Chapter 6

Sleep had not come easily to Decker. His interaction with Adriana had left his nerves jangling. He’d thought a workout on the heavy bag would help. It hadn’t, and the run in with Greg and then Colby had made matters worse. Just as he began to drift off, there was a knock on the door.

“Captain? Captain?”

Decker rolled off the bed, glancing down at the tented front of his sweatpants. Maybe he should have taken a very cold shower before trying to go to sleep.

Swinging open the door, he growled, “What?”

The young, recent recruit jumped backwards. “My apologies, Captain, but the alpha has requested to see you. He said it was an urgent security matter.”

“Fuck,” said Decker rubbing his face. “Any idea what it is?”

Decker left the door open and stepped back into his room, shucking off his sweatpants, ignoring his massive hard-on which he desperately wanted to sink into the Irish witch before tearing Eoghan O’Shea’s claiming mark from her throat and bestowing his own. Oh god—he really needed a woman. It had been far too long, and the witch was far too tempting and way out of his league.

“Apparently the witch…”

“Her name is Adriana. Spread the word through the ranks that I’m tired of hearing her called ‘the witch.’ She has a name and is a member of this clan.”

“My apologies, Captain. I’ll see the rest of the men get the message. Apparently, Adriana went into the village…”

“With who?”

“Uh, no one as far as I can tell.”

Decker swung around as he pulled up his jeans and tucked himself inside before buttoning the fly. “The girl has been kidnapped and taken prisoner at least three times as far as I know, and she’s just allowed to wander about on her own?” He shook his head. “From here on out she doesn’t leave the abbey without my permission or that of the alpha or beta. Clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“So, has she managed to get herself taken prisoner again?” Decker pulled on a loose V-neck sweater.

“No, sir. But she did come back from the village with a black SUV in hot pursuit. The tower guard saw them coming so we were able to open the gate let them in and then block the gates with a line of armed men. The men in the SUV decided they didn’t want to try us.”

“Good thinking both on your part and theirs.”

The young man grinned at him. “Yes, sir. I don’t much like their chance for having survived if they’d opened fire. After they drove off, we got the gates closed. Adriana—should we call her Ms. Mulroney or Beta?”

“This clan is pretty informal. I think Adriana will do. And she isn’t beta here. She is one of two betas that the Shadow Sisters have. Anything else I need to know?” He said sitting on the edge of his bed and pulling on his boots.

“Uh, yeah, sorry. She had a young girl with her. She was scared and her clothes looked like they had blood on them. She headed up to the alpha’s office. I followed and Colby told me to come get you.”

Decker nodded. “Good job. Return to your post. Pass my compliments on to all of those involved in keeping Adriana and the girl safe. You did your jobs well.”

He walked briskly down the corridor to head towards Colby’s office. Normally, as captain of the guard he would either sleep in a building attached to the barracks or up in the main house if the clan didn’t use a separate barracks system. The abbey had a kind of combined system where bachelors had a kind of barracks with semi-private rooms and married members of the guard had small houses. Colby had wanted him in the main house upstairs in what would normally have been the beta’s quarters. As the clan’s beta was also Colby’s mate, those rooms had been available.

Decker had declined the beta’s chambers, taking for himself a large room on the ground floor, which had an attached bath. He’d wanted to be closer to the action if someone managed to get inside the main building of the keep. The room was enormous and had beautiful stained glass windows as well as French doors leading out into a private courtyard that ended at the edge of the precipice that fell to the sea.

He knocked and then opened the door to Colby’s office without waiting for a response. The sense of buzzing bees and dizziness assaulted him immediately upon entering. His thoughts wandered back to Greg’s announcement that he, too, was experiencing the same sensations in Adriana’s presence. Instead of discussing it with the amiable doctor like any civilized man might have done, he’d allowed his feral wolf to take control and had almost beaten Greg to a pulp before choosing to ignore the issue and leave. The fact was he hadn’t trusted himself enough to remain in close proximity to Greg.

He”d meant to do some research to try and get to the bottom of things, but his mind had been too chaotic to focus on dry texts long enough to come up with any answers. Between the nagging headache that had remained and having to read the same thing three or four times, Decker had decided to go get some rest and try again later. Only sleep and rest had been elusive and then Colby had summoned him.

Reality intruded upon his musings, and he realized Colby had been talking; only Decker hadn’t been listening. He’d need to see if he couldn’t fake it until he figured it out. He had to focus. Colby’s lips were moving, but Decker couldn’t seem to comprehend what was going on. Something about a kid. Adriana had stolen a kid? What the hell was she thinking? He looked at Adriana in horrified fascination. The witch not only needed a mate, but she also needed a keeper. Luckily for all of them, Decker was certain he could do both. He had to shut down that line of thought, though. He needed to focus on what his alpha wanted, not what his cock wanted.

His eyes traveled down the voluptuous body of the woman he was now convinced was his fated mate. Wrapped around her and using Adriana to shield her from the others in the room was a child. The little girl was terrified, and his man had been right. The jacket she wore was covered with large splotches of blood.

“I was sitting in the church in the village…” Adriana started.

“She took one of the vehicles and went into the village without permission,” Decker informed Colby.

Adriana turned on him. “Last time I checked, Captain, I was free to come and go as I pleased. And it’s my understanding that the vehicles were available to all members of this clan, of which I am a member.”

“As much fun as it might be to watch you two spar, I think you’re frightening our guest,” drawled Colby.

Adriana turned back to Colby, ignoring Decker. “Of course, you’re right, Colby. In any event, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted—” Colby chuckled softly “—my friend here came running into the church, covered in blood and obviously afraid. My only thought was to get her to safety. I haven’t had a chance to find out much as the guards outside hustled me inside. I do know her name is Erin.”

“I understand the instinct,” said Colby, “but you can’t just go around stealing children.”

“I didn’t steal her. It was obvious she needed help.”

“I understand that, and I don’t disagree, but we don’t know anything about her. We don’t know who she belongs to…”

“We don’t have to know any of that to know she’s in trouble and needs our help…”

Colby and Adriana continued to argue heatedly, both completely unaware of the child’s growing distress. The little girl covered her ears, trying to drown them out. Decker crossed quietly to her, squatting down and speaking softly to the girl.

“Don’t mind those two. They often argue about nothing at all. You shouldn’t take it too seriously. I doubt it’s about you at all.”

“But it is,” the little girl said.

Decker reached up to take her hands down and hold them in his own. “Not really. See, Colby’s mad that Adriana went out without letting anyone know. And Adriana’s mad…” he stopped and looked up at her as she and Colby looked down at him, “because she’s not sure about a lot of stuff that’s going on, and there are people trying to hurt her. She’s not sure who she can trust. We’ve told her she can trust us…”

“But if she doesn’t know you, she doesn’t know if she can trust you.”

“Exactly. And sometimes the rest of us, including me, forget that.”

“Well, maybe you should keep trying to show her…” the little girl looked up at Colby, “because if she’s scared and you yell, it makes her more scared.”

Decker nodded. “I think you may have figured out what the rest of us couldn’t. Thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome,” said Erin, wiping at her tears.

Decker took the hem of his sweater and wiped them away. “You’ve helped us so much. Won’t you let us help you?”

“What if you can’t?” Erin asked.

“We won’t know unless you tell us and let us try. Did you see those guys with the guns that kept the SUV from following Adriana?” Erin nodded. “They work for me. And their only job is to keep all of us who live here in the abbey safe.”

“I don’t really know why they wanted to hurt me, but the bad man says they were hunting a witch. A witch who belongs to him.”

“Do you know the name of the bad man?” he asked.

She nodded. “His name is Eoghan.” Erin leaned over, cupping Decker’s ear. “He’s not all human.”

Decker nodded solemnly, trying to comfort the frightened child while controlling the wolf that prowled the corners of his mind, growling and snarling.

“I know. Eoghan O’Shea is a wolf-shifter. He can shift between his human self and his wolf self.”

“You believe me?” Erin asked, incredulously.

“That wolf-shifters exist?” Decker chuckled. “I do, indeed. I am one. So is Adriana, and Colby is a lynx-shifter—a far inferior species. How did you come to know O’Shea?”

“You’re a wolf-shifter? Are you bad, like Eoghan? And is she really a witch?” asked Erin, pointing at Adriana.

Adriana kneeled down next to her. “I am. Decker isn’t lying to you. He really can turn into a wolf. He’s good, though—not like Eoghan, at all. He’s very strong, and he’s the leader of all the men whose job it is to protect the abbey. He takes his job very seriously.”

“Do you really belong to O’Shea?”

“No; she doesn’t,” growled Decker quietly. “O’Shea is one of the bad men who kidnapped her. He turned her into a wolf-shifter without asking her. Good wolf-shifters don’t do that, and we stand against those who do. Why did he take you?”

“He didn’t.” Her eyes teared up. “He was trying to when I felt I should go into the church. Normally, I don’t go into churches.”

Adriana smiled. Decker was pretty sure it was the first time he’d ever seen a genuine smile cross her face.

“Decker’s right. Good shifters don’t kidnap anyone, and they protect those from people who do. You’re a witch, aren’t you?” asked Adriana. The little girl nodded. “Why don’t you tell us what happened?”

“The last thing my grandmother told me was to find you and ask for your help,” said Erin.

“These two seem to forget that I am alpha here,” said Colby amiably. “How about we get you cleaned up and find you something to eat. Are you hungry?” Erin nodded again. “I thought you looked like you were. You need to know you are safe here. You’re now a part of my clan, and we will protect you. My beautiful mate and the fiercest woman I’ve ever known is about to open the door.”

Brie entered without knocking. She smiled upon seeing the little girl. “I’m Brie,” she said, extending her hand. The little girl took it. Decker had noticed Brie had a way of making people feel comfortable with her. It was a trait he greatly admired.

“Sweetheart, why don’t you take Erin over to Greg’s and have him take a look at her. I’ll have some clean clothes sent over for her.”

Brie nodded. “You can come over and join us. Maybe we’ll walk down to the stables. Do you like horses, Erin?”

“I do.”

“Good. Me, too. Then the three of us can come and join Adriana and Decker for lunch. Do you like shepherd’s pie?” Erin nodded enthusiastically. “Good. Colby, you’ll join us soon?”

“Yes, sweetheart. I just want a quick word with Adriana and Decker.”

Brie walked out hand-in-hand with Erin. Adriana stood up, wiping at her eyes.

“What do you know that you didn’t want to say in front of Erin?” asked Decker.

Adriana looked between Decker and Colby. “How do you know that?”

“I suspect Colby called for his mate down the link. He’d only do that if he’s put together what happened to Erin or who she is.”

“Both,” said Colby. “Her name is Erin O’Leary.”

“The O’Leary’s are one of the oldest covens in Ireland. They’re small but they’re powerful,” supplied Adriana.

“Not powerful enough to stop O’Shea and his pack from descending on them. The story is they came out of nowhere in the black hours just before dawn when everyone was asleep and vulnerable. We’d heard they were all killed—every last one of them slaughtered. Maeve O’Leary wasn’t found with the rest of them. She was found in a ring of fairy stones. She must have known she had limited time and managed to spirit her granddaughter away.”

Adriana turned away and walked to the window, looking out. “It would have taken the last of Maeve’s life force to slow Eoghan and his goons enough to get Erin away. She used the fairy ring to amplify her power. Maeve must have sent her to me…”

Her voice trailed off as she continued to look out the window as a storm began to roll in off the ocean.

“Or maybe just to us here at the abbey. She had to know there was no love lost between O’Shea and the clan. I’d better go see what I can do to help. You two see what you can figure out. Brie, Erin, and I will be back in a bit.”

The door closed and Decker was left with Adriana. “Want to tell me why you got so quiet and tearful?” She looked at him and he could see the lie forming. “Don’t lie to me, Adriana. I’m already pissed at you for kicking me in the nuts this morning and then running off into town.”

He watched the myriad of emotions race across her face: anger, fear, guilt and finally resignation. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the window and began to speak softly. “The O’Leary’s are related along the same maternal bloodline to the Mulroney’s. They aren’t direct descendants of the banshee’s but there is a familial connection. O’Shea went after them to try and get to me. He wiped out Erin’s entire family to get to me. Banishing me is probably what saved my own coven. It was Maeve who took me in when I managed to get away from Eoghan; Maeve who contacted the Shadow Sisters. And they’re all dead because of me. I swear if it’s the last thing I do, I will keep Erin safe, and I will see O’Shea dead.”