Shoulder the Skye (Skye Druids #2)(16)
Author: Donna Grant

 

After coming across something on social media, she decided to make ice lollies. The Americans called them popsicles, which just sounded funny to her. This time, she pulled out the frozen bananas she’d saved that had been about to go bad at the store and used them to make a banana coconut ice lollie. The only thing she didn’t have was the chocolate chips to freeze on top. Still, this flavor was one of her favorites. Mixing up everything and setting the molds in the freezer didn’t take long.

 

Unfortunately, it was time for lunch when she finished. The bread still had hours to rise before it could go into the oven, so Bronwyn opted to scramble an egg and eat it with some crackers. She barely got the last few bites down.

 

A quick clean of the kitchen, and then she was at her computer again. Excitement jumped through her when she saw that she had new emails. She bit her lip nervously to see one was from the author. Bronwyn scanned the email and then let out a little squeal when she saw they had agreed to the terms. And the turn-in date for the cover was more than reasonable. Bronwyn sent off the questionnaire and an invoice for half the price upfront. It would be a very good month.

 

“I’m manifesting more money,” she told herself.

 

Maybe those meditations were working. If she could make enough to keep up with the repairs on the house and have enough for herself, she’d call it a win. She had a list of things she wanted to buy. Top of the list was a new mattress.

 

That was if things went in her favor when dealing with Sydney.

 

But she refused to let any of that bring her down from her high. Bronwyn soon lost herself in work for her next client. A few hours later, she received a notification that the author had paid the invoice. The smile didn’t leave her face for the rest of the afternoon. Not even when it began to rain, and she had to haul in more firewood to keep the chill at bay.

 

She didn’t even grumble about having to eat dinner. The bread was fresh and still warm when she made her sandwich. It even tasted good. She lost herself in enjoying the fruits of her labor and thus was taken aback when someone pounded loudly on her door.

 

Bronwyn didn’t need to look to know it was Sydney. Anger and tension charged the air. She set her half-eaten food on the plate and walked out of the kitchen. It had been such a good day that she almost told Sydney to come back another time. But there was no getting around this.

 

Her stomach clenched when she realized she might never get to design the cover. If things didn’t go her way, she hoped the author could have her money returned. Perhaps Bronwyn should do that now before she answered the door. Just in case.

 

She made her way through the long hallway, her gaze locked on the entryway. She paused long enough to look up the stairs when she reached them. Then she made her way to the door and opened it. On the stoop, water dripping from him, stood the man she hated fiercely, the one she intended to mete out her own brand of justice on. His dark eyes held such hatred that she was surprised she didn’t go up in flames.

 

The battle would be intense.

 

“I know she’s in there,” Sydney shouted over the rain.

 

Bronwyn stared at him, waiting. She knew what was coming.

 

He tried to shoulder his way inside but was thrown backward. He landed on his arse, his head snapping back with such force that she heard it hit the gravel. He slowly sat up. “You’ll pay for that, bitch.”

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NINE

 

 

 

 

 

Pure madness made Elias return to the manor. He didn’t even leave when it began to rain. Something evil surrounded Carwood Manor, and he was determined to find out if it was Bronwyn or something else. At least that was what he told himself when he ignored calls from his sisters, the Knights, and even DI Frasier, who wanted him to come in and give a statement—or so the voicemail said.

 

Elias had watched the manor for hours. The feeling of something vile and malevolent intensified with the approaching night. By the time dusk came, Elias knew something would happen. He scanned the sky for the mist, but that wasn’t what surrounded the house.

 

The moment he spotted the tall, thin man who had accosted Bronwyn before, Elias knew why his instincts had brought him to the estate. He debated calling the Knights, but they’d never get here in time. The more people involved, the more attention it would likely bring to him, which was something he wanted to avoid. So, he decided to take care of things himself.

 

He kept hidden in the trees a fair distance from the manor. Thin Man and his friends circled the house several times as if testing it. When the rain came, the bastard smiled. It wasn’t long after that Thin Man knocked on the door. The way the other members of the gang readied themselves had Elias moving from the safety of the tree line to come up behind one of the men. No one knew he was there. He could sneak up on them and take them out one at a time. He’d rather ensure they could never harm anyone again, but dead bodies when he was already being investigated for murder wouldn’t look good.

 

Elias crept up behind the man and wrapped his arms around his neck. The rain dampened the sound of the guy’s struggles, and his comrades were too focused on the manor to notice that anything was amiss. The chokehold worked within moments. Elias laid the man on the ground and crept toward his next target—a woman.

 

When he glanced at the manor, he saw Bronwyn and Thin Man talking. The guy went to enter the house and collided with an invisible force that had him sprawled on the ground. Thin Man shouted something Elias couldn’t hear over the rain and got to his feet. But the woman with Thin Man must have expected it because she raised her hands. He watched as the rain moved under her command. The droplets turned into tiny pellets that coalesced and swirled together before heading straight for Bronwyn.

 

Elias took off toward the woman, but the rain broke through whatever Bronwyn used to guard the house and grabbed hold of her. He watched as it yanked her from the safety of the home and slammed her into the front of her SUV, causing the metal to groan from the impact and the vehicle to rock.

 

Once Bronwyn was outside, Thin Man and two others went for her. Elias concentrated on the woman. He slid on the gravel, using momentum to swipe at her feet. She landed hard on her back. When he rose, she lay unmoving. Elias then spun around to look at Bronwyn. To his shock, she didn’t use magic to defend herself. What drough didn’t use the power they had sold their soul for?

 

Two of the men held her as Thin Man shouted something. Bronwyn shook her head, her expression defiant. Elias moved toward Thin Man, but one of his thugs spotted him and rushed Elias. Elias called to his magic. It sprang into his hands as he moved them up and out before pushing them forward and sending a blast of magic at the man.

 

The attacker jerked back, hitting his head on the bumper of the SUV and crumpling to the ground. Thin Man and the second goon turned to him. Without someone to hold her, Bronwyn sagged. She tried to hang on to the bull bar, but her hands slipped on the chrome.