“Will I then?” Shannon sat back, crossed her arms over her chest, and narrowed her eyes. “I can promise you that forcing me to do anything is a very bad idea.”
That sounded like a threat.
“And what will happen if I force you?” He couldn’t keep amusement from his voice as he crossed his arms over his chest as well. As he intentionally thickened his accent to remind her where he was from and where she would be going. “What harm do ye think to cause me on my own land in my own kingdom, lassie?”
Riona flinched. “You might not want to say—”
“Oh, no, heshouldsay, and heshouldwonder.” The corners of Shannon’s mouth curled up ever-so-slightly. “I’ve been studying your laws and ways, so I expect I could come up with a variety of things.” She gave a little shrug, the challenge in her eyes unmistakable. “In fact, unless we’re married, and trust me, we never will be, I’m free to allow others to court me, right? Allowed to enjoy—”
“’Twould be unwise lest ye make an unsavory name for yerself straight away.” He cursed how irritated he sounded.Felt.“And I cannot imagine, given yer possible station being above mine, that ye would want to do that.”
“Why would my station make a difference?” She took a sip of coffee, clearly aware she was getting under his skin. “It seems to me if I’m meant to save Ireland, I should be rewarded with genuine affection rather than what you’ll likely offer.” She took another sip and muttered into her mug, “Have offered far too many women to count from what I hear.”
Whatever irritation he felt vanished at that telling statement, and he knew she knew it. She had spoken without thinking which, as far as he could tell, was relatively unheard of for her. As was what she said earlier if he had listened rather than responded with emotion.
“Rest assured, the lasses I bed enjoy plenty of genuine affection.” He offered her a crooked grin. “But then they enjoy an Irishman betwixt their thighs who knows how to see to theirneeds, whereas you despise Irishmen altogether, do you not? That leads me to believe he must have been bad in—”
“Alrighty then,” Riona said when Shannon’s cheeks reddened in what he sensed was anger rather than embarrassment.
“Isowant to join you two on your adventure,” Riona went on. She looked back and forth between them and grinned. “It’s bound to be exciting.”
“Bound to besomething,” Shannon said under her breath. Her gaze settled on what Riona had been sketching, and her expression saddened. “Aodh.”
“Not Aodh,” came a strangled whisper from the doorway. “But the devil.”
Everyone, including Liam, stood at the sight of Constance. She possessed a strange mix of fragility and fierceness. The tallest and lithest of the sisters, there was something unnerving about her. Beautiful with flaming red hair and large purplish-blue eyes, hers was an unusual presence.
Riona sighed when her gaze dropped to her sketch. “This isn’t good.”
Liam wasn’t sure how he felt when he saw the image of Aodh’s dragon collared and chained beside what was formerly King Raghnall’s castle. Now ruled by, as they evidently called her, Queen Siobhán. He might have no use for Aodh, but he could admit to feeling some compassion for his dragon. It looked miserable. Not fierce but deflated and broken.
“I assure you, Aodh’s not the devil, little sis.” Riona embraced Constance, then held her at arm’s length and really took her in. She wasn’t faring well based on her red-rimmed eyes and overly pale skin. “What’s going on, Constance? Liam says you haven’t come out of your room in days.” She searched her eyes with concern. “That you even locked Zeke out.”
“I just needed some quiet time,” Constance said softly. It seemed like a dark cloud passed over her face when her attentiondrifted to Riona’s sketch. “He needs to be saved soon or put out of his misery.” Her gaze snapped to Shannon’s face. At odds with the flash of panic in her eyes, Constance's voice turned monotone. “So you better hurry. He needs you.”
Liam tensed at that. Over his dead body.
“And it just might be, Liam,” Constance whispered before heading back upstairs as silently as she had come down.
“Hey, wait.” Riona started after her, but Shannon grabbed her wrist and shook her head.
“Let her go.” Shannon blinked as though she had been caught in a spell. “She needs...more time alone.”
Riona’s eyes flashed blue before she nodded slowly. “She does, doesn’t she?”
He frowned, confused, not catching whatever they were thinking. “Why? What’s happening?”
“Nothing good.” Riona shook her head. “You won’t like it, but it sounds like Shannon’s meant to save Aodh.” She sat, flipped the page, and started sketching again without looking at what she drew. “Constance is way out there right now, so she won’t be any help.”
“No, she won’t.” Shannon sank back into her chair, stunned by what she’d just experienced if Liam didn’t know better.
“What was that I felt coming off her?” Shannon asked Riona. “It felt similar to what I’ve felt over the years when pet owners left their animals in my care, hoping I’d save them. A tremendous sense of responsibility only a hundred fold.” She shook her head and frowned, dumbfounded and talking to no one in particular. “He’s a dragon...how am I supposed to help adragon?”
“On your own, to be sure,” Liam muttered, despite having no intention of letting her anywhere near Aodh, never mind Siobhán.
“Yeah, right,” Riona said, clearly catching his thoughts. She rolled her eyes at him and was more candid than he expected. But then they had become good friends in little time. “Between your anger at Aodh and the jealousy I suspect you’ll have when any man goes near Shannon in medieval Ireland, we all know she won’t be saving Aodh alone.”
“Saving?” Shannon’s brows furrowed. “I don’t even know how to help a dragon, let alone save it...him.” She shook her head, evidently more intrigued with the idea than disbelieving. “Is he considered a reptile or human? Cold-blooded or warm? Would his mate give birth or lay an egg? Or perhaps give birth to live dragons out of the shell like a boa constrictor?”
