“Balladyn introduced himself as a Reaper. Who the hell are they?”
“Fae chosen by the goddess Death to keep the balance within the Fae. She’s the judge and jury, and the Reapers are her executioners.”
Elodie raised her brows. “Wow.”
“Balladyn is the Warden of Skye, Elodie. He and Rhona put the Fae Others and their soldiers in their place. A couple of Druids lost their lives, and many more were injured, but we won.”
“That sounds incredible. You mentioned the Warriors and other Druids.”
Edie grinned. “Yes. Remember when we were told that other formidable Druids were around?”
Elodie nodded.
“That’s them. They’re from MacLeod Castle. I didn’t get much more information about them, other than that the Warriors are the same ones Corann told us about, those who had primeval gods locked inside them.”
Elodie’s eyes widened in shock. “The gods from Hell the droughs called up to fight the Romans?”
“The very ones,” Edie said with a conspiratorial grin.
“With other Druids.” Elodie could hardly believe any of this. It seemed a lot had happened on Skye.
“We could’ve used your magic. It was always stronger than mine.”
Elodie smiled wanly. “Sounds like you all had it covered.”
“Goodness. Look at the time.” Edie got to her feet and dusted off her bottom. “Are you sure you’re good here?”
“Positive,” Elodie said from her place on the floor.
Edie blew her a kiss. “I’ll check on you tomorrow then.”
Elodie waited until the door had closed behind her sister before she released the breath she’d been holding. She had gotten through a conversation without telling her sister about her magic—or lack thereof. How many more would she get before the truth came out? Every ugly grain of it.
CHAPTER FOUR
An entire week lost. Scott was torn regarding how he felt about that. On the one hand, he was surprised by how peaceful he found Skye. He was a city lad, born and bred. He usually found country life dull, yet nothing about the Isle of Skye was boring.
Then there was Elodie. She was proving to be more difficult to bump into than expected. She kept to herself and went out at different times. Days passed when she didn’t leave the cottage. When she did, it was usually a quick trip into town for groceries. She didn’t eat out, and she hadn’t returned to the café.
And yet, everyone was talking about her.
It didn’t matter where Scott and Filip went, the name Elodie was on everyone’s lips. Some were curious about her return, while others let their hatred be known. Those were mostly women who Elodie had spurned years ago. They didn’t want a repeat of the husband stealing.
Despite Scott’s demand to get details about Elodie, he had very few. When Scott had questioned Filip about the murder, all his friend did was shrug.
“I was young. I don’t remember details,” Filip replied.
Which was no help to Scott. He could ask some residents, but while they were willing to talk amongst themselves, he wasn’t sure any would welcome a stranger poking his nose in their business.
Scott finished the last of his ale and saw the woman behind the bar roll her eyes repeatedly every time Elodie’s name reached her. She clearly didn’t like Elodie, and she just might be the one to give Scott some specifics about his target.
He waved the bartender over. She approached with brows lifted. “Another one, please,” he said as he handed her his mug.
She took it and filled it before handing it back.
Just as she was turning away, Scott asked, “Everyone is talking about the same woman. What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” the barkeep said with another eye roll. “She’s returned and will no doubt start up her shite again.”
“And what shite is that?” he pressed.
The woman glanced around before leaning her forearms on the bar and lowering her voice. “Let’s just say that she didn’t care if a man was married or not when she set her sights on him. She broke up a lot of relationships.”
“Is it really just her fault, though? It takes two.”
“Oh, she knew exactly what she was doing.”
Scott held the woman’s dark gaze, noting the bitterness. “Did she break up your relationship?”
“Yep.”
Oh, yeah. Lots of acrimony. “I’m sorry.”
“It was for the best. Just as her leaving was.”
“Was she run out?”
The woman snorted. “If only. It’s what she deserved, but everyone felt sorry for her.”
Now they were getting to the good parts. “Why?”
“Her father was killed.”
Scott glanced at Filip, who was sitting with a group of people around his age. “Did the mother really kill the father?”
“That she did.”
Scott’s mouth went slack. Not that he hadn’t believed Filip, but there was something about hearing it from someone else. “Bloody hell.”
“Exactly. That face right there is how almost everyone on Skye was back then. Elodie got away with anything.”
The pub went silent as death as the woman’s voice echoed through the establishment. Scott followed everyone’s gaze to see none other than Elodie walk in. She was only a few feet away, which allowed him to get a better view of her. Her pale blond locks hung nearly to her waist. She had the sides clipped at the back of her head, showing off two small braids on either side of her face mixing with the rest of her length. Her heart-shaped face held large eyes in an arresting pale blue color. Her lips were full, the structure of her face a work of art. He’d never seen anyone he would call ethereal, but that word described her perfectly. Her long coat hid her upper body, but he had already gotten a glimpse of her lean legs.
Scott’s gaze returned to her face, noticing for the first time how pale she was as she fought to hold it together. Beside Elodie stood a woman who resembled her. No doubt her sister, Edie, the one that Filip had told him about.
“Seriously?” Edie asked the room, looking individuals in the eye. “Do none of you have anything better to talk about?”
Scott saw Elodie fighting the urge to leave. He wouldn’t stay if he were in her shoes, but sometimes running away only made things worse. To his surprise, Elodie marched past her sister to a table and sat without saying a word. Edie followed, her gaze shooting daggers at everyone, especially the bartender.
“Watch your husbands and boyfriends, ladies,” a woman in the back shouted.
Edie started to rise, but Elodie grabbed her arm and, with a look, got her sister back into her seat. Scott admired her cool head. It would be easy for someone to lose their temper and tell everyone off. It took greater effort to keep such comments to yourself.
Gradually, the conversation continued in the pub. When Scott looked at the barkeep, she was staring at Elodie, her animosity evident. He never understood why people blamed everyone but their significant other for cheating. Elodie and her siblings had suffered a horrendous tragedy when they were still young. What she did back then was probably in direct response to that, and yet these people wouldn’t let go of their anger from over a decade prior.