Page 72 of Vampire's Breath

Lorcan hadn’t left even one stone standing.

My hand fell to what remained of the stone hearth in front of the fireplace, dark and cold. I had let Lorcan in, and he had torn down my defenses. I had allowed myself to love. But instead of finding sanctuary and discovering security, I had been left with ruins.

Maybe being alone was the fate of everyone in my family. Lady Isobel had allowed someone in, and it had changed her life so drastically—damned her to start over on an entirely new continent. I shivered against the gust of wind that pushed through the walls, whispering of ghosts of the past. Did she ever truly fall in love with her second husband? Or was it the very thing her father had feared—a marriage of convenience? One to ensure her survival?

I lay my head in my arms, my knees drawn to my chest. I would not make the same mistake. I would never again be hurt the way Lorcan had hurt me. I would remain in control. No one needed to be that close to me. I was better off without them. I would live my life in comfort and security, just as my mother had taught me.

I inhaled sharply, letting the air fill my lungs. No more mistakes. No more submission or pain—just me in control of my heart.

I stood, brushing the dust from my jeans, and exited the room. Pausing in the doorway, I looked up at the sky. Where it had once been gray, it was now black. A large drop of rain splashedonto the stone before me, marking its surface with a fine dark sheen. The wind threaded through my hair like icy fingers. I pulled up the hood of my jacket, preparing for a wet jog back to the pier.

By the time I arrived, the ferry was waiting. I made my way down the concrete slope and hurried onto the back of the boat. Warmth enveloped me as I walked into the small cabin, water dripping from my jacket.

“Good thing you made it on, lass. Likely this will be the last ferry with this storm,” said the operator as he approached me.

I handed him my ticket to return to Tingwall and forced a smile. “I wouldn’t want to be stuck out there for the night.”

He nodded before walking away.

I sat back, resting my head against the headrest. I had found everything I needed here—everything I wanted and more.

I would go to Dún Na Farraige and see where Isobel was presented as the Baroness of Blackcairn. And while there, I would say goodbye to Lorcan’s ghost at the home where he had told me he grew up.

But after that?

I would never think about him again.

Lorcan

Zadie didn’t attempt any spirited flying this time between Aberdeen and Kirkwall. Maybe the tension I carried through every muscle in my body told her it would be a horrible idea. Although had she done so, it might have distracted me from everything weighing on my mind. When we landed, I transferred to the car waiting on the tarmac to take me to Tingwall. The entire well-orchestrated trip put me on the ferry mere hours after Briar. It didn’t stop my heart racing or my knee bouncing as the small boat navigated the choppy waters. The weather was not helping.

When we arrived, the wind whipped the water into white spray along the pier, the salt biting into my skin. It felt like a warning I refused to heed. Since we had boarded the jet in Manchester, Ihad tried to determine what I would say once I found her. How would I explain that she was better off without me?

I vowed to figure it out later and opened the door to the small shack that housed the ferry office. A man stood behind a small desk, barely enough for him to sit behind. Maps and posters hung from tacks on the wooden walls.

“How can I help you?” he asked.

I glanced around the room, ensuring no one else was within earshot. “Was there a woman here earlier? Looking for Lyons Hold?”

He nodded. “She was. I gave her directions.”

I leaned forward. “And has she returned?”

The man shrugged. “No need to stop in here if you already have a ticket. Could be someone on the pier saw her, but I wouldn’t know.”

I clenched my jaw. “A lot of help you are.”

The man scowled. “I don’t know if she’s still up there or not, but you might want to get back on that ferry. There’s a storm coming in, and it’s already almost too dangerous for us to sail. This could be the last ferry out.”

My hands hit the desk as I leaned toward the man, my voice dropping low. “If she’s up at Lyons Hold, I’m not leaving her. So here is what is going to happen.” My pupils moved independently of the light as I channeled the familiar power. “You’re going to find the person working on the pier. You are going to find out if she was seen leaving.”

The man’s face went blank as my words overtook his will. “Of course. I’ll go look for her.”

I took the pen and paper from the desk in front of him and scrawled my phone number. “When you find out where she is, call me. After you reach me by phone, you burn that paper and forget I was ever here.”

The man nodded, an emptiness in his eyes. “Absolutely. I’ll see what I can find.” He exited the room in a trance.

I stepped outside and scanned the area, ensuring no prying eyes before taking off at a run. The wind howled past my ears, my vision blurring as the sting of the rain and salt hit my eyes. At least, I told myself it was the salt and not my tears.

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