Page 34 of Treachery in the Highlands
Father exhales heavily.Then he finally concedes."Aye, all right.But they are not to be alone.Not for a single moment."
Mother releases his shirt with a triumphant smile."Morna can chaperone from a respectable distance."
"Three paces," Father specifies, his eyes drilling into Joey's."No more."
Great-Aunt Morna chuckles, the sound rough as highland granite."I may be old, but my eyes are sharp as an eagle's and my legs swift as a deer's.Don't think ye can outrun me, lad."
Joey nods solemnly."Wouldn't dream of it, ma'am."
I rush to Joey's side before anyone can change their mind, my heart pounding with excitement."I'll show you the garden first.It's particularly lovely this time of year."
Joey's lips quirk into that half-smile that makes my stomach flutter."Lead the way."
As promised, Great-Aunt Morna follows us at precisely three paces, her keen eyes missing nothing.I can feel Father watching us from the doorway of the great hall, his gaze burning into my back until we round the corner of the castle wall.
"So," Joey whispers, leaning closer than is strictly proper, "that was intense.Your mom is...fierce."
I laugh softly."Aye, she's always been my champion.Father may be laird, but Mother is the true power at Dùndubhan."
"Remind me never to cross her," Joey says, his voice low enough that Morna can't hear.
"Morna is protective, that's all.I am the only child Dùndubhan has seen since my father became laird."
The morning air is crisp against my skin as we walk along the stone path toward the garden.Joey matches his stride to mine, his fingers occasionally brushing against my hand---accidental touches that send sparks racing up my arm.Each time it happens, I hear Great-Aunt Morna clear her throat pointedly.
"So, what's the story with the garden?"Joey asks."Magical herbs and potions?Secret portals to other dimensions?"
I laugh despite myself."Not everything in the Highlands is enchanted.Sometimes a garden is merely...a garden."
Chapter Thirteen
Joey
"Are you sure about that?"I ask.Rachel has witchy powers of her own.I know that for a fact since she used those abilities to craft a potion that stopped me from disappearing or whatever she thought might happen to me."Seems like a garden could be a portal to who knows where."
Rachel laughs in a sweet way that makes me want to kiss her---and do a lot more than that too."You're not entirely wrong.But it's not just any garden.The ancient stones must be arranged in a specific pattern, and the incantation..."She trails off, watching my face with sudden suspicion."Why are you so interested in portals all of a sudden?"
I shrug, trying for a casual attitude but probably failing miserably."Just trying to understand this world I've stumbled into.Knowledge is power and all that."
Her fingers brush against mine, sending that familiar electric current up my arm."Joey Finnegan, you're a terrible liar."
Before I can defend my honor---or lack thereof---she glances over her shoulder."We best go back inside,mo leannan."
I'm about to ask why, but then I glance back too and finally understand.Efrica just appeared from inside the house, her figure blocking what little light filters through the narrow castle windows.The old woman's gaze remains steadily on me, though her attention doesn't feel mistrustful.
Efrica speaks directly to her niece."Your father is coming, dearie."
Rachel tenses up, and her eyes widen a touch."Now?Why didn't you say something sooner?"
"I have told you now, have I not?"Efrica waves toward the doorway behind her."And here he is,mo leannan.I must say your father seems less than pleased with the situation."
The imposing figure of the laird of Dùndubhan emerges from the castle.His boots clomp loudly on the gravel, the sound echoing throughout the courtyard.
Oh, shit.
Kieran MacTaggart looks like he wants to murder me.With his squinty gaze and flexing muscles, he's doing a fantastic impression of an evil bastard who wants to rip my throat out and eat my entrails for dinner.But I'm not buying his act.Not much, that is.No, Big Daddy can't intimidate me.He does have a big old sword in his hand, but that doesn't mean he would actually murder me.Does it?
"Are you going to throw me into the garderobe shaft?"
