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“Then Maither arrived, with ye holding her hand, scared half tae death.”

Katherine listened intently, hanging onto every word of their story.

“I’m not surprised you were frightened,” she said. “You were only a little girl.”

“Maither had a wonderful comforting way about her,” Enya said whimsically. “A few days later, I was completely obsessed with me newfound gift, and went around trying tae heal the smallest o’ cuts and grazes.”

“Only, we werenae allowed tae tell anyone outside o’ the family circle,” Thora explained. “Maither and Faither were adamant about that.”

Katherine frowned. “So, no one else in the castle knows?”

She was surprised to hear that, for she was certain Domhnall had shown his abilities in front of his men. Besides, how were they supposed to keep such a huge thing a secret. It wasn’t just one of them who held a gift, it was all of them.

“They dae now,” Enya said.

“But only a few. Nae everyone,” Thora clarified. “Domhnall’s men ken, fer our brother struggles tae control his emotions, and particularly in battle, he has been unable tae contain his fearsome strength.”

Katherine was not surprised to hear that Domhnall struggled to control his emotions, she had witnessed with her own eyes his formidable and unnatural strength.

“Our gifts are nae as obvious,” Enya added, “and thus, there are only a small number o’ people in the castle who ken about the rest o’ us. The gifts Thora, Kai and Magnus possess are far easier hidden. And while mine isnae obvious, I still need tae use Brianna and the fact that I am a healer tae cloak me abilities.”

“I will admit,” Katherine said, now even more mesmerized by their powers, “until I came to Scotland, I had never heard of sucha thing. There is talk of witches, of course, but it is hardly the same thing.”

Thora and Enya both gave her the same knowing look. “I wouldnae be so sure,” Enya said.

Katherine’s jaw fell open. “Really? Are they not just women dabbling with the occult?”

Thora smiled. “Is that what ye think o’ us?”

Shaking her head diligently, Katherine said, “Of course, not.”

“And yet, how are we different?” Thora continued.

While the twins gazed at her, waiting for her to answer, Katherine struggled to come up with a reply. She had been astonished to discover that the MacLeod family had powers, but now, even more so, as she realized that perhaps those poor women who were tortured and sentenced to death possessed the very same.

“I can hardly believe it,” she gasped.

The twins smiled at her, and patting her hand, Enya said, “And yet, it is so, dear sister.”

The conversation continued on; Katherine fully invested in the topics they discussed. It was only the clock striking the hour thatreminded her that she had somewhere else to be, and swiftly feigning a yawn, she excused herself, telling the twins that she was tired. When they had bid her goodnight, Katherine slipped up to her room and readied herself to leave.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

There were no carts leaving after dark, and thus, Katherine had to get creative with the truth once she had made her way to the gates.

“There is a lady I must speak to from the village,” she told one of the burly men.

“Are ye going alone, me lady? ‘Tis dangerous tae be out in these parts o’ late, what with the recent attacks.”

“She is meeting me on the road,” Katherine said quickly. “The woman is a seamstress. She is making my wedding dress, and thus, she needs to see me for a fitting.”

It was a downright lie, of course. Her wedding dress was hanging in the closet in her bedchamber. But as the guard nodded, his eyes seem to glaze over, and Katherine had to wonder if he had the first clue of what she was talking about. Perhaps that workedin her favor, for without any fuss, they opened the Jacob gate, a small gate set into the large wooden one, and let her pass.

She carried no torch, and followed the path by the light of the moon. It was not yet full, but it soon would be. If she hadn’t known that the recent attacks had actually been orchestrated by her brother, perhaps she would have been more frightened.

Even with her warm cloak wrapped about her person, the bitter cold of the night nipped at the exposed skin of her cheeks. And as confident as she had sounded to the guard, the long eerie shadows of the trees and their branches gave her cause to shiver and hurry along even faster.

Her nerves were already frayed, having to lie not only to the twins, but to her betrothed’s own men. The wind blowing through the leaves, and the creaking boughs in the darkness of the night, only amplified her anxiety.