Page 111 of The Secret of Drulea Cottage

Niall darted forward and shoved his hand into the flames.

But it was too late. He howled in pain and pulled his hand back. And as he cradled it against his chest, tears began flowing down his face.

Briony tried to get to Mr. McLaren, but Niall’s uninjured hand shot out like a snake and wrapped itself around her throat. “Where do you think yer going?”

Briony coughed and tried to get a breath of air, but Niall’s hand was so tight. She looked at Mr. McLaren, but the fisherman was lying on the ground, unconscious or maybe even worse…

“How could you do this to me? How could you—”

Rapid footsteps drew Niall’s attention away, and his grip lessened ever so slightly.

Briony tried to catch a glimpse of who it was, but she was already starting to see spots.Who would be here now?

A familiar blond head appeared at the top of the hill.

“S-Santiago?”

“Briony!” Santiago skidded to a halt, his breaths shallow. He surveyed his surroundings, going from Briony and Niall, to the fire near their feet, to the fisherman lying in a pool of blood.

Briony, too, looked toward Mr. McLaren’s pale form and prayed that there was still time.If I can just get to him, maybe I can find a way to stop the bleeding. But how? If Niall squeezes much harder, I’ll pass out. Perhaps I can—

“Niall, don’t do this. Whatever the issue is, surely it can be resolved without further harm. Let Briony go,” Santiago said calmly, hands raised to show he wasn’t a threat.

The dark-haired man’s expression became a sneer, amplified by the light of the fire. “Stay out o’ this, human. You knownothing. You seenothingbeyond what yer tiny mind can accept. This is a matter between Briony and me. Stop distracting me so I can enjoy this.”

Niall smirked at the woman he held captive. “Now, my dear, there’s only one thing to be done. I must take something o’ equal value from you. And since you’ve stolen my very soul, I’d say there’s quite a lot I could take. The only question is…what to choose?”

Briony trembled, but she refused to cower. Her eyes locked onto Santiago’s.I thought I would never see him again. Yet here he stands, risking his life to save mine.

He looks so frightened.

Briony’s arms ached to hold him, to reassure him that she would be fine. But she couldn’t force her mouth to form a lie that neither of them would believe.

She had fended off Niall’s powers earlier, but it had taken a toll on her.Whatever Niall is about to do, I doubt I have the strength to stop him.

Before Niall could make a decision, though, a brilliant light drew everyone’s attention to the horizon. Glorious reds and oranges dazzled their eyes, proclaiming the arrival of the sun.[32]All the clouds had withdrawn, and a new day was here. In mere minutes, Everton would be bright again. As if the storm had been no more than an awful dream.

When Briony looked away, another sparkle caught her eye—the knife! It lay on the ground beside Briony’s left foot, forgotten.

A weak chuckle escaped her throat as an idea blossomed in her mind. “’Tis over, Niall.”

Niall turned back to her with a growl. “’Tis na over! Far from it, fer I have na paid you back yet.”

“Aye, but you’ve no power anymore. ’Tis all burnt up, just like yer skin.” She inclined her head toward the now dying flames, hoping he wouldn’t notice her also sliding the knife toward Santiago. “Take a good look at it turning to ash, gone forever. In yer quest fer vengeance, you’ve become the very monster you wished to destroy.”

Niall’s eyes flashed hotter than the fire, but his fingers loosened, and as he replied, his voice shook. “I’ve no regrets over the deaths. The humans got what they deserved.”

Briony shook her head and coughed. “That’s na what I meant by ‘monster.’ Aye, yer a murderer, but now yer also something else. Something you deem far worse.”

Niall’s eyebrows raised suspiciously. “What could be worse than that?”

Santiago crept forward and took the dagger, Niall none the wiser. A spring of pity welled up in Briony’s heart; try as she might to hate Niall, she couldn’t help but wonder how things could have been different.

If he had na come to Everton and I had never met him, would Niall still have hated humans so much? Would his heart have become so bitter that he couldn’t see beyond his own prejudice? Would he have been willing to kill the innocent to get revenge?

“Well? What have I become?” Niall scowled, waiting for a reply.

As Santiago raised the knife into the air, Briony whispered a single word, the word Niall hated above all else. “Human.”