Page 254 of The Defiant Curse

Not.

At.

All.

He was, too.

When one of the apparitions charged at them and moved between them to shove Oison back into the grave, it was then that he pulled off his hood.

It was Duncan.

Oh, and not far away was his right-hand man. Ciarán was with him.

That’s when they heard him.

‘Destroy aw o him.’

Somehow, it was said but not said. They all clearly heard the words, but not out loud. It came from somewhere, but not a place they could pinpoint it.

Now came the hard part.

How did they destroy the bones?

Pulling a lighter from his pocket, he tossed it to Michael, who was closer. The man flipped it open, and hit the wheel with his thumb, igniting it.

Then, he dropped it onto the bones that were lying on the ground amid the broken lid and the discarded needles from the Scots pines that surrounded them.

And they burned.

“Holy shit,” Ethan said, getting his wife back against his body. Never in his life had he seen anything quite like that.

EVER.

Hopefully, he’d never see it again.

As they stood there, Elizabeth was staring at Duncan, and he was staring at her.

They all heard it.

‘Ceit, Lass.’

Oh, not even close.

Still, Elizabeth tried to communicate with him.

“Duncan, I need to put her to rest. How do I put her to rest so she’s at peace like you both are?”

And were they?

She didn’t know, but she hoped they were.

Ciarán moved closer to her, and his eyes were green like grass, and his features very handsome.

Elizabeth held her ground.

Why?

Because her daddy had a saying.