Chapter 4
An entire week lost. Scott was torn regarding how he felt about that. On the one hand, he was surprised by how peaceful he found Skye. He was a city lad, born and bred. He usually found country life dull, yet nothing about the Isle of Skye was boring.
Then there was Elodie. She was proving to be more difficult to bump into than expected.
She kept to herself and went out at different times.
Days passed when she didn’t leave the cottage.
When she did, it was usually a quick trip into town for groceries.
She didn’t eat out, and she hadn’t returned to the café.
And yet, everyone was talking about her.
It didn’t matter where Scott and Filip went, the name Elodie was on everyone’s lips. Some were curious about her return, while others let their hatred be known. Those were mostly women who Elodie had spurned years ago. They didn’t want a repeat of the husband stealing.
Despite Scott’s demand to get details about Elodie, he had very few. When Scott had questioned Filip about the murder, all his friend did was shrug.
“I was young. I don’t remember details,” Filip replied.
Which was no help to Scott. He could ask some residents, but while they were willing to talk amongst themselves, he wasn’t sure any would welcome a stranger poking his nose in their business.
Scott finished the last of his ale and saw the woman behind the bar roll her eyes repeatedly every time Elodie’s name reached her. She clearly didn’t like Elodie, and she just might be the one to give Scott some specifics about his target.
He waved the bartender over. She approached with brows lifted. “Another one, please,” he said as he handed her his mug.
She took it and filled it before handing it back.
Just as she was turning away, Scott asked, “Everyone is talking about the same woman. What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” the barkeep said with another eye roll. “She’s returned and will no doubt start up her shite again.”
“And what shite is that?” he pressed.
The woman glanced around before leaning her forearms on the bar and lowering her voice. “Let’s just say that she didn’t care if a man was married or not when she set her sights on him. She broke up a lot of relationships.”
“Is it really just her fault, though? It takes two.”
“Oh, she knew exactly what she was doing.”
Scott held the woman’s dark gaze, noting the bitterness. “Did she break up your relationship?”
“Yep.”
Oh, yeah. Lots of acrimony. “I’m sorry.”
“It was for the best. Just as her leaving was.”
“Was she run out?”
The woman snorted. “If only. It’s what she deserved, but everyone felt sorry for her.”
Now they were getting to the good parts. “Why?”
“Her father was killed.”
Scott glanced at Filip, who was sitting with a group of people around his age. “Did the mother really kill the father?”
“That she did.”
Scott’s mouth went slack. Not that he hadn’t believed Filip, but there was something about hearing it from someone else. “Bloody hell.”
“Exactly. That face right there is how almost everyone on Skye was back then. Elodie got away with anything.”
The pub went silent as death as the woman’s voice echoed through the establishment.
Scott followed everyone’s gaze to see none other than Elodie walk in.
She was only a few feet away, which allowed him to get a better view of her.
Her pale blond locks hung nearly to her waist. She had the sides clipped at the back of her head, showing off two small braids on either side of her face mixing with the rest of her length.
Her heart-shaped face held large eyes in an arresting pale blue color.
Her lips were full, the structure of her face a work of art.
He’d never seen anyone he would call ethereal, but that word described her perfectly.
Her long coat hid her upper body, but he had already gotten a glimpse of her lean legs.
Scott’s gaze returned to her face, noticing for the first time how pale she was as she fought to hold it together. Beside Elodie stood a woman who resembled her. No doubt her sister, Edie, the one that Filip had told him about.
“Seriously?” Edie asked the room, looking individuals in the eye. “Do none of you have anything better to talk about?”
Scott saw Elodie fighting the urge to leave.
He wouldn’t stay if he were in her shoes, but sometimes running away only made things worse.
To his surprise, Elodie marched past her sister to a table and sat without saying a word.
Edie followed, her gaze shooting daggers at everyone, especially the bartender.
“Watch your husbands and boyfriends, ladies,” a woman in the back shouted.
Edie started to rise, but Elodie grabbed her arm and, with a look, got her sister back into her seat. Scott admired her cool head. It would be easy for someone to lose their temper and tell everyone off. It took greater effort to keep such comments to yourself.
Gradually, the conversation continued in the pub.
When Scott looked at the barkeep, she was staring at Elodie, her animosity evident.
He never understood why people blamed everyone but their significant other for cheating.
Elodie and her siblings had suffered a horrendous tragedy when they were still young.
What she did back then was probably in direct response to that, and yet these people wouldn’t let go of their anger from over a decade prior.
Filip rose from his seat and carried his drink to the bar. He took the stool next to Scott. His voice was just above a whisper as he said, “Damn. Everyone still hates her.”
“Not everyone,” Scott pointed out. The men were eying Elodie with interest. Some of the women around her age seemed curious, but it was the older women who wanted nothing to do with Elodie.
Filip shrugged. “Enough, though. It’s in the past.”
About that time, Edie and Elodie left the pub. Scott wanted to go after them. He’d lost his chance to talk to her, and if her welcome had been any indication, he likely wouldn’t get another shot.
“Good riddance,” the barkeep said as the door closed behind the sisters.
“Get over yourself, Anna. It was fifteen years ago, and you were leaving David anyway,” an older woman stated as she got to her feet. “Elodie was a child dealing with the loss of her parents. She had an excuse for her behavior. You’re an adult. What’s yours?”
Anna let out a breath. “I don’t like her, Violet.”
“The past is the past,” Violet stated. She looked around the room with her blue eyes, pausing briefly as she met Scott’s gaze. “Let me say that again for anyone holding a grudge against Elodie after all this time. The past is the past.”
Filip let out a low whistle after Violet had taken her seat. “I guess she put Anna in her place.”
“Who’s Violet?”
“She’s one of the deputies I told you about. There are five, splitting Skye into sections. We used to outnumber the others here, and it was easier for Corann to get information to his deputies, who then got it out to their people rather than calling everyone together.”
Scott nodded. “Because that would’ve drawn attention. How many Druids now?”
“One of my buddies just told me they dropped to under four thousand recently.”
“Still a nice number. More than anywhere else on our planet.”
Filip grunted. “It used to be double that. If we keep diluting our blood, we’ll be gone.”
“Which is why we’re going to make sure that doesna happen.”
“Aye, we are.” Filip smiled.
“We have to succeed first.”
“George has a perfect plan. What could go wrong?”
“The battle that was just here is a reminder of what could go wrong.”
Filip scoffed at that. “The Fae were stupid and greedy. We willna make those same mistakes.”
“Skye has its Warden now. Balladyn and Rhona are no’ to be underestimated. No one on this island should be.”
“I agree with that, but we have to somehow meet Elodie.”
Scott threw down some money and slid off his stool. “That might be harder than I first thought. I need some air.”
He walked outside, leaving Filip and the noise of the pub behind.
He inhaled the brisk night air, letting it fill his lungs.
He needed to come up with a plan and quick.
Imagine his surprise when he spotted Elodie and her sister in the carpark.
Scott paused and watched as Edie gave her sister a hug before getting into her vehicle and driving away.
Scott’s gaze was glued to Elodie as she sighed forlornly and looked at the moon as dark clouds drifted over it.