Chapter ElevenBrenna sat at the long table in the Great Hall, not certain what to do with herself. She had been strongly tempted to permit Cameron to stake a claim, but without telling him the truth, how could she allow it in good conscience? Telling him she still had her power might lead to her banishment or worse. It was a difficult situation, and though she hated the deception, she couldn’t see a way out of it now.“I can hear you thinking so loudly I could not sleep, sister,” said Lianne as she approached the table, taking a seat on the bench beside Brenna. She put an arm around her waist in a comforting fashion.Though Brenna hadn’t seen Lianne in eleven years until her arrival at Balfour land, the embrace was comfortable and familiar, and she hugged her sister by putting an arm around her waist too. “Can you really hear my thoughts?”“Not entirely, but I can sense how you are feeling, and I can get glimpses of what you’re seeing sometimes.”She frowned. “You see my visions?”Li

Chapter ThirteenBrenna hadn’t expected to be warmly welcomed into the clan, and she had been mostly right. Upon Cameron’s announcement the morning after he had claimed her, insisting she wear her léine and arasaid arranged to reveal her right shoulder as he had done, there had been various responses. Most had been tepid or reluctant, with a few sincere congratulations among them.Glynis had looked like she was choking on her food, and Brenna had wished that perhaps it would finish her off, but she’d soon regained her breath and stormed from the Great Hall. To her surprise, that seemed to have been the end of the matter though. Glynis hadn’t approached her again, and she hadn’t issued any threats or tried to come after her. Maybe being claimed by the laird gave an extra layer of protection against Glynis, and she was relieved for that.It could also be because she was no longer working in the kitchens. She’d offered to continue to do so, but both Dolag and Cameron had vetoed that idea

Chapter FifteenIt was nearly two weeks later before Brenna was allowed to return to some semblance of a normal life. She walked holding Cameron’s arm as he set a snail’s pace down the stairs that evening, prepared to have dinner in the Great Hall with everyone for the first time since her injuries and rescue.She barely stifled the urge to roll her eyes at how careful he was with her. She tried to be understanding though, knowing he was still recovering from how close he’d come to losing her. It was easier for her, because one of Agnes’s potions had taken most of her memories of the event itself.She had small flashes, but they were mainly positive—all involving or revolving around Cameron, like his dramatic entrance into the tent, or later, when he had kissed her so sweetly on the temple and told her he loved her. She had a vague memory of telling him she loved him, but it wasn’t sharp enough for her, so she’d made sure since then to tell him a few times a day to remind him and hers