Page 255 of The Defiant Curse

‘It wasn’t the dead that could hurt you. It was the living.’

“My child,” Duncan said, and then, he was gone as quickly as they arrived.

In fact, they were all gone as if they’d never been there with them.

Oh, boy.

This place was crazy.

It appeared that Ceit, Duncan, Ciarán, and Oison had cleared out after that little battle over the bones.

“Holy fuck. What the hell?” Michael said, moving toward Ethan and Elizabeth. “Are you two okay?” he asked, checking them out.

If they weren’t, how would he explain this one to Ivan and Gene?

Because she was, Elizabeth nodded.

Physically, yes, but mentally?

NOPE.

She couldn’t believe what had just gone down there, and what had happened. A ghost tried to drag her away. She’d felt the fingers around her ankle, as the tug-o-war had gone down. Had it not been for Ethan, she was sure she would have slid across the ground, too.

How was she supposed to come to grips with that little humdinger of a truth?

Ghosts existed, and this place was filthy with them.

Clearly, she couldn’t.

Burying her face in Ethan’s neck, she held onto him for dear life—still.

“I’m okay. Ethan saved me.”

He held his wife.

“It was trying to pull her away.”

Gabby moved closer.

“He did NOT want you having that necklace,” she stated. “He must think you’re Ceit. I mean, you look just like her.”

Yeah, that’s what she thought.

They were safe, so she could open the pouch to see what was in there.

As the bones burned on the estate’s forest floor, she checked out the necklace she’d kept safe.

And there it was.

Ceit’s heart.

It was old, but it had survived time, likely because it had been in Oison’s crate, where it was kept dry in that cave.

Flipping it over, she saw there was an inscription.

Only, half was worn away.

“It says Cathal C. I can’t read the rest,” she said, trying to rub the dirt away to see the inscription on the back. It was crudely etched there.