“We’re lucky Hedrek and the boys left earlier,” her mother said.
“Yeah.Ma, we can’t keep living like this, wondering when we’ll fall a step behind instead of ahead.We need to change the narrative.”
“I understand.Hedrek feels it too.But leaving everything familiar behind and stepping into uncertainty—it’s terrifying.We’re putting Hedrek and the boys at risk.”
Sienna let out a shaky breath, a restless energy coiling beneath her skin.“Do you think the boys are okay?I’m so worried about Liam.”
“If the hunters had caught Kitto or Calan, they’d be tearing through houses by now.Liam’s still with them.He wouldn’t abandon them.”
“You like him,” Sienna said.
“He’d make a fine son-in-law.”
“I wouldn’t count chickens.”Sienna’s gut twisted with worry and longing.“He might want to go home, and I wouldn’t blame him.”
“Don’t borrow trouble,” her mother said briskly.“I’ll start packing.With eight of us, space will be tight.I’ll pack a set of clothes for each boy and Hedrek, and one for each of us.”
Sienna gathered food supplies, organizing them into the bigger, sturdier pack her mother recommended.Quietly, they worked side by side, the tension hanging between them.
“Should we find a phone and call the castle?”her mother asked, folding a shirt.
“And say what?I didn’t make friends there.It’s better to arrive and assess the situation first.”
Her mother nodded and stowed the last items.A yawn escaped her.
“We should try to sleep,” Sienna said, setting down the pack.“We’ll need all the rest we can get if we’re driving up to Scotland.”
“Agreed.Good night, Sienna.Don’t worry.Hedrek and Jago will be back by morning.Liam and the others, too.”
Sienna had always appreciated her mother’s sunny disposition, but right now, she couldn’t dredge up the same optimism.
“Good night, Mama.I’ve checked the windows, and they’re locked.Hopefully, the hunters will stay away, at least until tomorrow.”
Sienna closed her bedroom door and prepared for bed.When she slid between the sheets, Liam’s scent washed over her.She tugged the covers up to her chin and inhaled deeply.Lord, she missed him and hoped he was okay.Her brothers, too.Her family would fall apart if anything were to happen to one of them.
She must have dozed, because the rumble of an engine jerked her awake.Sienna sat up, disoriented.What time was it?The cottage was dark, silent except for her mother’s soft breathing in the next room.
Papa and Jago weren’t supposed to return until morning.
Heart hammering, she slipped from bed and crept to the window.Through a gap in the curtains, headlights swept across their garden.
A vehicle rumbled up the path toward their cottage.Sienna peered through the curtain and gasped.Oh, no.It wasn’t Papa and Jago returning.It was a black SUV with hunters inside.
Chapter 18
Siennaslippedthroughthedoor into pre-dawn darkness, water bucket in hand.Exhaustion weighed on her after the night’s chaos.
“Sienna.”
She spun, bucket raised like a weapon.“Calan?”
“Yeah.”
Relief washed over her, but worry for Liam and Kitto settled deep.
From the deep shadows near a towering schist pile, her brother stepped forward.“The hunters are still out.I had to take the long way around to avoid them.”
“Where are Kitto and Liam?”Her heart banged against her ribs on spotting her brother’s expression.
