Page 122 of Brutal Birthright

Rowan was lost. And she didn’t know when or how or where to begin to try and find him.

“What if he doesn’t come back to me, Ru-Ru?” She huddled her knees up against her chest. Feeling all of sudden like the thundering tidal wave of emotion that had been lurking in the shadows was about to consume her.

But then her sister was right there, fixing her with the fierceness that could only be the warrior and queen that she had always been meant to be.

“He will fight to get back to you. I saw it in his eyes that day. That man would crawl through fire a thousand times over and then a thousand more to find you, don’t doubt it.”

Chapter 39

Rowan’s stomach felt like it had been taken to with a boot. His insides felt pulverised to a tender mush as if they’d gone ten rounds against a bull’s horns.

Or maybe he’d just been stabbed and gutted like a hog.

He groaned and stiffly bent over one raised knee. One hand steadied himself with fingers dug into the dirt.

His eyes blinked once, twice, then he lurched to his feet. Everything about this scene was horrifyingly familiar.

The exact weight of the dirt beneath his fingers… the place where her head would always roll and stare back with lifeless eyes, was just over there…

As his head jerked around, the bloodied sword lay where it fell. As always.

Rowan felt lightheaded.

No.

No.

He’d escaped this terrible reality. He’d been able to rescue Oriana. They’d gone through the portal just as…

“How’s the head feeling, brother?”

Spinning round and reaching on reflex for weapons—that to his horror weren’t there—his heart lurched.

Seated on a rock, cross legged, and glinting within mischief as always, sat Brigid.

“This isn’t possible. I—You—” He jabbed a finger in her direction.

He didn’t know what the fuck was happening, and that made him entirely too uneasy.

This could be any kind of enchantment or hex. His mind could be being manipulated to see all this when in reality, he was held captive.

Or worse.

“Oh, it’s real enough.” Brigid fluttered fingers his way. “But wherever your actual body is, you’re doing a lot of healing right now. Safer to keep your mind and soul somewhere otherwise occupied.”

“Don’t twist your bullshit around me, Brigid.” He growled. There’d been enough lies by omission from this woman to make an immortal weep.

“Look, I’m just acting as a last line of defence here. As much as I wish I could say you’re a tough customer, your body was a little… compromised, shall we say.”

What the fuck was she on about?

“Where am I?”

“In temporal or corporeal form?”

“Brigid. Don’t fucking play me.” He whirled on her, eyes flashing with fury.

He needed to get to Oriana. Needed to see that she was safe.

---