Page 20 of Wild Scottish Gold (The Enchanted Highlands #7)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Kaia

“ G o!” I shouted to Thane as he looked over his shoulder.

It was lucky my cottage was only just on the outskirts of town, but even at a dead run, I was scared we’d be too late. Thane left me in the dust, and I didn’t blame him. If he could reach Audrey first, then he needed to run . I followed as quickly as I could, but I was built more for endurance than speed. By the time I reached the shores of Loch Mirren, my chest was heaving, and panic was clawing its way through me as two massive Kelpies raced toward where Thane was skidding to a stop by Audrey.

The skies opened up, rain pummeling down, and a lightning bolt speared the loch, thunder shattering all around us, as both Kelpies reared their heads back and shrieked.

Audrey cowered in the rocks at the beach, frozen in terror, as the Kelpies barreled across the frothing waters of Loch Mirren. Thane reached Audrey, scooping her into his arms, and I grabbed my chisel, grateful I hadn’t left it on the ground by the stepping stones.

Brandishing the chisel in the air, I screamed, “Pick on someone your own size!”

As one, the Kelpies turned, their eyes glowing, and I gulped.

First of all, I was not the same size as a Kelpie, so I had no idea where that had come from. And second of all, just what had my plan been exactly? To throw a ten-inch chisel into a wall of enchanted water beasts?

With a new target in mind, the beasts galloped toward me, and to my astonishment, the first one left the loch, legs forming as he raced up the pavement directly toward me, a fully formed horse.

How had this happened? I’d done some internet research on the history of Kelpies, but so far I hadn’t heard of an instance, at least in Loren Brae, where they’d actually left the loch before.

They were smaller on land. This was the last thought I had before the Kelpie reared and picked me up in its mouth, shaking me until my bones rattled.

My chisel fell from my hand as the massive Kelpie whipped its head around.

My heart fell.

My only weapon clattered to the ground beneath us.

So much for the idea that I’d be fearless in the face of a threat.

I was afraid, very afraid, and pain was like a hot knife through my leg.

Now, I knew these beasts were made of water. But the teeth currently sinking into my thighs certainly didn’t feel like water. No, this felt very real, and I gritted my teeth against the pain. My body shook, adrenaline coursing through me, as the world whirled around me. I was hanging upside down from the Kelpie’s mouth, and it reared again, the buildings of Loren Brae swirling upside down across my vision.

Thane shouted. He looked much smaller from up here, Audrey wrapped in his arms.

“Get Audrey out of here,” I screamed. He needed to focus on her, not me.

I’d be fine.

Right?

A flash of black wings flew by my eyes, and the Kelpie reared, Murdoch pecking at his eyes.

“Murdoch,” I gasped out, tears rolling down my cheeks from the pain. “Be careful.”

The bridle, Kaia. The bridle.

With an awkward squawk, Murdoch spiraled from the sky as the Kelpie swung his head and knocked him away.

“No!” I roared, despair filling me.

The Kelpie shook me again, its shriek vibrating my entire body, its hot breath smelling of musty seaweed. In a panic, I flailed out with my arms.

My hand brushed something solid.

Leather .

I’d clamped my eyes shut when the Kelpie had shaken me again, the speed at which he was throwing me around making me dizzy, but I forced my eyes open to see what I’d touched.

The Kelpie wore a bridle.

My thoughts jumbled as the Kelpie whirled, headed back toward the loch, and more shouts sounded below us. I remembered something about a bridle, but between the excruciating pain and fear for my life, I couldn’t quite land on it. Even so, I reached up and grabbed both hands around the bridle that wrapped its mouth, just to give me something to hold on to so I wasn’t hanging upside down.

The Kelpie slammed to a stop so fast that I flung forward and hit my face against his head. Hot seaweed breath fanned over me, and I lost my grip. The Kelpie started moving again.

Of course! The bridle.

Once more, I grabbed it, and the Kelpie stopped in its tracks.

There was something in mythology about controlling a Kelpie if you took his bridle. This was what Murdoch had been trying to tell me. Reaching up, I tugged, and surprisingly, it came loose in my hands.

Two things happened at once.

The Kelpie shattered into a thousand drops of water, and I fell from the sky, bridle in both my hands. I had no time to cushion myself, and the only thing that saved me was that I turned mid-air and sucked in a breath.

I hit the waters of Loch Mirren fast.

But thankfully, not flat on my back.

My feet pierced the surface and then I was under, the icy water a shock against my skin, agony knifing my side where the Kelpie had bitten me. Holding my breath, I kicked toward the surface, wrapping the bridle around my arms.

It wouldn’t be enough, though. I’d barely broken the surface of the loch and gulped in another breath before the other Kelpie was upon me. Water crashed over me, dragging me down, and I sunk into the iciness, trying to stop the panic that clawed at my throat.

I forced myself to hold my breath, to not gulp in water like I needed to do, when something brushed my feet. Slivering my eyes open, shock hit me.

Clyde, the ghost coo from the castle, rose between my legs and shot toward the surface. Grabbing one of his horns, I held on as he rocketed into the air and galloped toward shore.

I had no idea why I could feel him as though he was real.

Frankly, I didn’t care.

A white-hot burn flared at my side, making it even more difficult to breathe, and we were just reaching the shore when the Kelpie gained on us. I screamed as he ducked his head low, his teeth near my shoulder.

Ripping the bridle from my arm, the Kelpie turned and fled just as Clyde flung me into Thane’s arms, who was waist deep in the water and running toward me. I slammed into him, but he caught and held, his strong arms pinning me to his chest as he dragged me from the loch.

“Go, go, go,” I choked out, panic having me scramble to turn and look at our fate.

But the Kelpie was far away, retreating to the island.

“He took his friend’s bridle back,” Thane bit out and I collapsed against him, closing my eyes. I needed a second. I needed to assess how hurt I was. To catch my breath. To try and calm myself down so I didn’t burst into tears and lose my shit.

Because I really wanted to.

Audrey’s voice cut through the voices that greeted me.

“Is Kaia okay?”

I needed to get myself together or I’d forever scar this sweet child. Taking in a few shaky breaths, I opened my eyes to see a crowd of people around me. Audrey was in Ramsay’s arms, and Agnes, Sophie, and Willow were all crowded around us.

“Thane.” My voice rasped, and I reached up to cup his chin, turning his eyes down toward me. “Let me down.”

“I will not.”

“Please. I don’t want to scare Audrey more than she already is.” A muscle ticked in his jaw, but he complied, holding me close for a moment. Burying his face in my neck, he took one deep inhale followed by another.

“Kaia. I thought I’d lost you.”

“I’m okay, I’m here.” I couldn’t process the emotions that swirled inside me. I felt drugged, like I was moving through molasses, and I couldn’t quite respond in a normal manner. Whatever normal would be after being tossed about by a Kelpie. How the hell did that happen? How had he held me? Bit me? How?

“Kaia, are you hurt?” The women crowded around me, and I stepped back from Thane. I wobbled a bit, but I could stand on my own. I took another tentative step forward to where Audrey sobbed in Ramsay’s arms.

“I’ll be okay.” I wasn’t entirely sure of that, yet, but if I kept repeating it maybe it would be enough. Thane walked over and scooped Audrey from Ramsay’s arms, and the space was immediately filled by Willow whose usually sunshiny face looked drawn and worried.

“Audrey, honey, why were you down here?” I asked, gently, because I knew Thane had warned her and Lauren away from spending time on the shores of the loch just now. This was what he had feared, and next time we might not be fast enough to save someone.

“Because you told me I was magick. I thought I was strong.”

Audrey’s words slammed into me, far more painful than a Kelpie, and I winced as reality crashed over my head.

What had I been thinking telling a small child she had magick now?

Even if she had a small amount of magick in her pendant, it certainly wasn’t enough to withstand a Kelpie. I’d been careless and she’d almost died.

How foolish. New to magick, new to this world, and an idiot for thinking I could just tra-la-la my way into an ancient Order of magick and everything would go fine.

I couldn’t speak.

Turning, I shook my head at Agnes, tears welling, and Sophie jumped into action.

“Right, Thane, you take Audrey home. We’ll see to Kaia.”

“But—”

“Just go,” Ramsay ordered, his tone brooking no disagreement.

I couldn’t look at them as I limped down the shoreline, my eyes scanning the rocks, my heart trembling inside me. Agnes walked beside me, her arm looped through mine.

“We need to get you home. To look at your injuries.”

“I need to look for Murdoch. My raven. He was hit during the attack.” I couldn’t bring myself to say it, but I was certain he was gone. I’d seen him spiral from the sky myself.

“Got it.” Agnes whistled over her shoulder. “Find the raven. Now.”

I’m here.

Tears did spill over then, when I heard Murdoch’s shaky voice in my head.

“He’s alive,” I gasped. We found him shortly thereafter, hunkered in the wet rocks on the shoreline. “Can I pick you up?”

Aye, lass.

“What do I do? Can I take him to the vet?”

“We’re all going to the castle. Lia’s on it. Bring Murdoch,” Sophie spoke into the phone as Ramsay helped lift me into his truck.

Cradling Murdoch close, I bent over and kissed his damp head.

“You’re a hero, buddy. A real hero.”

Glad you’re safe, my friend.

“You and me both.”

With that, I stared dully out the window, pain throbbing in my side, the waters of the loch now as smooth as glass as we drove away.