Page 75 of The Secret of Drulea Cottage

“To protect me. ’Twas all to protect me. Alastair would have killed me otherwise,” Briony murmured, tears springing to her eyes. “But you…”

She stepped forward, a surge of power sweeping through her veins. She felt the heat begin in her fingertips, this time knowing exactly what it was. She closed her eyes, not trying to stop it. On the contrary, it was just the opposite: she craved the power that had lain dormant just below the surface for far too long. And as she let it overtake her, her rage only escalated.

Make them pay, it sang.Make them all pay fer the selkie blood spilled.

Briony nodded, fully surrendered to the siren call.I will get justice.

She opened her eyes to the first person who would feel her wrath. “You murdered my father. Niall was right about you. About all o’ you.”

A roll of thunder sounded above them. Mr. McLaren’s attention jerked upward to what Briony knew would be a dark sky. Dark like a certain pair of black eyes that didn’t seem nearly as frightening anymore.

Fear and concern mingled on the fisherman’s face when he looked back at her. “Lass, control yerself!”

A smile came over Briony’s features, animalistic and sinister. “I am very much in control. And I demand justice fer my father’s death.”

Lightning crackled ominously, just on the verge of touching down from above.

Vincent McLaren shook his head. “Nay, yer na in control. You’ve let yer emotions get the best o’ you, and yer about to do something you’ll regret.”

Briony raised an eyebrow. “Oh, am I? Tell me, what could possibly make me change my mind about you? About this horrid town?”

The fisherman sighed as sorrow washed over his face. “I can’ say anything about the rest o’ Everton, but as fer me, there’s another reason I killed yer father. One I hoped to spare you from finding out.”

She reached out her hand toward the man’s arm, almost touching him with burning-hot fingers. Mr. McLaren winced, but he didn’t move away.

“You better hurry up with that reason. I’m tired o’ all the secrets!”

“I did it becauseshetold me to… Yer mother.”

All the breath rushed out of Briony’s lungs, and the tears that had been suspended in her eyes fell to the ground. She felt her selkie power rush out at the same time, and it took all her strength not to fall over in exhaustion.

“She knew he was a selkie? And she told you to kill him? Nay, that can’ be true! He was my father. She would never…neverwant that.”

Mr. McLaren tugged on his ear and gave her such a pitiful look that Briony had to turn away.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Her voice was just a whisper as she said, “I don’ believe you.”

“I thought you might na. You’ve always had a hard time believing in people. Na that I blame you, after all that you’ve endured. All yer mother endured.”

Briony sniffled. “How am I to know what’s real anymore? Everything I thought I knew is a lie. I’m starting to think Niall may be the only one Icantrust.”

Mr. McLaren huffed. “Before you do that, I have something to give you. Something I’ve been carrying with me since the day yer mother died.”

“Something fer me? From my mum?”

The man reached into his ratty pocket and drew out a small piece of folded paper. “Aye. Here, she wrote this fer you. Though she wanted you to have a normal life and never find out what you really are, she told me to hold on to this just in case.”

Briony snatched it with trembling fingers.Will this finally give me answers?

“Why would she give this to you?”

“Because I accidentally found out something she did na want me to know, and I never told another soul. The Fairborn women, they’ve always been special. Always been different from the rest o’ the town. The others think ’tis because o’ being unwed mothers, but I know better.

“When yer mum and I were bairns, I went up to Drulea Cottage to see her one day, and I stumbled upon a secret. She and her mother were standing before a fire. They were arguing, but I was too far away to hear what ’twas about. I snuck closer and watched as yer grandmother threw something into the fire. Bethany screamed so loudly. It was an awful, awful sound. When I heard it, I felt like I was listening to someone die. Yer grandmother left her standing there and went inside. I went over to yer mum, hoping to comfort her, but she was wailing so loudly that she could na hear me speak. When I stepped in front o’ her and she saw me, she fell into my arms and just kept crying. I did na know if she would ever stop…”

Mr. McLaren broke off and cleared his throat. When he continued, Briony noted the shimmer in his own eyes. “But she did stop. And when she did, I asked her what yer grandmother had done, what had made her so sad.”

“And? What was it?”