Chapter 38
Scott watched Elodie go. His gut twisted at the thought of her putting herself in danger, but at the same time, he understood. She wanted to uncover who was after her. He’d want the same if in her shoes.
“We’ll stay to help,” Broc replied.
Scott didn’t pay the Warrior any mind as he walked after Elodie. He needed to talk to her. She hadn’t pulled away from him. In fact, it seemed as if she had wanted his touch. Did that mean she had forgiven him? He needed to know.
He reached the kitchen, but Balladyn suddenly materialized, blocking his way. Scott drew up short just before he ran into the Reaper. “Bloody hell,” he murmured and took a step back. “Did you have to appear right before me?”
“Aye.”
Scott glared. “What do you want?”
“You know what I want.”
Scott raked a hand through his hair. It made sense to tell Balladyn everything.
If there wasn’t such a history about the Others, then their two groups might have been able to work together.
But Scott knew that wouldn’t happen. Neither Balladyn nor Rhona would take kindly to hearing about his connections.
It wasn’t just him either. This was Filip’s home. He might have hated it when he was younger, but it was the only tie he had to his family. Scott couldn’t let anyone take that from him, and that would happen if he shared what he knew with Balladyn.
“I can no’,” Scott finally said.
There was no gruff demand from the Reaper. Instead, Balladyn replied, “Your honor is commendable, but you need to choose between it and Elodie.”
Scott met his gaze. He didn’t tell Balladyn that his time with the beautiful Druid had already come and gone.
“You’ve seen a lot in Edinburgh,” the Reaper continued. “Lost friends. We’re losing Druids here. Friends. Family. Can you look any of them in the eye and continue keeping your secret?”
“We’re trying to help,” Scott argued.
“Ah. Keeping secrets is aiding others, is it?”
Scott glanced over his shoulder to the room down the hall where the others remained. “How many secrets do you have?”
“This isn’t about me. You’ve put your life on the line for Elodie. I suspect you’ll continue to do that.”
“I will.”
Balladyn eyed him. “You’re a warrior. I’ve known some of the best, so I know what to look for.
You’re not afraid to stand for those you care about.
You risk your life again and again because it’s the right thing to do, not because you’re looking for glory.
That kind of man keeps secrets because he thinks he’s protecting others.
Not to safeguard himself.” Balladyn took a step toward him. “Is it Filip or Elodie?”
Scott pivoted to pace the small area. How much longer would it take for Balladyn to figure things out?
Who was to say the Reaper hadn’t already?
The way he looked at Scott and Filip made him think that Balladyn knew everything.
Scott paused behind a chair and placed his hands on the back as he dropped his chin to his chest.
“Filip, then,” Balladyn stated.
Scott closed his eyes for a heartbeat before lifting his head and meeting the Reaper’s gaze. “If I tell you, will you promise to allow Filip to remain on Skye? It’s his home.”
“It’s not my call to make. Rhona leads the Druids.”
Balladyn knew everything. The surety of it slammed into Scott.
Why hadn’t Rhona forced him and Filip from the island?
Could it mean that Rhona might be interested in working together?
Scott wouldn’t know unless he told Balladyn everything.
“The organization I’m a part of is a group of Druid Others.
It’s been active for over a year, and we’ve never sought power like the Fae Others did.
Our leader, Georgina, is a seer. George had a vision that indicated that Elodie was the answer to stopping the Druid killings. ”
“And you believe George?” Balladyn asked calmly.
Scott straightened. “Her visions doona come often, but they’re usually spot-on.”
“But not always?”
Scott couldn’t deny that. “No’ always.”
“Why did she send you and Filip?”
“She sent Filip because he’s from here. Figured he could help me navigate the tight community of Druids. And she sent me because I can talk anyone into anything.”
Balladyn raised a black brow. “Can you now? Because I sense tension between you and Elodie.”
“I didn’t use my…skills…on her.”
“But she knows what you came for?”
Scott blew out a breath as he nodded. “She does. How long have you known?”
“After you brought Elodie to see Rhona, I knew there could only be a few reasons you’d keep a secret.
You were adamant about wanting to stop the killings, and you were willing to work with us, but only to a point.
I then worked out that there were two probable reasons you would hold back.
The first was because you were scared of me and Rhona.
And the second was because you were part of an Other group.
Since you never once backed down from me, I deduced it was the latter. ”
“We’re no’ the same as the Fae Others,” Scott hurried to add. “We’re trying to save the Druids.”
Balladyn raised a hand to silence him. “You’ve not fought the Others as we have.
Talk to the Dragon Kings. Talk to Druids here.
Talk to any Reapers or Fae whose loved ones were killed for their magic and see if it makes a difference.
A group of Others has one agenda. Power.
Can you say your leader doesn’t want that? ”
“George wants to halt the murders. That’s her main goal.”
“And after?” Balladyn asked.
Unfortunately, Scott didn’t have an answer. “No one talks about it. We’re too focused on what’s happening now.”
“There are Druid Others out there. We’re aware. And all of them came about because they want to have power over others. They don’t want another group dominating them.”
Scott shook his head. “I can no’ speak about any other groups. All I know is mine.”
“How long ago was it formed?”
Scott licked his lips and widened his stance. “The group itself has been around for years, but the formation as a Druid Other group only happened about a year ago.”
“Who suggested it?”
“George. The goal was for the Druids in the city to have a place to be themselves, to know that others like us are walking the streets. That we’re no’ alone.”
Balladyn’s shoulders rose as he took a deep breath. “An admirable undertaking.”
“But you still see us as evil?”
“As I said, you’ve not battled the Others.”
Scott sighed. “This is why I didna want to tell you. I knew you would be too narrowminded to see the difference.”
Balladyn’s brows shot up on his forehead. “Narrowminded? Tell me, Druid, did I lie about my intentions while going into your area to convince someone to help me?”
Scott bit back his anger, mainly because the Reaper spoke the truth. Scott’s ire was directed at himself. “No.”
“You didn’t tell us because you knew what our reaction would be.”
“Narrowminded.”
He and the Reaper eyed each other. Finally, Balladyn said, “From what I’ve seen, there isn’t much difference between your group and the others out there.
You keep to the shadows, you lie—and before you say anything, an omission is a lie any way you want to look at it.
You seem like an honorable Druid. You should act like one. ”
Scott said nothing as Balladyn made his way down the hall to the bedroom.
He didn’t like the truth in Balladyn’s words.
He should’ve been honest with everyone. He’d done everything the Reaper had said, and it left a sour taste in his mouth.
Before this, Scott had contemplated staying on Skye.
He doubted that was an option now, and that saddened him greatly.
The isle was special. And not just because it was home to the Skye Druids, but because of the island’s beauty and peacefulness that Scott hadn’t found anywhere else.
And because of Elodie.
He shoved aside those thoughts and went in search of her. He found her on the back deck, standing huddled in her coat and staring at the sea.
“You won’t change my mind,” she stated.
He softly closed the door behind him. “I didna intend to try.”
“You know everything now. That I’m a…a killer.”
“You protected yourself, your mother, and your brother.”
She snorted at his comment. “Protected,” she said as if the word were acidic on her tongue. “I obliterated him. My father.” She shook her head, her long, blond locks lifting in the soft sea breeze. “I didn’t restrain him. I didn’t knock him out. I killed him.”
Scott came up beside her. He could see her shaking, and he didn’t think it had anything to do with the cold. “You know as well as I do that if you had restrained him or knocked him out, it would’ve only prolonged the inevitable.”
“I know.” She turned her head to him.
He looked into her light blue eyes, seeing the porch light reflecting in them. “He would’ve tried to win all of you back.”
Elodie nodded once.
“When that didna work, do you think he would’ve tried to force your mother to return? What about you and your siblings?”
Elodie swallowed loudly and looked back at the cove. “He used to tell us all the time that family was everything. I’ve been looking back at memories tonight, and I wonder why I didn’t notice how often Mum was missing from things. Because he had hit her, and she didn’t want us to see his handiwork.”
“The truth is that your father tried to kill your mother. He choked her. He punched Elias. He backhanded you. Then he went after your mother with a knife. His intent was to do as much damage as he could. You stopped him.”
“With magic I still don’t understand.” She looked at him again. “If that’s what you want me to use in Edinburgh, I won’t. I don’t know how, and I don’t want to find out.”
“I doona want you to do anything in Edinburgh.” The instant the words were out, Scott realized how true they were.
She frowned in confusion. “Isn’t that why you were sent here?”
“It was. But things have changed.”
“Like what?”
He swept his gaze around him. “Look at the island. I’ve seen pictures of Skye, but they doona do this place justice. Being here brings everything to life. The beauty, the history, the magic. It’s all rolled into one incredible place.”
“You found peace.”
He smiled as he looked at her. “I did. It surprised me since I wasna looking for it. I was happy in the city, but here…here, I feel like it’s…”
“Home.”
Scott nodded as he grinned. “Exactly. Home.”
“You plan on staying, then?”
“I want to, but I doona think that’s an option.”
Her lips formed an O. “You told Balladyn and Rhona.”
“I did, but Balladyn had already figured it out. He doesna understand that our group is different.”
“Have you looked at it from his perspective?” she asked.
Scott started to reply, then paused. He had been so adamant about the Reaper understanding him that he hadn’t taken the time to do the same with Balladyn. “I have no’.”
“Maybe you should.”
“I will.” He faced Elodie. “I’m sorry about no’ being honest with you from the beginning. You deserved better.”
“Yes, I did.”
Scott searched her face. “Do you think you would consider giving me a second chance?”
Elodie smiled and walked away without answering.
He watched her return to the house. Scott moved to the railing and braced his hands on the wood.
He sighed, thinking back to what Balladyn had said.
George had urged them to be cautious and not to trust anyone.
After all the Druid deaths, Scott had agreed with her.
George was fiercely protective of Druids, and single-minded in her focus to find the culprit who was killing their kind. That meant she needed more power.
Forming a Druid Other group had given her that. George’s vision about Elodie had been clearer than any before. That was because the three droughs and two mies who’d joined George had gathered their magic together so she could use it to heighten her power.
Scott knew about the Fae Others. He doubted many Druids hadn’t heard about the battle on Skye. So, he understood why everyone was leery about any Other groups. He’d thought it easier—safer, even—if no one knew who he and Filip really were. Or why they were on Skye.
Now, he thought back and wondered about his reasoning. If he were in Rhona’s or Balladyn’s shoes, he would’ve been wary of any newcomers, and he would’ve confronted the first person he deemed an enemy.
Just as Balladyn had.
Scott didn’t want to leave Skye, but he would.
He owed it to George to return to Edinburgh and share what he had learned with her and the rest of the organization.
Then, he would come back. If Rhona didn’t permit it, Scott would find somewhere else to live, but Edinburgh was no longer the place for him.
He’d truly believed their organization was the only way to end the Druid murders. His eyes had been opened to many things in his time on Skye. Not the least of which was the fact that there was always another way.
Scott straightened. As he turned to go back inside, a sound drew his attention upward. He lifted his head just as the mist dove from the sky.