“I find it interesting that Jamie wormed his way in here, claiming this table was shipped to him, when it’s obvious he’s obsessed with her,” Cody said.

“Are you saying Jamie could be her stalker?” Sorcha asked, slathering a blueberry muffin with butter. Shay doubted Sorcha worried about getting fat. Slaying demons probably melted off calories. “I thought the guy was blond.”

“I’m not accusing him, but we’ve got a mess of trouble and no one to blame. We shouldn’t rule out anyone.”

“He was injured,” Shay said. “You think he did that to himself?”

Cody shrugged. “Could have, if necessary.”

Lachlan broke off a piece of bacon and slipped it under the table. There was a soft meow. “Bro, I think you need more sleep.” He glanced at Shay. “Or something.”

“Have you got that cat under there?” Cody asked.

Shay lifted the edge if the tablecloth. The cat was sitting at Lachlan’s feet. “I thought you were going to call the Petersons.”

“I did. It’s not theirs,” Lachlan said. “Ronan’s going to take him to Montana if you don’t want him.”

“Go ahead,” Shay said to Ronan. She couldn’t take care of herself, much less a cat.

Sorcha raised an eyebrow at Ronan. “What are you going to do with a cat? You’re never home.”

“I’ll put him in the barn. I have someone watching the place.” He smiled at Shay. “Or we could share joint custody.”

“You’re not sharing anything with Shay,” Cody said. “Cat or otherwise.”

Ronan settled back in his chair, not bothering to hide his grin.

“You see what I have to put up with?” Faelan said to Cody.

“You live in Montana?” Shay asked Ronan.

Ronan nodded. “For now.”

“That’s where he goes when he gets sick of demons. And humans,” Brodie said. “He owns a mountain. It’s so isolated I doubt a demon could find it.”

“Think we could train the cat to be a guard cat?” Lachlan asked and then grew serious. “Whoever broke in, and it wasn’t Jamie, he knew how to avoid the cameras and get past the alarm.” That led to a discussion of the recent events with Shay’s stalker in Scotland and here.

“You think Jamie’s and Shay’s intruders are the same?” Duncan asked.

Lachlan swallowed his bite of egg and biscuit. “Shay’s was blond, but we thought there might have been another one in the woods. Jamie said there were three of them at his house, but he saw only two clearly, both brown-haired, average height, slim. Said they moved fast, hit him before he could even reach for his dagger.”

“Must have been some bad-ass demons,” Marcas said. “Jamie’s quick. He could take three humans blindfolded. Should’ve been able to take three demons.”

“You think my stalker is a demon?” Shay asked, eyes wide with alarm.

Cody shrugged. “I don’t know, but that intruder I fought seemed too strong and too fast for a human.”

“This probably has something to do with your father,” Anna said. “He believed someone was after him. Maybe that same someone wants you.”

“He’s definitely interested in your tables,” Sorcha added.

“They had to be after the book,” Cody said. “The only thing the intruder messed with at Nina’s was a bookshelf. He must have called his buddies and headed to Jamie’s after that.”

“So how did they know the book was inside the table?” Lachlan asked.

Faelan gave Bree a worried glance. “We know Russell stole the book and took it to Druan’s castle. Maybe we missed a demon who was working with Druan.”

“How could Renee be involved in all this?” Shay asked.

“Did she know anyone named Russell?” Brodie asked.

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“Since Renee’s laptop has vanished, could you make a list of contacts? Boyfriends, friends, clients.” Cody frowned. “I suspect someone isn’t who he’s pretending to be and doesn’t want his name seen.”

It was terrifying to think that her own clients, neighbors, banker, Realtor, or even the little old lady next door could be a demon in disguise. “Most of the Scotland and Leesburg clients are separate. I’m familiar with some of Renee’s, but not all.”

“There’s something I haven’t mentioned,” Cody said. “Someone dug up your grave.”

Brodie paused mid-chew. “Shay’s grave? Oh, the empty one.”

Lachlan raised an eyebrow. “Bloody hell.”

“They removed the casket and opened it,” Cody said. “I was going to tell you yesterday, Shay, but Nina and Matilda showed up.”

He could’ve mentioned it last night. “Why would someone do that?”

He pushed back his plate. “To see if it had a body inside.”

“So someone knows she’s not dead,” Duncan said. “When did this happen?”

“Sometime in the last day or two,” Cody said.

“It could be teenage vandals gearing up for Halloween,” Shay said, hopefully.

Cody shook his head. “I wish, but I suspect Anna’s right, and it’s something to do with your father.”

“I thought the demon the Watchers thought was responsible died,” Sorcha said.

“He did,” Cody said. “But someone knows about the secret.”

“Let’s hope the clan wasn’t wrong,” Brodie said. “That wouldn’t make the demon happy, finding out he’s been fooled all this time.”

Shay’s stomach started crawling toward her throat. This wasn’t normal stalker stuff, like on the news and TV, and Renee was in the middle of it.

“I think this is connected to the stuff with Druan,” Duncan said. “We got all the demons on Angus’s list, but even the Watchers suspected there was more happening than just Druan’s attempt to destroy the world.”

Sorcha studied her red nails, her gaze troubled. “What about Tristol and Malek and Voltar? Those dreams I had before. I couldn’t make out all the details, but I saw five men. One was Faelan and one was Druan in human form, but we never figured out who the other three were.”

“Don’t even think it,” Brodie said, crossing himself.

“Who are they?” Shay asked.

“Demons of old,” Bree said. “Faelan saw those three riding with Druan back in 1860 when he was sent to stop the Civil War. They disappeared.”

“Our Civil War?” Shay swung around to look at Faelan. Pain shadowed his face.

“I was sent to suspend Druan. He was stirring up strife and hatred that was turning this country toward war, trying to destroy it from the inside out. At least that’s what we thought, but I found out the war was just Druan’s distraction. He created a virus to destroy the world.”

“Good grief. Is anything what it seems?”

“Not much,” Faelan said. “Demons are involved in most everything bad. Human wars rarely start with humans.”

“What happened to the virus?” Shay asked.

“Faelan destroyed it when he destroyed Druan,” Bree said, her voice ringing with pride. “He saved the world.”

Faelan smiled. “Not without help. If it hadn’t been for Bree and Conall and the other warriors, there wouldn’t be any world.”

Shay looked at Cody, his handsome face set in a worried frown, and for the first time she understood why he tried so hard to protect her. “Could these three demons who were with Druan be dead?”

“Not likely. The ancient ones are hard to kill,” Cody said. “They’re quick and devious. If they’d been assigned to a warrior, we would have heard.”

Sorcha pushed back her plate. “They’ve probably been roaming the earth, creating death and destruction, trying to become eternal. Supposedly they’re behind some of our major diseases. Tristol supposedly created the HIV virus, although no one’s seen him since Faelan did back in 1860. And Druan’s father created the Plague. All this bad stuff humans think is just normal usually starts with a demon.”

“I wish we had Angus’s notes,” Anna said. “He was onto something.”

“Who’s Angus?” Shay asked.

“The last warrior who was sent to find Faelan’s time vault key,” Anna said. “He figured out what Druan was up to, and Druan had him killed.”

This stuff was life and death, not the thrilling games they played as kids, but in spite of its horror, it stirred something inside that Shay couldn’t explain, like a supercharged rush of energy.

“I’ll check Angus’s things again when I get to New York,” Anna said rubbing her eyes. “I should’ve gone straight there after the wedding.”

The wedding. Faelan and Bree hadn’t even finished their reception, let alone started a honeymoon, all because of Shay. Or had it started with Shay’s father, a man she didn’t even remember, who’d lost his wife and child. Well, she was alive, and if this was the same demon who killed her mother and father and stole her life, she wanted him dead, even if she had to do it herself.

“I can fly you to New York,” Lachlan said to Anna.

Anna shook her head. “Thanks, but I’ll drive. I have some things to sort out.” She excused herself from the table.

“I hope she starts with that gloomy mood,” Brodie said.

“Leave her alone,” Sorcha said. “She’s got a lot on her mind.”

“Angus and Anna were researching the missing Book of Battles before he was killed,” Bree told Shay. “Anna got busy with something else. When she went back, Angus seemed troubled, but wouldn’t say what was going on. He mentioned something about secret societies and a league.”

“And traitors.” Brodie glanced at Sorcha.

“Are you accusing me of being a traitor?” Sorcha asked, rising to her feet, hands on hips.

Brodie crossed his arms over his chest. “Angus did look right at you when he said it. Now, I’m not saying I believe it. I’d slit your throat if I thought you were betraying our clan.” Brodie’s expression was grave, without his usual good-natured smile. Duncan tensed, eyes narrowed, as Brodie continued. “But I’d like to know why he looked at you when he said it.”

Sorcha looked as if she might morph into a dragon and roast Brodie in his chair, but her shoulders dropped, and she sat down. “So would I,” she said. “So would I.”

“No one’s accusing anybody of anything,” Duncan said. “Who knows what was in Angus’s head? He was always wrapped up in some mystery. Sometimes he saw clues that weren’t there.”

Anna came back in carrying her purse and a duffel bag. “Can someone give me a ride to the car rental?”

Lachlan dropped his fork. “I will.” He wolfed down a piece of bacon, scraped and rinsed the plate he had just refilled, and loaded it in the dishwasher. “Ready?”

“I’ll check on the time vault while I’m in New York,” Anna said.

“Faelan’s time vault is still there?” Shay asked. Talk about an antique! She’d love to see it.

“No. He sent his back, but he found another one in the cellar of my chapel,” Bree said. “We thought Angus brought it, but it’s not his, either. We can’t send it back without the warrior’s talisman.”

“You don’t know where it came from?” Shay asked.

“We have no idea,” Sorcha said. “There weren’t any other warriors in the area, that we know of.”

“We don’t even know how long it’s been there,” Brodie said.

“What about that warrior from Canada who was supposed to help Sorcha?” Ronan asked. “Did anyone ever locate him?”

“Yes. He had an accident on the way. Attacked by two vam…” Anna paused and glanced at Shay. “He never got there, so he didn’t bring the time vault.”

“There’s a key to the house hidden on the back porch,” Bree said. “Feel free to stay there if you need some time alone.”

Anna gave Bree a quick hug. “Thanks.”

“Is she okay?” Shay asked, after Anna and Lachlan left.

Sorcha looked troubled. “She and Angus were close. If she hadn’t been busy, she would’ve been with him. She blames herself for his death.” Sorcha stood. “I’m going to work out my sword arm. I need a partner.” She tugged Brodie’s ear. “How about you?”

“I’d like nothing better than put you on your backside, but I’ve got some things to do,” Brodie said, slapping her hand away.

“Maybe Sorcha could show me that trick where you guys flip through the air—” Bree started.

“No!” Faelan said. “You need to rest. You have a bloody concussion.”

“I’ll rest later. I want to practice with the dagger.”

He sighed. “Ten minutes, then will you lie down?” He added softly, “Please?”

“Okay,” she said, giving him a quick kiss.

“I’ll take you on, Sorcha.” Duncan rose to his feet, standing a full head taller than Sorcha. His gaze was shuttered, but whatever was behind it ran hot.

Shay saw a look of near panic cross Sorcha’s pretty face. She tilted her head. “All right, big boy. After we clear the table, you can show me what you’ve got.” She carried dirty dishes to the sink, her face flushed. She peered out the window. “Cody, there’s a man with the kinkiest hair I’ve ever seen getting out of a truck in your driveway.”

“Back in a second.” Cody opened the door and jogged across the field.