Fire Maidens Scotland (Billionaires & Bodyguards #6) - Anna Lowe Page 0,53
The poor dog clearly wasn’t as thrilled as she. Neither was Lachlan, she noticed, who wore a grim expression.
“Great,” he muttered, pinching his lips into a thin line.
The sleek, military-grade speedboat lurched as swirling tidewaters pushed it this way and that, testing the four massive outboard engines. According to Henry, they should have waited another hour for slack water, but Lachlan had insisted on leaving early — and not just for her sake. The poor guy really was worked up about all those potential threats.
Truthfully, she was too. But it was impossible not to be thrilled by the ride. Plus, the island seemed more of a safe haven than the mainland. All Gleninnis harbored was a single mysterious criminal, and he was guarded over by ten rough, tough shifter guards. The mainland, on the other hand, was full of hidden enemies.
Determined to focus on the positives, she gazed ahead. As they powered forward, the island went from being two distant, lumpy shapes to a single, contoured wonderland with rocky outcrops and craggy hills. One side dropped straight down into the water in a line of cliffs that broke into a series of jagged sea stacks. The other side of the island rose and fell in a smooth, sleek curve, petering out at a beautiful bay on the leeward side. Between them was a narrow strip of low, grassy land.
“Gleninnis,” she whispered into the wind.
The name said it all. Innis meant island, while glen meant valley. The motorboat headed for a rickety wooden pier at the head of the latter. The closer they came, the higher Holly’s gaze aimed, because the hills were that high. Small mountains, almost.
Like a miniature Isle of Skye, only better, Trevor had said when he’d invited her family to the island.
A second boat skimmed over the water in front of them, carrying more guards. In a special arrangement, they would overlap with the outgoing watch for twenty-four hours, doubling the usual number of guards for the duration of Holly’s visit.
She gulped. Was all that protection really necessary? And, yikes — did Lachlan really expect the island’s prisoner to act up now?
Think of it as for Trevor, Lachlan had said.
She looked around, wishing her last visit to the island could take place under better circumstances. Streams of sunlight gave the island’s slopes a golden sheen, but dark clouds gathered on the horizon, driven by the relentless wind. They were in for a stormy evening, for sure. Would she have time to carry out Trevor’s wishes before the storm hit?
Four chunky shapes lurched along the shoreline, and she pointed. “Oh! Selkies!”
For a long time, she’d thought they were mere myths. But Trevor had explained that they, like unicorns, had lingered on in remote corners of Scotland.
“Iona, Keith, Rhona, and Douglas,” Lachlan explained. “They’re with us.”
Holly watched, fascinated, as the seals shed their skins, morphed to human form, and fanned out along the island’s shores.
“If I were a selkie, I’d swim out and explore those sea stacks.” She pointed to the north side of the island. “Just to see all those puffins and sea eagles…”
Henry shook his head. “You wouldn’t dare. That’s Beatha clan territory. If it weren’t for Trevor keeping good relations with the local selkies all these years, we couldn’t patrol these waters at all.”
Someone snorted. “Legends.”
“They’re real. Believe you me, they’re real,” Henry murmured, looking out at the sea stacks. “A whole clan of selkies, wild as you Highlanders like to fancy yourselves.” He shot Lachlan a look. “Strong enough to take down a dragon if they put their minds to it.”
Lachlan laughed, while Holly looked out, considering.
“Lines ready,” Henry ordered as they neared the jetty.
In no time, both boats were docked and unloaded with military precision. In addition to the incoming guards and their personal gear, there were boxes of rations, weapons, and other supplies. Holly stood to one side, holding Mungo’s leash.
“Looks like an invasion,” she murmured.
“Good,” Lachlan grunted, gazing inland.
She turned around, more on edge than ever. “Can he see us?”
He was the prisoner. The one she wasn’t sure she wanted to know more about.
Lachlan shook his head. “He has a certain degree of freedom to move around that end of the island.” He pointed to the far side of the glen. “With armed guards watching his every move, of course. But we’ve made sure he’s inside now. No need for him to be aware of our movements.”
“So, the golf course is over there?”
Lachlan nodded. “Yes. Just that wee bit of the island,