Allegra Fairweather_ Paranormal Investigator - Janni Nell [93]
Keeping the light in his eyes, I forced him backward until he reached a ridge in the uneven ground. He hesitated. Slowed. He could feel the ridge. He stopped dead, apparently guessing my plan. Granted, I wouldn’t gain the advantage of making him trip, but I could still run and zigzag. I’d be fine. I could do it. Go now. Before you lose your nerve. That’s when I saw a flash of tartan.
Sir Alastair was grabbed from behind. At first I thought it was Casper, healed and ready to do battle for me, but I was wrong.
Leith tackled Sir Alastair to the ground. He ripped the gun out of his hand and cast it aside. Then he straddled Sir Alastair and raised his dirk. He slashed downwards, opening a hole in Sir Alastair’s chest. Blood spurted out. With a single punch, Leith smashed Sir Alastair’s ribs. He reached in searching for the heart. Seconds later he drew the bloody organ from Sir Alastair’s body.
Getting to his feet, Leith tore open his own shirt exposing the gaping hole in his chest. With a cry of triumph, he shoved Sir Alastair’s heart into the hole. Immediately Leith’s skin closed over it. There wasn’t even a scar.
Leith turned toward his cairn. Something was happening near the pile of rocks. It looked like waves of heat shimmering on asphalt. My toe itched like crazy. Slowly a woman appeared, misty and ethereal.
“Vanora!” He crossed the ground between them in a few strides. When he took her in his arms, the entire hillside seemed to sigh with ecstasy.
He kissed her deep and long. A forever kiss.
Tiny tendrils of mist curled up from the cairn, encircling the lovers. Leith’s solid body began to fade until it was as misty as Vanora’s. For a moment the two of them stood suspended in time. Then they were gone.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I caught up with Justina at the bottom of the hill. She was sitting on a rock, struggling to catch her breath. She looked even paler than usual.
“Where’s Sir Alastair?” she asked, looking anxiously up the hill behind me.
“He won’t bother you again. Leith took his heart.” I couldn’t resist adding. “Apparently Sir Alastair had one. Who knew?”
“I’m glad he’s dead,” she said with a grim smile. Then her smile faded. “Do you think the selkies and humans will ever live in peace again?”
“Not if Stuart gossips about what the selkies did to McEwen.” I wished I could do something to put things right, but I couldn’t think of anything that would help unless… “Tell you what, I’ll spread the rumor that Sir Alastair killed Malcolm and McEwen.”
It wasn’t even a lie, not really. If Sir Alastair hadn’t captured Justina, the selkies wouldn’t have accidentally killed McEwen.
She hugged me. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
Well, you could double what Douglas is paying me; give me an all expenses paid trip to the Caribbean; make Casper mortal again.
I didn’t say any of those things. Like a true and noble heroine—yeah, right—I said, “Returning you to your people is enough thanks for me.”
Then I took her to Scarlett Gordon’s house.
Scarlett wasn’t happy to see us and I couldn’t really blame her. She was losing a selkie lover, not gaining a selkie sister-in-law. I tried to reassure her that Harq would still come to visit, but after living with him for the last week, she couldn’t bear to see him returned to the loch. She stayed inside while I accompanied the selkies to the shore.
Scarlett’s property was surrounded by tall shrubs, so there were no curious neighbors peeping over the fence. I did a little peeping of my own as Harq stripped off his clothes, but soon both he and Justina had pulled on their skins.
Justina was no longer the saddest woman in the world, she was a beautiful sleek seal easing herself into the water. She dived under then surfaced nearby to nuzzle Harq. They both turned to acknowledge me. Then the two of them dived together.
When I returned to the