“She’s staying here,” Cody said.
“Okay, boys, you’re not dogs, and she’s not a bone. Everyone can stay here. We have plenty of room.” Marcas put a hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “You’re involved in this. There was a reason Renee sent that table to you.”
Shay reached for her jeans. “If all of you don’t get out now, you’re going to see more of me than you want.”
“I doubt that, darlin’.” Ronan grinned, earning frowns from both Cody and Jamie.
“Don’t you all need to go hunt demons or something?” Shay asked. After a minute, she gave up and headed to the bathroom. When she came out, Cody was the only one waiting. “Where’s Jamie?” she asked.
“Don’t worry. I didn’t kill him. He went to check Renee’s shop again for her laptop.”
“I’m going to see Bree.”
“I really think you should—”
“Are you sure there’s not something wrong that you’re not telling me?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“I’m fine.”
They ran into Ronan outside Bree’s room. She stood by the bed, glowering at Faelan, who was planted in front of her and appeared to be blocking the door.
Bree’s eyes lit up when she saw Shay. “Thank God, a female.”
“I’m just trying to keep you safe,” Faelan grumbled. “Which you’re making damned hard. Are all the women in this century like this?”
“I just hit my head,” Bree said. “You hit your head plenty of times. Instead of protecting us, maybe someone would be kind enough to offer us food while Shay and I talk. Girl talk.”
The men looked uncomfortable and quickly turned to leave. “What do you want to eat?” Faelan asked from the doorway. “You had dinner not an hour ago.”
Bree considered. “Olives… and… Cody, do you have chocolate ice cream?”
“I think so,” Cody said. “Uh, you sure about the olives?”
“That sounds bloody awful,” Faelan said. “Are you feeling all right?”
“Just hungry,” Bree said.
“How about a salad and a glass of milk instead?” Ronan suggested.
“Good idea,” Cody said. “I’ll bring Shay the same.”
Since when had she liked salad and milk? She was beginning to think the men were the ones who hit their heads.
“He’s killing me,” Bree said, after the men left.
“He loves you.” Shay couldn’t bear thinking about the anguish Faelan would have suffered if something had happened to Bree, after everything he had already lost.
“Don’t.” Bree squeezed Shay’s hand. “I see that look. It wasn’t your fault.”
“It was. I shouldn’t have rushed out like that.”
“The men deserved it, the way they were carrying on. Stop blaming yourself. Something went wrong with the brakes. It happens. Besides…” Bree’s eyes clouded. “If it hadn’t been you and me, it would’ve happened to Cody and Faelan. It could’ve been worse. You know how men drive.”
The two women stared at each other as the weight of Bree’s words sank in. The thought seemed to deflate Bree as much as it did Shay. “Do you think that’s what you sensed about Cody?”
“I don’t know, but for now, I’m fine, you’re fine, and the men are safe. If we only knew where the book was.”
“I heard Cody and his brothers talking about it,” Shay said. “What’s so important about the book?”
“It belongs to Faelan’s clan. The book has a list of battles fought between warriors and demons. It went missing from Scotland in the mid-1800s, around the time Faelan was locked in the time vault. I found it in my attic a few weeks ago.”
“You found Faelan and the book? I guess the clan was happy to see you.”
“They suspected Faelan had the book with him in the time vault.”
“They thought he stole it?”
“They weren’t sure what to think, but most of them believed if he did steal it, he must have had a good reason. He was highly revered in the clan, even back then.”
“If he didn’t take it, how did it get to America?”
“We think the Keeper brought the book when he traveled with Faelan’s father and brothers to help him battle Druan. Faelan said there were threats against the book then. The Keeper may have been moving it to protect it.”
“How could it have gotten inside that table?” Shay asked.
“I don’t know. My ex-fiance, Russell, stole it from my house. He was helping Druan.”
