Reclaimed (A Highland Historical Trilogy) (The MacKay Banshees 1-3) by Kerrigan Byrne Page B

arch that was all that was left of their doorway. “She doesn’t want to leave us behind.”
    Katriona didn’t tell Kamdyn the dark thoughts she’d been harboring about their mother during the last few days. Elspeth had been inconsolable after the death of their father for months. She hadn’t been strong enough to cope with losing her daughters the way she did. She’d cast a spell and struck a deal with a Faerie to keep her daughters from leaving her alone. Not the other way around.
    “Any sign of it?” she asked after the bundle of food and supplies delivered regularly under their alder tree. Every day except for Sundays.
    Kamdyn shook her head, her lovely copper hair stirring with the movement. This had been the second time she’d gone to check, and the tree remained empty.
    It was only Thursday.
    “You never did tell us if you had any luck at the Laird’s keep today.” Kylah still didn’t meet her eyes, but she’d had trouble with eye contact since that horrible night. Her gaze rarely left the ground. Her voice rarely rose above a whisper. She was truly a shade, lurking about in the shadow of her grief and pain and, Katriona suspected, her shame.
    Katriona herself battled shame as she felt the full weight of her sisters’ expectant stares. How could she confess to them that she’d not only failed them, but she’d further betrayed their purpose by allowing Rory to kiss her? Worse than that, she’d kissed him back.
    And liked it.
    More than liked it. Even now, in the chilly wee hours of a misty Highland spring morning, the heat of Rory’s mouth still lingered on her lips. She felt—singed by an invisible brand, weakened by the soft emotions threatening to leach his warmth into her cold heart.
    And yet, a part of her became angrier at the thought of what had happened between them in his chambers. He’d waited until she was dead to act upon his desire for her, to introduce her to yearnings never to be fulfilled and pleasures always to be denied. Then he’d shown her the love he’d borne his evil brother and ended their interlude with ridiculous accusations.
    Rory obviously didn’t understand Fae curses.
    “Katriona?” Kamdyn’s worried prompting brought her back to the grey-tinged present. “You look so bleak. Did he do something to harm you?”
    “Nay,” Katriona answered gently. “What can he do to harm me now? It was I who hurt him.” And he’d liked it.
    “But he still resisted you?” Kylah asked. Her soft green light pulsed brighter, but the emotion never reached her lovely almond eyes.
    Rory absolutely hadn’t resisted her. “I was again unable to kill him,” Katriona evaded.
    “What happened?” Kylah persisted.
    “Someone’s coming.” Kamdyn’s worried proclamation saved Katriona from having to decide whether to lie to her family or worse, tell them the truth.
    “Who is it?” she demanded.
    “I don’t know, but I see a lantern there, through the mist.” Kamdyn pointed to where the road, more like a well-worn path a few spans from their ruins, led around the Loch toward the wide and shallow waters of the Kyle of Durness. “There have been rumblings in the village of witchcraft,” Kamdyn worried. “I overheard someone talking about coming for mother the night before last.”
    “They won’t harm her,” Katriona vowed.
    “But we’re powerless against anyone until we carry out our vengeance, and there’s no chance of that now,” Kylah despaired.
    “We’re still Banshees, are we not?” Katriona hissed.
    “Aye,” Kamdyn nodded and Kylah lifted a dainty shoulder.
    “We might not be able to kill them, but we can frighten years from their lives.”
    Kylah’s gaze sharpened with interest.
    “I don’t know…” Kamdyn’s reluctant voice irritated Katriona. Normally, her sister’s sweet nature was endearing, but tonight she needed to be strong.
    “Do you want something to happen to Mother?” she snapped.
    “Nay.” Kamdyn’s eyes brightened with tears. “I