Page 96 of Outlaw Ever After

—at Urquhart Castle’s gates. If he so ignores this demand, his sire’s skull will forever be buried in the holding of Castle Freuchie, never to be found again, and Castle Freuchie will pass to the Grants in perpetuity.

He traced his thumb over the etching of a skull, now faded and creased.

Was it only a myth, that his skull still existed? Mayhap it had been discarded long ago and the rumors had grown strong over the years as rumors often did.

Buried in the holding somewhere… Where the hell are ye, Da?

His eyes narrowed on the obvious conclusion: MacGregor , nay Seamus, had something at stake in this. Upon MacGregor , nay the Grant, was where Alex should focus his scrutiny…

Seamus…what to think about Seamus… The man had been bent on rallying MacGregor’s support at first, but if Alex wasn’t mistaken, something had shifted in Seamus tonight, the moment he’d realized MacGregor had lied about Alex’s stolen missive and the lashings, and MacGregor’s lust for death when Seamus had only vied to capture him for questioning…

Chapter Thirty

The wedding dances were joyous! Peigi sang! Twirling with Aileana, Michaelmas daisies woven into their hair flashed lavender petals as they spun to the bodhrán and pipes.

Her aunt, a blushing bride. The lush grass of this heavenly isle so soft beneath her bare feet…

Then the shouting…

Swords. Scrambling.

Seamus grabbing her, thrusting her to safety in that cottage.

Mildred running away, tail wagging and tongue lolling. Poor Mildred had to be saved, too!

Then…

The dark-haired man loomed, ring glinting, arms raised, knife in hand.

“Da! Da!” Terrified screams as a lad ran toward the fray.

The bloodied knife dropping from the lad’s confused hands…

“Peigi!” Her mither was howling as she covered her eyes. “Peigi! Peigi…”

“Peigi…Pegs… Sister !”

A stern voice resonated as her head lolled, so restless.

“Sister, ’tis only me—”

She jerked away from the broad grasp. Blinked open as wind howling against her shutters replaced the chaos of her dream.

“It’s only me,” Seamus said more gently.

Elizabeth’s lilac water as she dipped the bed ropes, brought Peigi fully lucid.

“Ye were having a nightmare,” Aileana said as she pressed a cloth to her head.

“Yer cries roused me and I dashed for Seamus,” Elizabeth said, still dressed in her nightshift, worrying her lips and taking her hand.

The last of the screaming receded into the hollows of her mind. A tallow candle flickered. Seamus stood stoic.

“Ye havena had one of those in years.” Seamus’s jaw pumped.

She sat up. Sweat had soaked her shift and plastered wisps of hair to her neck and temples. Her mother had once said her nightmares were her gift of Sight vying to be heard.

“Why?” he hedged.