Almost as if he knew the women would be uncomfortable if he stayed out in the hall with them, Tréan kept watch just inside the door facing away as if determined to give the sisters privacy.
“Bull, you don't care if those women slept with Liam.” Madison waved the situation off. “Besides, being with us keeps them out of trouble.” She shook her head. “Something I suspect a lot of women around here get into regularly.”
While Shannon could admit to feeling a little put off by them, they seemed pleasant enough. Friendly even.
“I can’t get over this place.” Her sense of familiarity with the castle had only grown. Even her bed chamber, with its functional yet eye-pleasing furnishings and small hearth with a crackling fire felt familiar. Drawn to one of two windows overlooking the sea, her heart leapt at the view overlooking the turbulent Irish Sea. “Everywhere I look, it feels like déjà vu. Especially this sea scape.” Her gaze fell to the ships at the dock. “And those boats.”
She sighed, shook her head, and went on. “Not that I’ll be able to step foot on one without Dramamine.” She flinched, recalling Riona’s sketch. “Then again, there’s a good chancehalf of them will sink in the end anyway if Aodh’s dragon has anything to say about it.”
“Yeah, I caught that in your thoughts.” Madison shook her head. “Here’s hoping we stave that off before it happens.”
“Agreed.” She considered her sister. “So you’re reading my mind that easily?”
“Easily enough for now,” she replied. “I’ll be able to follow your thoughts even better once you come into your druidess magic. You’ll have a special connection with all our sisters after that.” She gave Shannon a big hug. “More of a special connection than we already have, that is.”
“What is it?” She hugged her sister back before frowning at her. “You always get overly affectionate when you’re keeping something difficult from us.” She cocked her head. “So what are you keeping from me?”
“C’mon.” Madison gestured toward a tub of water. “Get in the bath, and we’ll talk. Riona and I have discovered some things you need to know about your last life.”
“Tell me.”
“Get in, and I will.”
She knew how stubborn Madison could be, so she undressed and did as asked, thankful when her sister warmed the cool water with magic. A crude bar of soap that smelled surprisingly fresh had been left on a table beside her as well as a washcloth, a sweet-smelling concoction that must be for her hair and a crude-looking comb.
“Bathe, then we’ll talk,” Madison said, stalling.
“Can’t you tell me while I’m bathing?”
“I’d rather not.”
“Okay,” Shannon said slowly, eyeing Madison as she stood in front of the fire and watched the flames.
“So, no conversation in the meantime?” she said when she realized her sister would be remaining silent for now. Or wasshe just weighing her words? Trying to figure out how to tell Shannon something?
“At the speed you take baths?” Madison chuckled. “I’d be lucky to get out a few sentences.”
She wasn’t altogether wrong about that. Because Shannon had been on-call for vet emergencies most of her career, she'd trained herself to be in and out of the shower quickly. Now was no different, and she washed up in no time. As if Madison knew she was just about finished, she joined her and sat on the edge of the tub.
“Feel better?” she asked.
“I do, actually.”
“Good.” Madison handed her a mug that had been left on a small table with what looked to be bread, butter, and cheese. “I suggest you have a little of this before we chat because you’re not going to like what I have to tell you.”
However alarmed, she took a sip of the strong whiskey and urged her sister to go on.
“A few more sips, sis.” Madison pressed her lips together and narrowed an eye. “Maybe a couple shots worth.”
She arched her eyebrows. “Thatbad?”
“That bad.”
“I guess you better let me have it, then.”
So Madison did, sharing the various things Riona had witnessed via magic when she and Declán came together. How she had seen Shannon in another life sitting with her back against a younger King’s Heart, an ancient oak, and the Celtic Tree of Life that seemed to be at the heart of all this. How Shannon cried, her sadness overwhelming. Then how Liam was seen with his hand braced against that same tree later with his head hung.
“He was just as sad...heartbroken,” Madison said. “And it had everything to do with you.”
