The immigration officer was a woman, and she was all business. “Passport.”
Gage handed them over, his arm still securely wrapped around mine. “Here you go,” he said cheerily, leaning down toward my ear to add, “So good to be off the plane, isn’t it, sweetheart?”
I started, not used to the tone of his voice. But then a traitorous warmth bloomed in my chest. Gritting my teeth, I denied that tiny spark of hope. I wasn’t interested in the slightest, and neither was he. I was determined that there would be nothing else between us but the common goal of the prophecy.
The officer was watching me closely, and I swore that she had a suspicious glint in her eye. “State your purpose.”
“We’re returning home from our honeymoon,” Gage replied, his face and posture relaxed. My body felt stiff and unyielding beside his.
She didn’t respond, instead turning toward me, her eyes boring into my own before flicking down to my passport photo and back up again.
“Is there a problem officer?” Gage enquired into the silence.
A ripple of decisiveness crossed her face before she cut her eyes to Gage. “No, no problem.”
Gage smiled in return, and I breathed a sigh of relief as she stamped our passports without any further questioning and slid them back to us.
“You may proceed. Welcome home.” The latter was said without any warmth.
As we walked through the turnstile, I heard her bark, “Next!”
Gage leaned down and muttered, “For a second there, I thought she was a Null.”
I glanced up at him, not sure if I wanted to hear any more about the legacy I’d been born into, but curiosity got the better of me. “What’s a Null?”
He glanced down at me as he guided us through the main airport lounge. “Nulls are Druids who ingest magic,” he replied. “They cannot perform any themselves but can easily absorb its effects, making it null and void.”
“And why did you think she was a Null?”
“She took forever to be influenced.” He glanced back over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes as he searched the crowd. “I’m still not convinced.”
“Why? You think she might follow us?”
His lips firmed. “You need to learn that not everything is as innocent as it seems. Talorgan has spies everywhere. It’s possible she was planted here to check our return.”
I couldn’t help shivering at the chill that feathered my spine. Being hunted was a foreign concept. I was used to being invisible to everyone around me.
Gage let my shoulder go and veered to the left, gesturing at me to follow him toward the booths of rental agencies. “We need a car.”
I followed him to the Europcar desk. The lady behind the counter looked to be in her mid-thirties.
Gage lent his forearm on the counter and gave her a smile. “Good morning. We’re looking to hire a car for a one-way trip to Perth. Do you have any available?”
The woman stared at Gage, an appreciative look crossing her face as her eyes roved over his muscled chest and darkly handsome features. I could hear the purr in her voice as she said, “I have a range of options for you. Just let me check the bookings.”
She turned to the computer by her side and clicked on her mouse for a few moments before glancing back up at Gage, completely ignoring me. “I have some options. What will it be? Pleasure or business?” she enquired with a knowing smile.
Gage gave her a sensual smile in return. His brooding darkness had lifted into something devastatingly enigmatic and beautiful. The effect of it hit me right in the gut.
“Definitely pleasure,” he murmured.
I felt the flush creep up my neck at the images that arose unbidden into my mind. Biting my lip, I looked away from the woman, not wanting to witness her response to Gage’s husky undertone.
“Perfect. I’ve got a 2019 Chevrolet Corvette. Will that suffice?”
“That’s fine.”
“Great,” she purred. “If you’d care to complete the paperwork and provide two levels of identification, we can do the payment and the keys are yours. Have a seat.”
Gage gestured that I should take a seat first and then sat down next to me to complete the necessary forms. I sat there mute, digesting my response to him. I didn’t understand why I had this reaction—a simmering desire that hovered at the edge of my awareness. Was it the prophecy?
Minutes later, Gage had the keys to the car and we were headed for the car park. I could feel exhaustion taking over, and although it was mental more than physical, I stumbled as we exited the terminal onto the sidewalk. Yet again, Gage caught my arm just before I fell on my face, but my suitcase crashed to the ground.
A woman in a security uniform was standing just outside the main entrance. The suitcase had dropped near her feet. She picked it up and inquired, “You all right there?”
Before I could thank her, Gage wrenched it out of her grasp. “She’s fine,” he responded curtly.
Shocked, I looked from his cold face back to the woman. “There’s no need to be so rude,” I muttered under my breath. Turning to the guard, I murmured, “Thank you.”
But she wasn’t looking at me. She was caught in a wordless stare with Gage.
“You need to back off,” he responded tightly, jaw clenched.
The woman glanced at me as if seeking confirmation that I was safe with him. But before I could reassure her, Gage grabbed my arm and hauled me away.
I looked back over my shoulder at the woman. She had the strangest look on her face as she stared after us.
“She was just trying to help!” I said shortly, struggling to pull my arm from his grasp.
He looked resolutely ahead as he pulled me toward the rental car area, his grip on my arm bruising. “That’s where you’re wrong. Never underestimate anyone. Talorgan has spies at all entry points—rail, plane, boat. It’s inevitable that I would bring you to Scotland.” He paused suddenly and looked down at me. “She was touched, but his hold wasn’t strong. She still had control over most of her thoughts and actions.”
“Touched?”
Gage continued walking, eyes roving the parking lot, searching for our vehicle. “Like James. Spelled, coerced—it doesn’t matter, the outcome is still the same. He reels them in with a promise. If they accept, they are tied to a contract, and must act on his desire like a puppet on a string.”
I was horrified. “And he has the power to control them all the time?”
Gage shook his head. “No. He can’t sustain that connection with every one of his spies at any one moment. He only checks in on them when needed. They’re able to think and act for themselves when he’s not in their heads, but during the time he’s present, they’re at his mercy.”
My god, that kind of power was inconceivable. My breath hitched at my next thought. “Can you do that?”
His voice was low and hard as he shared, “I could if I wanted to—any Druid can. But that’s dark magic and not to be taken lightly. Once you use it, it is irrevocable that you’ll succumb to more. Something breaks inside you. And like a drug, you have no choice but to want more of the same. Many try it, but few survive it. If you prefer freedom over enslavement, I recommend you don’t touch it.”
I inhaled swiftly. “You speak as though from experience.”
His face immediately shuttered closed. “We need to move. We’ve been here too long as it is.”