“And this is why he needed to be here for this conversation,” Riona said gently, sighing when Shannon pulled her hand away. “I knew it the moment I returned to this era.”
“Knew what?” Shannon and Liam asked at the same time.
“That you and my wife knew each other in your last life, Liam,” came a deep voice. “Were very close by the feel of it.”
“Husband.” Riona flew into the arms of yet another Irishman who was clearly one of Liam’s brothers, too, based on his looks and tall build. “I’m glad you made it so quickly.”
“Where else would I be?” Declán murmured against her lips before the two of them lost themselves in a kiss that managed to make Shannon blush.
“Brother.” Liam’s expression wasn’t quite cordial when he nodded hello after the two finally came up for air. “Welcome. ‘Tis good to see you back on...friendly enough territory.”
Shannon tensed at his attitude, feeling clearly where it came from. “This has nothing to do with Declán defecting for the greater good.” She was surprised by how clearly the truth came through. She had been right to be jealous of Siobhán earlier. “It’s all about what he did to try to secure the enemy king’s trust.”
How could it not be, considering Declán had hooked up with Siobhán, however temporarily?
“Are you jealous of that many now, then, lass?” Liam asked, more ruthless than she expected. “First inside with Mór, then your sister, now Siobhán?”
She couldn’t help but note that Riona seemed taken aback by his remark but not so much Declán. Perhaps because he had seen this more snide version of his brother before?
“Snide because of Siobhán,” Riona said carefully, eyeing Liam. Her gaze shone blue as she drifted closer and rested her hand on his arm. Saw something it seemed even he couldn’t see. “You need to be careful.” She searched his eyes. “She can get to you if you let her, Liam. May have already gotten to you.” Her worried gaze flickered from Shannon back to him. “Whatever happens, you need to keep her at bay, and the only way to do that is through my sister.”
“Why me?” Shannon frowned, more irritated by the moment. “Because I’m not feeling it. I don’t want—”
“His forgiveness?” Riona’s eyes brightened with magic. “But you do. More than you want mine even.” She rested her hand over Shannon’s again. “And you do have mine. You just need to believe it.Feelit.”
His forgiveness? What was she talking about?
Shannon blinked at the flash of fire that filled her vision for a flicker of a moment. Gasped at the sensation of what she'd had no choice but to do to her sister in their last life. Crippled by the horror of it, she tried to yank her hand away, but Riona held fast while she kept her other hand on Liam.
“Don’t push her away,” Riona whispered, pleaded, in yet another language Shannon bizarrely enough understood. Her sister's gaze drifted to Liam but somewhere else too. Someplace Shannon had just felt when she ended Riona in another life. Another time and place. “Ye have to promise me ye won’t, brother. Promise me that ye....”
“Promise ye what?” Liam urged when Riona trailed off, and the light faded from her eyes. He shook his head, pained, trying to understand. “Did ye just call me yerbrother?”
Moments later, Tréan howled from somewhere below, and their attention was grabbed by the last thing they expected so soon but knew might be coming.
Chapter Ten
LIAM FLEW DOWN the path leading to the docks when a bolt of lightning hit his largest, most favored ship—that which Riona had sketched afire—and it burst into flames. Almost as if purposeful, the wind kicked up even more and fanned the blaze.
“Beware, brother,”Declán said into his mind as Liam raced for his ship, praying the flames didn’t spread to the other boats.“That lightning bolt was too well timed. Unnatural.”
