“When we’re finished,” Cody added, his voice as ragged as Shay’s.

“I’m leaving,” Jamie said quietly.

Shay scooted past Cody and opened the door. “Jamie, wait.” She smoothed down her hair and ran after him.

Cody’s heart dropped. Was she choosing Jamie? Still? Over his dead body. He took off after them.

Jamie turned. “I’m outta here.”

“Good idea,” Cody said.

Jamie stepped closer, both men bristling like angry bulls. Shay inserted herself between them.

“Get back, Shay!” Cody roared, setting her aside.

“What’s all the yelling about?” Marcas asked, walking toward them. The others were behind him.

“They’re at it again,” Lach said. “I haven’t been back five minutes, and you two are fighting.”

“I say we give them back their swords, and the last one standing gets the woman,” Faelan said, scowling. Bree elbowed him in the ribs. “I’m jesting. I wouldn’t actually let them kill each other.”

“You’re a damned hypocrite,” Jamie said to Cody, eyeing Shay’s swollen lips. “If I’m reading things right, I’d say you overstepped your boundaries a long time ago.”

Frustration and anger rolled into a ball of fire inside Cody. “Hypocrite? I’m not a bloody hypocrite. I have a right to kiss her.”

Jamie balled up his fists. “Says who?”

“Says this,” Cody shouted, pointing at the tattoo on his neck. “It’s a mate mark. For her. She’s mine. She’s always been mine.”

Everyone froze, staring at him. Shay’s mouth worked, but nothing came out. Jamie looked as if he’d been kicked in the stomach. Strangely enough, Duncan didn’t look much better.

“Your mate?” Lach said. “Why didn’t you say something?”

What had he done? Cody started toward Shay, but she took two steps back, bumping the wall. Her cell phone rang. She moved stiff as a zombie, prying it from her pocket. She looked at caller ID. “It’s Renee,” she said, her voice numb. She pushed the button. “Renee, where are you? I’ve been worried—” the blood drained from Shay’s face.

Cody grabbed the phone and put it on speaker.

“Help…” the voice was scratchy, hard to understand.

Shay’s hands trembled as she reached for the phone. “Renee?”

“Help me…” There was panting, as if she was running. “Help me. He’s…”

Shay turned to Cody, her eyes wide with fear. “Renee, where are you?”

Everyone crowded in, listening, as heavy, rasping breaths filled the hallway. “He’s coming. Oh God. Forgive me… the letters. I was wrong. I hid the… No!” she shrieked. “No!”

Shay’s fingers dug into Cody’s arm as they listened to the screams and sickening thuds. There was a loud noise, as if she dropped the phone, and then silence. After a few seconds, they heard even breathing, not Renee’s panting.

Tears trickled down Shay’s face. “Who are you?” she screamed, but the call disconnected.

Cody looked at the screen. “Try calling her back,” he said, handing the phone to Shay. He pulled out his own cell phone.

Shay swiped her eyes and redialed. “It’s busy,” she said, staring at the phone as if it were a bloody knife.

Cody punched in a number. “Sam, can you get a location on a cell phone? Shay’s friend is in trouble. I’ll owe you another one.”

“I don’t know what Shay’s messed up in, but there’s no end to this mess,” Sam said. “There’s been another murder, someone Shay knew.”

Cody moved a few feet away so he could hear the details. He listened grimly. “The police in Scotland found another body,” he told the others after he hung up.

Shay wobbled like she might collapse. Cody took a step closer, but Jamie was already there. Bree stood on her other side, holding Shay’s hand.

“One of my clients?” Shay asked.

“No,” Cody said. “A guy named Nick Deet.”

“Nick? From the pub?” Jamie asked, still touching Shay’s arm.

“You knew him?” Cody asked, not bothering to hide the suspicion in his voice.

“We stopped there in the evenings sometimes,” Jamie said.

“How was he killed?” Shay asked.

“Stabbed,” Cody said.

“Any suspects?” Marcas asked.

Cody nodded. “Yeah.”

“Who?”

“Shay.”

***

“Me? They think I killed Nick?” Shay asked.

“Your number was the last one he called,” Cody said, staring at Jamie’s hand on her arm. Cody had just told him Shay was his mate, and he still couldn’t keep his hands off her.

“He called me? We weren’t even friends. We chatted in the pub, but that was it,” Shay said.

“Sam wanted to give us a heads up,” Cody said. “The police in Scotland want to question you.”

“There must have been more than just the one phone call,” Marcas said.

“Try twenty-five over the past month,” Cody said.

Shay’s eyebrows rose. “Nick called my house twenty-five times? He must have been the person who kept calling and hanging up. The number was blocked.”

“Could he be the one who broke into Shay’s shop?” Lachlan asked.

Faelan shook his head. “I doubt it. When I was in Scotland keeping an eye on Shay, the bartender at the pub said Nick had missed work the day before without calling, so he was probably already dead when the intruder broke into Shay’s shop.”

“Maybe the intruder killed Nick,” Shay said, “but why?”

“No idea, but we’ll need to leave as soon as possible. You’ll have to go to Scotland and talk to the police,” Cody said. “Marcas, see how fast the jet can get here. You, Lach, and Jamie can stay here and look for Renee. You know the area, and you know Renee.” He suspected Renee was past help. “The rest of you can escort us to Scotland.”

Jamie shook his head. “I go with Shay. She still needs to be protected.”

“I can’t leave Renee,” Shay argued.

“You have to.” Cody’s voice was soft, but firm.

“You can’t stay. It’s too dangerous here,” Jamie said.

Bree looped her arm around Shay’s back. “They’re right, Shay.”

“Another metal bird,” Faelan groaned.

Ronan slapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll knock you out, if it’ll help.”

“Not if you value that pretty face of yours,” Faelan said. “I’ll stay too. I can help look for Renee.”

Cody rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Jamie and I will take Shay to Scotland. The rest of you stay here. There’ll be plenty of warriors at the castle to protect her.” If Renee was alive, she probably needed all the help she could get.

***

Shay sat in Cody’s kitchen, only half listening to the Scottish police officer on the phone. She kept staring at the tattoo on Cody’s neck, looking for the mark he claimed meant they were destined mates. Mates? What was she supposed to do with that? Nine years she spent hating him, and in a matter of hours she found out that he hadn’t even gotten her letters, and he was her mate. Was that why she never got over him? Why hadn’t he told her? Was he hiding more secrets? Her head was reeling so badly she had to keep asking the officer to repeat his question. She hung up, relieved that she wasn’t a serious suspect, only a person of interest they wanted to see as soon as possible.

“We need to talk,” Cody said.

“Not now,” Shay said. She went upstairs, found her suitcase, and numbly gathered her clothes. Was Renee alive? Shay had spent the night snuggled with Cody, warm in bed, while Renee was probably bound and gagged, who knew where. Shay’s cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She grabbed it, staring at the display. Her pulse pounded. “Renee? Are you okay? Where are you?”

There was silence, punctuated by heavy breathing. Shay’s throat tightened.

“Renee?” she whispered.

“Listen, carefully,” the raspy voice said. “Don’t get help. Don’t speak. If you want to see your friend alive, you’ll come to me. Alone.”

“Where is she?” Shay picked up a notepad and pen by the bed.

“Luray Caverns. Wait until dark. The door will be open. Come alone. If anyone follows you, she dies.”

“I don’t know if I can get away,” she said as she scribbled on a pad beside the bed.

“Then she’ll die.” The phone went dead.

Chapter 10

“Anyone seen Ronan?” Faelan appeared, dressed in jeans for once.

Cody dropped the papers Sam had faxed and rubbed his eyes. “I thought you two were going back to Renee’s shop.” There had to be a clue somewhere to put them on the right trail.

“Ronan took off earlier,” Lach said, selecting another knife. Some of the others were getting ready to search for Renee. “He said something about you staying here to watch Bree.”

“Why’s he so bloody worried about my wife?” Faelan looked over Cody’s shoulder. “That’s the dead guy?”

Cody nodded.

“He’s just a kid. Damnation. If you need me to go to Scotland, I’ll go,” Faelan said.

Cody knew how much Faelan hated flying, but there was another reason he wanted Faelan to stay in Virginia, away from the danger following Shay. Faelan didn’t know he was going to be a father, but Cody intended to make sure Faelan was around to raise his child. Maybe he and Bree could go on their honeymoon as soon as Renee was found, and Bree could share her news with him under more pleasant circumstances.

“Stay here and help look for Renee. There’ll be more than enough warriors in Scotland to protect Shay. No one’s infiltrated the castle since it was built. She’ll be safe there. We’ve kept it hidden for this long.” Or had they? They still didn’t know who built the one in New York.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about Renee,” Faelan said.

“Me too.” Cody saw the lid was ajar on the box that held Edward’s talisman. Cody opened the box and frowned. “Did someone take Edward’s talisman?”

“I saw Shay there earlier,” Lach said.

She’d have to return the talisman. It was sacred, to be worn only by the warrior it was made for, not to mention it was dangerous.