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

rip you to him there in that realm. He’s also strong enough to kill me from there.”
    Maggie’s cold hand went instantly to Kennard’s side. The one he’d been stabbed in while she was dreaming. Her eyes moistened and she lost control of her emotions. The next thing she knew, Kennard held her tight to him, his arms wrapped around her protectively, her feet dangling off the floor as he rocked her back and forth in his arms as if she were a child.
    He pressed his lips to her temple. “Yer like ice, lass.”
    “He stabbed you,” she managed. “It was real?”
    “Aye.”
    “How are you not dead?”
    Kennard kissed her temple once more and she realized he too was shaking, though he was kicking off a tremendous amount of heat. “Because you saved me.”
    Another thought hit her. If the dream with Kennard had been real, that meant so was Athol and so were all the dreams he’d tormented her in—trying to get her to come with him. Though she wasn’t sure to where.
    “Oh gods, he’s real? I thought vampires and moon-crazed shifters were as bad as it got.”
    Kennard set her on her feet and then held her at arm’s length. His expression hardened. “You’ve come up against blood drinkers and shifters under the pull of the moon?”
    She wasn’t sure he wanted the truth, so she pressed a fake smile to her face. “Nope.”
    One of the twin towers who had arrived with him laughed and then tried to cover it with a cough. His matching counterpart elbowed him.
    “Shut it, Liam,” said the man.
    The one who had laughed did so again. “What? I like her. Can we keep her?”
    “No,” said Maggie as Kennard followed with a “yes.” She gulped. “Maria, a little help here.”
    Maria sighed. “No can do, hon. My aunt says this was predestined.”
    “What was?” demanded Maggie.
    Maria pointed from Maggie to Kennard and back again. “The two of you. Though, I’d have hooked you up with someone less alpha. Alphas are always douchebags.”
    “Hey, we are nae,” said Liam before touching his chin and shrugging. “Never mind, we are.”
    Cillian tipped his head and for a moment the twins had identical expressions upon their faces. “Aye, we are.”
    Kennard began looking her over and then made a disapproving sound, much like one of Maggie’s foster mothers had made when Maggie had thought it would be fun to finger paint a wall. “Lass, yer nae taking good care of yerself. Yer too thin. And you’re frozen through and through. It’s nearly a hundred out and yer in here, shakin’ like a leaf on a cold autumn day.”
    Maria brought Maggie her mug of tea. “I agree. She is too thin. It’s because she works so hard. She forgets to eat all day. Too busy waiting on everyone else. And she’s cold because she won’t dare spend any of her savings to get her water tank fixed. I offered to buy her a new one but she won’t let me. And she won’t take me up on my offer for her to move into my apartment with me.”
    Maggie gasped. “I’m not imposing.”
    “You’re my best friend. That is hardly imposing.”
    Kennard looked her over slowly. “’Tis settled then. You will live with me.”
    “I don’t even know you,” she blurted.
    He narrowed his gaze. “You held my dick in yer hand, lass. You know me.”
    The twins snorted.
    Maria gasped. “Maggie? Seriously? You left that part of the dream out.”
    “Aye, I imagine she did. Did she mention how she begged me to take her? And how I was goin’ to do just that before Athol interrupted us?”
    How dare he tell everyone the intimate details they’d shared. Her temper flared and she did the only thing she could think to do, she stuck her tongue out at him. It wasn’t her finest moment, nor was it her most mature, but it felt warranted. The room fell silent before Liam pointed at her.
    “I really like her.”
    Maria even managed a smile that didn’t look forced. “I should get out of here and give the two of you space.”
    Earlier, at the shop, Maria had seemed