“Horn-swined louts, these human insects. But I will release the screaming annoyances in the contraption and wash away their memories of this, if you do my bidding.”
Hope percolated inside her, a slow bubble among the scattered mess of her thoughts. “What do you require of me?”
“Go to your man.” Morganna grinned widely. “I have seen to the rest. Do what comes naturally, sweet girl. Good-bye.”
Chapter Ten
Stunned, Anka watched with wide eyes as Morganna made a sweeping gesture with one hand. The people in the SUV seemed to shake their heads, blink, then stammer in confusion. The driver peered about suspiciously, then blustered at the passengers before starting the Land Rover again and rolling over the grassy landscape, growing smaller and smaller until they disappeared into the gray sky. Morganna had wiped their memories clean, and without even looking at them. Who knew what she’d done with the dead? That kind of power made Anka quake.
The potent witch disappeared a moment later, leaving Anka alone on the windswept landscape with a BBC reporter scrambling from her van and grabbing her cameraman’s arm, urging him to run straight for her.
Bad, bad idea, talking to the reporters. And the urge to go home—her real home with Lucan—struck her with more force than lightning. But fear could do that to a person, make them want the gentle comforts of the familiar. Now wasn’t the time. That time might never come again.
She climbed over the low row of stones remaining from the Roman wall once meant to keep the Scots from invading Roman Britain, then quickly ducked behind it. Once crouched behind the ancient stone, she teleported back to Bram’s manor—and, disoriented, she promptly tumbled onto the hardwood floor in a heap.
The whole group of warriors closed in on her, each wearing concerned expressions. Their worry pressed in on her like a vise, squeezing from every direction. Having so many people crowd around her rubbed her wrong. No, it was having so many males close. Uncomfortable. Frightening.
A dizzy wave threatened to take her down. She shook her head, but it wouldn’t clear. When she moved to her feet and stumbled, Lucan reached out to her. Shock got there faster and dragged her against his massive, leather-clad chest.
“What happened?” Bram demanded of her. “Did you see Morganna?”
“Are you all right?” Lucan looked desperate to get his hands on her, reassure himself that she was unscathed.
“Why the fuck did you go to Morganna?” Shock squeezed her tighter. “Bloody barmy.”
Yes, probably.
“’Tis hardly a witch with whom you should toy.” Marrok’s face thundered with both disbelief and disapproval.
But she didn’t really hear him. Someone here smelled good. Scrumptious. Her mouth watered. She moaned softly as blood rushed to her sex with a pleasant tingle. She swelled instantly as she dragged that musky male scent into her nose again. Her folds moistened quickly, pulsing with need. The compulsion to feel his mouth over hers made her want to crawl along each and every one of these warriors until she found the one currently making her senses sing.
She licked her lips and tried to clear her head. Answers. They wanted answers about her encounter with Morganna. Whatever this wave of longing was, to feel the heavy press of his body shoving her to a mattress, driving between her legs, and feeding the inferno suddenly raging there…yes. Please. Who was he? Which male? She whimpered, then stopped herself. No. Morganna and the war and everything that had happened was far more important today. She must focus.
“I saw Morganna.” She couldn’t help herself; she sniffed at Shock. Hmm, that was nice. Her nipples perked up. But was he the man lighting her body aflame? She ran her tongue up a sliver of his chest, bared between the leather jacket, and he shuddered against her. Maybe.
Behind her, Lucan cursed, something low and dirty. Something her body very much wanted to do with him again. Something that made everything feminine in her pulse with need.
Bram wrapped his fingers around her arm in a gentle squeeze and tugged her around. His touch sent pain searing down every one of her nerve endings. She cried out with agony and nearly fell to her knees. “Don’t!”
He released her instantly. “Anka? Are you all right?”
Lucan steadied her, brushing stray hair from her flushed cheeks. “Is your arm hurt, love?”
That delicious scent wafted into her nose again, and she leaned closer to Lucan. She blinked up into his blue eyes, feeling so very hungry. Her vision wasn’t quite working. Everything looked out of focus. But all of her senses urged her to tear off her clothes, strip him down to the skin, and rub against him until she enticed him to cover her with his body and—
“Back the fuck off, MacTavish,” Shock growled and jerked her back against his hard chest, cradling her head against him with a big, rough hand. The zip of his jacket pressed uncomfortably into her ear. But it didn’t hurt nearly as much as her own clothes.
She squirmed, trying to remove the rasp of the fabric from her oversensitive skin, but that only chafed more, like wearing head-to-toe coarse wool. She squeezed her eyes closed and tried to endure the pain of the harsh material scraping her hypersensitive skin over and over.
“Please…” She spoke the words to anyone who would listen. “Hurts.”
“Let go, Shock,” Bram ordered. “I fear Morganna has done something to her. She’s flushed, as if she’s feverish. She’s not— Anka?” He shouted her name as Shock eased up on his hold.
She grimaced. Bram didn’t smell right to her at all. When he tried to take her cheeks in a gentle grip, she cried out and tried to turn her face away. His light touch shouldn’t hurt…but it caused her untold pain. She shuddered and curled into herself.
“Don’t!” Tears welled in her eyes.
“Anka? Love…” Concern rang in Lucan’s deep voice, and she wanted to tell him that she was going to be all right. But it didn’t feel that way.
“That’s it,” Bram said. “She’s burning up. Ice, pop back to your cave and bring Sabelle here. I’ll call for Aunt Millie. We may need them both.”
Why would Sabelle and Millie come? The thought confused Anka, but the need to get away from Bram and closer to whomever smelled so luscious wracked her. Sabelle and Millie… insignificant concerns now.
Moments later, Anka was vaguely aware of Ice disappearing, of Shock cursing, of Lucan peering at her with concern marring his brow. And of that musky, male scent teasing her nose and slowly driving her mad. It shoved all else aside.
“What do you mean, Morganna’s done something to her?” Lucan demanded as the need inside her began blazing so hot, it burned away her senses.
“Hmm.” She tried to sniff him. Was he the one she desired? Too many competing scents. Too much searing desire for logic. “Come closer.”
Instead, Bram pushed him away and forced everyone else out of her space. “Anka, how are you feeling?”