Chapter 14
Scott stared at his dry clothes still hanging in Elodie’s cottage. He quietly drank some water as he considered his next move. The storm let up occasionally for a moment before it seemed to renew to batter the island again.
Filip continued sleeping deeply. After their talk, Elodie had seemed to sink into her thoughts, and then she also fell asleep.
Scott had remained awake for the last two hours as he listened to the rain lashing the house.
His mind went to Elodie’s parents. When Filip had told him that Elodie’s mother had killed her father, he hadn’t imagined the actual circumstances.
He doubted many on Skye knew them—or even cared.
However, there were always those who loved to gossip—and the more scandalous, the better.
Nothing was more shocking than a woman murdering her husband.
Scott knew he should probably wake Filip so they could leave, but he didn’t want to. He was on Skye to get close to Elodie. What better way than being stuck with her during a thunderstorm?
He finished his water and soundlessly returned to the front room.
He’d placed a blanket over Elodie and one on Filip.
They both slept like the dead. It was no wonder with Filip.
Scott had heard him up all hours of the night.
Most likely because of Kevin’s death and their return to Skye.
The same could be said for Elodie, except her nightmares were probably worse.
Scott couldn’t believe she had decided to stay in the cottage.
He certainly wouldn’t have. If there were ever any doubt about her courage, Elodie had proven its existence by staying at the house.
Scott found his gaze lingering on her face. His mission was to gain her trust and turn her to their side by any means necessary. He was adept at doing just that. There was no room for failure. He’d never hesitated to do what he had to do. He kept his focus on the big picture.
Yet he didn’t want to use his usual words and platitudes with her. He didn’t want to pour on the magical charm. He didn’t want to lie and coax. He wanted to tell Elodie everything.
And if he did, he knew what her answer would be.
So, he remained with his thoughts, mulling over her past, the pain in her eyes, and the steel of her spine.
She was clearly a private person. He’d deduced that early on, even before Filip had told him she likely wouldn’t open up about her past. Then, somehow, she had.
He hadn’t even charmed her. He didn’t know why his customary words had felt like acid on his lips.
He only knew that he hadn’t been able to be anything but himself.
Which was a dangerous thing.
Everyone had a past. He was no exception. He kept everyone at a safe distance and allowed very few to get close to him. And never, ever a woman. To fall in love was the greatest gift of all. But it also set a person up for the ultimate betrayal.
He sighed and walked farther into the room.
Scott added another log to the fire and stirred the coals.
He remained quiet to allow Elodie and Filip to rest. Both clearly needed it.
He then made his way to a window and gazed out at the dark sky.
If he didn’t know it was two in the afternoon, he would think it was night.
The more he watched the storm, the more he suspected it wasn’t natural.
Which led him to wonder who had created it. And why.
On an island of Druids—the most powerful of them—there were many potential responses to his questions. And he didn’t like any of them.
Scott was used to Druids hiding their power, not actively showcasing it.
Then again, given what Filip had told him about Skye and the community here, this display didn’t seem to be something the Druids did.
That led to him thinking about the Druid who had been murdered the night before, as well as those lives taken in Edinburgh.
But Edinburgh wasn’t the only city affected. It was happening everywhere.
That’s why the answer was Skye. He would’ve gone to Rhona directly since she led the Druids here, but George had been adamant that it had to be Elodie. She hadn’t explained why, even when Scott had asked. Maybe he should’ve pushed harder.
He walked to his chair and sat. He hoped that the murder on Skye the previous night had been an anomaly and not something that had followed him and Filip from the city. Though perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing. If the same being were slaughtering Druids, it would meet its match in those on Skye.
Scott’s eyes began to grow heavy. The sound of the rain and the warm room were lulling him to sleep.
Scott blinked and adjusted himself in his seat.
He needed to stay awake—just in case. He didn’t suspect anyone of trying to harm Elodie, but he wouldn’t take the chance when she was the answer to their problems.
The next time they spoke, he would turn the discussion to magic.
He was curious to know what she could do.
It had to be something extraordinary for George to single her out.
Scott was thankful that he and Filip had gotten to Elodie before anyone else had.
At least he thought they had. For all he knew, she could be working for the other side.
His gaze landed on her face again. He didn’t want to notice how beautiful she was, but it was impossible not to.
The walls she kept erected around her were thick and strong.
Ones that no one would be able to breach unless she allowed it.
The cottage unnerved her. He imagined that might have been the reason she’d opened up to him. Whatever the motivation, he was glad.
Suddenly, a loud bang and crash sounded at the back of the cottage. Scott jumped to his feet. It had seemed as if it’d come from her parents’ room. He listened for more, but there were only the moans of the wind, the spatter of rain on the windows, and the pop of the fire.
Scott glanced at Filip to see him also on his feet, his face pale. Scott turned to the other side and looked at Elodie on the sofa. Her eyes were open and wide.
“What was that?” Filip whispered.
Scott shrugged and started toward the doorway. “Stay here. I’ll be back.”
“Don’t,” Elodie ordered.
He paused and looked at her, frowning. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t go back there.” She clutched the throw in her lap.
Filip cleared his throat. “Do you often hear things?”
“No,” she replied in a soft voice.
Scott met Filip’s gaze. “All the more reason for me to check it out.”
“I…don’t think it’s a good idea,” Elodie said again.
Scott turned toward her. “Why?”
“I don’t know. Just a feeling.”
That made him pause. Was her magic warning her? Perhaps he should listen. Then he remembered all the dead Druids. If someone had come to Skye for him, Filip, or Elodie, they were in for a fight. He looked at Filip. “Be ready.”
“Aye,” Filip said with a nod.
Scott gathered his magic to him and slowly walked through the house, his ears straining.
The electricity blinked once, twice, and then went out altogether.
He stilled and let his eyes adjust to the darkness.
The house was unfamiliar to him, but it was a simple layout.
He saw it in his head, mapping it all out so he knew which way to go.
The kitchen looked undisturbed. No one was waiting for him unless they were in the fridge.
He glanced behind him, seeing the glow of the fire from the living area.
Scott continued moving through the house.
He came to the bathroom first. It didn’t take long to look in there.
The window was intact, and nothing had fallen off any shelves.
He then moved to Elias’s room. Again, everything looked in order, and no one was hiding there.
He walked back into the hallway and to Elodie’s room.
Same as the previous rooms. Which left the parents’ room.
Scott silently walked to the door. He looked at the knob and reached for it.
The handle was cold against his skin. He gradually twisted until it unlatched.
Scott pushed it open slightly and slid into the room.
Wind and rain lashed him from the broken window, a limb as thick as his thigh and the length of his body stuck through it.
There was glass and debris everywhere. Scott picked his way to the limb to toss it back out the window.
As soon as he touched it, something dark and unpleasant enveloped him.
He jerked back, looking at his hands. This wasn’t just some stray tree limb that had landed in this room. Someone had sent it.
Scott set his mouth and spun on his heel. He spent a few moments checking the room to make sure nothing else had entered the house other than the limb. Then he returned to Filip and Elodie.
“What is it?” she asked.
He ignored her and looked at Filip. “I need you to seal the window in the back room to stop the rain from entering. Don’t touch anything.”
“Okay,” Filip replied and started past him.
Scott grabbed him. “Don’t touch anything.”
“I heard you,” Filip replied.
He released Filip, then turned to Elodie.
She had gotten to her feet. “What is it?”
Scott didn’t want to tell her. He wanted to lie and say it was just a stray limb, but she needed to be prepared. “Is the cottage warded?”
“I… Mum did that long ago.”
“But no’ since?” he pressed.
She shrugged. “Edie might have. I don’t know for certain.”
“You need to ward it then.”
“Why?” she demanded.
Scott sighed. She would learn of it eventually. “Someone sent a tree limb through the window of your parents’ room.”
Elodie frowned. “Why do you say someone?”
“Because there’s drough magic on it.”
Her lips parted in shock. “Why?”
“I doona know. Yet. But I’m going to find out. Just like I want to know who created this storm.”
Elodie’s head swung to the window. “It might be better if you and Filip left.”
“Someone is coming after you. We’re no’ going anywhere.”
Filip stumbled around the corner of the doorway. “Bloody hell.”
Scott and Elodie rushed to him and helped Filip to a chair.
“The window is sealed, but there’s a lot of water damage,” he muttered to Elodie.
She waved away his words. “Rest.”
Filip grabbed her hand to stop her when she started to move off. “Who have you spoken to since you’ve been back?”
“Very few. I rarely leave because of the welcome I usually receive,” Elodie answered.
Scott caught her gaze. “What about the woman at the pub? Did you two exchange words?”
“I’ve found that’s never helpful.” Elodie gently pulled her arm away from Filip. “Why? Do you think Anna is responsible?”
“Someone wanted to hurt you,” Filip said.
Scott looked from Filip to Elodie. “We’re no’ leaving.”
“You can’t watch me forever,” she said.
Filip snorted. “After what happened to my brother and the Druid last night, we most certainly can.”
“Come on,” Scott told Elodie. “I’ll help you ward the house while Filip rests.”
She hesitated but eventually followed him.
“Do you have some candles? We should light some until the power returns.”
“Sure,” she said in a small voice.
He glanced at her, but she was already in the shadows so he couldn’t see her face.
He used his mobile as a flashlight to help her get the candles.
Once they were lit and set around the house, he went to the front door.
He put away his mobile and began spelling the doors to keep out anyone who might want to harm Elodie, when he happened to look behind him.
Scott didn’t think anything of not seeing Elodie.
She must have gone to the back door or the windows.
But as he moved through the cottage, he realized that nothing had been warded.
He found her on the bed in her room. She had her legs pulled up to her chest as she stared solemnly at the wall opposite her.
“What is it?” he asked.
There was a lengthy pause before she looked at him and said, “I can’t.”
“You can no’ what?”
“Do magic.”