optical illusion. I knew better.

Slim rays of moonlight engulfed her as she took another step forward giving me an even better view of her person.

Someone in my head—me actually, whispered, you know what to do. Did I?

LOOK FOR CRAVING—TORMENT

About Claudy Conn

Claudy Conn, a native New Yorker, now lives with her husband, Bob; Rocky Man, who weighs in presently at 190 pounds and their horse, Southern Pride.

She loves horses and riding and raised her ten-year-old gelding Southern Pride from the moment he was born. She also loves gardening, swimming, skiing, hiking, and travel—and of course, reading, writing, but no, she says, no arithmetic!

To get her monthly news, her reviews for all her new paranormal romances, and excerpts, come on and visit her at her website.

To see pictures of their hybrid wolf and his mother Cherokee now gone, have a look at her Facebook page!

