“Connall!” Declean yelled as Shayne sat there, grinding his jaw against the pain as he watched Ashlyn stand up.
Christ, she was beautiful, Shayne thought as he found himself thinking about another girl with long blonde hair the color of honey and warm brown eyes that used to light up when they saw him and-
He still couldn’t fucking think about her after all this time.
He watched Ashlyn leave before his gaze shifted back to Aidan and Declean. With a muttered curse, they followed her outside. As soon as the door closed behind her, Tristan was moving, making his way across the room as he said, “Get her out of here.”
Without a word, Finn leaned down and scooped Marty into his arms before he disappeared seconds before Liam and Quinn followed. He watched Liam reappear in front of him and grabbed the frat boy that had a hold of his legs just as someone grabbed him from behind.
“This is going ta hurt,” Quinn warned as he tightened his grip around Shayne and-
“Fuck!”
-pulled him free seconds before he found himself dropped on his bathroom floor, struggling not to pass out as the pain from being ripped free from eight ghosts determined to take over his body rippled through his body.
Just as quickly as the pain hit, the nausea followed. He barely made it to the toilet before he began vomiting.
“That’s...that’s just not right,” Quinn said, sounding like he was struggling not to vomit, and if he’d been alive, he would have joined him. He always had a sensitive stomach, Shayne thought, moving to stand up only to have his legs give out, dropping him back on the floor.
As everything faded to black, he found himself thinking about warm brown eyes pleading with his seconds before he was forced to let her go.
CHAPTER 5
Ráth Finnéin, Ireland
932 A.D.
“There’s nothing that ye can say or do that will break me,” the small woman, who’d decided to make herself comfortable, mumbled against the animal furs covering his bed.
“That’s what I was afraid of, lass,” Shayne said, ignoring the large bowl of stew and focused on the thick slice of oatcake drizzled in honey and blackberries.
“If ye let me walk out of here, I promise not ta hurt you,” came the sleepily mumbled promise that had his lips twitching.
“After seeing yer skills today, lass, I don’t think I’d stand a chance,” Shayne said, breaking off a piece of oatcake and tossed it in his mouth while he watched the small woman roll over, wiggle, and then somehow managed to burrow beneath the furs covering his bed.
“Then, we have an understanding,” she said as she curled up beneath the furs.
“Are ye planning on escaping anytime soon, lass?” Shayne asked, breaking off another piece of oatcake only to feel his lips twitch when she stuck her arm out of the furs and wiggled her fingertips expectantly.
“I don’t want ta startle ye,” she said as he dipped the piece of oatcake in honey and berry juice before leaning over and placed it in her hand only to watch her hand disappear back beneath the furs.
“That’s very thoughtful of ye, lass,” Shayne said, breaking off another piece of oatcake as he watched her hand reappear.
“Are ye going ta tell anyone about me?” she asked, her fingers wiggling in silent demand.
“That depends,” Shayne said, placing the piece of oatcake in her hand.
“I already promised not ta hurt ye,” she reminded him as she pulled her hand back beneath the furs.
“That does help with the fear threatening ta break me, lass, but I’m afraid that I’m gonna need a name,” Shayne drawled as he poured himself a mug of ale.
“And I’m afraid I’m gonna need something ta wash this oatcake down with,” she said, shoving the furs out of the way so that she could watch him as she held her hand out.
“I’m gonna need yer name, lass,” Shayne said, taking a sip of ale as he watched beautiful brown eyes narrow on him and-
“Who’s Lasarín?”came the question that had his stomach dropping as he opened his eyes to find Marty sitting next to him on the bed with a thick file opened on her lap. At his questioning look, she said, “You talk in your sleep.”
“Where is everyone?” Shayne asked, moving to sit up only to rethink that decision when the move sent sharp pain across his chest and down his spine.
