‘Were they apprehended or are they still at large?’
‘That is confidential information.’
Kyan laughed bitterly. ‘Fine.’ He turned to stalk back out. ‘I expect a meeting in two weeks.’
There was no answer. But as he strode into the midnight city, their conversation still rang in his ears like a death bell.
Two weeks.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Nicole
‘WHAT ABOUT THAT ONE?’BELLS ASKED TWODAYS LATER,pointing at one of the torcs.
They’d already looked at the beaten-gold lunulae – moon-like necklaces of thin gold from around 2000 BC. Then the thin and spiralling torcs which didn’t seem to be the right design. Now, they lingered in front of an array of Celtic treasure in the National Museum of Ireland’s archaeological branch.
The problem with Celtic artwork was that it often had a zoomorphic art style of animal-like patterns, which increased the potential number of objects the Tène could be attached to.
Nicole breathed deeply, trying to ignore her unease.
It was eleven o’clock.
Kyan hadn’t met them yet, and she and Bells had been browsing for half an hour already.
Nicole thought again of the Claddagh ring she’d seen in the ferry gift shop – gold with a red stone. She’d been drawn to its colour and the wink of the jewel, like a drop of blood. When she’d realised it was a promise ring, she’d lingered over it for so long Dylan had come to search for her, and she’d ended up leaving it, feeling more complicated than before.
She forced her mind to focus and peer at the torcs, her sight shifting to look through any supernatural varnish that might be concealing a different design. Or better yet, the creature guarding it. But none of these matched the description Kyan had given them.
It was their second day in Ireland and she’d had to corral her longing to see and know more than she’d been able to glimpse of the island on the ferry: the rolling emerald against a dark silver sea.
This was where Kyan had been born.
Where the gods had come thousands of years ago.
Where two items of mythological and supernatural importance were hidden.
So many ties to his time were here. They’d even passed a road named Sétanta Place on the way. Nicole had stopped so abruptly at the shock of seeing his birth name that Bells had bumped into her.
The moment Kyan walked into the room, her stomach swooped with relief. She hadn’t seen him since their fake hunt.
He was dressed in a dark green henley and jeans, shoulders tight, a prowl to his walk that fluttered her belly, even as a tightness in her chest eased. His hair was growing out slightly and curling against his brow, the memory of it brushing her mouth as he dipped his head to kiss her—
‘You all right?’ he asked.
‘I – yes.’
His gaze lingered on her, though. Like he knew she wasn’t just concerned. ‘Luca is testing out his stolen tech from the Wake’s labs on the museum’s CCTV to keep us hidden. I’ve told the Wake I’ll be trying to get close to you, so it’s safer for us to be seen, unless Luca tells me otherwise.’
The knots in her stomach soothed slightly as she glanced up at one of the cameras. That meant she was also safe to be with her family out in the open. At least for now. If there were any slips, Kyan had a cover story. Still, being so clearly near him made her hum with awareness and concern.
‘How are Dylan and Lawna?’ Kyan asked.
‘They’re okay,’ she said. ‘Dylan’s black eye is nearly gone and Lawna is still resting at your townhouse. Biróg didn’t want her to travel with the head wound.’ The stomach-dropping terror of knowing how bad head wounds could be hadn’t left her during the whole ferry journey.
‘What do you think?’ Bells asked Kyan. ‘Anything look familiar?’
Torcs of varying sizes and periods were laid out beneath the glass. They ranged in style, from a single spiral of gold, to tube-like bands with details overlaid onto them, like leaves and creatures. Nicole hadhad her money on one of those, as they seemed like the most logical type to hide something inside. But when Kyan had described his, it sounded more like the Snettisham Great Torc, which had many gold alloy wires wound together, forming one thick necklace that was capped at the ends.
