“You scared me.”
“She healed me.”Oban turned his head and sniffed at his sutures, but didn’t lick. He was a smart dog, and my best pal. I’d been lucky to find him.
“I thought as much.” Worry kicked through me at the confirmation from Oban that Faelan was a healer.
“She’ll be in pain now. She took it in.”
I’d heard tell of it, through the years, healers bringing the pain into their bodies before releasing it to the ether. I’d just never met one in real life. In fact, I’d never met anyone magickal other than wee Oban.
And myself, of course.
But we were a dying breed, after all, and that was the main reason it infuriated my father that I’d chosen to take a position at a rural hospital in Scotland. Not only did he think the job was beneath me, but he liked me close, believing he deserved a say in my life. The “continuation of our line” was only part ofthatequation.
No matter how adamant he was, I would not be pushed.I should get to control more of my future, should I not?
It had been over a year since I’d moved to Loren Brae, and in my time here I’d learned two things.
The first?
Loren Brae had deep magickal roots, and for all I had been worried about concealing my identity when I’d moved here, I had quickly learned that Loren Brae had far bigger problems on hand than me.
And the second?
For all my father pushed me to settle down and find a wife, I’d come to realize just how much I enjoyed the freedom of being away from my tight-knit, and heavy-handed, family.
It turns out, I was a lone wolf at heart.
CHAPTER FOUR
Faelan
Afew weeks passed in a flash. I hadn’t realized when I’d bought the vet practice that it was one of the only practices in the region, nor that there would be a demand for care for everything from livestock to fish. Each night I collapsed into bed, exhausted, promising myself I’d hire an assistant soon, before sleep claimed me.
But it was the dreams each night that woke me, at exactly 3:33, tawny golden-green eyes and a wicked jawline flashing me awake. I’d lie there, heart hammering, and remind myself that everything was fine.
I hadn’t heard or seen Dr. Luch Carmichael since he’d left my practice that day, Oban curled in his arms, suspicion draping his face. And I was fine with that. For a few days after the visit, I’d been on edge, jumpy, but the chaos of running a practice on my own had finally demanded myattention and I’d shoved any worries about Dr. Carmichael far into the recesses of my brain.
Except for at night, that is.
The witching hour.
The time I woke each night didn’t escape me, nor the gentle nudges my mother was trying to send me from the other side of the veil. It was just that I, quite frankly, didn’t have the time or energy for Dr. Carmichael.
Even though I’d googled him over one hurried lunch hour recently. I’d eaten my sandwich standing at the kitchen counter in my flat, and had scrolled my phone, discovering that Luch worked at the hospital about thirty minutes outside of Loren Brae. He was an emergency physician and had a very appealing headshot on their website. Aside from a few nods to his esteemed degrees, there hadn’t been much more information that I could find about him.
At the very least, it likely meant that Oban was in good hands and hopefully had healed up nicely from his accident. I’d carried the bruises of his healing on my bum and thigh for a solid week after the incident, moving gingerly through the day and sleeping on one side. I was used to it by now, the cost of a hurried healing, and had a month’s supply of arnica creams and Tiger Balm tucked away in my cabinet.
But today,todaywas my first proper day off, and I was using it to get out in nature, before going to dinner at the castle tonight. Lia, the chef at the castle restaurant, Grasshopper, had invited me to her Sunday “family” dinner and I figured it was a good way to finally meet some of the people of Loren Brae in one fell swoop. I’d been meaning to build some connections, as I knew it would be vital tohelping me stay here without suspicion, but I’d just been too busy. I’d made a promise to Gloam that he could show me around some of his favorite haunts, and it was important to me to uphold that. I got the sense that Gloam was itching for some playtime in the forest, as he’d been all but stuck to my side as I’d navigated the challenges of running my own clinic. He didn’t come down to the practice during the day, instead disappearing into the woods or napping upstairs, but I knew he wanted more time with me. We were still learning about each other, my familiar and me, and what better way to do that than to let him take me for a walk through the forest that blanketed the hills around Loch Mirren?
“I can see why you love it here.”
We’d been hiking for several hours, with no particular direction in mind, and I’d just trusted Gloam to lead me where he wanted to go. Now, we’d stopped at a low stone wall which ran through a long line of tall trees and dipped and curved down the hills toward the shores of the loch. Taking off my small pack, I dropped to the mossy ground and leaned my back against the wall, then pulled my water bottle out. My muscles twinged, but in a good way, because even though I was on my feet all day at work, I hadn’t done any proper exercise for a while. Digging in my pack, I pulled out a collapsible bowl, popped it open, and dashed a bit of water in it for Gloam.
Gloam sauntered over, lapping at the water, before curling up at my side, his eyes alert as he watched the land around us.
“It’s home.”
“How did you end up here, Gloam? Do you have family?”Reaching over, I scratched at his favorite spot behind his ears. I’d learned he didn’t like me touching his paws or his tail, but that he loved ear and tummy scratches and was a champion cuddler.
