Nine Days Later

---

Raudrich over-delivered. Seriously over-delivered. While all of the men pooled their magic to bring up the glass walls, the intricate doorway, the arched glass ceiling, and all the plants and flowers, he’d been the perfectionist among them, making certain that my vision was executed to a T.

Laurel and Nicol’s trip to the mainland took much longer than anyone expected, but it turned out for the best. It allowed me to make sure everything was perfect on the inside after they finished with the actual structure.

By the time everything was finished, it was better than I’d drawn it and far more impressive than I ever imagined.

It didn’t fit with the rest of the castle, but in time, once I bested Machara in whatever way I was meant to, I would continue to work on the castle. Eventually, everything would be as beautiful as this space was now.

The conservatory was a sanctuary of greenery and warmth. The old fountain was now restored, and the most delightful trickle of water could be heard from anywhere inside.

Freya loved it. Each night when she appeared, she delighted in the progress that had been made during the day.

Laurel and Nicol were going to freak.

In an effort to keep myself distracted from the anticipation of Laurel and Nicol’s return later that day, I talked Harry—he was on breakfast duty—into taking me down to the village for a second breakfast of sorts. I couldn’t take another meal of fish, and I thought the outing might settle my jitters.

---

There were parts of the Isle that looked familiar to him, but only in the half-hazy way that childhood memories often are. No one would know who he was. None there knew him, and that was for the best.

Brachan only hoped that his mother’s belief in him was justified—that he would be able to resist the pull of Machara and that one day he would learn how to rid himself of the evil brewing inside him.

He directed his horse toward the smell of cooked food. While he knew his wisest course of action would be to stay away from the locals, he couldn’t deny himself a decent meal after such a cold and miserable journey.

The inside of the tavern was warm and inviting, and to his delight, it was for the most part empty. Only one person sat at the bar and he knew immediately who she was.

Kate.

Perhaps some loving deity had blessed his journey to the Isle, after all. It gave him hope that everything would turn out okay.

---

The eggs were delicious, all the more so because they effectively rid my mouth of the taste of fish.

Harry and I had eaten together in silence, and when I gave him my word that I would not wander off, he stepped out back to visit with the owner of the tavern.

I heard the door open but thought nothing of it as I continued to eat away at the half-dozen eggs that lay on my plate. It was only when I heard his voice that I stilled. I knew it was Brachan from his first word.

“Kate, ’tis lovely to see ye again.”

My first instinct was to turn around and hug his neck. I was grateful for what he’d done for me, and I’d liked him right away. But instead, as I heard Harry’s voice bellow from the back—a sign he was ending his conversation and would be on his way back in here soon—I panicked, spun around, grabbed his hand, and quickly ushered him outside without saying a word.

I didn’t stop until we were hidden beside the building. When I finally looked up into his face, his eyes were filled with concern.

“What is the matter, lass? Are ye with someone?”

“Yes, and Harry can’t see you. He will notice the same thing that Maddock and I did. You look just like Nicol.”

He sighed. “Ye know I am his son?”

Nodding, I watched him carefully. “I do now.” He didn’t appear to be someone with some evil plan to destroy anyone. “Did you know that you were Nicol’s son?”

“I only learned who my father was the day after I healed ye, lass.”

“And what of your mother? Do you know who she is?” It was a personal question to ask him, but I needed to know.

“My mother is the woman who raised me. If ye mean to ask who gave birth to me, I believe ye already know.”

“Machara.”

He ground his teeth as he nodded. “I only just learned that, as well. I can feel her calling me to her, lass. ’Tis as if some evil has invaded my mind, and every day it is harder to fight.”

Brachan wanted no part of whatever evil plan Machara was brewing up, of that I was certain.

I reached for his hand. “Brachan, you should come with me back to the castle. Tell the men everything you just told me. They can help think of a way to free you from her. They will realize that you cannot help who your birth mother is.”

Panic flashed through his eyes as he pulled away from my grip. “No, lass. Speak to the men, I will, but I canna do so just yet. I need some time here to think of what I will say. I…I doona know how to meet my father. He hated me. He thought me dead, and he was glad of it. Please, Kate, I beg ye. Doona tell them that I am here. Give me some time—a day, mayhap two—to gather the strength I need.”

I cringed at the thought, and it pained me to know that it was true. But that was only because Nicol didn’t know. He didn’t realize that his children with Machara weren’t monsters. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have felt as he did, and he surely wouldn’t feel that way once he saw the man Brachan had become.

Although Maddock would consider it a betrayal if he found out I knew Brachan was on the Isle and didn't tell him, I knew that he would drag Brachan in front of Nicol the first moment he saw him, and I could understand Brachan's need to prepare for such an introduction.

“Okay. I won’t say anything, I promise.”

“Thank ye, lass.” He bent and pulled me into a hug. “Best ye go. Harry is on his way inside. I shall see ye again soon.”

He turned and ran away from the tavern, and I made it to my seat just as Harry entered the room.