Chapter 8 #2
“Right, okay, when you say it like that … I get it’s not the smartest move. But in my defense, I didn’t know that the Beithir would appear.”
“And he spoke to her. Just like you.” Liora leaned in.
“You don’t think this might have been a good thing to bring up? You know at the meeting we were just at? Full of magickal strong women who could probably help?” Zara asked, not mincing her words.
“I mean, it did cross my mind that it might be smart, but I kind of panicked.”
“I’m getting the sense that Agnes thinks she needs to handle everything on her own,” Liora said to Zara.
“Mmm. We’ve bumped up against that problem a few times, haven’t we?” Zara smiled. “So are you hearing the same things I am?”
“I guess? Just something about lies. And I don’t know what lies. Gran never told me any of this.” I pressed my palms against my eyes.
“Maybe she didn’t know.” Liora put her hand on my arm. “Or maybe she was protecting you from something.”
“By keeping me in the dark?” I dropped my hands and stared out at the loch. “How is that protecting me?”
“I don’t know. But Agnes, we’re going to figure this out.” Liora’s jaw set with determination. “Have you looked through everything you have? Family wise?”
“I’ve looked through Gran’s things before. Letters and photographs and keepsakes. Nothing that explained any of this. But I’ll look again.”
“There we go. It’s a start. Look with fresh eyes.”
“And what about the archives here?” Zara asked, leaning down to pat Mitch’s head.
Sir Buster zoomed over and stood in front of Mitch but seemed to understand that the other dog couldn’t play because he didn’t growl or play bow.
Instead, he just politely sniffed Mitch’s nose.
“I’m told the library is quite extensive. ”
“It is. But I haven’t looked with these parameters on my search before,” I admitted. “I guess I didn’t really think to.”
“Then we start there. I can help.” Liora squeezed my arm. “You’re not alone in this.”
“I need to go,” I said. “I’ve got to open the shop.”
“Agnes—”
“I’ll think about what you said. I will. But right now, I just need to be normal for a few hours. Sell some books. Pretend my life isn’t falling apart.”
Liora looked like she wanted to argue, but something in my face must have stopped her.
“Okay,” she said. “Um, also, excuse me, but did you say you went to dinner with Graham?”
Heat flooded my cheeks.
“Ohhh boy. Zara, Agnes is blushing.”
“Is that right? So it was a date?”
“It wasn’t a date,” I insisted. It was one hundred percent a date.
“Uh-huh. Did you shag him?” Liora leaned in.
“I feel like she’d look a lot better this morning if she did. Didn’t, like, two people mention she didn’t look well today?” Zara scrunched up her face.
“Aye, that’s true. She’d have that well-shagged look about her if Graham had gotten his hands on her,” Liora mused, studying my face.
“Right, that’s enough of that!” I threw up my hands and turned away. “That’s me off. I’ll catch up with you ladies later.”
“I’ll text you later. I’m good at research. We’ll figure this out. Together,” Liora called after me as I stomped away from the castle, feeling like my cheeks were on fire.
Even the thought of Graham’s hands on me again was enough to send my heart rate soaring.
Bloody hell, but that man knew how to please a woman.
He lingered.
He savored.
He feasted.
There were times where it was as though every moment was an aching eternity and other times where it was a flash of fire and I was left gasping for breath, my body sated, not even fully realizing what had happened.
It was no wonder every woman who came through town was attracted to him. It was like they could smell it on him, a man confident in his ways, and I honestly couldn’t blame them. Making love to Graham Kincaid was an experience no woman would ever forget.
And as I walked back to the village alone, I forced my thoughts to focus back on what the Beithir had said.
How was it that Zara had also experienced a similar reading from the Kelpies about this? What was I missing?
“There’s something about a promise being broken. A long time ago. And something that needs to be mended or restored. I can’t quite grasp it.”
Somewhere beneath the still surface of Loch Mirren, something ancient was waiting for me to figure it out.
Would that stop the Kelpies? Was there a bigger picture to this curse that I was missing that wasn’t just about loving and losing people?
But how? With Zara?
Daughter of lies.
It was a puzzle that I didn’t know how to solve.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw Graham’s name on the screen.
Hope you’re doing okay today. Last night was really nice. Let me know if you want company later.
My thumb hovered over the keyboard. I should say no. After what the Beithir had shown me, after Zara’s words, after everything, I should put as much distance between us as possible.
But I could still feel his lips on my forehead. Still hear his voice saying I’m not giving up on this.
I put the phone back in my pocket without replying.
I had research to do. Answers to find. A curse to understand before it destroyed everything I loved.
Starting with the man I’d spent years trying not to love at all.