She had to believe her sacrifice would be worth it and Lachlan and Evie and everyone else could live happy, peaceful lives once Daria's spirit was banished for good.

"No, la.s.s I willna be going back."

Lachlan wrapped his hand around her wrist. "Ye are stronger than her, Piper. And better."

"He's wrong about ye being stronger than me, and perhaps ye may have been better, but the witch has ye now. But we can finally cleanse ye of her filth." She settled her stare on Lachlan and he groaned, grabbing his head.

Piper jumped up. "I'll do it, I'll go in the lake, just stop hurting them."

Rose shook her head sadly. "Aye, la.s.s. Let us do what needs to be done. Ye are ridding the world of a great evil. That's something to be proud of."

"She's gone already," Lachlan said. "I killed her myself, and kicked her loathsome head across a clearing." He reached a shaking hand toward Piper. "Whatever of her that's left is yours now, love." He looked at her meaningfully and the blue-black mist that surrounded her grew to engulf him. He swished his hand through the air and she knew he could see it, but instead of looking afraid or disgusted, his eyes filled with wonder.

Rose jerked her away from him and shoved her toward the water. "Come along. Your friends will be safe when this is over."

Knowing that Lachlan finally saw something of what Daria's powers could do, and still appeared to love her, made her pause in her trek back into the lake. Since Lachlan's axe blade had come crashing down, severing Daria's head from her body, Piper had been anxiously waiting for something awful to happen.

She'd given herself vicious headaches trying to force back the strange urges and emotions she'd felt, but she'd only once tried to harness all the knowledge and abilities that churned deep within her. She shook her head in disbelief. That one time she'd needed to use the power to find Rose, Daria's spirit had fought against it, ultimately knowing she'd be vanquished if Rose was successful. And that one time, Piper had prevailed.

"Oh my G.o.d, Piper, you're doing magic. Real magic." Evie coughed. Her face distorted with pain, but her voice was full of joy as the cloud expanded toward her. "You're doing it, not her."

"How do ye know ye are in control of that? How do ye know it isna one of her tricks," Rose said, suddenly looking small and frail, an old, broken woman. She started to cry. "Do ye think I want this? Ye must see I hate this, but it's the only way."

Piper faltered in her resolve. She had no idea how the pulsating cloud had appeared. It seemed benign, maybe even protective, but how could she know?

"If you let her make you drown yourself, I will kick your a.s.s so hard in the afterlife," Evie said. At an enraged glance from Rose, more blood gurgled from her mouth. She fell over, completely still.

Piper struggled to get to Evie, who remained motionless on the bank. "No, no. Whatever you did to her, undo it, please."

Rose blinked slowly at her before turning to Lachlan. He grabbed his head and shouted with pain, swaying on his knees.

"End this, child," she said, all hint of tears gone.

"I don't think we need to do this," Piper said, beyond fear for Lachlan and Evie. "I know you're scared of what Daria can do, but she truly isn't a danger anymore. I can control whatever's left of her."

Rose's face twisted with anger. "Ye dinna want justice for her unspeakable acts? Her crimes?"

"Yes, of course," she said unsteadily. "But, Lachlan killed her. How much more justice can we get? Please, you're back here in your own time again. You can stay with me if you like. I'm sure we can find a way to explain everything to mom. Don't you want to see her? She can come to Scotland. We can be a family again."

"La.s.s, we were never a family," she hissed. "My family was stolen from me, along with my happiness."

Piper's heart raced as the seconds ticked by. Did Rose want justice or vengeance? And how could she dismiss her only daughter that way? Piper began to feel an anger that solely belonged to her, and had nothing to do with any Daria remnants.

She looked at Evie's still form, sprawled in the muddy gra.s.s. If she were awake she'd be hollering at her in her coach voice, words of encouragement, or hurling the worst possible insults. What kind of person tortured a pregnant woman to get what she wanted, or tortured anyone for that matter?

She didn't understand how she'd allowed Rose to manipulate her. She cast around for reasons to feel guilty, for any reason why she should walk into the lake and drown herself, and couldn't come up with one.

Her roiling personal storm cloud puffed out and grew, almost reaching Rose. Piper felt a wild satisfaction when she stepped backward to avoid it. Good.

"Ye wicked child. I am done with ye and this curse we're under." Rose jerked her hand, hurtling Piper backwards into the lake.

The cold water splashed over her face as she sank, pushed under by an invisible force. Piper thrashed her head, water rushing up her nose as her back slammed against the rocky bottom. She struggled and reached for the surface, but was pinned by a heavy weight on her chest. Spluttering and half blinded by the churning silt, her lungs burned for air.

Evie and Lachlan still needed her. She lay still, trying to ease her mind, though every instinct wanted her to struggle against the thing that kept her under the water. As soon as she exhaled her last bit of air and closed her eyes against the wavering ray of sunlight that filtered down, the presence lightened and she rolled to the side. Crashing upright with all her might, she heaved in a breath and rose shakily to her feet.

Rose shrieked with frustration. Piper wiped her sodden hair out of her eyes and moved forward, feeling as if she were pushing against a solid wall.

"Enough." Rose hit her with a burst of pain in her chest. "This has to end. I just want to be done with this place. When the witch's spirit is gone, I shall burn it all down around me. The forest, that crumbling pile of rocks. It shall be done at last."

Oh, h.e.l.l no. That crumbling pile of rocks was her home. People worked there, tourists visited every day. The village relied on it to bring people to their shops and restaurants. She was planning the d.a.m.n wedding of the century, and that crumbling pile of rocks was going to be the venue. She'd already ordered the foolish, miniature birdcage garlands! Tiny bolts of lightning crackled in the air.

"Piper, my love," Lachlan choked, grappling at his throat.

"Look what you're doing to him," Rose screeched. "Only ye can stop this."

She searched her mind for one memory of her grandmother and came up with nothing. Rose had left them long ago, even before she left them physically. Piper's hopes that they could be a family again disintegrated. Rose was right about that. They never had been. She was a madwoman, ravaged by grief and unable to forgive, bent on killing Piper's real family and destroying her home.

Rose was right about another thing too. Only Piper could stop this. She closed her eyes and sank into the mora.s.s that had been waiting for her so long. The knowledge, the abilities. It was all hers now and she no longer had any fear of it. She opened her eyes and settled them on Rose.

"You have to let it go," she told her. "Stop seeking revenge and grieve your husband. Go back to your other time and leave me alone."

"Piper, it's the witch that clouds your thinking. Dinna let it take over ye." Her voice and face were that of a beseeching old lady, but a slice of pain made Piper grab her stomach. She forced herself to straighten up and ignore the twisting cramp.

"I may not be stronger than you, but Daria was, and like I said- I control whatever's left of her now." Her voice rang out and she rooted her feet to the ground, fairly vibrating with the power that welled up within her.

Rose looked like she was screaming to be heard, but no sound came out of her mouth and she began to fade from view.

Be peaceful, be peaceful at last, Piper thought desperately as she sent her grandmother away forever.

Rose blinked out, as if she were never there, and Piper's blue-black cloud dissipated. It was a beautiful, clear morning and she jolted as if awakening from a dream. She raced to Lachlan's side and held onto him. He sank to a seated position, taking deep gulps of air.

"Ye did amazing, la.s.s," he said, kissing her.

She crawled to Evie, and pressed her ear to her chest. A faint heartbeat sounded and she shook her shoulder, crying out her name. Evie didn't budge and Piper searched her clothes for her phone. The battery was completely drained and Piper tossed it at Lachlan in her frustration. He caught it neatly in one hand and shook his head.

"We have to get her back," Piper said, tugging his arm. Lachlan looked at her and she didn't understand why he wasn't scooping up her best friend and racing back to the castle.

"Daria had knowledge of herbs and healing," Lachlan said slowly, looking at her with new awareness. "Ye can heal her, Piper. Ye must try."

Even as he said the words, Piper's hands tingled and she reached out and touched Evie's leg. "I can't, there's no time. I might kill her."

Lachlan rested his hand on her shoulder, a warm, comforting weight. "Piper, la.s.s, ye're right, there isna any time. She is already dying."

Chapter 21.

When Catie woke Lizzie up, in tears and clutching the baby, they'd all crowded to the kitchen. It had taken both of them to keep Quinn from trying to find an axe and a sword and search the property until he could kill something.

Lizzie poured another cup of tea, but decided she didn't want it and got up to pace. She pa.s.sed Quinn, who already wore a path from the kitchen counter to the plank table and back. He paused and pulled her close to him.

"I dinna mind staying in this time, if we must," he said. She believed him, though his face was drawn with worry.

Catie was difficult to console, alternating between crying about having to return to their time and worrying about her brother and Evie.

"What will happen to them?" she kept repeating, hugging Magnus so hard he squirmed to break free.

Lizzie patted her arm and carefully extricated the fat little baby from her, bouncing him awkwardly over her shoulder until his squalling stopped. She placed him in his playpen and pulled it over to the table to keep an eye on him. She glanced up to see Quinn eyeing her and she blushed.

"Did ye like that?" he asked noncommittally.

If the situation hadn't been so tense she would have laughed. She didn't think he wanted children right away either, for which she was supremely grateful.

"He's darling," she said, equally ambivalent.

"Tell us again what happened, Catie," he said, resuming his pacing.

She dropped her head onto the table with a clunk. "I've told ye. Piper's gone mad and is roaming the property. They've gone to look for her."

"La.s.s, ye shouldna speak so of Piper. She is to be Lachlan's wife." Quinn said the words without rancor and tousled Catie's hair on his next pa.s.s.

Lizzie sat back down, not wanting to add to the tension in the room. The waiting was becoming too much to bear and she thought heading out with weapons might not be such a bad idea after all. When Quinn stalked past her, she reached up and grabbed his hand.

"Sit, you're upsetting Catie."

Catie looked up as if offended to be brought into it, but put her head back down, deciding not to care. Lizzie loved that about her, and was glad they'd be sisters. She glanced at Quinn and hoped. He sat beside her and took her hand, reached across for Catie's. She begrudgingly took it.

The door swung open and they all looked up eagerly, even more gobsmacked to see Mellie enter the house, Oliver close behind her. Both had silly grins on their tired faces.

"Where in the h.e.l.l have you been?" Lizzie demanded of Oliver. "We almost left without you."

He smirked and exchanged a knowing look with Mellie.

"Aye, where did ye disappear to?" Catie asked, sitting up straight. She eyed them, a suspicious look on her face.

"It's about d.a.m.n time ye returned, lad," Quinn added to the attack.

Mellie linked her arm with Oliver's and he self-consciously patted her hand. "We went to Oliver's family land to see what became of it. It's a beautiful working farm with a lovely, grand manor house still, and it belongs to the Cliffstone family to this day. We couldn't make out if anyone we spoke to was Oliver's kin, but it was so exciting to see."

"It was a rather long journey, even in Mellie's car," Oliver said, wrinkling his brow.

"Well, that's lovely," Lizzie said.

Mel rolled her eyes at the sarcasm and cut a quick glance at Catie, who now openly glared at her. To Lizzie's surprise, Catie's discomfort seemed to fuel Mellie and she moved closer to Oliver.

"Aye, we drove all night to get back," she said.

Lizzie c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at them, uncomfortably aware of Catie's dropped jaw. Unseemly, running off to look at places of historical interest and probably snog, all while they were in a crisis. She scowled at them in her sternest manner, to show solidarity to Catie, who sat seething into her teacup.

Quinn looked as if he wanted to go looking for weapons again, to use on this boy who professed love for his sister only a few days earlier and now snuggled up to another girl.

Mellie finally noticed Lachlan and Piper's absence and asked where they were. She spied Magnus kicking his legs in the playpen and picked him up.

"Is Evie here as well? I'm glad you could stay another day, but I thought you needed to get the medicine to Bella at once?"

Catie groaned forcefully at her cluelessness and told the story in a long, winding manner, completely confusing Mel and Oliver.

"Something went wrong and we're stuck. Piper and Lach are investigating," Quinn said, holding up his hand to quiet his sister.

They erupted into questions, and a loud thud from outside silenced them. Mellie ran to open the door to Lachlan who carried Evie in his arms like an oversized, disgruntled baby. When they were over the threshold, she punched him in the shoulder and flopped like a fish, forcing him to put her down.

"I'm fine, I'm completely fine," she said, twin circles of pink blazing from her cheeks.

Her sweater and tips of her hair were soaked with blood, but she seemed spry enough regardless. She hurried over to Magnus, covering his face with kisses.

Piper followed them in, leaning heavily on the bar and motioning for someone to hand her a phone. "We need to get an ambulance up here." She glared at Evie, who shook her head.

"Look, I'm texting Sam right now." She plugged her phone into a charger and held it up, making a big show of punching out a text message. "It'll be quicker. He can call ahead for an ultrasound, but I honestly feel great, not at all like I retched up half the blood in my body."

"What?" Mellie squeaked.

Lizzie watched everyone gather around Evelyn, who truly looked the picture of robust health, even covered in blood. Quinn nudged her and pointed his chin at Piper, who looked unsteady and pale. Lizzie went to Piper's side and poured her a cup of tea, while Mel wrapped her in a thick blanket.

"Are you all right?" she asked. "You look like death warmed over."

Piper's hand trembled as she raised the cup and nodded wearily. "I'll be okay in a minute."

Evie animatedly told a harrowing tale of attempted murder, magic, and more madness than Lizzie had heard since she first fell through the portal at Belmary House. Lizzie was concerned about the lack of color in Piper's skin and her listless eyes, but after a moment, Evie's story had her rapt.

"I thought I was dead for sure," she said. "Rose was so strong."

"Indeed," Lachlan agreed. "Just a glance from her and I couldna breathe at all." He looked proudly over everyone's heads at Piper. "But Piper is stronger. She saved us."

"I wish I could have seen you kick that cow into the netherworld. Stupid blood loss." Evie shuddered. "I never felt such terrible pain. It was a blessing when I finally pa.s.sed out. But Piper healed me. Tell them, Lachlan."

Lachlan took a deep breath and let it out in a gust. "It's difficult to explain, but it's as if she drew out whatever Rose did. Ye could see it as it flowed away and disappeared. I wouldna believe it if I hadna been there."

Piper smiled wanly, shrugging off their praise. "I'm glad it worked." Her voice was barely a peep in the rambunctious room.

"Love, ye must rest. But these three need to be on their way. I worry greatly that so much time has been lost already," Lachlan said. He seemed to notice Oliver for the first time. "Is this the English lad, then? I suppose it's these four that need to be on their way."

Catie started a new round of sniffling, rushing to hug Evie and the baby. Lizzie noticed when Mellie hugged Oliver though, Catie's head nearly twirled completely around and she hurried to stand closer to him.