“You said your grandmother gave you the necklace?”
“She did. The night my father died.”
More often than not, Bree still referred to Robert as her father. He raised her from the time she was small, like Nina had raised Shay. Wasn’t that what a father, or an aunt, did?
“I got locked in Faelan’s crypt,” Bree continued. “I’d always been scared of that crypt. I think Grandma thought the necklace would comfort me after the ordeal and help keep the nightmares away. I had terrible dreams growing up, about death and destruction and monsters.”
“You must have been terrified,” Shay said.
“At first. I screamed and clawed the door, and then I heard a voice. It was my shiny man. He used to come to me in dreams, I think to counter the nightmares. He told me I had something important to find. Then, in the crypt, he told me my father was dead, but he had sent me another protector, and he showed me a man’s eyes. Faelan’s eyes. I saw them just as plain as I can see yours now. I wasn’t afraid anymore. I was so sure the necklace had kept the nightmares away and that someone would take it from me, that I hid it under a loose floorboard, where Faelan found it. It was only after I saw some sketches I’d drawn as a kid that the memories started to come back. I think Michael blocked them until it was time.”
“Michael?”
Bree’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“Who’s behind all this, the warriors, the battles, the book. Think
“You mean Michael the Archangel? He’s your shiny man—” Shay gasped.
“What is it?” Bree asked.
“I think I’ve seen him too.”
Chapter 15
Tristol stepped deeper into the woods. He could feel her drawing closer to him, but it wasn’t working quickly enough. If she didn’t come to him soon, he would have to go inside and take her. If he was spotted, he’d have to kill everyone there, and he wasn’t ready to kill the warriors yet. He needed them to get rid of Malek first. He certainly didn’t want Shay killed. If she was Edward’s daughter, she was too valuable. Tristol waited until the moon shone full, and then he faded into a mist as black as his hair and vanished into the night.
***
Cody tried to work the stiffness out of his shoulders as he climbed the stairs. He needed a shower, and his head felt like a grenade had gone off behind his eyes. The guards were in place, Sam was still trying to locate Ellis’s boss, and the warriors were using every contact and weapon they had, trying to find some trace of Malek. Sean was contacting other clans to see if anyone had spotted the demon. Bree was looking into Edward Rodgers’s past to see what the demon might be after Shay, the book, or both.
He started to his room to shower first, changed his mind, and decided to see if she wanted to conserve water. As soon as he touched the doorknob, the hairs on his arm rose. His body went from tired to alert in an instant. He could feel the danger like a thick layer of fog. He didn’t bother knocking. Her bed was empty and the doors to the balcony were open. Shay stood at the ledge, staring into the night.
“Shay? What are you doing out here?” The night air was chilly, but she wore only a thin nightgown.
She didn’t answer. Usually her hearing was almost as keen as his.
Cody stepped through the doors, but she didn’t turn. “Are you okay? Shay?” He grabbed her arm. “Shay!”
She turned, her face blank, eyes vacant, and then she blinked. “Cody?” She looked at him, puzzled, then saw where she was and hugged her arms to her chest.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked.
She opened her mouth, her expression blank again. “I don’t know.”
“Have you ever sleepwalked?”
“No, not until tonight.”
He would have to watch her closer. Couldn’t have her wandering about the castle at night. “Come on, you’re freezing.” He felt chilled himself, but it wasn’t from the Scottish night air.
They walked into the room together.
“I was dreaming… but I can’t remember what it was about.” She ran her hand over the silver candlestick on the bedside table. “Thank you for bringing it,” she said.
“You’re welcome.” He didn’t know how long she’d had the picture taped to the bottom of the candlestick, but it gnawed at his stomach knowing the clan had stolen her history and her name. He couldn’t imagine finding out his life was a lie. Was he soothing his own guilt by bringing her parents’ picture to Scotland and letting her keep her father’s talisman, which he could see outlined under her gown? He could see more than the talisman through the thin material. “Would you like something to drink? A cup of tea?”
“No, thank you.” She tilted her head. “But I would like to have you, sir.”
His body warmed. “Aye, my lady. At your service.” He grinned and dropped his kilt.
***
Shay touched the imprint on Cody’s pillow. Still warm. Her head was clear of nightmares for once. If she had them, she didn’t remember. After a quick shower—they’d showered once last night, but sweated profusely afterwards—she dressed and went downstairs. The smell of food drew her toward the kitchen. A white-haired man met her in the corridor. His eyes crinkled at the sight of her.
“Ah, there you are,” he said, sticking out his hand. “I’m Sean Connor, Faelan’s great-great-nephew. Coira’s in
