“I’ve got a call coming in.” Daniel holstered his weapon and answered it on speaker. “Hey, Chief. Isla and I picked up an additional team of men. Iain and his brothers, Finlay and Kirk.”
“I just had a vision of them. I’m not surprised about the addition to your team. I’ve got Nathan checking into this so-called bunker, and I’m running a check on Gerry’s truck.”
“Dad.” She edged closer to Daniel so her father could hear her. “Gerry said his cousins visit him three or four times a year, just when they’re swinging by. He’s got your number and I requested he call you if they visit. I added the usual demands, no recall and all.”
“Good work, although since we’re now stuck in a waiting game, there’s nothing more any of us can do until we catch a break somewhere or the Mathies surface again.” He cleared his throat. “If you wish, spend some time with Iain then return when you’re ready. In the meantime, Daniel can team up with Nathan.”
“Are you sure?” She’d love the time off to get to know her mate, but if her father needed her, she’d return.
“I’m positive, honey.”
“Who’s going to keep you on your toes while I’m gone?” She strode through the weedy dirt, the prophecy on her mind. Gilleoin’s sons will separate when they come of age and rule their own clans, yet there will come a time far in the future when a mated bond forms between the two clans. Only then must Gilleoin’s descendants once again merge, and the ‘power of three’ be unveiled. Aye, a mated bond had formed and it was time to embrace her changing future.
“You’re never far from me, Isla, no matter the distance separating us.”
“Then I’ll call you tomorrow, let you know how things are going.”
Daniel lifted the phone closer to his mouth. “Chief, I’d like to meet Isla’s new kinfolk before I head back. I’ll drive to Ivanson Castle first then return. I should be back by nightfall.”
“Travel safely.” Dad didn’t question Daniel’s need and neither did she. Both of them always had her back.
Daniel hung up while beside her, Iain walked with purpose.
Finlay cast her a look. “It must be interesting having a seer in the family.”
“It’s both interesting and frustrating. One can get into a whole lot of trouble, and that’s without even stepping one foot out of line. Dad has visions of things that can happen well before their time.”
“That’s unfair for you.” Kirk chuckled, a cheeky look on his face. “My parents would have loved to have had forewarning of all the mayhem we got up to as kids.”
“It’s just as well they didn’t.” Iain moved ahead and lifted some fallen stalks barring her way.
She ducked under his arm, her gaze on his as she skipped backward. “What kind of mayhem did you three cause? Spill some dirt.”
“Since I’m already aware of all the dirt, I’ll scout ahead and make sure everything’s clear.” Kirk nodded at Iain and disappeared.
“There’s no one around. I can’t scent anyone, can you?” She pressed one hand against Iain’s chest and stopped him in his tracks. Standing in front of him, she tipped her head to the side. “Come on. Share some of the good stuff with me.”
Daniel and Finlay kept walking and she waited, holding her place, not giving in.
Iain narrowed his gaze, those golden eyes of his focused fully on her. “There’s a lifetime of good stuff to share, and I intend to tell you every juicy detail of our shenanigans, but not right now.” He glanced over her head, his gaze drilling into Daniel’s back. “You two are closer than I’d imagined and it raises the hairs on my neck.”
“Daniel is devoted to Emma and their baby boy.”
“Yet you and he are partners.”
“We grew up together and our skills, once combined, work seamlessly as one.” She stroked his chest through his shirt. “I realize our relationship as partners is tighter than most, but we’ve been through so much together. Daniel’s the closest I’ll ever get to having an overbearing older brother.”
“I like that you said ‘overbearing’ and ‘brother.’” He covered her hand with his, twined their fingers together. “I’ll be less on edge once we’ve completed our bond. I apologize now for any difficult moments ahead. I’m sure there will be many.”
“I’ll forgive you, provided you give me one juicy detail, enough to keep me happy.”
“There was this one time”—he kissed the tip of her nose—“when the three of us decided it was time to up the ante on our sword training. We all swapped out our childhood wooden swords for the real deal, and after we did, we snuck outside in the dark of the night and battled each other in the training yard.”
“Did any of you get hurt?”
“We could barely raise those massive steel swords. We must have been all but six at the time.” A smile lit his eyes. “I almost cut my toe off when I dropped the blade and Finlay stuck the end of his into Kirk’s butt when he tried to swing it. Kirk couldn’t sit for a week and Finlay and I couldn’t stop laughing.”