She frowned. “Actually, no. But Eve saw him running away from the building, correct?”

  “Yes,” I said, “but if he had a partner, I didn’t see them.”

  Carrow nodded. “We can canvass the street that he ran down, see if anyone saw which direction he went. And it’s a long shot, but I can see if he touched any lampposts or anything on his way. Might give me some insight.”

  It was definitely a long shot, but I appreciated that she was trying. Her skill was a valuable thing for hunts like this.

  I turned to Lachlan. “What did you find?”

  “Kenneth was familiar with the Isle of Wyre. He gave me directions. We can’t just transport, but we can get close and hire a boat.”

  “Can’t go directly there?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “It’s a quiet island of only supernaturals. It would be considered a threat if we just showed up via magic. Better to follow the usual protocols if we want them to help us, or at least not attack.”

  “Of course.” I turned to my friends. “Thank you for helping.”

  “Duh.” Mac grinned and hopped up. “Let’s get started.”

  I nodded and rose, joining Lachlan. “Shall we go?”

  He stood, and my breath caught when a hint of his forest scent reached me. It wrapped around me, nearly making my head spin.

  How the hell was I going to survive a trip with just him?

  5

  Eve

  * * *

  Lachlan and I used one of his transport charms to reach the village of Brinian on the shore of Rousay, one of the larger Orkney Islands. When the ether spat me out onto the quiet street, sea air whipped across my face.

  I breathed deeply and turned around, inspecting my surroundings.

  It was midday, and the sun gleamed brightly overhead, peeking through massive white clouds. Muted green hills rose behind the town, and I could hear the sea crashing against the shore somewhere behind me. The village itself was built entirely of austere gray stone, but it was something beautiful in its simplicity.

  Lachlan turned toward the sound of the sea, which I could glimpse in the space between the buildings.

  “Wyre is supposed to be only a few miles off this coast. We need to find a ride.”

  “Did Kenneth have a suggestion?”

  He shook his head. “We’ll ask in the pub. I’m sure a lot of local business happens there.”

  “Good plan.”

  We set off down the street, headed closer to the water. There weren’t many buildings in the town, and most of them looked residential. More likely than not, the public spaces were gathered around the wharf, as was common on most of Scotland’s smaller islands. For much of our history, the sea had been the primary form of transport in places like this. Still was, actually.

  We passed a tea shop and several stores before finding a little pub with a chimney that wafted thick gray smoke. The sign over the door read The Fin and Folk.

  Lachlan opened the dark door and ducked under the low lintel. I followed, stepping into the dim, smoky interior of a pub that had probably been there since the town’s founding. A hearth blazed along the right wall, with the bar on the left. Little round tables filled the space, each crowded with a fisherman in a heavy knit sweater or a rosy-cheeked person with wet hair and a bulky rubber suit lowered to their waist. Thick jumpers covered their top halves.

  Scuba divers?

  Perhaps. Orkney was known for its impressive underwater scenery and shipwrecks. So much of this place revolved around the sea that it should have been no surprise we needed a boatman as our first order of business here.

  I gave each person in the bar a quick look, but it didn’t take long to determine that they were all human.

  Lachlan approached the empty bar, and I followed, taking one of the empty barstools while he remained standing. He towered over everyone else, the sheer magnitude of his presence making him stand out like a sore thumb.

  The bartender was likely somewhere in the back, so I took the opportunity to yank on Lachlan’s arm until he sat next to me. At his questioning look, I whispered, “You look threatening.”

  He frowned. “No, I don’t.”

  “You do, and you needn’t even try.”

  “Should I hunch my shoulders?” The corner of his mouth tugged up slightly, making him look so handsome that I had to turn away.

  “You’re fine.” My voice was stiff, but it was for the best. We couldn’t be joking with each other.

  Thankfully, the bartender chose that moment to step through the door behind the bar. He was a middle-aged man with bright eyes and round cheeks.

  “Visitors, aye?” he asked.

  “Aye,” Lachlan said. “Was hoping you could help us hire a boat to Wyre.”

  The man stepped closer, his eyebrows raised. “Wyre, you say?”

  The interest in his eyes was too avid, and now that he stood closer, I was able to get a hint of his magic: seaweed, salt air, and something unfamiliar. He was the only supernatural in the place, but I couldn’t pin down what type he was. That in itself wasn’t unusual—some species played it close to the vest—but I knew without a doubt that I’d never met something like him before.

  “You know what you’re getting into if you head over there?” he asked.

  “A bit,” I said. “Anything we should be aware of in particular?”

  He looked us up and down, and I could feel him trying to get a hint of my magic. “You seem like you can handle yourselves.”

  “I like to think so,” Lachlan said. “Is there anything you can tell us about Wyre?”

  He shrugged. “More Vikings than Scots over there. But we’re not far off, either.”

  Of course. I’d forgot the history of the northern isles. They’d been settled by Vikings nearly a thousand years ago, and the people here had as much—if not more—Norwegian ancestry than Scottish.

  I leaned closer to him, desperate to get an idea of what he was. Some kind of Nordic supernatural I’d never heard of, perhaps?

  He raised a curious brow at me, and I found myself unable to stop from asking. “What are you?”

  The friendly twinkle in his eyes disappeared. “I could ask you the same.”

  “You’re right. Neither of us is normal,” I said. Lachlan was an Alpha, to start—unusually powerful. And I was a…whatever the hell I was.

  At that moment, the door creaked open behind us, and the bartender’s gaze moved toward it. His eyes brightened again. “That’ll be Colm. He’ll take you in his boat if you pay him.”

  “Thank you.” Lachlan pressed a twenty-pound note to the bar and stood.

  I followed, giving the bartender one last look as I left, wishing I could figure out what the hell he was.

  When I approached Lachlan and Colm, I spotted the older man’s mouth turning down in a frown. He wore a bulky knit jumper with a waterproof jacket over top.

  “Dangerous to go there,” he grumbled.

  “You won’t even have to land,” Lachlan said. “Just pull alongside the shore and let us out, then head off.”

  “Can’t use a transport charm to get off,” he said. “Anyway, it’s not just the island that’s dangerous.”

  “We’ll make it worth your while.”

  His eyes narrowed. “How worth it?”

  “Name your price.”

  The man’s wrinkled face creased even more deeply as he thought. “You’re either stupid or desperate. My money is on a bit of both.”

  Lachlan just smiled at the insult, unbothered by the crotchety old boatman. “What’ll it be?”

  “Five thousand across, then five thousand back. Can’t in good conscience leave you there.”

  But he’d charge us for the privilege of the return.

  “Can we call you when we need to leave?” Lachlan asked.

  Colm shook his head. “No signal. But a flare gun will do you. I’ll give you one.”

  “Thank you. Can we go now?”

  Colm shot a longing glance at the bar behind us, no doubt wanting his lunch and a pint. Then he nodded. “Your sort is always in a rush.”

  “True enough,” Lachlan said.

  Together, we left the bar and headed down to the small wharf. It was little more than a concrete pier reaching out into the gray sea with small boats tied up alongside. In the distance, I could see the larger fishing vessels bobbing on the water beneath the swooping gulls.

  “That’ll be me.” Colm pointed to the small fishing boat tied to the end of the dock. It was probably twenty feet long, with a closed-off pilot house and bright red paint on the hull. Colm saw me eying the garish color and said, “Don’t want Poseidon mistaking me for his own and dragging me under.”

  I nodded. “The Greek gods get a lot of consideration out here?”

  “Not much, no.” He stopped next to the boat and began to untie the lines.

  I climbed onto the deck, followed by Lachlan. Colm jumped on after us, then held out his palm to Lachlan. “Payment first.”

  Lachlan nodded and pulled a thick wad of notes out of his pocket. He’d clearly come prepared to buy our way onto Wyre, and I was grateful.

  Colm took the cash and handed Lachlan a short, blunt flare gun. “You’ve got one shot.”

  “Thank you.” Lachlan pocketed the gun.

  With the practicalities finished, the boatman fired up the engine and cast off the final line. Within seconds, we were puttering away from the dock and headed out to sea.

  I stepped up to the bow of the boat to get a better view and could see a low-lying island in the distance. Lachlan joined me and murmured, “It’s Wyre.”

  Halfway across the water, a ferocious current began to pull at the boat. It moved so swiftly that I could see it rippling the water.

  From behind me, Colm cursed. “Blasted currents.”

  The boat’s engine roared as he tried to push through the water. I gripped the railing tightly, hoping that the little boat could keep up. Through the waves, I spotted something bobbing in the distance. When the water dropped low enough to give a good view, I gasped and pointed. “It’s a person!”

  This was way too far from land for a person to be safely swimming.

  “Nah,” Colm barked. “No such thing.”

  “It is.” I leaned over the bow and squinted, trying to get a better view. When the waves dropped a second time, I spotted a seal. Its gray head bobbed above the waves, and its black eyes stared hard at me.

  I rubbed my eyes. “I’d swear I saw a person.”

  “Trick of the light,” Lachlan said.

  I looked up at him. “It’s not. There’s something funny going on here. I sensed it with the bartender, too.”

  He gave me a long look, then nodded. “All right. I’ll stay alert.”

  “Good.” I turned back to the waves, searching again for the person.

  I never saw them, and a half hour later, Colm’s boat was close enough to shore that I could see dozens of seals on the rocky beach. Damned place was littered with them.

  Maybe I had imagined things.

  Then I felt the magic that vibrated from the island. A protective charm, for sure. But something else, too. Something familiar and strange.

  What the hell was up with this place?

  I rubbed my arms. This was all very weird.

  “I’ll pull alongside those flat rocks,” Colm shouted from behind. “You jump off.”

  I spotted the rocks he was talking about and moved to the midsection of the boat where the railing opened to provide an exit. Lachlan followed.

  “When you get on land, go to St. Mary’s church. Old thing, you can’t miss it.”

  “Do people live there?” I asked.

  “No. But if you go there, it will announce your presence. Best way to avoid trouble.”

  “Thank you.”

  The boat slowed as it puttered near, waves knocking against the hull.

  “Almost there,” Colm said. “Be ready.”

  Right before we were close enough to jump, I heard Colm say, “Trust your eyes, lassie.”

  I wanted to ask for more detail, but the boat was already skimming alongside the rocks, a foot between us and the island.

  “Go!” Colm shouted.

  I leapt off, landing with a slight skid on the wet stone.

  Lachlan followed, and we hurried onto solid ground. When I turned back, Colm was already moving quickly for deeper water.

  “He really doesn’t like it here,” I said.

  Lachlan turned toward the quiet, barren island. “I don’t blame him.”

  “Really?” It felt a bit strange to me, but also somehow comforting.

  “Don’t you feel it? This place doesn’t want visitors.”

  “I can feel the protection charm. It’ll keep us from transporting off, just like Colm said. But I don’t feel much more.”

  He gave me a considering look.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Nothing. I don’t know. Let’s go.”

  He turned and began to climb the small, gradually sloping hill above us. I followed, keeping my eyes peeled for the sight of St. Mary’s.

  “There’s not much on this island.” As far as I could see, there were two sections of stone ruins, each on a hill about a mile from the other. Some smaller, roofed buildings sat near the shore on the left side of the island.

  “Which one is the church?” Lachlan asked.

  I studied them, then settled on the simpler, rectangular ruin and pointed to it. “I bet it’s that one.”

  He nodded and set off. We cut across the boggy ground as the sun sneaked behind the clouds. I stayed alert to the presence of others but felt no one.

  When we reached the church, I entered through the open doorway. Whatever wooden door had once been there was long gone. Same for the floors, pew, and roof. It was just a shell now, and had been for hundreds of years.

  The strangest sense of kinship washed over me. “I’ve never been here before, but it all feels so…familiar.”

  Lachlan turned to me, brow furrowed. “Really?”

  I nodded. “It’s the strangest feeling.”

  “The seer said that this mystery was tied up in your past.”

  “And you think this place is part of that?”

  He shrugged, turning to inspect the back wall of the church. “Probably.”

  “I don’t know much about my past. Just my mother. My father is a blank. Same for Mum’s extended family.” It had never bothered me much before now, but suddenly, it was like a hole in my heart. This lack of knowing could be problematic.

  Lachlan looked my way again, his lips parting to say something, but instead, his gaze went to the door behind me.

  “I don’t suppose you’re here to pay your respects,” a crotchety old voice said.

  I wheeled around and spotted a stooped old man with brilliant red hair that couldn’t possibly be natural. Not given the lines on his face, at least. Like the bartender, he had a magical signature that I couldn’t place.

  “No,” I said quietly. “We’re seeking information about the Moon Stone that was found here.”

  “Stolen.”

  “Stolen?”

  “Aye, stolen.” He pounded his cane on the ground. “Do you think it just jumped out of its holy resting place and into the greedy hands of the Englishmen who took it?”

  “No, I suppose you have a point,” I said. “If it makes you feel better, it’s been stolen from those same greedy Englishmen.”

  A smile creased his face. “Indeed it does.”

  “Can you tell us about it?”

  “Who’s asking?” He inspected us, his gaze flashing suspiciously.

  “Lachlan, Alpha of the Guild City Pack.”

  The old man grunted and turned his gaze to me.

  “Eve. Just Eve.”

  “Not just Eve.” His gaze swept me up and down.

  “Do you know me?”

  “Know of you.”

  Excitement thrummed in my chest. “What do you know? Tell me, please.”

  “Come.” He turned and left the church, and I hurried to catch up, with Lachlan on my heels. “We’ll go to my house,” the old man said, moving swiftly across the boggy ground, as nimble and agile as I was. Despite his age and the cane, he was far sprier than he should be.

  Something was off about him. Off about this whole place, in fact. I hadn’t felt it when Lachlan first mentioned it—I’d been too enraptured with the familiarity of it. But beneath that, there was a threat here. Something happening.

  We reached a slate-roofed cottage a moment later. The chimney billowed smoke, but the interior was relatively fresh smelling, with a vase of purple heather decorating the small wooden table near the kitchen.

  “Sit.” He gestured to the table, where a kettle and tea mugs were set out at three spaces.

  “Were you expecting us?” I asked. This man clearly lived alone, but he’d set the table for three.

  “Aye, saw the boat coming. Knew it was time.”

  “Time? For us to visit? How could you possibly know that?”

  He shrugged. “Fate turns, as it does.”

  All right, that was cryptic. But enough to make it clear that he might have some kind of seer’s gift.

  I sat at the table as he poured the tea, and Lachlan joined us.

  “So.” He leaned forward. “You’re here about the Moon Stone that was stolen from this place.”

  I nodded, guilt suddenly streaking through me. I cared about the Moon Stone for my own purposes, but it clearly was a sacred artifact here. If we recovered it, it really shouldn’t go back to that stuffy museum.

  “If you help us, I’ll do what I can to return the Moon Stone,” I said. I felt Lachlan’s surprised gaze on me, but I couldn’t help the words that escaped my lips.

  “Will you, now?” the man said.

  “It seems obvious that it should come back to the people who rightly own it,” I replied.

  “Ah, now there is the tricky bit.” His eyes glittered as he raised a gnarled hand to emphasize his point. “That stone isn’t technically ours, either. It’s the last artifact from a wolf pack that’s now long gone.”

  “A wolf pack?” My heartbeat raced. “It’s not your pack?”

  He scoffed, sounding almost disgusted. “I am no wolf. I’m Finfolk, another type of shifter, hated by humans. Hidden here, by our design.”

 

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