Highland Darkness Read online

  Highland Darkness:

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  First edition October 2014

  Highland Darkness

  Copyright © 2014 by Lilian Jade

  All rights reserved.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  Cover design by Louisa Maggio

  Edited by Holly Kothe

  Formatting by Brenda Wright

  Also by Lilian Jade

  Highland Storm ~ The Donahue McGregor Saga

  Book 2

  (Coming February 2015)

  I would like to acknowledge the heavens for my existence, my parents for their devout love, and my siblings for their never ending friendship. To my husband for sticking by my side like an unmoving mountain, I am grateful for my life for I have three brightly shining gems flawless yet flawed.

  I would like to make a shout out to all you beautiful people from facebook who I’m gladly going to name starting with; Kelli Smith for pimping me like a “mo-fo” for supporting me in so many ways I’m not even going to bother explaining, love you lady xox. To Julie Garrett for listening to “my rants” on a daily basis, and giving me nothing but the truth, Louisa Maggio for the brilliant work you do for my cover designs and other promotional items. To Holly Kothe for being a kind, thoughtful yet brutally honest editor, you’re opinion not only is beneficial to me but it matters, I want to also thank every single independent author and blogger for their support throughout the build-up leading to the release of my debut novel.

  To “The Twisted Kilts” my fabulous street team and beta readers you all rock beyond comprehension, without you lovely ladies I wouldn’t have reached out to so many followers. You ladies are blunt, funny, crazy, sweet, caring, and even when you think you are bitches you are nowhere near “the B-word” I am proud to have the privilege of calling you all my friends………”Yes I said it, you peeps are my friends”.

  Not to forget YOU!!!! Yes you dear reader, thank you for the consideration of purchasing a copy of my book, I hope you enjoy the read.

  ~Lilian

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  About the Author

  Lilith Donahue McGregor drove in silence down the winding highway. Her mind wandered all over the place as her beat-up, blue Morris Minor hugged the curves of the road. She thought of her old home in Scotland, where she had been born, and her grandfather, who had taken her in when her parents were killed in a car accident on her fifth birthday. Devlin Donahue could barely afford to put food in the cupboards or pay the weekly bills, but he had paid Lilith’s way from Scotland to his home in New Zealand, where he home-schooled her and loved her like his very own daughter.

  Lilith came to love her granddad like a daughter loves a father. He taught her to respect her body, and he gave her insight on becoming a woman—guiding her the best he could on how to deal with the female changes that were happening to her.

  She remembered the first time her grandfather took her to pick up Ms. Grant, a close friend of his. They went to a lingerie shop at the mall where Ms. Grant helped Lilith buy her first sets of bras and panties. Lilith had felt so embarrassed doing such a thing with someone she didn’t really know—someone who was not her own mother.

  Lilith recalled the times when her grandfather scraped together enough money to take her out for her birthday every year without fail. When Lilith was old enough to legally drive, he managed to find enough money for her to get her license. She didn’t know how her grandfather did it, but he was always there for her when she needed him the most.

  The day she had broken up with her first boyfriend, he was there to wipe away her tears. That was the day she thought she was dying, or more or less falling in love with Peter Newman. But now, come to think of it, she must have been so blind—or just deep in lust with the idiot.

  Just remembering how loved and safe she felt wrapped up in her grandfather’s big, manly arms made Lilith want to cry. But she knew that now was not the time to mourn for her loss. She would do it in private when she got her grandfather back home to Scotland where her parents were buried. Those were her papa’s wishes—that he be taken back home to rest.

  She would give her papa that one wish. For all he had given her, this was the one thing he had asked in return. The money she made working at the diner wasn’t all that much, but she had managed to put it all in the bank to save, only because her grandfather never allowed her to put one cent of her money toward food or bills.

  “Lilly, honey,” he would tell her, “I have told you time and time again you are to save every penny you get. Don’t splash it away on the house; I will take care of it. Do you hear me, girl?”

  “Yes, Papa. But if you need anything, just let me know.”

  “Hush now, lass. Just do as I have said.”

  “Very well then, Papa.”

  Lilith smiled. She could almost hear her papa’s voice in the quiet car as she navigated through traffic. After all the years of living away from Scotland, her grandfather had held on to his thick, accented brogue like a second skin.

  Oh how she loved to hear her papa’s soothing voice each night. And she loved all the stories and poems that he would read to her—mystical stories about fantastic creatures like fairies, pixies, trolls, dark elves, vampires and werewolves. Or the dark tales about warriors of all kinds, from druids to highlanders. As a child, Lilith often thought the stories were real-life encounters written into some kind of a diary—they sounded so true coming from Papa. Lilith always pictured herself as the heroine, a woman admired for her courage, her achievements, and noble qualities—Lilly would picture herself as female characters who were short, beautiful, and strong-willed, or tall and slim with cocky tempers. To her it felt real, and deep inside she knew it was like going home, like the people in the books were her family in some way, even though she knew full well that the stories were just that. Stories.

  Knowing now she would never ever hear that sweet, deep voice of his anymore, Lilith sucked in a breath and tried to rein in all the anger and hurt before the tears she felt behind her eyes came rushing down.

  She switched on her CD player to one of her favorite songs, Rihanna’s “I’m going numb.” Lilith turned it up, finding the music to be the best way to soothe herself.

  Even with the music, she couldn’t help but worry about how she was going to plan everything out and come up with the money to pay for it all. She had enough money to cover the hospital bill, but she would come up short for the funeral service and cremation.
Then there was the one-way ticket to Scotland. She’d have to get work while she was over there in order to afford the return ticket home.

  Besides that, how in the hell would she be able to cope with her living cost and rent each week?

  “Oh my God, how did you keep up with everything, Papa? Surely you didn’t get paid that well at the garage,” she murmured to herself, hitting the brakes fast when she realized traffic had suddenly slowed ahead. Now that her Papa wouldn’t be around anymore, she had to start planning on how everything was going to pan out.

  Stop, Lilith thought. She had to stop thinking about it before her head exploded, or before she caused a car accident.

  Lilith made it to Middlemore Hospital without hurting herself or others on the road—a miracle, she knew. She pulled into a spot just in front of the hospital entrance. Grabbing her hand bag, phone, and keys, she locked up the car and rushed into the hospital, hating the smell of antiseptic and death in the air as she ran straight for the reception desk.

  “Hello, ma’am. Could you tell me what room Mr. Devlin Donahue is in, please?” The lady from behind the desk looked up at Lilith like she obviously had better things to do than deal with grieving people. Like painting her nails highlighter green.

  “Are you related?” she grumbled at Lilith. “If not, you have to leave.”

  Lilith sighed. “Yes. Mr. Donahue is my grandfather and the only family member I have. Now, if you don’t mind, which room is he in?”

  The receptionist was about to make some kind of statement, but thought better of it when she got a glance at the burning look in Lilith’s eyes. “Level two, room six, Ms. Donahue.”

  “It’s Ms. McGregor, thank you.” Lilith hurried off. There was no time to argue with incompetent receptionists.

  She reached the elevator just as it opened up to a pile of unloading passengers. Lilith weaved her way through the bodies and punched the number for her level. The doors shut tight, and Lilith barely felt the elevator move before the doors opened again. She made her way out of the elevator, turning down the left-hand corridor, counting down the room numbers above each door. Just then, she realized that her feet had become stuck to the ground like cement.

  Lilith could feel the beat of her pounding heart, the erratic speed of her pulse throbbing in her ears. The air around her was heavy, and the feel of death was thick in the air, making her want to turn and run as far as she could from this place. Lilith feared she’d spew up everything she had eaten just before the call came through. She’d been at work when her boss Greg got the dreaded call from the hospital. Her grandfather had died of a heart attack at four thirty p.m. It was the day before Lilith’s twenty-first birthday.

  Standing just feet away from her grandfather’s room, Lilith was too scared to step foot inside. But her papa needed her now more than ever—she had to go in there and let her grandfather know that she would take him home very soon. She took a deep breath, then another, and another. She could do this. Just take one step. One foot in front of the other. There. And again. Almost there.

  Just one more step, and Lilith found herself inside the room. Now for the hard part. She took a deep breath and held it, and then forced herself to look up at her grandfather. He lay before her in such abandoned peace, like he had not a care in the world. His face was flawless—none of the wrinkled, aged skin you expect from a man his age. He had always looked young, if not for the wisdom in his eyes. And now his eyes stayed closed. Just looking at his perfection, anyone would think he was only sleeping.

  “Miss, can I help you?”

  How did she not see that there were doctors in her grandfather’s room? She couldn’t break down with them around. Would her voice crack if she spoke to them? She decided not to risk it. She wordlessly shook her head so fast that she felt as if it would fall off.

  “Are you Ms. McGregor?” one of the doctors asked. His voice was soft spoken—it carried a warmth and kindness that seemed to reach into her soul.

  All Lilith could do was keep her gaze fixed on her grandfather as she gave a curt nod.

  “Hello my name is Dr. Steven Rogers.” He looked to his colleagues and then back to Lilith, his expression one of understanding. He was used to this kind of thing. He did it all the time, she guessed. “We can allow you ten minutes alone with your grandfather. When I get back, I will speak to you about his wishes. You’ll also need to talk to Mr. Andrew Worthington, your grandfather’s lawyer.” Again Lilith gave a curt nod, but kept her gaze on her grandfather. Once all three men were out of the room, she slowly made her way to the right side of her grandfather’s bed.

  “Oh, Papa,” she whispered, “I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there for you when—” her voice broke. Lilith felt as though she were choking, like her heart was lodged in her throat. She placed her right hand over both of his hands, as if drawing in the strength to go on. “You know that you were the best parent anyone could have asked for. Look at how you raised me, Papa; I’m healthy, I’m strong, I have a job, I graduated college … without you, I would have been who knows where. I love you, Papa, and I promise to get you back to your home … I love you Papa. So much.”

  She brushed a light kiss on his forehead as she sat down, humming a tuneless lullaby to her grandfather. Saying her goodbyes to his body, Lilith felt herself breaking inside. Her eyes stung from the tears that screamed to come rushing out. Lilith started to shudder, as though her soul was trying to rip free from the trap that was her body. She fought off the overwhelming tears behind her eyelids and focused on her breathing. As she forced herself to calm down, she heard a faint knock at the door.

  “Miss,” Dr. Rogers stepped back into the room. “I’m so sorry to intrude, but we must speak about what is to be done with your grandfather’s organs. As you may or may not know, he is a donor. I am sorry to be so frank with you, but we have little time left.”

  Lilith raked a nervous hand through her long, silky, black hair. “I understand. He told me what was to be done with his …” She couldn’t finish what she started to say, but the doctor knew. He nodded solemnly.

  “I also have a Mr. Andrew Worthington outside. He needs to speak to you about other matters.” the doctor gestured with his hand toward the door. “Are there any other questions you have before you go, Ms. McGregor?” Even as Lilith looked at his kind features, she could see that he was struggling with hurrying her, as there were people that needed her papa’s organs. Lilith and her grandfather both knew this day would come, and they both talked a lot about what would happen to him when it did. Maybe that’s why she didn’t mind so much about how fast everything was going to be.

  “No, sir, I don’t.” Lilith kissed her papa on the cheek before she turned and left the room.

  In the hallway stood a tall, white-haired man in a gray suit. He was hawk like, with a long, sharp nose and big, blue eyes. His face was covered in laugh lines, though the circles under his eyes showed that he could use a bit more sleep.

  “Ms. McGregor, my name is Andrew Worthington. I’m your grandfather’s lawyer.”

  “Yes, I know. I’ve just heard. Um … I’m sorry. I wish I could say nice to meet you,” Lilith said, her voice hoarse from holding back all the tears of the day.

  “I understand. I know it must all be very overwhelming right now.” He tilted his head in the direction of her grandfather’s room where several doctors were entering. “I’m here to fulfill his will. You are his only heir. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get us some coffee and talk. There’s quite a bit to go over.”

  “Sure,” she replied softly. The only thing Lilith could do right then was think about how much all of this would drag her into debt for the rest of her life. Though she had money to pay for a few of the things that needed her attention, life was going to be so much more difficult for her now that papa had died.

  They made their way to the cafeteria. Squinting her eyes upon the assault of the overly-bright lighting in the cafeteria, Lilith assessed her surroundings. She noted a loud group of teen
age boys down the far back of the cafeteria signing their friend’s cast that was plastered over the length of his right leg. To her right, she could faintly hear a couple sitting at a table holding hands, whispering.

  “Hi. Can I help you, sir?” asked the woman behind the counter. She looked young, no older than Lilith, with a shrill voice and short, red hair.

  “Hi there. Could I get two large cappuccinos and two blueberry muffins?” Andrew asked.

  “Sure thing” she said, followed by a warm but tired smile.

  “Thanks.” After placing their orders and getting their coffee and muffins, Lilith sat down at the closest table she could find to listen to what the lawyer had to say.

  “Mr. Donahue,” he began. “—I mean, your grandfather—came to me a few months ago. He informed me that he didn’t have much time left in him, and that he wanted to set up a legal will.” The lawyer paused to take a deep breath. He looked at her intently, his eyes so sharp it was as if he could see right through to Lilith’s soul. “So, here in this folder is a list of all his wishes dated and signed. And here,” Mr. Worthington bent down to search through his messenger bag to retrieve a medium-sized cardboard box. He placed it on the table in front of her. “Ms. McGregor, in this box contains another box. And in that smaller box there are four items. I advise against opening the contents of the box here, as the items are of value and very private.”

  The lawyer paused to sip at his freshly brewed coffee before he continued. “But if you wish to open your belongings here so that you can be certain you have retrieved every item that is listed in the file, then that is at your discretion.” He paused, waiting for Lilith to give him an answer.