Reckoning (Book 4 of Lost Highlander series) (13 page)

Evie ignored her, going on and on about horcruxes or somesuch nonsense, and how it might be the thing linking her to Daria. It was the first time in their lives that Evie had used her size advantage against Piper, refusing to listen to her excuses for wanting to keep the book. She marched all the way out to the utility shed by the lake, ignoring Piper’s pleas and pathetic attempts to grab it out of her Amazonian hands.

Evie doused it with petrol and lighted it up, kicking the ashes into the lake, praying the filthy remnants wouldn’t poison the fish. Once it was truly gone, Piper had a miniscule hope she would be free, but nothing changed, except now she didn’t have the book. Now all she had was her teenage grandmother’s old diary, that told her nothing but a pitiful tale of lost love and gave her the heebie jeebies.

She came back around to the dreams leading her to the book. Did she get scared because it was Daria who led her to it?

No,
 whispered in her mind and she jumped half a foot off the bench. She turned around to see that she was alone in the kitchen, the door firmly shut. Holy crap, had the spirit just answered her?

“You didn’t want me to find it?” she asked, completely forgetting to feel self-conscious. She held her breath, waiting for an answer. Digging her fingernails into her palms in her frustration, she tried again. “Was it you who showed me where it was?”

Her skin prickled all over as she waited. One of the burners on the stove sprang to life, a flickering blue flame underneath the tea kettle, and she started to shake. Just as the kettle began to whistle, softly at first, then building to a shrill whine, she heard it again. Way back in the recesses of her mind, almost more of a thought placed there instead of a voice.

No.

Piper jumped up and grabbed the kettle off the flame, sticking it in the sink. Flushed with exhilaration, she turned giddily in a circle as if she could see the source of the voice somewhere in the room. She fiddled with the burner, and ended up dousing the flame with an oven mitt, not even caring that she’d started another fire with her mind. Her chest felt like the iron band around it had been loosened.

“I’ve got you,” she said, still looking around the kitchen, positive she wasn’t alone. “I know what you don’t want, you bitch. Now I’ve got you.”

With her decision made, Piper found it difficult to get through the christening and the lovely reception afterwards. She put on a brave, smiling face and forced herself to act normal, and everything went without a hitch. Her godson was darling, the best baby in the world. She knew he’d grow up to be a good man, and hoped she’d get to see it.

It took her a few days to get everything in order, and the entire time she warred with herself, not sure of her choice. She reminded herself frequently she didn’t really have a choice.

Something had to be done before Daria’s spirit turned her into a full fledged monster, forcing the villagers to storm the castle with pitchforks and torches. She focused on that somewhat comically dramatic image, because she couldn’t stomach the more realistic, scarier image of Evie having to call her mother to come have her committed to a mental institution.

She heard Evie pull up in the back drive, and hurriedly got her papers together, trying to decide how she would tell her, already chickening out. When Evie came in and began unbuckling Magnus from his car seat, Piper noticed it right away and screeched with joy.

“What’s on your hand?” she shouted, scaring Magnus.

Evie couldn’t hide her glee. Turning red, she held out her hand, the beautiful engagement ring Sam had painstakingly picked out for her so long ago finally sparkling on her finger. Piper found herself sobbing and had to sit down. All of the dark and sad emotions she had been struggling to keep at bay for so long, and it was happiness that broke her. Of course Evie couldn’t see someone cry without starting in herself, so they hugged each other and bawled until Magnus started up and Evie untangled herself to get him out of his car seat.

“You have to tell me everything,” Piper said, wiping her face with a dish towel and pouring them some tea. “Act it out.”

Evie laughed. “It was very Sam. He just went for it. Poor thing got down on both knees.”

“Oh my God, you had to say yes after that.”

“Yes, I had to.” Evie smiled a dreamy, faraway smile.

Piper’s last bit of indecision melted away. She realized she’d been worried about Evie being unsettled, but now her happiness was assured. Whatever the outcome, Evie would be all right.

She set the tea cups down on the table and dove in. “I’m going back to when Rose is,” she said in a rush. “I think she can help me with Daria.” She felt calm. This must have been how Rose felt when she decided to go back to be with John.

“Like hell you are,” Evie said indignantly. “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard you say,” she continued, putting Magnus in his bassinet. “I can’t even hold the baby, I’m so upset right now.”

Piper was shocked. She had expected her to be uncertain, but not downright unsupportive. “I think it’s the best thing,” she said, wondering if she should explain about her creepy inner voice being scared of the diary. “Rose knows about Daria, how evil she was—”

“Is,” interjected Evie. “She might still be alive in that timeline, remember?”

Piper took a long swallow of tea to buy herself some time. She hadn’t remembered that. Dear God, was she going to have to keep killing this woman all across the ages? The thought made her want to walk into the lake.

She tried to do the math. More than twenty years passed before Rose returned, and if they assumed time did flow concurrently, wouldn’t Daria still be dead?

“I see what you’re trying to figure out,” Evie said. “Your wheels are practically grinding. But you can’t know for sure if she got killed before or after. That cow is so powerful, she could be lurking around in any time, waiting for you to show up. She could be luring you there. Maybe this whole story with grandma Rose is codswallop, to trick you back to a time she’s still alive.”

“You’re being a monkey wrench, Evie,” she said, unwilling to let her plan disintegrate.

She felt fairly certain that she was supposed to find her grandmother. If Daria was still alive, she’d have to face that.

“Because it’s a stupid plan. It deserves ten wrenches thrown in it.”

“Look, you said it yourself,” Piper argued. “Daria’s powerful. Scary powerful, right? Well, her spirit is in me.” Piper shuddered, feeling the deep, skin crawling disgust of it. “And I want it out.”

“We’ll find another way,” Evie said, waving at all the boxes in the corner of the kitchen that they hadn’t gone through yet.

Piper groaned. She wanted to take action, not sit around the table for the next three months, going blind over old parchment, while Daria’s powers grew stronger and more difficult to control. It was time to bring out the big guns.

She explained what had happened the other day, how she’d started another fire, about hearing an answer in her mind. “Daria doesn’t want me to go back. That alone is reason enough to do it, as far as I’m concerned,” Piper finished.

“I still don’t like it,” Evie said, remaining unconvinced, but Piper could tell she was wavering.

She took a deep breath and pushed onward. “I can’t let her win,” she said. “I don’t know how she did it, but she separated me from Lachlan. I’m glad I got Magnus back, please don’t ever think I regret getting back, but now Lachlan’s …” she swallowed hard. “Lachlan’s gone and I won’t ever see him again. Maybe that was her plan all along, to ruin my happiness. But none of it would have happened at all, if she hadn’t sent Lachlan here in the first place. He did everything he did for me, to save me from her, and now he’s … I won’t let him be her victim. I can’t let his death be in vain.”

Piper rested her forehead on her arms. It had taken everything she had to say the words, admit them to herself. She’d known before she even met him that Lachlan was in her family crypt, that he died the same year he originally traveled from.

She hadn’t wanted to believe it would truly happen, she’d held onto the silly belief that she could change things. And ultimately nothing had really changed. They’d just messed up the order, or possibly caused it all themselves. That was a thought she couldn’t bear, not for a second. All she could do now was make sure Daria didn’t get a happy ending.

“Then I’ll go with you,” Evie said, reaching out to touch Magnus’s foot. The baby kicked and waved the blanket he clutched in his tiny, fat hand.

“That’s hilarious.” Piper gave her the most threatening stare she could muster. “You most certainly will not. Don’t even bring it up again.”

“You can’t go alone,” Evie said. She gasped, holding up her hands. “How can you go at all?” she asked, waving her fingers. “You don’t have any bones.” She dropped her voice to an agitated whisper. “Do you?”

Piper shook her head. The bones were the least of her worries. She was absolutely certain she could make the trip without them, though she’d failed once before using the more benign, boneless spell.

“I won’t need them,” she said. “Not anymore. Daria made the unfortunate decision to possess me, so now I have some of her power. And I’m going to use it against her.” She grinned with satisfaction and looked around. “Didn’t think of that, did you?” She clamped her mouth shut, realizing she’d just spoken aloud to her dead ancestor’s spirit in front of Evie.

Thankfully, Evie pretended not to notice. “She was seconds from being beheaded after all. It probably seemed like a good idea at the time.” She sighed. “I guess you’re probably all ready to go, aren’t you? There’s nothing I can say or do to stop you?”

“I’m leaving tonight.” Piper knew there was no more reason to wait. Evie looked miserable and she scooted to her side of the table and hugged her. “Just a quick mission, in and out. I’ll be back before you can miss me.”

Evie laughed a tiny bit, apprehension gleaming in her eyes. “Okay, time traveling warrior princess. Except I already miss you and you’re not even gone yet.”

Lachlan had to remind himself that Bella’s pregnancy wasn’t the worst possible thing that could have happened. Except, it felt like it was the worst possible thing. He knew he must have a horrified look on his face and he tried valiantly to smile reassuringly at Bella. He failed and she rolled over, burying her face in her pillow and moaning as if the world was ending.

Which it felt like it was. Deep in his heart, he was relieved she wasn’t dying of some strange illness, or poisoned by her own people. Her being with child was actually a good thing, as history was righting itself. It was just such bloody awful timing. It hit him in the gut that there was no way now he could carry out his slow, peaceful plan of easing Pietro under the Glen’s noses. Bugger it all, they had no time at all now.

Bella would need to be married to Pietro as soon as humanly possible. Sooner. The child had to be recognized as his, not Lachlan’s. He staggered over to the basin and splashed a few drops of water onto his face, unable to believe he once again might have screwed up Piper’s timeline.

He couldn’t handle thinking about it. Action, he needed to take action.

“Dinna fret,” he said, reaching for their chamber door. “I shall tell Pietro at once, and we’ll come up with a new plan.”

Bella twisted around and sat straight up in bed, her pale, tear streaked face twisted with rage. “If ye dare to do that, I shall murder ye in your sleep.” She clenched her fists. “Are ye the stupidest man who ever lived?”

“Bella, he must know,” Lachlan said reasonably.

Her face crumpled and she fell back against the pillows again. “I know that, but I want to tell him.”

Lachlan considered this, feeling bad for her. Everything had gone so wrong for her in the last weeks, pretty much all due to him. Well, not this newest thing, that at least wasn’t his fault. But he was responsible for not keeping her closer to hand, for trusting those two to be alone together, when he knew they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

  “I dinna know, lass. I canna have anyone see ye together, not after what happened in the woods.”

He hated to shame her and make her remember that terrible night. She hadn’t stopped crying about it for days after, and wouldn’t eat in the main hall until he practically dragged her down. She had sat regally but silently that night, and when she realized it was him who was hated and everyone mostly felt sorry for her, she started acting somewhat normally again.

The moony stares she gave Pietro were going to be the death of them all though, but now he better understood her melancholy of the last week, as well as her sickness. The look on her face was so sad, he couldn’t bear to tell her no.

“I shall find a way,” he finally promised.

She relaxed and thanked him profusely. With all of that churning in his mind, he left the room to find his brother.

Quinn was in his tiny chamber reading a book, a frown burned into his brow. Lachlan noticed how tired his brother looked, probably from the constant vigilance he had to practice, afraid to turn his back on any Glen, and having to watch his every word.

“A moment?” he asked, closing the door behind him. He could tell Quinn saw the worry on his own face and his demeanor sank further.

“Aye,” he said. “What is it now?” He closed his book and motioned Lachlan to the one chair in the room.