The Stag Lord Read Online Free Page B

ebony-haired beauty that had been his wife. Shay’s hair, more blonde than red, but not by much, was pulled back in a ponytail. Her whole look and demeanor screamed what his wife used to scornfully call tomboy .
    Elizabeth used to be scornful of many things.
    Staring with slightly unfocused eyes, she ran the light along Cor’s length, as if she could see through clothes and skin and right into his body.
    Which she probably can . Even after all this time, awe filled Bann at the magical abilities of Healers. He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until she sat back on her heels with a nod of relief.
    â€œNo internal injuries. And even better, just a wrenched shoulder, not a cracked collarbone. He does have a concussion and a goodly number of scrapes and bruises, but otherwise, he’s one lucky kid.”
    â€œNot so lucky,” Bann murmured, gazing down at his son.
    â€œSorry?”
    â€œThank you for your help,” Bann said louder. He lifted Cor, nestling him close to his chest, and rose with the same trepidation he had used the moment the midwife had first placed the newborn in his arms. With Shay walking ahead to keep the branches from scratching father and son, Bann made his way to the trail.
    Where he realized that he had only a vague idea how to get back to their campsite.
    â€œDo you live nearby?” Shay asked.
    â€œWe’re staying at the campground.”
    â€œIs your wife waiting there?”
    â€œMy wife has passed.”
    â€œOh. Oh, I’m sorry.” Unlike so many others, Shay sounded like she really meant it. She looked up at the ledge overhead, then back at Bann. “My car’s at the trailhead. Not too far from here. Let me drive you.”
    In silence, they walked single file down the ravine. Goosebumps broke out on Bann’s bare torso from the dropping temperature; he wondered if Colorado was always this cold in early October. He tightened his arms around Cor to keep him warm. Ahead of him, as if sensing the need for speed, Shay picked up the pace, her long legs covering ground with ease.
    Bann found himself watching her. The knuckle-dragging part of his brain noted that this was a woman who kept herself in good shape. Make that great shape . A firm, sweetly rounded, and shapely shape.
    Shame made him stagger. How could he be carrying Elizabeth’s son, the child they had created together on a night so deep in winter the very air wailed from the cold, while eyeballing another woman? What was wrong with him?
    Everything was wrong with him.
    He was dragging his boy across the country in a hopeless flight from a monster that had haunted him his entire life. All the while, he was nursing a rage against his people for turning their backs on him when he had needed them the most, a bitter resentment that was causing a rift to grow between himself and Cor.
    The horned one is after yer bloodline, Bannerman Boru, not ours . He could still hear the voice of their local leader back in Pennsylvania, a man so cautious he probably sat to take a piss. How he had risen to the rank of chieftain was beyond understanding. Bann had begged for aid after discovering the creature had somehow managed to get to the New World. The monster seeks vengeance against the descendents of Brian Boru alone, not the rest of us. ‘Tis yer family’s curse .
    â€œAlmost there,” Shay spoke over her shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts. “How’s he doing?”
    Bann looked down at the half-asleep Cor, whose eyelids drooped. “In and out of it.”
    Walking out of the ravine ten minutes later, they passed the trailhead sign before reaching a small graveled parking lot. A lone vehicle, a newer-model SUV, waited in the deepening dusk. Overhead, the first stars made their debut.
    â€œWhy don’t you two ride in the back?” Shay unlocked the doors, hovering nearby as Bann slid inside.
    Letting Cor rest across his lap, he murmured his thanks as she