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CAUGHT BETWEEN THEhorror of knowing she was about to plummet to her death and the sensation of being saved, Riona opened her eyes to the sight of Liam’s concerned face. He crouched in front of her with his hand on her shoulder as though he had shaken her awake.
“Are you all right, lassie?”
“I think so,” she managed, still trembling. She had fallen asleep with her back against the old oak tree in front of the colonial she just moved into. “It was just...” she stuttered. “He was just....”
She struggled to find the right words. Which man was she talking about? Because there had been two.
“Take a moment and drink, then tell me what happened.” Liam frowned, shook his head, and handed her a skin of what turned out to be whiskey. “Because you did not wake easily.”
Recognition flashed in his light green eyes when his gaze dropped to the sketchbook in her lap. Most specifically, the newest image.
“When did I draw this?” she whispered more to herself than him.
He sat beside her. “You were drawing it in your sleep.”
“Because I was dreaming about it.” This wasn’t the first time she had done something like this. Usually, she went into more of a hypnotized state, but sometimes she was just out cold. Either way, like her photographs, her drawings tended to point toward something. “You recognize it, don’t you?”
She might have only known Liam for a few days, but she was getting a good feel for him. But then, he made it easy. Friendly and flirtatious, he was generally as upbeat as her. Interesting considering that, like his brothers, he was a medieval Irish king and wizard who came from a perilous era.
“Idorecognize it,” he confirmed. “That cave is King’s Echo. ‘Tis on the border betwixt Declán’s and Raghnall’s lands.”
“Declán,” she whispered, staring at the image. Liam’s brother Declán, King of Leinster, had made contact with her beneath this very tree a few days ago. She never saw him. Not really. But she felt him. Sensed him.
Then she drew him.
Though tempted to flip to her most recent drawing of him, one that made clear his handsome features, she refrained.
“King’s Echo.” She narrowed her eyes. “I take it that’s one of the five locations Madison talked about?”
Apparently, there were five spots that were especially important to Liam and his brothers. The first, King’s Heart, a monstrous oak tree that turned out to be the Celtic Tree of Life, seemed to be at the center of everything. The second, King's Roar, was a seaside cave that had been pivotal in bringing Cian and Madison back together.
Now it seemed King's Echo was the third.
“Ta, yes, King’s Echo is an important location to my brothers and me.” Liam nodded. His relief gave way to a grin. “Especially to Declán, which means there can be no doubt he’s still reaching out.” He shook his head. “That he did not truly betray us to the enemy.”
“So it seems.” She sighed. “I guess at this point, we’ve got to assume he’s reaching out to me, not Shannon.”
A part of her hoped he wouldn’t be because of the mixed reactions she’d had towards him in every dream she could remember. The overwhelming feeling that sometimes she loved him. Sometimes she hated him. And hate wasn’t an emotion that came easily to her. She had only ever felt it when she dreamt about him.
“I agree.” Liam’s smile faded. “Itdoesseem like Declán’s reaching out to you instead of Shannon.”
It was safe to say she and Liam had become close friends in record time. Safer still to say they hoped they were destined to work together to help save Ireland. To possibly have even fallen in love in another life like Madison and Cian had. Yet deep down, they knew the sparks just weren’t there. Not when it came to romance. Which was relatively amazing because he was gorgeous and pretty much a perfect fit for her personality wise.
But no. Her heart didn’t race around him like it did when she sensed Declán reaching out to her. Her breath didn’t catch in anticipation.
Sparkswerethere, however, between Liam and Shannon, no matter how much they seemed to dislike each other. Or should she say Shannon disliked Liam? He, on the other hand, seemed a little too intent on avoiding her sister. Not surprising, given his adoration for the opposite sex and how Shannon might threaten that. In her sister's case, he stood no chance simply because he was Irish, a nationality she had studiously avoided since getting her heart broken by an Irishman years before.
“Tell me about King’s Echo.” Riona frowned when she realized her little husky wasn’t nearby. “Where’s Luna?” Before Liam could answer, she figured it out. “She’s off wandering again, isn’t she?”
Liam nodded. “For a few hours now. I would have gone after her, but I can't leave you and your sisters unattended.” He shrugged. “Plus, I assumed it was all right.”
“It is. No worries.” She eyed the woodland. “She’ll be back soon enough.”
Luna suffered from the same wanderlust as Riona. Something so innately part of them, she knew better than to try and stifle it. Her dog never went far and always returned. Always remained relatively close. She wondered if Luna might be her familiar or spirit guide, as every druidess evidently had one.
While tempted to take a stroll and see if they crossed paths, she wouldn’t put Liam in that position because he would have to stop her. As expected, with what was going on in medieval Ireland and how important Riona and her sisters were, he refused to let them out of his sight. Leaving the property was a no-go until they understood what King Raghnall and his sorceress, Siobhán, were up to.
