Shoulder the Skye (Skye Druids #2)(70)
Author: Donna Grant

 

Sydney flashed white teeth. “I see you brought a friend again, Bron. I thought you might, which is why I brought my own.”

 

The shape of a woman took form in the shadows at the side of the house. The figure never looked at Bronwyn. Instead, her eyes were locked on Elias, her hatred palpable. Bronwyn didn’t need to ask to know it was George. They had expected her to be in attendance, and it only fanned Bronwyn’s anger.

 

George stopped on the other side of Jacob, her hands in her pockets as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “No more hiding, Elias. You’re going to pay for your sins.”

 

“You want justice for the murders,” Elias told her. “I understand. But it wasna me.”

 

George shrugged one shoulder. “You should’ve turned yourself in. You might have stood a chance in court, but you made it plain that you weren’t going to play by the rules.”

 

“Rules?” Bronwyn snapped at the newcomer. “You haven’t been playing by the rules. Shall we discuss your sins, seer?”

 

George’s dark eyes narrowed on her. “Tonight isn’t about me.”

 

“Oh, you ensured it was when you showed up,” Bronwyn threatened.

 

George pulled her hands from her pockets and quirked a brow. “You don’t scare me, drough.”

 

“That’s your second mistake,” Bronwyn stated.

 

George snorted. “It’s two against five. You’re outnumbered. Give up while you still can.”

 

“You might want to count again,” Elias said.

 

Bronwyn heard movement behind her. A heartbeat later, the sound of the other door to the SUV opening filled the silence.

 

“That’s five against five, in case you were wondering,” Sabryn declared from somewhere behind Bronwyn.

 

Sydney’s smile slipped a little. “You found more friends, Bron.”

 

“How ‘bout we shut up and get to this?” Jacob interjected.

 

Finn laughed. “Wait your turn. Your time is coming, mate.”

 

“You know, Bron,” Sydney said, contempt in his words and bearing as he took a step toward her, “you could’ve had it all, but you had to go and fuck everything up.”

 

Bronwyn’s magic pooled in her palms as the black ball of wrath intensified. She lifted her hands a second after Sydney, so she didn’t block his magic completely. Enough of it slammed into her that she went down on one knee.

 

Chaos reigned all around her as magic flew from one side to the other, but she wasn’t worried about anyone but the man who had murdered her father. Bronwyn got to her feet slowly, the magic coursing in her so fast it could barely be contained in her body. She saw Sydney’s eyes widen a fraction before she sent a surge of magic toward him.

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

 

 

 

 

 

Elias dug in his toes as he was shoved backward in the gravel. He fought for breath after the assault of George’s magic. There was no mistaking the hatred in her eyes directed at him. He’d had enemies before, but no one that came close to her. What made it worse was that he was innocent. There was no talking to her, though. He accepted that.

 

The only way he would unravel the mayhem he was embroiled in was to first subdue George. Running from his issues had never solved anything. He should’ve realized that sooner. Now, look where it had gotten him.

 

Elias pulled back his right arm and shoved it forward, hurling magic at George. He didn’t put his full force behind it because he didn’t wish to kill her. She, however, had no such compunction. Just as his shot landed on her shoulder, his knee buckled from another strike.

 

He rolled to the side and came up on his knees before releasing a blast. George cried out as she spun backward. Elias used the opportunity to get to his feet and glance at the others. As usual, Finn had gotten close to his opponent while Carlyle kept his distance. Sabryn used varying tactics to keep her adversary guessing. And Bronwyn was holding her own.

 

Her anger concerned Elias, though.

 

He didn’t get a chance to do more as his focus returned to George.

 

 

 

 

 

“Dammit!” Rhona shouted as she slammed her hand against the steering wheel while speeding along the roads as she raced to Carwood Manor.

 

This was one of those times when Balladyn’s teleportation ability would’ve come in handy. She was wasting precious time driving when she could be defusing a volatile situation.

 

Or engaging in battle.

 

“Dammit!” she said again.

 

Every time she thought she was coming into her own as leader of the Skye Druids, something happened. How had Corann handled it? How had he known how to react and what to do? Rhona knew it would take time. Corann had been leader for hundreds of years. No one knew the exact age of the now-dead Druid, but it had been far longer than any human should live.

 

And no one had ever discovered how he had lived so long.

 

Rhona didn’t care about that. She just wanted to be the kind of adviser Corann had been. People had trusted him, respected him. She was still trying to earn that among many of those in the community. What irritated her most, was had Elias not phoned her, she would never have known about Bronwyn’s problems, the battle, or George’s involvement.

 

The more Rhona discovered about Georgina Miller, the more unsettled she became. Something wasn’t right about George—or her arrival on the island.

 

Rhona nearly missed a sharp curve. She jerked the wheel and slammed on the brakes, making her tires squeal as she fought to stay on the road. Her heart jumped into her throat and time slowed for a split second before she got her vehicle back under control. Balladyn’s name was on the tip of her tongue.

 

She could call him. He’d come immediately, but despite being the Warden of Skye, he was, first and foremost, a Reaper, beholden to Death. It was only by Erith’s goodwill that Balladyn was able to spend as much time with her on Skye as he did. Rhona couldn’t call him back every time something upset her. She needed to be able to handle things herself. And she could only do that if she stood on her own.

 

Rhona spotted the entrance to the Stewart estate as she came even with it. She had to slam on her brakes again and wait until the car slid to a stop before throwing it into reverse and pressing the accelerator. Then she shoved the gear into drive and turned the wheel rapidly onto the gravel-lined driveway.