He shrugged. “Aye, long night watches are common when ye’re raiding or preparing for battle.”
She swallowed hard. “I think something did come over you. I don’t think you fell asleep at all. Something wanted Piper to get out of that room without you seeing. Or stopping her.” She handed Magnus a bottle, making sure he clutched it properly, then turned to Catie. “Stay here with the baby.”
“Where are ye going?” she asked, her voice becoming uncharacteristically small and afraid.
Lachlan felt a surge of anger toward her. If she’d stayed put, done what she was supposed to in her own time, they wouldn’t have a need to tamper with the spells, and Piper’s powers could remain dormant, instead of being brought to the forefront to plague her. Everything had been fine, how much more could the poor lass take from her wicked ancestor before she was lost completely? She had to hang on. He couldn’t, would not lose her.
“Do ye think she’s wandered to the lake?” he asked, all his muscles tense, raring to smash something.
Evie nodded, looking in desperation at her wee lad. “Catie, don’t let him out of your sight, but find Quinn and Lizzie and get them to search the place. If Piper’s here, call me. But take Mags and hide first.”
“Why?” Catie asked, lip quivering. She reached over and held onto the baby’s foot.
“Just do it,” Evie said.
She nodded curtly at Lachlan, who itched to be going and was glad she’d finally finished telling Catie what to do. It set the hairs on the back of his neck to standing, but he didn’t want to consider why Evie would instruct his sister to hide from Piper.
“To the lake?”
She nodded, halfway out the door.
“I must gather my weapons,” he said, gaining resolve until Evie’s face fell.
“You can’t bring weapons, Lachlan,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “It’s still Piper, even if it’s taken over her.”
He stopped short, her words hitting him like a vicious blow. His beloved and the thing he hated most were one and the same. Helplessness nearly blinded him, but Evie grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door.
He barely heard Catie whimpering as it swung shut behind him and he stopped and stood in the courtyard, dragging Evie to an abrupt halt. She turned and looked at him questioningly, pulling at his hand to get him to move.
“I canna harm her,” he said, shocked at the raw sound of his voice.
He’d never been so scared, not even to face his own death. If that was all it took to free Piper, that would be an easy choice.
A hard knuckle dug into his shoulder and he shook himself from his frozen state. Evelyn had her fist clenched and looked poised to crack him again if he didn’t gain control. The small, sharp pain cleared his mind of its frenzied thoughts and he began walking again.
“Sorry,” she said. “But you need to keep it together.”
He frowned. “I fear I may be useless to help her.”
He watched her shake her fiery red hair back and forth, and toss a dark look back at him. “Why won’t you let Catie stay?” she asked.
He was utterly gobsmacked at the jolting change of subject and couldn’t answer.
“I’m trying to distract you. You’re psyching yourself out,” she explained apologetically. “Think about something else for a second, you’re all up in your head.”
Even after all this time he didn’t understand a lot of what she said, nor Piper for that matter. They chattered so fast and freely, their American accents making even plain English sound like a whimsical foreign language. They were like birds, and he did love them, but sometimes he wished things were simpler.
He shook his head, glad they were walking so fast. He wanted to run, but couldn’t leave Evie behind. She’d be furious, and he had to admit he needed her. If Piper wasn’t herself, she was the best person to get her to come round. She’d made her see reason the last time when he was too weak from his many injuries to be much help.
“Catie has her place in our own time,” he said. “Her mother left her a verra large sum.” Evie frowned at him and all he could do was roll his eyes. “I appreciate ye taking her in, and I can see how much she loves Magnus, but she has responsibilities.”
“Hmmph,” Evie said, beginning to get a bit winded. He took her arm, remembering she was once again with child. It was probably what made her so mawkish about Catie.
“Lachlan, what would you say to Mellie getting married because she had a big fortune coming to her?”
“Mellie’s too young to marry yet,” he said, not expecting her triumphant exclamation.
“Mellie’s three years older than your sister,” she crowed. He scowled at her but she rattled on. “You think she’s so young because you’re getting used to this time. Why does Catie have to sacrifice all her good, young years being some guy’s wife? And don’t say the money, because I’ve never known you to give a hoot about that.”
“Well, first of all, lass, we wouldna marry her off to ‘some guy’ as ye say. She’d have to like him. And why should she have to be poor? It isna so verra fun.”
“She could stay here and learn a profession. There’s no telling what she could be good at.”
He sighed, having heard something similar from Piper, who also thought the ungrateful chit should be allowed to stay, despite everything. And as much as he wanted to strangle her, he wanted her to be happy by equal portion.
But he couldn’t find a way to explain how greatly he feared his own happiness would be destroyed at the slightest change. Everything always seemed tenuously balanced on a knife’s edge. They’d barely been back from their peaceful vacation a week and now they were back in it again. As wrong as it was, he couldn’t help but blame Catie, and as much as it shamed him, he wouldn’t budge.
Evie stopped short, and pulled him behind a tree, groaning when it didn’t completely hide them. “Get down,” she mouthed silently.
He dove behind a small patch of berry bushes, trying to blend in and also see what had alarmed her into hiding.
They were only about a hundred yards from the lake’s edge and he could see Piper standing knee deep in the murky water, looking heartrendingly small in her baggy sweatshirt and pajama pants. A chill gust of air ruffled her hair and he saw her shiver. He wanted to run to her and scoop her out of the ice cold water, but Evie seemed to sense he was about to bolt and grabbed his arm.
“Can you hear anything?” she whispered.
He sucked in a breath when Piper’s head swiveled in their direction, seeming to stare straight at the spot they hid.
“There’s no way,” Evie breathed, and Piper’s lips curled into a grin.
“I fear there is a way,” he said, not bothering to keep his voice low.
The anger he’d felt earlier before being distracted by Evie rushed back. He stood up and held out his hand to help her to her feet. She shivered and took it. He could see her arms were a mass of goose flesh, and felt bumps prickle up and down his own arms, though not because he was cold.
“Piper, love, let’s go inside now,” he called out, trying to make his voice sound normal.
She kept her eyes trained on him, but took a step deeper into the water. He raced forward and she held her hands out to him. He wasn’t sure if she wanted him to jump in and grab hold or if she was warning him away, but he splashed into the shallows.
“Stop,” she cried, taking a jerky step toward him. It looked as if she was fighting against an unseen force that wanted her to stay in the water.
“Piper, what are you doing?” Evie called, also keeping her voice modulated. “You know, you could probably remember most of the spells in that book if you put your mind to it. Why don’t we try that?”
“Evie, go on back, please.” Piper clenched her fists at her sides and Lachlan could see she shook violently, now past her knees in the water. She turned to him and he’d had enough. If the witch got angry with him, so be it. He was going to get her out of this lake and take her inside and plop her in fro
nt of the fire.
“Stop,” she screamed when he took another resolute step.
All the hairs on the back of his neck stood up when she slid several feet deeper in the water, as if she were being pulled. She waved her arms frantically to keep her balance, nearly going over.
“It’s not about the book.” Her terror filled eyes stared beyond him.
Lachlan turned around to see what she saw, caught Evie’s confused look as she too turned to see what held Piper’s horrified focus. Standing just behind them, silently watching, was a small woman, her black hair streaked with silver strands, hands held in front of her. A slow smile turned the corners of her mouth but didn’t reach her dark, empty eyes.
A splash behind him tore his attention back to Piper, who struggled to get back to the shore. With a growl, he made his way toward her, stopped by a sharp pain ripping through his temple. He grabbed his head and tried to shake it off, but it got worse, and he felt his legs giving out beneath him.
“Leave him alone,” he heard Piper yell. “I said I would do it.”
The pain subsided and he turned back to the woman. Evie reached over and grabbed his sleeve, yanking him out of the shallows.
“Get out,” she urged. “Get out of the water. I know who this is.”
Evie kept a grip on his arm, standing close as if she was trying to make a wall with their bodies to shield Piper from the woman he’d never seen before. She still stood with her hands out, her expression barely changed, only a few feet away from them. The residual pain muddied his thoughts and he looked to Evie for answers.
“Who is she?” he asked, blinking his eyes.
The woman stood unwaveringly still, but her smile faded when Evie answered, her voice spitting venom.
“It’s Rose. Piper’s god awful grandma Rose.”
Chapter 20
Piper watched as Evie foolishly taunted her grandmother. She’d awakened behind the small storage shed near the lake with Rose’s boot jabbing her in the ribs.
“Time to wake up, dear,” she’d said. “Ye know ye still have the foul witch in ye, aye?” she asked, after helping her up and dusting her off. Rose gave her a good once over and tutted. “Such clothes ye wear in this time. I’d almost forgot.” She smoothed the wine red fabric of her gown and shook her head. “Come along.”
“Where?” Piper asked.
Her head was still foggy from falling into such a deep and unnatural sleep, and she wasn’t one hundred percent sure she wasn’t still dreaming.
Rose sighed and snapped her fingers, the sound crackling and reverberating in Piper’s head. “Ah, lass. The witch? Recall her? We must stop her at last.”
Piper had tried to explain that Daria hadn’t done anything in a long time, but Rose pressed her finger to her lips and shushed her.
“Ye’re as bad a liar as your mother was. We must finish this. For my husband— your grandfather. For everyone else whose lives she destroyed.” Rose went on and on about Daria’s transgressions until Piper found herself agreeing all over again. Rose reminded her that she carried around all that evil now, which made her just as bad.
“It’s only a matter of time until ye hurt someone,” Rose said in a cajoling voice. “It’s sweet they have such faith in ye, but we both know how strong the witch is, dinna we, my dear granddaughter?”
“I’m not sure,” Piper said, clinging to her belief that she could control it.
“How can ye be? There’s only one way to be certain. To be assured ye dinna harm anyone.”
Now Piper stood knee deep in the lake, shaking with fear and sadness. Daria’s powers bubbled up within her, longing to fight against Rose, but between the two devils, she honestly didn’t know which was worse.
She kept seeing Lachlan’s stricken face after he’d discovered Agnes, his friend and teacher, murdered by Daria’s own hand. Sweet old Mrs. Abernathy, hacked to bits by Daria’s lover Brian, who she sent to this time to escape justice. Sam and Evie, who she’d tried to kill to keep them from exposing her. Precious little Magnus, who she kidnapped and threatened. How many more that she didn’t know about?
Her arms and legs shook under the strain it took to fight against the spell keeping her in the lake. She knew the easiest thing would be to slip into the opaque depths and end it. If Rose was right and she was destined to hurt her loved ones, it was the only way. But as much as she wanted to be free, she didn’t want to die. She wanted to go home and sit by the fire with Lachlan.
When Lachlan tried to come after her, she felt an urge to hang on, wanting nothing more than to feel his hand around hers, even one last time. But Rose did something that hurt him and whisked her deeper.
“Oh my God, what is wrong with all you Glens?” Evie yelled, scaring the hell out of Piper. She couldn’t let Evie or the baby get hurt. As much as she appreciated them coming out to save her, again, she couldn’t let that be the last thing she witnessed on this earth.
“Evie, shut up,” she hollered, almost laughing when her oldest friend whipped around and glared at her. They’d had so many good times together.
“Come on out of the lake, Piper,” she said. “And help me deal with this—” Evie’s insult was choked off as she grabbed her middle and doubled over in pain. Lachlan rushed to keep her from falling.
Seeing Rose’s self-satisfied expression at Evie’s obvious agony snapped something in Piper and a dark haze clouded her vision. She’d been struggling with random, displaced anger ever since Daria’s death and subsequent possession of her, but nothing like this. She closed her eyes, frightened by the swirling blue-black cloud that gathered around her.
When she opened them she found she was only feet away from Lachlan, surprised that she’d somehow managed to move. She hurried to close the distance between them, flinging herself into his arms. So many times before, the mere sight of him was enough to soothe away her torment, but the cloud still seethed. He kept one arm around her while she checked on Evie, who crouched in pain. It didn’t seem that either of them could see her little personal storm.
“Let them go back to the castle,” Piper said. “Then I’ll—”
“Like hell you’ll do anything she says,” Evie interrupted, buckling to her knees as Rose hit her again with whatever she was doing. Evie made a horrible sound, but reached for Piper’s hand, and continued to glare at Rose. “Why can’t you just leave her alone? If you’re so bored and lonely, go back to Las Vegas and see a show with Edgar.”
No sooner than the words were out, Evie sobbed and spit out a mouthful of blood. What was Rose doing to her? Piper knelt beside her, scared out of her wits, the cloud darkening. If Evie could see it, she might understand why Rose was right to want her to stop existing.
Lachlan strode forward, drawing back his fist, but was also sent to his knees. Piper saw every muscle in his his arms tensing as he fought against her to no avail.
“Please let them go,” Piper begged.
“Don’t listen to her.” Evie rolled onto her side, wrapping one arm around her middle and keeping her other hand on Piper’s arm. “I won’t go, and you can’t listen to her.”
“Evelyn’s right, my love.” The words came out in staccato bursts between Lachlan’s gritted teeth.
Piper tried to focus. Rose was her grandmother and ultimately wanted what was right, but it was difficult with her rage cloud growing and her loved ones suffering because of her.
“This is verra charming,” Rose said. “But ye know what must be done, my dear granddaughter?”
“Nothing needs to be done,” Evie yelled, her teeth stained from the blood that kept welling from her mouth.
“Of course it does,” Rose snapped. “There shall be an end to all the tampering, the traveling, the changing about of people’s lives. Ye think ye’re helping but it always ends in tears. No more.”
It dawned on Piper that her inability to do the spell the night before was Rose’s doing. “You put a block on it,” she said. “You have to let Lachlan’s brother and sister go home.”
“Sorry, lass. If they’re here, they must stay.”
“No, you don’t understand. We need to get some medicine to our ancestors. There’s an epidemic sweeping the castle.”
“Then those that are destined to die shall die. Why do ye think ye should have any say in it?”
“It could affect her verra existence, and yours as well,” Lachlan said, taking a shuddering breath.
Rose laughed, a cruel sound. “The lives that have been lost, the lives ye think ye’re saving. It all has consequences and someone else pays the price. I have paid the price, even wicked Daria paid the price. Now ye must pay yours.”
Evie got onto her hands and knees, digging her fingers into the damp, rocky ground. Her breathing sounded like a wounded animal, and she spat out a mouthful of blood so she could speak.
“She’s lying. And a hypocrite. Do you think she’s going to let us live after she gets you to drown yourself? Do you think she’ll stay in this time?”
“You- you’re going back?” Piper asked, afraid to address the other accusation.
She had to believe her sacrifice would be worth it and Lachlan and Evie and everyone else could live happy, peaceful lives once Daria’s spirit was banished for good.
“No, lass I willna be going back.”
Lachlan wrapped his hand around her wrist. “Ye are stronger than her, Piper. And better.”
“He’s wrong about ye being stronger than me, and perhaps ye may have been better, but the witch has ye now. But we can finally cleanse ye of her filth.” She settled her stare on Lachlan and he groaned, grabbing his head.
Piper jumped up. “I’ll do it, I’ll go in the lake, just stop hurting them.”
Rose shook her head sadly. “Aye, lass. Let us do what needs to be done. Ye are ridding the world of a great evil. That’s something to be proud of.”
“She’s gone already,” Lachlan said. “I killed her myself, and kicked her loathsome head across a clearing.” He reached a shaking hand toward Piper. “Whatever of her that’s left is yours now, love.” He looked at her meaningfully and the blue-black mist that surrounded her grew to engulf him. He swished his hand through the air and she knew he could see it, but instead of looking afraid or disgusted, his eyes filled with wonder.
Wild about the Witch Page 18
