Chapter Twenty Six

 

I strolled in through the gates of the Cruaich three days later. I didn’t have the welcoming committee I’d endured last time but I still received a lot of startled looks. I caught a few hushed whispers and was unsurprised at their content. The others were being hailed as heroes for first saving the Foinse and releasing it. I was being cast as the person who allowed William Kincaid to die and possibly murdered Lily Macquarrie in the process. I didn’t care what they said; I held my head high.

My intention had been to make a beeline for the hall. Whether all the Clan Chieftains were there or not made little difference. My words would get back to the people who needed to hear them no matter what Aifric tried to do. I was stopped in my tracks, however, by a familiar voice.

‘I thought you weren’t going to run away.’

I turned, drinking in Byron. He looked rumpled, the shadow of stubble across his jawline. For once his hair wasn’t so perfect but his emerald eyes remained bright. I forced down the irritating prickles of desire that danced through my veins. I wasn’t going to believe the worst of him yet. Jumping to conclusions wouldn’t aid my cause but whatever was behind that sexy façade, I couldn’t let myself trust him. Not when I knew the truth about his father.

‘Circumstances altered my path. How’s Malcolm?’ I asked.

‘Grieving.’ He took a step towards me. ‘What happened? The Macquarries sent word that you appeared like a bat out of hell carrying Lily’s body.’

‘Lily’s corpse,’ I corrected quietly.

A shadow crossed his face. ‘For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.’

‘You don’t think it was me who poisoned her then?’

‘No.’ He met my gaze and held it. ‘I don’t.’

I shook out my hair. ‘It was the water,’ I told him. ‘There was something in it. It was obviously meant for me.’

Byron sucked in a breath. ‘But…’

‘It must have been William Kincaid,’ I continued blithely. ‘He hated me with every fibre of his being. He’ll be spinning in his grave that he missed his shot.’

Byron’s jaw tightened. ‘The magic is fine,’ he said. ‘As you assumed. Wherever the Foinse is, it’s no longer broken.’

I liked to the think of the source of all Scottish magic as a ‘she’, rather than an ‘it’. Kind of like Mother Nature. ‘I told you so,’ I said, raising an eyebrow.

He didn’t rise to the bait. ‘Why are you here now, Integrity?’ His voice was low and husky. There was an odd light in his eyes and I realised he was searching for a particular answer. I shrugged. Whatever.

‘Here,’ I said, thrusting out a brown envelope. ‘That’s what Taylor owes you. Including your unreasonable interest.’

He gazed at my outstretched hand. ‘You don’t have to do that. It was a mean trick in the first place.’

I cocked my head. ‘Beggars can’t be choosers, Byron. Your Clan needs the money and you have his loan paid in full. We’re all leaving town and I want to make sure there are no loose ends before I go.’

‘Leaving? Where are you going?’

‘I was always going to be leaving. I have a new job.’ I smiled. ‘This one is on the right side of the law.’ I wasn’t quite so sure that Lexie, Speck, Brochan and Taylor would adhere to that but they weren’t his concern. I checked my watch. ‘In fact, my train leaves in a couple of hours so I don’t have long.’

A muscle throbbed in his cheek. ‘You’re Sidhe. You don’t have to work among the Clan-less.’

‘No,’ I said cheerfully, ‘I don’t.’

A door opened at the far end of the corridor. It was difficult to be sure with the light behind them but it looked like Aifric. I forced myself to stay relaxed and raised a hand in greeting. I didn’t check to see whether he waved back.

‘Anyway,’ I continued. ‘This is for you.’ I took out a small velvet bag from my inside pocket. ‘I thought you might want it back.’

Byron was genuinely surprised. ‘Is that the Lia Saifire?’

I inclined my head. ‘It is. And it’s all yours. Clan Moncrieffe can do whatever they wish with it.’

‘I thought you’d sold it on.’

I smiled. It had been a piece of cake to steal it back from the human who’d bought it. He’d shoved it in a display cabinet in a showy castle up in the north. There was a vast collection of artwork and other jewels alongside it. I bet it would be months before he even noticed it was gone. Teleportation made everything easier. It was just as well I was changing professions; I’d be bored out of my wits if heists were always so simple to pull off.

‘I’d like to say it’s been a pleasure knowing you all,’ I said lightly, ‘but I can’t deny that I’m glad all this is over.’

He took another step towards me. ‘Is it? Is it all over, Integrity?’

‘Of course it is.’ I paused. ‘What did the beaver say to the tree?’

Byron frowned. ‘Integrity…’

‘It’s been nice gnawing you.’

He didn’t acknowledge my joke. There was no appreciation for the finer art of humour these days.

‘Goodbye Byron.’ I tossed him the bag with the Lia Saifire in it, turned on my heel and walked out, whistling. I’d be back.

 

 

Thank you so much for reading Gifted Thief! I really hope you enjoyed it.  It would mean a huge amount if you could leave a review – any and all feedback is so very, very welcome and hugely important for independent authors like myself.

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The second book in the Highland Magic series, Honour Bound, will be released on February 29th. Might as well make use of that leap year! . If you turn the page, you can read a sneak peek of Chapter One.