Chapter 14
I heard a creak seconds before the door flung open and a dozen people were staring in at me.
“Has it been an hour already?” I asked, putting my hand up to ward off the glare of Shane’s flashlight.
“Yeah,” Shane said, relief shining in his eyes.
“Were you sleeping?” Milo asked. I could hear the admiration in his voice.
I hadn’t been sleeping—more spacing off really, thinking about the visions I’d seen and how to move forward with helping Ian.
“She’s got ballocks,” someone else said.
Shane held out his hand to help me up. He was grinning from ear-to-ear, and when he hugged me tight I was surprised. Tonight he’d shown genuine concern for me and it felt incredible.
Cassandra seemed disappointed that I was in one piece, but not Johan. “Well done, you,” he said, looking at me like a starving man stares at food.
I glanced over my shoulder and said a silent goodbye to Maggie and her family. I didn’t look at Ian’s grave. I couldn’t without getting emotional. I just wanted to see him again and hug him.
I was still stunned at the visions I’d received and wondered if I’d had that ability all along. What if some of the bizarre, fragmented dreams I’d had in the past, which had never made sense, had actually been thoughts fed to me through spirits?
I’d always been so afraid of seeing the dead that I never considered that maybe they were trying to get my attention in order to help them.
Whatever the case, Maggie had given me clues to help Ian, and at least now I had a direction to move in.
As we exited the mausoleum, I felt an overwhelming urge to look at the castle.
My breath caught in my throat because I could swear I saw a body swinging from one of those trees. The head was twisted at an odd angle, and the woman’s long brown hair was falling into her face, her arms limp at her sides.
I stopped in my tracks. “Oh my God.”
I thought the words, but I must have said them aloud, too, because Johan looked at me strangely, then glanced over at the castle. “What’s wrong?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. I just thought I saw something.”
Cassandra snorted.
“It’s probably just an animal,” Johan said, squaring his shoulders.
I definitely wasn’t going to tell him I’d seen a person hanging from the tree.
Shane grabbed me by the arm. “Come on, let’s go home.”
Right before we reached the iron gate that lead to the car park, the gate swung wide open—and slammed shut a second later. Every person in the group let out a yell or jumped a foot. Everyone but me.
“Bloody hell!” Richie said, hand on chest. “What was that?”
An orb floated up and I looked around the group to see if anyone else noticed. They didn’t seem to. They were too focused on the gate.
I smiled to myself knowing Maggie hadn’t deserted me yet.
“Let’s get out of here.” Megan cowered behind Milo. “This is starting to really creep me out.”
I forced myself not to look at the castle again. I didn’t want to see Laria.
“Can you give me a ride home?” I asked Megan, who nodded.
“You’re not heading back to the glen?” Johan seemed disappointed I was calling it a night.
“No, I’m done.”
“I’ll drop you off so Megan doesn’t have to,” Johan said.
“Megan already said she’d drop us off, but thanks anyway.” Shane walked up to the gate that happened to open just as we got to it. He hesitated, but to his credit, he kept walking.
I was getting in the backseat of Megan’s car when Johan grabbed my hand. “I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime. Maybe see a movie one day this week?”
Just wanting to get out of there, I said, “I’ll ask my dad and see what he says, okay?”
Cassandra walked past us, got into the passenger side of Megan’s car and slammed the door shut. She cranked the car stereo up loud.
Johan rolled his eyes. “Just so you know—we were never together.”
I seriously doubted that given Cassandra’s open hostility toward me.
Shane popped his head out the backseat window. “Come on, let’s bounce.”
I cleared my throat. “I uh, better go. We’ll talk later, okay?”
He nodded, still managing to look wounded.
I got in the car and shut the door behind me. Johan just stood there watching me until Megan got in and we pulled away from the cemetery.
Megan met my gaze in the rearview mirror and smiled.
Beside her Cassandra fumed. Her jaw was clenched tight. So tight she might snap teeth if she wasn’t careful. Even though Johan denied any involvement with Cassandra, I wanted to ask her the story behind her relationship with Johan, but I hesitated because I didn’t want her getting the wrong idea. Plus, we didn’t have time because Megan pulled up in front of the inn a minute later.
Dad’s study light was on, and when the headlights from Megan’s car flashed in the room, I could see him moving inside.
“Shit,” Shane said under his breath, grabbing a stick of gum from his pocket and popping it in his mouth. He handed me one.
“We’ll see you later,” Megan said, elbowing Cassandra who merely grunted.
Surprisingly, Dad didn’t say too much as we walked through the front door, though he did glance at the grandfather clock in the parlor which read eleven on the nose. We were in an hour before curfew.
“Hey, you two, I’m glad you’re home early. I wanted to let you know that I’m heading into Edinburgh tomorrow, most likely for the week.”
“The week?” I said, not sure if that was good news or bad news with all that was going on.
“I can’t get out of it, but Miss Akin said she was happy to stay here with you two.”
The slight smirk of Shane’s lips told me that he was thrilled by the news. He didn’t make eye contact with Dad as he said goodnight and bee-lined it up the stairs.
I followed behind him when Dad asked, “Are you doing okay, Riley?”
If he only knew the truth…
I smiled to put him at ease. “Yeah.”
“Are you making friends?”
“A few.” One being a ghost who has been dead for over two-hundred years.
He looked so relieved by the news, I almost laughed. “Good night, Dad. Have an awesome trip. Make sure you call and check in every once in a while, okay?”
“Thanks,” he said, sounding happy I appeared concerned. “I’ll check in every night.”
I continued upstairs and held my breath in anticipation as I approached my bedroom door. I desperately wanted Ian to be there.
I opened the door and my heart plummeted to my toes.
The room was empty.
The Deepest Cut, (MacKinnon Curse series, book 1) Page 14