It’s what Cináed had expected. Still, he’d thought Gemma might change her mind and be willing to return to the isle. Obviously, he’d been wrong.
“I can tell you exactly where to look,” she told him.
He issued a quick smile to let her know that her concession was fine. “I’d appreciate that.”
“You’re disappointed.”
“I’m no’ going to push you to do something that you are no’ comfortable with.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head at him. “But you think I should go.”
“I wasna there that night. You were. You know what you can and can no’ handle.”
“I’ve had others tell me that returning as an adult might take away some of the fear.”
“They have a point.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to go back.”
“You think being there will make you relive it all over again.”
Her head bobbed up and down.
“But you’re stuck experiencing it all again and again anyway.”
Her pale blue orbs glanced away before she said, “I am. So I should face it. Why have I waited all these years to realize that?”
“Trauma wraps each person in its own special web.”
She dropped her arms to her lap. “What happens if you find the papers I told you about and they don’t help with your search for the Clachers?”
“I continue helping you. My aid in this isna contingent on anything with the Clachers. If anything, that’s a bonus.”
“I want you to feel as if you can walk away at any time,” she said.
Cináed smiled at her. “I hope you feel the same.”
“Then we’re in agreement.”
“So it seems.”
She looked away, a soft smile about her lips. “I have to admit, I’m glad you found me.”
“You’re just glad you backed into me,” he teased.
Her gaze jerked back to him as she laughed. “Never.”
He saw her eyes go to the dog bed and her smile faded. Cináed was glad she’d had her dog with her that night so Gemma didn’t have to suffer through all of it alone. It built a connection with dogs, one that helped her get through each day.
“Shall I bring Duke with us?”
That made her laugh again. Cináed liked the sound of it. It was raw and full, nothing held back. For someone who was so reserved, it was nice to see that when she did give in to the humor, she let it all out.
“I think I’ll be fine. But thank you for the offer,” she said.
Cináed shrugged. “Or you could just make believe I’m the dog.”
Their gazes met, held. He recalled the feel of her small, soft hand in his, of how she hadn’t hesitated to take it. It showed that she trusted him—a little.
“If it comes to that,” she replied softly.
His blood heated just thinking about their brief contact. Gemma was beautiful. Her vulnerability and steel backbone fascinated him. She was a contradiction and somehow that made her a temptation he couldn’t resist.
“So,” he said and cleared his throat while trying to pull his mind away from wondering what it would be like to kiss her. “Would you be ready to go to the isle tomorrow?”
She raised her shoulders to her ears and dropped them. “Why put it off, right? Tell me what airline, and I’ll book my flight.”
“We’ll be flying by chopper.”
“Oh. Right. Then tell me how much I owe for my share.”
He tried to hide his grin, but he couldn’t help it. He liked that she didn’t assume anything. She had lived on her own nearly her entire life, and she was used to doing everything herself.
“Actually, Dreagan has a helicopter that we’ll be taking.”
Her eyes widened. “I see. And let me guess, you know how to fly it.”
“Of course.”
“Of course,” she mimicked with a laugh.
Bit by bit she was relaxing. The smiles came easier, the laughter louder. He likened her to a flower. With each petal unfurling, he got to see a different side of her. And he liked each and every one.
“Unless you’d rather go a different route,” he offered.
She shook her head of ginger hair. “I’ve never been in a helicopter before. I’m looking forward to it.”
“I promise I’m a good pilot.”
She cut her eyes to the messenger bag. “Not that I particularly want to discuss my past, but it is the reason you came. There is a small stack that I set aside.”
Cináed opened the bag and pulled out each group of papers that had been clipped together. He set them all before her and watched while she shuffled through them until she came to the stack she’d mentioned.
Gemma handed it to him. “The authorities said that there were no witnesses to anything.”
Cináed glanced at the paper before him. He remembered it. There was an account by a man who claimed that he saw a bright flash on the isle the night Gemma’s family disappeared. The man told two different reporters, who wrote up pieces a year apart.
“Based on the police reports I read, no one questioned this man,” Cináed told her.
She clasped her hands together on the table. “No, they didn’t. But I did.”
Now that surprised him. “And?”
“He has dementia and recalls nothing.”
“I might send Merrill to talk to him. Perhaps we’ll get lucky and find out something.”
She bit her lip and picked at her thumbnail, which was chipped in the corner. “I never saw a bright light of any kind.”
“It might be nothing more than lightning he saw. Then again, it could be something else. I doona like how the authorities didna talk to him.”
Gemma leaned forward on the table and caught his gaze. “Based on everything you’ve read, do you think it was an accident like others say? That the rope holding the boat broke and slammed them up against the rocks?”
“It’s a possibility, but I think if that were the case, then some evidence, whether bodies or bits of the boat, would have washed up on shore somewhere. There are too many isles in the Hebrides for there to be nothing.”
“And what about the other theory? That my parents left me?”
Her voice was soft, a long-held fear finding its way into her words. He knew with 99.9 percent certainty the theory was false. Ryder was doing a secondary search for anyone matching the descriptions of Daniel, Laura, and Kyle Atherton since the night they went missing.
Cináed covered her hands with his. “You told me how desperately your mum wanted you on that boat. Your brother shouted for you. Your mum offered the locket. I doona believe they left you.”
“Then where are they?” she asked, her forehead creasing.
“We’ll get you an answer. You may no’ like it though.”
She shrugged and shook her head. “I need closure. It’s the not knowing that has been the slowest death imaginable.”
“Aye,” he murmured, thinking about his dragons.
She shifted her hands and wrapped hers around his. “What did you lose?”
Just as Cináed was about to shrug off her words, he found himself saying, “Something verra important. I had to send them away to protect them.”
“Them?” she asked.
It was the sorrow in her blue eyes that struck him right in the chest. There were few times he had spoken to any of the other Kings about the ache that stayed with him constantly for his clan. All the Kings missed their dragons. There was no need to talk about it.
But that wasn’t the case with Gemma.
“It was the hardest decision to make,” he told her. “But I had to give them a chance. I doona know where they are or if they’re even alive.”
“Can you not find out?”
Cináed’s thoughts went to V. The King of Coppers was gifted with a sword that allowed him to not only check on the dragons, but to call them home when the time was right. Yet V had told them nothing of the dragons, and it was killing Cináed.
“There is a way, but it’s tricky.”
Gemma lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I think it would be worth it.”
“I doona agree. Right now, I believe they’re alive and prospering. If V checks on them, I could find out that’s exactly what is happening.”
“Or you could discover they’re hurting or dead,” Gemma finished and twisted her lips in regret. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about that.”
“I understand about wanting answers. I open my eyes every sunrise and hope that I get the ones I want.”
Pale blue eyes lowered to their linked fingers. “Don’t worry. I’ve prepared myself for the worst, just in case. I know what my odds are.”
“There is much about this world you doona know,” Cináed cautioned.
“Like what?” she asked, her head cocked to the side.
He briefly thought about telling her the truth about himself. Would she throw him out of her house and tell him he was crazy? Or would she believe him?
Cináed shook his head. “There are many unexplainable things.”
“Are you talking aliens?” She sat back, pulling her hands from his. “I’ve watched enough Ancient Aliens to get where some people claim they’ve been here, and I’m not obtuse or ignorant to believe that we’re the only beings in the universe. However, I don’t think there are aliens among us.”
He missed the feel of her immediately, but he didn’t reach for her hand again. “Let me get this straight. You believe aliens are out there, but that they wouldna come here?”
“Precisely,” she said with a nod. “Why would they want to come here? Look at us. As a species we’re not exactly welcoming or willing to share. I believe they’re steering clear of us.”
“What about magic?”
She blinked at him. “You mean like magicians and stuff?”
“Some people claim they’re Druids who can see into the future.”
Gemma shook her head, but then she halted, a deep frown filling her brow. “Druids?”
Cináed studied her face. The word had struck something in her memories. He was sure of it. “That’s right. They’ve been part of this continent for hundreds of years.”
“My mother used to tell me a story about Druids.” Gemma rose and put her hands on either side of her head. “How could I have forgotten something like that?”
He slowly got to his feet. “Do you happen to remember the story?”
Her arms dropped to her sides. Her eyes might be focused on him, but her mind was a million miles away. “There was something about a brother and sister. Kyle used to make fun of how much I loved the story. I would make Mum tell it to me every night.”
“Was it from a book?”
Gemma blinked and came back to the present. “No, there wasn’t a book. At least not one that I knew.”
“How did the Druids fit in?”
“The siblings were Druids.”
Cináed nodded. “We need to get to the isle as soon as possible.”
“Now?”
“If you’re up for it.”
She shrugged. “What’s a few hours? Now or in the morning?”
“How soon can you pack?”
Gemma took a step back. “Pack?”
“In case we have to stay overnight somewhere.”
Her chest heaved, and he could see that she was debating on whether to go now that there was a chance they would stay on the isle. Then she blew out a breath.
“Give me fifteen minutes,” she told him.