Revenge (Book 3 of Lost Highlander series) by Cassidy Cayman Page A

leaving her weak and embarrassed. She pulled away and looked around, then down at her hands, which were filthy and bleeding.
    “Oh my God,” Piper said, wiping her hands on her skirt. She laughed shakily when she realized she’d come into the crypt in her pencil skirt and high heels, and … had she been digging at the wall? Evie was still holding onto her shoulders and crying. Ugly crying. “What happened?”
    Evie wiped away her tears and took a deep breath. “Mellie saw you wander down here. She tried to call after you but you either didn’t hear her or you ignored her, so she came and got me.”
    “Lachlan?” Piper said, scared of what he would think about her wandering the estate in a trance.
    Bile rose in her throat, as she realized she had been wandering the estate in a trance. Again. She looked down at her hands and started shaking.
    Evie shook her head. “He thinks we went for a walk,” she said, then looked like she might start crying some more. “I was yelling for you the whole time I was in here, didn’t you hear me?”
    Piper shook her head. She hadn’t heard anything except the voice urging her to … She made a strangled noise and turned to look at the crypt. She had thought she was making such good progress, but she’d barely caused a few scratches in the edge of the stone. Her hands were far worse off than the tomb was. Evie took her hands and turned them over, looking at the ragged, bleeding nails.
    “What were you trying to do?” she asked. Piper could tell by the look on her face that Evie had a good idea. They had discussed the bones just that afternoon, and Evie was far from stupid. “Were you trying to get—” she choked on what she had been about to ask and Piper looked away.
    As sick as it made Evie, it made Piper that much sicker. She had tried to desecrate one of her ancestor’s graves. She had become a grave robber. The thing she was most afraid of seemed to be coming to pass. She was as evil as Daria. Her blood was as bad.
    “Listen to me,” Evie said, roughly grabbing Piper’s chin and turning her face to her. “Stop whatever you’re thinking. Just stop.” Her voice was a shrill howl that echoed off the walls of the crypt, causing them both to jump. Evie laughed nervously and hugged Piper again. “I can tell what you’re thinking and here’s what I have to say about it. I had a bad feeling you might have kept that book the first time we all wanted you to destroy it, and it turns out it was probably good you didn’t.” She took a breath and pushed Piper away so she could look hard into her eyes. “But you were looking at it again, weren’t you?”
    Piper should have told the truth and swore to let Evie destroy the diary the second they returned to the castle. She should have admitted everything.
    “No,” she said, relieved to hear how convincing she sounded.
    Evie made a face and shook Piper’s torn up hands. “You did this on your own?” she demanded. “Jesus, Pipes, were you trying to get bones out of that tomb?”
    Evie’s devastated voice tore at Piper, but she knew she couldn’t allow the book to be destroyed yet. Not with Daria roaming free across time.
    “I was thinking about how I wouldn’t be able to do the spell ever again,” she said weakly. “Lachlan was in the bath and the sound of the jets must have lulled me to sleep. I…I haven’t slept well since we got back. I must have been sleepwalking.” She blinked a few times up at Evie, almost believing it herself. She could tell the precise second that Evie relaxed and believed it too.
    “Well, we need to get back before Lachlan comes out here swinging his axe. He’s been worried about you, too,” Evie said, taking her arm and leading her back out of the crypt.
    Piper stifled a giggle at that and followed meekly. “There’s nothing to worry about, I promise,” she said. “I’ll just take something to make me fall asleep, okay?”
    “Yes, you better. I can’t have you going psycho at