Page 105 of Into The Light

“What is it?” Lothaire asked, powerful eyes scanning our surroundings. His muscles twitched at the ready, but Thorne just lifted his hand to stay him.

“We’re here.”

It was only then I realized we approached the side of a large lake. From what they had gathered from the little available information, the Picts were living here on a hidden island in the middle of this lake. It took me some time to process that a magical barrier concealing an entire village of people was even a possibility, but one look around at the six-hundred-year-old vampires surrounding me and I realized anything was possible.

This proud people, after having their pact with Aiden’s clan implode, had taken what was left of their tribes and conglomerated on an island. Instead of having immortal guardians to protect them from the clans slowly eradicating them, they had used their powers to hide away their island. It was invisible to anyone who wasn’t a Pict, keeping them hidden away.

Thorne scanned the surroundings again. “This is the lake. They should be in here.”

“You’d better be right,” Lothaire grumbled and cast a glance to Aiden, who faded fast. “We don’t have much time.”

“Get the rafts.” Thorne hopped off his horse and gestured for the rest of us to do the same.

Mark hopped down and pulled the yellow inflatable rafts out from the bag behind the cantle of his saddle. Annella flashed to his side, and in moments, they had the rafts unrolled and blown up. Watching Mark move with vamp speed still stole my breath away.

“We’re here,” I said, moving to Aiden’s side. His blue eyes blinked open at me and he forced a smile. Lothaire stepped up beside me and put his arms around his brother’s waist.

“I’ve got you,” he said, lowering Aiden from his horse and pulling him into his arms. I stayed at his side while Lothaire carried him to the raft now sitting at the lake’s edge. Settling down onto the rubber floor first, I waited as Lothaire laid him down, his head now resting in my lap.

“We’re almost there, baby. Just hang on,” I whispered and brushed a lock of hair from his face.

“I love you,” he whispered back, his voice barely audible.

“I love you more. Just stay with me.”

Lothaire pushed our raft forward, the gentle waves lifted us as we slid off the beach. He hopped in beside me and Thorne climbed in beside him. Mark, Grizella and Annella climbed into the other raft and pushed off after us. Thorne grabbed the paddles and rowed us out into the lake. We floated across the water, the moon shimmering white over the ripples our boat made while we continued farther and farther from the shore. Aiden rested in my lap, and I watched his chest rise and fall, praying it would continue and that we weren’t too late.

A cool mist crept across the water and swirled around our rafts. A shiver of fear slithered down my spine and goosebumps rose on my skin. I wasn’t sure if it was the coolness of the fog or the eerie feeling settling into my gut causing them. With each push through the water the fog thickened until I couldn’t see Mark’s boat just feet away from us.

“We’re here,” Thorne said.

“Now what?” Lothaire asked, shooting a glance to Aiden. “We’re running out of time.”

“We wait.”

Lothaire growled. “We don’t have time to wait. He’s dying!”

Thorne glanced at Aiden and nodded, his eyes acknowledging the urgency. “Hello!” he called out into the mist. “We need your help! Please!”

We sat bobbing on our rafts, all eyes searching the fog surrounding us on all sides.

“Please! We know you’re there! We need help! We are your descendants and he will die without your help!” Thorne called out again.

Only the slapping of the waves on our rubber boats answered.

Lothaire rose, remaining steady as the boat rocked beneath him. “I am Lothaire Mackay!” His voice rumbled through the chilled air. “Son of Donnghail Mackay and chief of Clan Mackay! You did this to us! It is your curse that brings us to you now. Now show yourselves!”

I held my breath while I waited for a response. A gust of wind blew across the water, sending the mist swirling around us before it pushed apart the fog. A breath trapped in my lungs when the lifting fog revealed the beach of an island just in front of us.

“Holy shit,” I whispered. “It’s real.”

“Come on,” Lothaire said wasting no time. Thorne dug his paddles into the water and pushed us forward until we slid into the sand. The other raft glided up beside us. One by one we climbed over the edge and stepped onto the beach, all eyes scanning for life and finding none.

“I’ve got him,” Lothaire said, reaching down and lifting Aiden back into his arms. He looked so fragile clutched against his brother’s chest. I didn’t know if I could wait any longer before I begged them to change him. But we were so close... I owed him every chance to live the life he wanted.

A small figure stepped out of the trees lining the beach. A long wooden spear tapped the ground with each step as she approached. When she came into full view under the bright glow of the moon, I struggled to exhale the breath trapped in my lungs. Blonde hair knotted into dreadlocks fell around her tanned face striped with blue paint. Black smudges of paint surrounded blue eyes so light they almost glowed in the moonlight. Worn leather fashioned a bra and skirt but left the rest of her tanned body exposed. She looked as lethal as she did beautiful.

We stood side by side in silence as she approached. Lothaire lowered his eyes and widened his stance when she got closer. I could feel the protective energy for his brother pulsing off him.