Chapter 1
Chapter One
Cummer Gae Ye Afore
My heat was racing at the thought the damned girl had the crystal and was at this very moment calling her demon of a mother for my wife. As soon we got through the garage door to the small garden and front door of the hay house, we could hear Bridey singing.
Cummer gae ye afore, cummer gae ye,
Gin ye winna gae, cummer let me,
Ring-a-ring-a-widdershins
Linkin lithely widdershins,
Cummers carlin cron and queyn
Roun gae we.
Ula, Dougall and I burst through the door like a freight train. For someone as tiny as my sister-in-law she could run just as fast as I could. I was surprised the door didn’t end up flying through the air with all of us pushing through it at the same time.
“Oh no you don’t!” Ula yelled flinging herself into the air and tackling Bridey to the ground. The crystal ball rolling away only to be grabbed in the jaws of the wolf.
Morgan dropped the two cups she was holding her mouth dropping open. “What the…”
Hot tea landed on the floor with a splash and the cups smashed around her feet. Ula was quick to swish her arm and use a small gush of air to move the liquid and broken crockery away from Morgan’s feet. How Ula is so fast often surprises me, would I though expect any less from her, no I couldn’t.
Sloane pulled his wife up from the floor where she had wrestled to the lass to. I yanked the girl off the ground, screaming and trying to kick me. I slapped her upside the head and growled at her. “Settle down lass.” It wasn’t hard by any means and it’s not in my nature to hit a wee lass. She was though, trying to call her mother Nicnevan to whisk my wife away. No one is ever going to do that again. I took a deep breath needing to calm my rage.
Dumping the lass on the sofa from the back stayed there keeping a firm hand on her shoulder, so she couldn’t get up. Relief seeped out of my body at the sight of my bonnie wife, safe.
“What the hell is going on.” Morgan demanded.
Ula was trying to tell her, but Sloane had her shoved hard against his body with her head pushed up against his chest so that her words came out as a muffle. I sniggered as she head-butted her husband, being the only way, she could get the big oaf to let her go.
Once she managed to extricate herself from Sloane’s bear hug, she wiped the sweat off her face. I ken what it was like being in one of my bráithars hugs, not pleasant. Quick thoughts and a shiver ran to when he had done that to me, my face squashed up under his arm mushed with his wet sweat.
“Bridey was summonsing her mother with the crystal.”
It was then I notice the wolf was sat next to Morgan with the crystal firmly gripped in his mouth as if he was ready to go out and play ball.
Ula marched up to the wolf sticking her hand out. “Give it.” Silver rolled the ball in his jaws so that it clattered against his teeth his tail wagging with mischief. “Give it to me!” Ula demanded sneering at him. He dropped the ball covered in slimy saliva into her hand. The goop slithered through her fingers and fell in glumpy blobs to the floor. She shivered. “Shit wolf that’s disgusting.” Grabbing a tea towel wiped the ball and her hands, a look on her face as if she had been sucking on the sourest of lemons.
Suddenly Silver began growling causing all of us to jump.
“What is it boy?” Morgan asked the fur on the back of his neck standing up.
Silver ran to the door his head low, his growling getting louder. Whatever had caught his attention was not anything good. Ula pocketed the crystal giving her hand a wipe down her pants for good measure.
Sloane got to the door first. “Bràthairs with me.” Opening the door not softly or to peek but as a man on a mission would. The three of us moved together synchronised in our movement as we launched ourselves along the path to the garage door. Sloane opened the metal door with the aggression of a dragon. The wolf at our backs ready to spring forward.
When I was in battle with my bráithars it was always Sloane that took over the position of Ceann Cine when da was no present. No one complained about following either, he was the next in line as Laird of Sutherland and not one of the bráithars would not follow Sloane. He was brave, battle smart and would give his life for any one of us as we would for him.
I quickly turned to see Ula had the girl by the wrist, Morgan at her side following us out into the yard. Morgan had taken the time to grab Abbey and her bolts. I ken she would never leave them behind if there was trouble brewing, even though she had the element of earth and could cast a sea of dirt to take down the biggest of armies, she loved that crossbow.
There was no sign of anything or anyone in the yard. Silvers fur still raised at the back of his neck lowered his body stalking forward like a predator. We followed him to the driveway beside the house with everyone close behind. The hairs on the back of my neck warning me something was about to happen, and it wasn’t going to be anything good, it never is.
Silver moved up to the gate stalking not stopping but continuing out to the middle of the road. His growling becoming louder and more intense as he focused on something further up the road. Morgan gasped as soon as she saw what had her wolf’s attention.
I watched her suck in a breath turning frantic eyes on me. “Mrs McTabbot.” She uttered. I didn’t have a clue who Mrs McTabbot was, it could be I just couldn’t remember who she is, but by the look on Morgan’s face it was enough to tell me, whoever she was, she was trouble.
I felt a mixture of fear and surprise rippling from my wife as she came to stand next to me. I pulled her close to my body wanting to protect her even if it was some short dumpy woman that looked like death warmed up. It was not hard to see the woman unfortunately was a Brollachan, there was no doubt in my mind of that.
The question was, what was her connection to my wife and was her state of being a dead evil miasmic being new. Silver continued a low angry growl but not moving from his position.
“I don’t ken what all the fuss is about. It’s just one short fat woman.” Hissed Bridey. “Don tell me all ye brave men are afraid of her?” She pointed at the woman on the hill.
Ula shook her head before leaning close to the lass’s ear. “Shut your mouth before I get my needle and thread and sew it shut!”
