He’d looked into her family. Gemma shouldn’t be surprised, and yet she was. She was flabbergasted actually. After all the precautions that she’d taken through the years, somehow Cináed had discovered who she was.
That’s what rattled her the most. She wanted to know how.
“No, dammit,” she said to herself. “I don’t.”
But she knew it for the lie that it was.
Her gaze moved to the locket on the table. Emotion welled up inside her, choking her. Tears rolled down her face as she was transported back to that night years earlier.
“Hurry, Gemma,” her mother said over the storm.
Gemma yanked back on her mother’s arm. “I don’t want to leave my stuff.”
“It’s just toys. We can buy you new things.”
“I like my dolls.”
“Laura!” her dad yelled from downstairs.
Her mother knelt before her and pulled the locket from underneath her shirt. “Come with me right now and I’ll let you wear this.”
For as long as Gemma could remember she’d wanted to wear the locket. The fact her mother never took it off only made her want it even more.
“Really?” she asked hesitantly, wondering if she could really get that lucky.
Her mother smiled brightly. “It’ll be yours from now on. But you have to come with me now.”
Gemma immediately took her hand. They rushed down the stairs, her toys and dolls forgotten. It wasn’t until they were at the boat that she called out to her brother.
Kyle stuck his red head out of the hull. The hood of his rain jacket did little to keep his hair dry. “What?”
“You have Daisy, aye?”
There was a pause as Kyle looked to their father. Gemma felt her mother’s hands grab her, getting ready to lift her over the side of the boat. That’s when Gemma knew the dog wasn’t with them.
Then she heard Daisy’s bark.
She jerked out of her mother’s arms. “I’m not leaving Daisy!”
“Gemma, we have to leave. Now!” her father bellowed.
She always listened to her parents, but she had to bring Daisy. Gemma hastily took several steps back while her mother reached around to the back of her neck.
“Look, Gemma,” her mother said as she held out the locket. “It’s yours now. Come and get it.”
Gemma wanted it badly, and she was going to have it. Just as soon as she got her dog. She spun on her heel and raced back to the house for Daisy. The last thing she heard was her brother screaming her name.
She gasped, her eyes squeezed closed as the memory faded. Gemma’s knees gave out and she collapsed onto the floor. A bellow of regret, grief, and sorrow filled the tiny cottage. She curled inward, her forehead against the floor as she cried.
The past could be a cruel bitch, bringing into focus minute details that she had forgotten before. The mention of the locket would have been enough to knock her on her arse, but actually seeing it? That had been like a sucker punch to her stomach.
She rolled onto her side and kept her legs tucked against her. Dried tears stained her face. She sniffed, wishing she had a tissue and decided to use the sleeve of her shirt.
Her mind wandered in various directions, but it all came back to the locket—and the fact that Cináed had found it. He’d offered to give her answers.
What made him think he could find things that she had spent most of her life looking for? She was good at her job. She hired people who were good at their jobs. Yet neither she nor anyone else had found the locket. Had Cináed just gotten that lucky?
Or was he that good?
Perhaps it was time she found out. Why let her pride get in the way of gaining the answers she longed for? Because that’s exactly what it was. Her bloody pride.
Gemma pushed herself into a sitting position with her hand and wiped her face. She forgot about the work she was supposed to be doing as she rose to her feet and found some shoes. After grabbing her purse and keys, she was out of the house and inside her car in the next few minutes.
It wasn’t until she was pulling into Dreagan that she realized she hadn’t changed. She glanced down at herself and winced. Not exactly giving a good impression.
“Why do I care?” she asked aloud. “There’s no one here I want to impress.”
Then she recalled Cináed’s gray eyes. They looked at her as if she were the only person in the entire world. As if he saw her. All of her. The good and the bad. The broken parts and the determined bits.
It was as if he noticed all the pieces that made her unfit for others and accepted her.
Or maybe she had been on her own for so long that she was seeing things that weren’t there. That had to be it. To think differently was setting herself up for pain that she didn’t want or need.
Ever.
She parked and shut off the engine. Gemma let her gaze wander over the parking lot that was filled with vehicles. She spotted a large group being led by someone from one of the buildings. Obviously a tour group.
People came and went from another building. Gemma leaned her head to the side and read Gift Shop. Since she didn’t see anywhere else to go and ask for Cináed, she decided that was as good a place as any.
She briefly debated going home and changing, then resolve took her. She didn’t care how much money those at Dreagan had. She didn’t care that Cináed was so gorgeous that he outshone the sun. So what if she looked bedraggled and had on clothes most wouldn’t even wear around the house? This was who she was. They could take it or leave it.
Just as soon as they gave her the information she needed.
She climbed out of her car and shut the door behind her. Then, with her chin raised, she walked to the door of the gift shop. As soon as she walked in, she was surrounded by all things Dreagan. Mostly whisky—in so many different bottles and styles that her eyes nearly crossed—along with attire, coasters, glasses, and anything else people would buy with the logo.
A part of her wanted to walk through the shop and see what all there was. Especially when she caught sight of a sweatshirt that looked so comfortable she might never take it off. But she stopped herself and instead pivoted to the cashier, who smiled as she walked up.
“Good day to you,” the woman said. Her dark eyes crinkled in the corners. “How can I help you?”
Gemma had to swallow before she could talk. “I’d like to see Cináed, please.”
The cashier’s dark eyebrows rose slightly. “Just one moment. I’ll get him.”
As she walked through a door behind her, Gemma took a step back. It felt as if every eye in the store was on her, although she knew that wasn’t true. Since she wasn’t purchasing anything, she moved away from the area.
Her fingers fiddled with the handle of her purse, toying with a frayed string from the stitching. The longer she stood by herself, the more nervous she became. It was partly due to the fact she was out in public. After so many years of keeping to herself, it was difficult to be around others.
But the true reason was because she feared that Cináed had gotten her hopes up. There was a very real chance that he knew nothing more than what he’d already told her. It could all be a ploy to try and get...
What? What did he want? Her mind went blank. She didn’t have an answer, but there were enough others who had tried to exploit her that it became a habit to keep everyone at a distance.
Essentially, she was a hermit. And that was a hard habit to break.
“Gemma.”
She turned at the sound of her name to find Cináed. There was surprise in his gaze at the sight of her. And if she wasn’t mistaken, there was also happiness there. As if her arrival had given him pleasure.
“I’m glad you came,” he said.
She kept her focus on his face. Mainly because it was difficult to look at anything else. Why did he have to be so handsome?
Cináed grinned at her silence. “Come. We can talk in private.”
Yes. Private. That’s what she wanted. No one else needed to hear their exchange.
She fell in step behind him. Trepidation swallowed her as she walked around the counter and through the doorway the cashier had disappeared through to get Cináed. There was something about being at Dreagan that felt as if she had walked into another world.
And passing through the doorway gave her the impression that she was entering an area not seen by anyone other than those at Dreagan. Almost like a secret section.
It was silly. Her overactive imagination could create all sorts of things. Just like that figure in the storm when she was little. It didn’t help that she had seen the video about the supposed dragons at Dreagan.
Maybe she should have been a writer with her imagination. It would have given her the same kind of reclusiveness that she’d come to depend on. But honestly, she couldn’t see herself doing anything but being a researcher. Her topics changed often, allowing her to delve into things she wouldn’t have otherwise known about.
Cináed looked over his shoulder at her. Almost as if making sure that she was still there. What did he think? That she would disappear?
She had to admit, she was thinking about it. Gemma didn’t know where he was taking her—or to who. She liked to be prepared in any situation. Every time she had come in contact with Cináed, it had been anything but.
And she wasn’t sure how to handle that.
It disrupted her tidy world. It made chaos out of order.
It kept her constantly on guard, wondering what he might say and how she might handle it. So far, she hadn’t done very well at all.
In no time they walked out of the building. The dark clouds from the storm remained, reluctant to leave and hinting at more rain. She tried not to let that bother her. Surely she would be able to keep the fears from her childhood at bay around others.
Surely.
Hopefully.
Please God.
Cináed walked down a path that was hidden from the parking lot. She looked around her, making sure she could get back if she needed to leave in a hurry. There was nothing like taking a wrong turn in a new place when she wanted to make an exit.
“You’re safe,” he said as he slowed, allowing her to come even with him.
Gemma shot him a hard look. “By whose standards?”
A small smile played about his lips. “I’ll earn your trust, Gemma. I promise.”
She tried not to let his words affect her, but they did. Greatly. No one had said such a thing to her. Ever. At every turn Cináed surprised her, keeping her off guard. Maybe that’s exactly what he wanted.
Her thoughts stopped when they went through a row of tall hedges and she saw the manor. It was...enormous. The dark gray stone stood against the bright green foliage and craggy mountains, imposing and formidable. And somehow...welcoming.
She couldn’t explain it. It was the most peculiar feeling. There wasn’t an ounce of fear within her when Cináed opened the door and she walked through it.
Inside, she was taken aback by the richness of color. The wealth was obvious in subtle ways—the rugs, artwork (all with dragons, she noticed), and the furniture. It was a place she wanted to explore, learning the hidden parts of the house and discovering its secrets.
Because she knew it had many.
Her head turned to Cináed. He also had secrets. She saw that clearly now. How had she missed it before?
“Welcome to Dreagan.”