“From wherever this place sent her,” she said softly. “From whereveryousent her.”
“Me?” He frowned. “I sent her nowhere.”
“That you know of.” Her eyes flashed with emerald as she saw something he couldn’t. “But you have. Every bit as much as she’s sent you somewhere too.” She shook her head and frowned as the light faded from her eyes. The sadness in her voice was palpable. “Wherever it was, whatever happened, you’ve managed to bury each other deep...almost too deep.”
Her gaze turned pleading for a moment, and she made to speak, but Shannon stirred awake first.
“What happened?” she murmured, blinking against the dying sun as though it were too bright. Her gaze homed in on him. “Where am I?”
“At my castle.” He was alarmed by how discombobulated she seemed. “Don’t you remember?”
As much as he had disliked responding so strongly when it happened, seeing her with a blade to her neck earlier had terrified him, and that wasn’t an emotion with which he was familiar. Good thing, too, because it made him vulnerable. Weakened him in a way he couldn’t afford to be weakened.
Yet seeing that dagger to her neck made everything come to a standstill.
One thing had become certain at that moment. Despite the rage he’d felt at her not listening to him, she had to remain with him. Possible thorn in his side or not when it came to other lasses, he would not let her go.
And that only led to more rage.
One look at Shannon in harm’s way, so close to death, had shredded his inner peace. Made him realize that he wasn’t as jovial and easy-going as he had trained himself to be.
“I remember where I am,” Shannon mumbled. She tried to sit up, but he kept her in place. “I’m back where I started. Where I needed to leave.”
Madison looked from him to Shannon. “What do you mean?”
“I mean...” She trailed off when people cried out in fear, and the metallic sound of weapons being drawn resounded. Moments later, her wolf howled from somewhere on the drawbridge.
“Let him pass,” Cian roared loud enough for all to hear. “He will not harm ye. He belongs to Druidess Shannon and only means to protect her and, in turn, ye, good people.”
All went quiet, and people scurried back as the great white wolf stalked into the courtyard and sat beside Shannon.
“This is Tréan,” Madison called out. “And he wears the blood of your enemy because he protects your druidess and, therefore, your king.”
“Because our king belongs to our druidess?” someone asked tentatively.
“No,” Shannon said weakly as Liam said loud and clear, “Ta, my people, ‘tis just that.”
When Shannon frowned at him, he spoke within the mind.“As much as I dislike the wolf, ‘tis the only way to keep him within these walls.”
Then, to spare her dignity because he felt her embarrassment over passing out, he kept on.
“As ye can see, he gives our druidess strength as she embraces her power,” he said to his people. “’Tis what a familiar must sometimes do.” He gestured at Tréan and ignored the haughty I-got-my-way look he swore the wolf shot him. “And what a mighty familiar our druidess has,ta?”
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd. Many smiled, stood up a little straighter, and admired the great wolfwith pride. Several eyed the beast with respect before they turned that same look on Shannon.
“I’m thankful that you’re backing me up when it comes to Tréan now, but we don’t know that he’s my familiar,”she said into his mind.“What happens if he’s not?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when and if we come to it.”He met her eyes.“Whilst I’m curious what you meant when you awoke, we must first focus on your well-being. Can you stand, or should I—”
“I can stand,”she cut him off, eyeing the growing crowd.“I can’t appear weaker than I already have. I’ve got to stand for them.”
“How do you feel?”Madison asked, concerned.“Don’t stand if it means you’re going to pass out again. Because you just experienced something far stronger than motion sickness.”
Shannon's brow furrowed when she looked at Madison.“What makes you say that?”
“She doesn’t remember what she said when she first awoke, brother,”Cian said, joining the telepathic conversation.“She’s firmly here again. Wherever she was is lost to us for now.”
“We’ll talk about what just happened later,”Madison said to Shannon.“For now, make sure you’re well before you stand.”
