Highland Son (Highland Sorcery: A New Dawn) by Clover Autrey Page A

it.”
    “Can Alexander do that? Make an illusion like that?”
    Good question. Kid was a sorcerer, had more tricks in his arsenal than they knew about. “Yeah, maybe. I hope so.”
    “Then where is he? We have to know for sure.”
    “We will, but first we got to get you out of here. Sheppard kept us alive only to get more intel on the lighthouse.”
    “Alexander can’t be alive. He wouldn’t just leave us. As much as I wish he would have. He wouldn’t.”
    “Maybe he didn’t have a choice.”
    Ethan’s features flushed violet at that. “Sheppard might have him here trussed up somewhere. We’re not leaving Alexander.”
    “Absolutely not, but waiting around here and getting ourselves killed isn’t going to help him. Think you can walk?”
    Ethan nodded, but his legs went out from under him as Dez got him to his feet. “That’ll have to do.”
    He pulled Ethan’s arm across his shoulders and guided them to the door, taking most of Ethan’s weight. “Stay here a moment.” He leaned Ethan against the wall.
    “I want to come with.”
    Dez grinned. “There’s at least one guard out there. Maybe two. Think I can’t handle that.”
    Ethan rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “Not going to leave me any fun.”
    Dez cuffed the back of his neck. “Just try not to fall down while I’m gone, would you?”
    “You say the sweetest things.”
    Dez grinned. “Shut up. You’re a moron, you know that?”
    Unrepentant, Ethan’s lips formed a loopy smile. He stopped Dez with a palm to his arm. “How we going to find out for sure about Alexander?”
    Palm ready to push open the door, Dez frowned. “We’ll find the girl. One way or another, Jewel will know what happened to him.” He hoped to any deity in existence that she’d be able to confirm what he saw. The other possibility was too unbearable to think about.
     
     
    ~~~
     
     
    Everything ached as though he’d just run across the entire state. Muscles Alexander didn’t know he had were cramping up on him.
    He felt sure competent hands turn him on his side and a warm damp cloth smooth over his back. Apparently he was in the middle of some sort of sponge bath.
    He must still be in the care of his coddling aunts from when that Sift got a bite out of him. Except…
    Alexander cracked his eyes open. That had been months ago, hadn’t it?
    His thoughts swirled away, too weighty to keep a hold of.
    “Shh, just rest. That’s the drug cramping your muscles.” Jewel’s vice floated behind his shoulder, intermingling with his hazy thoughts. “It will wear off. I promise it will wear off. As will the fever.”
    Fever? What had happened to him?
    She eased him back over to lie flat on his back. Ah, there she was, leaning over him with such an expression of concern, alarm struck his chest, tearing through his muscles. What had happened to her? Was she all right?
    “Wha—?” he croaked.
    Her cool palm pressed him back down. “Try not to move. It will be easier.”
    He didn’t understand what she was talking about.
    “I’m so sorry Sheppard did this to you.”
    Her eyes shimmered behind a sheen of wetness and he wanted nothing more than to ease whatever had caused her distress. Or take her in his arms and simply hold her until it all went away. “Just…just rest. I won’t let anything else happen to you, I swear.”
    He grinned, or at least he thought he did. He couldn’t be sure the sentiment made it to his face. She’d take care of him. That was cute.
    Although as he lost the strength to keep his eyes open, he didn’t fight it so hard, trusting that Jewel did have his well-being in hand. He trusted her on the same level as he did Ethan and…
    Fear burst through his essence, a flaming dart, but it was too late. Already on a downward spiral, he couldn’t claw his way back to the surface.
     

Chapter Seven
     
     
    The next he awoke, hushed voices circled around him.
    “…certain he can be trusted…how can you know?”
    “…feel it…”
    “…not