Page 34 of The Tides of March

“Very devious!” Merlin said as he narrowed his eyes at the board. “A digital siren named Meriel, trapping young virgin men,anda sacrifice to Balor, requesting permission to raise a Fomorian kraken… Do we believe that it is merely a coincidence that all of these events occurredafterwe delivered Tony to Pooles Island?” he asked, swinging around and advancing on Tony. “Have you had any other visions or do you remember anything else that occurred after you arrived that was unusual?”

Tony shook his head. “How would I know? It was all a blur and I was barely conscious the first few days.”

“You must think!” Merlin urged and took both of Tony’s hands in his. “I believe the gutted seal and the head found at Tor Mór were left a few days after you arrived on that island,” he said in a low, growling whisper.

“The seal…” Tony murmured as a memory tickled and whispered in his ear. He shut his eyes tight, waiting for it to grow louder, then heard Ronan grumbling about something found onhisbeach and burying it. “A seal. He found a seal,” Tony recalled and gasped loudly. “Ronan found a seal! It was right after I arrived, while I was still in and out of consciousness. But I remember Ronan being extra surly and soaking wet after one of his walks. After he found the body, Ronan told me he’d found a dead seal.”

“That’sbad.” Nox scrubbed a hand across his lips as he exchanged a loaded look with Merlin. “We need to get a hold of Ronan immediately.”

“He hasn’t returned any of our calls,” he said and Nox swore as he checked his watch and looked around the room. “I’d say we make a trip out tonight, but the tide’s too high and there’s supposed to be a storm.”

“We’ll go out tomorrow afternoon or evening, once the weather clears,” Nelson said, then grimaced. “You’ll go out. I’ll drive you to the marina so you can take Clancy’s boat out to theisland,” he amended, earning snorts and chuckles from everyone else.

Nox put an arm around Nelson. “Poor baby gets a yucky tummy if he leaves land so he’ll hang back,” he said and raised his brows at Tony. “You’ve been pretty quiet. Are you in?”

“In?” Tony shook his head. “Not if you’re headed to Pooles Island. I wouldn’t help that miserable son of a bitch if the fate of humanity was in the balance,” he stated with a firm nod, crossing his arms over his chest for good measure.

“Well.” Nox tapped his fingertips together thoughtfully as he considered. “Seeing as we’re talking about a kraken… It could be,” he argued but Tony shrugged.

“Good thing you’re a demigod and you’ve got a team of magickal super helpers for backup. What do you need me for?”

Nox’s brows pinched together as he blinked at Tony. “You said you didn’t want to be left out. There might bea krakenand you’re hanging back?”

Tony nodded. “Normally, I would be stoked and totally down for some kraken hunting but Ronan told me to keep away from him and to never go back to Pooles Island and that’s just fine by me,” he said and Nelson raised a hand.

“You said that Ronan never hurt you but I’m starting to think that wasn’t the case.”

A hard snort burst from Tony and he shook his head. “No. Whatever happened between me and Ronan has nothing to do withthis case,” he said as he gestured at the pictures of the victims on the board. “Focus on them,” he added, then turned and stormed out of the study before he was asked any more questions.

Tony was perilously close to spilling every humiliating detail and turning their search party into a pity party.

Fourteen

Ronan braced himself, prepared to be cruel as necessary and determined to get it over with as quickly as possible. He couldn’t risk losing his nerve or breaking and telling Tony the truth.

“Time to wake up,” he said as he patted Tony’s cheeks.

“Huh?” Tony scratched his head groggily and attempted to wind his other arm around Ronan but he pulled away.

“Up with ye. Time to get movin’,” Ronan commanded briskly.

“Okay…” Tony sat up, blinking and bleary. He thanked Ronan when he was handed his sweater. “Where are we going?” he asked as he pulled it on, then slid off the bed to put on his jeans and socks.

“Ye’ll see. Put these on,” Ronan said, dropping Tony’s boots by the bed. He looked around, grimacing. Tony only came with the clothes on his back but Ronan didn’t want him leaving empty-handed. “Don’t ask questions. Go get yer favorite thing, whatever it is,” he said, earning a confused frown from Tony.

“Aside from you or Myrtle?”

“Aside from me or Myrtle,” Ronan confirmed, feeling every bit of the monster as Tony looked around, then retrieved the copy of theOdysseyfrom the bedside table. “Aye… Take that,”Ronan said with a terse nod, jettisoning memories of Tony reading to him in the tub and while they reclined by the fire. “Let’s go.”

He grabbed Tony’s wrist and towed him to the door. “You still haven’t said where we’re going,” He obediently pulled on his coat and allowed Ronan to wind the scarf around his neck.

“Don’ worry. Ye’ll see soon enough.”

The pack must have caught on, they whined and yelped as they blocked the door and Ronan had a beast of a time getting Myrtle to stay. He had to fight to keep them all inside the cottage and the howling was horrendous as Ronan led Tony up the trail to the dock, instead of taking the beach path.

“Are we making a pickup?” Tony guessed as he was guided up the ramp and onto the boat’s deck. “I finally get to go for a ride,” he noted cheerfully.

“Put on a life jacket and stay out of the way,” Ronan told him and went about untying the boat from the dock and pushed off. He started the engine, avoiding Tony’s nervous smiles and hopeful glances.

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