A Druid of Her Own: An Immortal Highlander (Druid Series Book 4) by Mandy M. Roth Page B

sure she was hallucinating. Why else would Rodney be there, staring at her, a wicked grin on his face?
    “Rodney?” Her voice shook as she held tighter to the sword. She wasn’t experienced with one, but she had a pretty good idea that the pointy end needed to be aimed at the bad guy.
    In this case, Rodney.
    He licked his lips, his hair slicked back more than usual. He lifted his arms and she noticed symbols similar to those Kennard had on his torso there. Rodney hadn’t had them before. She’d seen his arms enough when he wore short sleeves to know.
    “Rodney what did you do?” she asked, wanting to run and check on both the wolf and Liam, but she didn’t dare move closer to Rodney or take her eyes off him.
    The darken mass behind him stopped swirling, and when it formed into the shape of a man, she held her breath, already knowing who it would be.
    Athol.
    Maggie took the smallest of steps backwards as her fears were confirmed. Athol reached out, putting a hand on Rodney’s shoulder. He nodded, never looking at Rodney, instead, his gaze on Maggie as he spoke. “You did well, young apprentice.”
    Through a haze, Maggie tried to figure out what he was talking about. Rodney? An apprentice? To what? A porn director, maybe. A demon, hell no.
    Rodney lacked the brains, the drive and, most importantly, he wasn’t a supernatural. She was sure of it. Just as sure as she was that the sun rose in the east. The man was nothing more than a sleazebag.
    A moment of clarity struck. He was a sleazebag who had just shoved an immortal druid off her trailer and she doubted very much that Liam could be moved with any sort of ease. It would take supernatural strength.
    It hit her then like a ton of bricks landing on her chest, taking the very air from her lungs. Rodney was in league with Athol and somehow ended up more than human in the deal. She just didn’t understand what Athol got out of it all.
    Athol lowered his head, and when he looked up again, his face blurred a moment. When it cleared it was no longer snake like but was what she’d term handsome. Strikingly so. Long, red hair hung just past the dark mage’s shoulders and he looked whole, complete, not like the demons she knew him to be. A smile touched his lips but never reached his blue eyes.
    “Daughter, thank you for loaning me your power in my time of need,” he said, his voice missing the soft hiss it held in her dreams. There were faint traces of a brogue there, but nowhere near the extent Kennard and his cousins had.
    She paused, her thoughts landing on what he’d called her.
    Daughter.
    There was a roar behind her and she turned to find Kennard there, stark naked to start with—his clothes materializing on him. His nostrils flared and the cords in his neck worked overtime. He stared out from yellow eyes.
    Wolf’s eyes , she thought, feeling overwhelmed.
    “You lie, Dark Mage,” he snapped, storming up and standing next to Maggie, the feel of his body brushing hers giving her the strength she needed to snap out of her silent funk.
    She tried to hand him his sword.
    He shook his head. “Nae, lass, I plan to kill him with bare hands.”
    Who was she to argue with that? “That’ll work too.”
    Athol’s smile widened and the same unease she always felt around him returned. “You would really kill your father-in-law?”
    “Yer nae related to her,” said Kennard, his voice low, yet powerful. “And how is it you know who she is to me?”
    Tipping his head and lifting his arms wide, Athol turned in a circle and a mist of black power moved around him in a trail. The sound of Maria screaming brought reality crashing in on Maggie. She made a move to run at Athol, but Kennard plucked her up and off her feet, setting her behind him.
    With a huff, she tried again to go around him at Athol. Kennard repeated the steps and then chanced a glance over his shoulder. “Woman, enough.”
    Before she could yell at Kennard, Athol interrupted, “I have always known who