Peg took another long drink and handed the canteen to
him, looking him directly in the eyes. “You made your first
mistake when you boarded my boat,” she said with utter
calm, “your second mistake when you hit me, and your third
when you left Peter and Jacob in the middle of the fiord. But
trying to take me to Canada with you is as good as signing
your own death warrant, Chris. Doubt me or the magic or
whatever you want, but I’m actual y trying to save your life.”
He turned away with a snort and started walking—
although he didn’t jerk the rope this time. “Just shut the hel
up and make sure to keep up with me if you don’t want your
neck looking like your wrists.”
Peg stumbled after him with a stifled curse, having to
grab trees to keep from fal ing, as her legs felt like rubber
and she was so dizzy that she could barely see straight.
Dammit, she’d nearly had him convinced to leave her
behind.
And where in hel was Duncan, anyway? He’d promised
to keep her safe once he got hold of the magic, so where in
hel was the relentless man?
Duncan stood in the darkness of the night with his
back against a large pine tree, undecided if he wanted to
kiss Peg for her genius or shake her until she apologized
for scaring ten years off his life by pushing Dubois nearly
past the point of reason. Didn’t she realize the bastard
could have simply kil ed her to be rid of the stone she’d
become around his neck? Hel , according to what his
mountain had told him, even Aaron Jenkins had realized his
partner in crime was losing his grip on reality and had run
off to Canada over a week ago—right after their botched
attack on Duncan’s house site.
And Peg was wrong; Dubois’s first mistake had been
spray-painting her van, his second burning her house, his
third trying to run them off the road. And the bastard had
signed his death warrant the moment he’d boarded her
boat. As for striking Peg and leaving the twins alone in the
middle of the fiord … wel , that had guaranteed his death
would be slow and painful. Duncan was so goddamned
angry, he wasn’t going to need his mountain’s help, either.
He was about a hundred yards up the trail ahead of them,
but he’d mastered the magic enough that he might as wel
be walking beside them, he was so attuned to Peg. Her
every thought, every emotion, every twinge of pain she felt
was like he was inside her skin.
Christ, she was brave. And scary smart. And so
goddamned contrary she hadn’t heard one thing he’d been
trying to convey to her because she’d been too focused on
rattling Dubois. Hel , he could openly hear her now as they
approached, stil pushing the man to the edge of reason
even as Duncan felt she was on the verge of col apsing.
“Did you know Livy Baldwin’s new husband is an
honest to God wizard?” he heard her ask as they drew
nearer. “Mac’s the one who caused the earthquake. He’s
also the boss of al the drùidhs who guard al the Trees of
Life. One of those Trees is growing right here in Maine,
someplace around Pine Creek, I think.” She snorted. “Gee,
Chris, maybe you should cut it down so you could buy a
new truck and driveto Canada.”
“Shut up!” Dubois shouted just as they passed Duncan,
the bastard jerking the rope around Peg’s neck—making
her cry out as she stumbled.
To hel with just shaking her, Duncan decided; he was
putting the reckless woman over his knee. After, that is, he
kissed every scratch and bruise on her body.
He silently drew his sword and stepped into the trail,
creeping up behind Peg to cover her mouth with his hand
as he sliced the rope with his blade—only to have her go
boneless in his arms with a silent sigh of relief. He lowered
her to the ground and continued on, snatching up the
dangling rope and giving it a hard jerk.
Dubois turned with a snarl, but stopped in midstep when
the tip of Duncan’s sword pressed into his chest. “Fuck,”
the man hissed, going perfectly stil .
Duncan lifted the bastard’s chin with the tip of his sword.
“For the record,” he said quietly, “your very first mistake
was getting aggressive with Peg two and a half years ago.”
He lowered the tip to Dubois’s windpipe just above his
col arbone. “Your last and ultimately fatal mistake, however,
was not walking away just now when my wifewas sincerely
trying to save your life.”
“Um, Duncan?” Peg rasped from the darkness behind
him. “I real y wish you wouldn’t do anything when you’re this
angry, because I real y don’t think I can deal with more
magic than we can handle right now.”
“You heardeverything I was conveying to you?” he
growled without taking his eyes off of Dubois. “And yet ye
stil continued to goad the bastard?”
“I … I liked your idea of turning him into a dung beetle,
even if it was just a fleeting thought. But I don’t think you
should turn him into anything Leviathan could eat, because
that might give the poor whale bel y cramps or something.”
Christ, she was going to be the death of him—or else his
salvation. Not knowing if he wanted to laugh or roar,
Duncan dropped the tip of his sword to the ground between
his feet and crossed his wrists over the hilt with a sigh,
watching Dubois slowly raise his hand to his throat. “Then
what do you suggest I do with him?”
“I … I don’t care, just as long as you don’t offend
Providence.”
“Ye like the wilderness, do you, Dubois?” Duncan asked
as he watched the wide-eyed man inching backward.
“Y-yes.”
“Then enjoy the rest of your life, you stupid bastard,”
Duncan growled as he final y released the magic.
The light of a thousand suns shattered the air with a
thunderous boom, the powerful percussion shaking the
ground in echoing rumbles. Commanding the whorls of
vibrant colors to gather in a howling tempest of tightly
focused energy, Duncan smiled in satisfaction when
Dubois simply vanished, the man’s scream of terror fading
into the nighttime sky with the retreating vortex. The light
dissipated as suddenly as it appeared but for the few
sparkles he commanded to il uminate the immediate area,
and the forest fel silent but for the whispered litany of
“ohmigods” coming from behind him.
Duncan slid his sword into its sheath as he turned and
walked to Peg, shedding his backpack to kneel on the
ground beside her. Christ, he almost wished he hadn’t kept
any of the light when he saw the bruises and scratches on
her face. He drew in a shuddering breath at the sight of her
raw and bleeding wrists when she raised her hand to cover
her swol en eye as if she were embarrassed.
“Aw hel , Peg,” he whispered thickly, careful y lifting her
into his arms. He turned to sit leaning against a tree and set
her on his thighs to cradle her against him. “I’m so sorry I
wasn’t able to bend time enough to stop this from ever
happening.”
“P-please tel me Peter and Jacob are okay.”
“They’re better than okay,” he said as he slowly
unbuckled her life vest. “Your sons are brave, strong young
men, lass.” He sat her upright just enough to careful y slide
the vest off her shoulders, hesitating when he heard her soft
hiss of pain, then final y got it off and tossed it away. “They
managed to get the motor started,” he continued
conversational y as he unbuttoned her blouse, “right after
Leviathan helped them get Hero into the boat. Then the
whale steered them toward home despite their
determination to go after you themselves.”
He slipped off her blouse, being extra careful as he