This time it seemed her wolf was in agreement because he didn’t step between her and Liam but allowed the infuriated Irishman to walk right up to her. He grabbed her hand and yanked her away from the man at her feet despite how dead he was.
She thought for sure Liam would go on and tell her how foolish she’d been, but instead, by the time they reached hismen, his fury had simmered down to a low boil. He was angry at her, she could feel it bone-deep, but it seemed he wouldn’t vent in front of his warriors because he proceeded to introduce her to them. Each and every one by name, speaking to the respect he had for them.
“’Tis nice to meet ye, Druidess Shannon,” his second-in-command, Conall, said before he swung down from his horse, dropped to a knee, and lowered his head. This set an example because the others did the same. “We are honored to have ye amongst us.”
He was nearly as handsome as Liam and well-mannered or not, clearly just as flirtatious based on the way he grinned and took her in.
“Thank you.” Unsure how to handle this, she managed a small smile and said what she supposed made sense. “I’m glad to be here.”
In the meantime, Liam, who hadn’t taken a knee once, wiped the blood off his blade and eyed her with a frown and furrowed brow.
“Rise,” he finally said to his men. As quick, if not quicker than before, he plunked her on his horse before she could walk away and swung up behind her. “Tell me all I have missed, Conall. The state of our northern border. How our men have been since they were possessed during the siege of Declán’s castle. And has there been any news of my dragon brethren?”
“None.” Conall swung onto his horse as well and fell in beside them. “These men are the first we have dealt with that could be linked to Siobhán or Aodh.” His gaze flickered from Shannon back to Liam. “And ‘twas clearly well timed.”
“Too well timed.” Liam’s arm tightened around her waist ever so slightly, without doubt warning her how upset he still was. “Whilst a mix of both Aodh’s and Siobhán’s men, outside ofthe one with his blade to Shannon's neck, they did not strike me as possessed.”
From what she heard, former King Raghnall had been able to possess others on a broad scale. Now it seemed Siobhán could possess others, too, considering Aodh had remained possessed after Raghnall’s death.
“Maybe not possessed,” she murmured, having no clue why she said it. “But certainly not themselves either.”
“Your magic senses such, then?” Liam assumed. “The same magic you used to paralyze the man who nearly killed you? Likely would have.”
She frowned over her shoulder at him. “What magic?”
“The magic you used back there.” There was no missing the anger lingering in his eyes when he met her frown. “Surely you felt it.”
So that’s what that odd sensation had been before the man’s arm had gone slack. “I didn’t realize....”
“Why am I not surprised?” His frown deepened. His accent thickened with angst. “It seems ye do not realize much.”
Wow. What an ass.Or so she thought until she saw something flicker in his eyes, she imagined he would rather she not see. Genuine worry. Fear for her. So rather than cutting back with a host of things she would have thought nothing of saying hours before, she kept quiet and faced forward again.
“Go on, Conall,” Liam urged. “What of our borders? Outside of the band we just fought, have you spoken with any of Aodh’s warriors? Are they standing behind their king? Because what we just faced was not necessarily such.”
“We have heard nothing about where they stand,” Conall replied. “Most were confused after the siege and returned to the north. Since then, I have put the majority of our warriors along Aodh’s border. Scant few along King Cian’s and King Declán’s.”
It didn’t go over her head that Conall didn’t afford Aodh the respect of a proper title. A byproduct of the feud between Liam and Aodh, without a doubt, thanks to Siobhán. While she’d dismissed it before because she thought it ridiculous they had let a woman come between them, she found herself growing more curious by the moment. How could she not, given at one point, they both claimed to love her, and now she was their mortal enemy?
“Ye’ve done well, Conall,” Liam said. “I will ride to the northern border on the morrow and speak with the men there. See if I can’t sense something.”
“Ifwecan’t sense something,” came a deep voice from behind. He startled everyone so much that many withdrew their swords before they relaxed at the sight of not just her sister Madison but a handsome black-haired man who was clearly Liam’s brother.
“Hey, sis.” Madison rode up alongside them as though she had been riding her whole life and grinned. “So glad you made it safely.” She nodded at Liam. “I can’t tell you how thankful I am to you for keeping my sisters safe. It means more than you know.”
“Of course.” He nodded at both her and Cian as Conall fell back. “Greetings, brother. ‘Tis good to see you well.”
“As well as can be all things considered.” Cian nodded hello to Shannon. “’Tis nice to finally meet you, lass. I wish it could have been under better circumstances.”
She greeted her oldest sister’s new husband in turn. “Me too.”
They spent a few minutes catching up. Cian’s Kingdom of Connacht and Declán’s Kingdom of Leinster were both secure, so if he so chose, Liam could use them as access points to Siobhán's land.
“You’ve the backing of both kingdoms,” Cian said. “We fight together from here on out, brother.”
“’Tis good to hear, for I fear we will need the added strength.” Liam told them about the mix of warriors they had just faced. “Shannon didn't get the impression they were possessed but mayhap controlled somehow.”
“So your magic is igniting, sis?” Madison’s eyes narrowed a little as she sensed just how much. “Several times by the feel of it. Fast, too, considering you made that warrior’s blade go slack.” She cocked her head. “What were you feeling when that happened?”
