Thorn threw out his hands. “No’ long.”
“I’ll get Darcy.” Warrick turned to retrace his steps back to the cottage.
Ulrik’s voice stopped him. “You might want to bring Thorn with you. I’m sure Darcy is confused and a bit leery. She’s endured quite a lot these last few days.”
Warrick looked over his shoulder at Ulrik. “We’ll meet you here.”
“I’ll need to leave with Darcy straight away. Meet me at the border.”
That was miles away, but Warrick would rather be the one getting Darcy through the Dragonwood than Ulrik.
He nodded to Ulrik and looked at Thorn who moved to his side. They walked away, leaving Ulrik behind them.
“I’m having a hard time deciding if we made the right decision,” Thorn said.
“Ulrik knew Con would kill her. Ulrik knew and we didna.” Warrick shook his head in frustration. “How did I no’ see what Con’s move would be?”
Thorn threw him a hard look. “I didna either.”
“Do you believe Darcy?”
“I believe all she’s done is unbind Ulrik’s magic. I doona think she had a hand in anything else he’s done,” Thorn added.
Warrick breathed easier. For a moment, he thought Thorn might have been sent by Con. “Are we the only ones?”
“I doona think anyone wants to kill Darcy, but the thought of ending all of this shite we’ve been going through is too good to pass up.”
“Killing Darcy willna stop Ulrik. He still has magic.”
Thorn nodded. “Aye. Without Darcy, he willna have the full force of his magic, but he has enough to still cause problems.”
“Just no’ enough to challenge Con or come after the rest of us.”
“It’s taken millions of years, but Ulrik found a way to get his magic back. How long do you think it would be before he found another Druid to help him if Darcy died?”
Warrick glanced at Thorn as the cottage came into view. “Hopefully just as long.”
Thorn chuckled. “Do you think we could get that lucky? Because I doona. We ran out of luck the day we bound Ulrik’s magic. It’s just been a matter of time before it all came back on us.”
The conversation halted as they approached the cottage door. Warrick was the first to enter. He found Darcy sitting on the sofa dressed and staring into the fire.
“That’s a lot of wood you found,” she said without looking at him.
Warrick didn’t try to lie about not having any wood. He stepped aside to let Thorn enter. Warrick closed the door and said, “We’ve got a problem, Darcy.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
Warrick exchanged a look with Thorn. He didn’t like Darcy’s glib attitude. Warrick walked to the sofa and sat on the edge, facing her. “I know you doona believe me, but I’m on your side. I doona think you did anything more than unbind Ulrik’s magic.”
She didn’t so much as look at him.
Warrick took a deep breath and tried again. “Darcy, I brought you to Dreagan because I knew the Dark wouldna be able to get to you. Con wanted to talk to you, but I didna realize he would harbor such…” He paused, searching for the right word.
“Hate?” Darcy supplied.
Thorn moved to stand in front of the fire to lean a hand on the mantel. “Con has never been particularly happy that any of the Kings found mates. I’ve only ever seen him this angry at one other mortal.”
Darcy slid her gaze to Thorn. “Ulrik’s woman. Con is going to kill me, isn’t he?”
“He’s going to try,” Warrick said. As soon as her fern green eyes looked at him, he let out a little sigh. “I’m no’ going to let him hurt you.”
“What do you suggest?” Darcy asked. “Have the Dark stopped looking for me? Can I leave?”
Warrick took her hand in his. “Ulrik is here. He is going to get you away from Dreagan.”
“Where can he take me that will keep me from the Kings and the Dark?”
Thorn dropped his arm from the mantel and crossed them over his chest. “I’m guessing his shop in Perth for the time being.”
“Just until I can talk some sense into Con, and then I’ll return for you,” Warrick said. “I’m no’ going to force you to go. This is your life. You need to dec—”
“I’ll do it,” she said and got to her feet. “Take me to Ulrik.”
CHAPTER
FORTY-ONE
It was everything Darcy could do not to break down in tears again as soon as Warrick returned to the cottage. His arrival wasn’t a surprise. However, she had been more than taken aback by his and Thorn’s talk of Con coming to kill her.
Before she could get a handle on that, Warrick told her he wanted her to leave with Ulrik.
Darcy had already decided to go to Ulrik after their text messages. Now she didn’t have to sneak out and worry about Warrick finding her. But that didn’t make leaving him any easier.