Page 59 of The Valiant Knight (The Ravensmire Chronicles #2)

Mounting the horse himself, Finn got Romeo to haul ass back to the stable. The whole time, he was grateful that she was willing to meet him halfway and stay at his place.

They could come back during the day, but he wasn’t letting her sleepwalk herself to her death.

PASS.

She was now his to watch over, and he suspected that was going to be a wild ride in itself. His girl liked an adventure.

As they reached the stable, Finn hopped off, and helped her down. He was just getting Romeo out of his gear when they both heard it.

As twilight had set, there was a horrific scream outside giving them both goosebumps.

“What was that?” Gabby asked as Finn immediately put his arms around her.

From the castle, both Graham and Tony came running.

“Are you okay? We heard you guys scream,” Tony admitted, focused on Finn.

He was confused.

As was Gabby.

“We didn’t scream.”

Before he could say anything more, that’s when they heard it again, and it was coming from over by the lake.

It was bloodcurdling.

Well, holy shit!

The ghosts were up to their antics again.

“Stay here,” Finn said, meaning Gabby and Tony. That was when he and Graham headed out, one armed with a gun, and one with a shovel.

They had to look ridiculous, but if that wasn’t a ghost, and something else, they needed to be able to protect themselves.

Together, they ran through the darkness since the sun was down behind the mountain. Oh, and finally, they reached the lake.

At the lake, all they could see was fog. It had rolled in, and was making it a bitch to see.

It was covering the water, and everything felt off. On top of that, something else was blatantly obvious.

There wasn’t a sound.

Not a cricket.

Not a chirp.

Not a bug buzzing around.

Everything had gone silent and for nature to do that, it couldn’t be good.

Well, that was until Tony and Gabby ignored them, and headed down after them.

Yeah, there was no shock there. Apparently, Feds had to Fed.

When the water rippled, they all looked at it. From across the lake, there was movement, and it wasn’t a deer looking for a snack.

All of them saw one man in the cloak. He was standing in the mist facing them. In his one hand, he was holding a sword, and he was wearing a red, blue, and a gold tartan kilt.

It was the same figure who showed up through the mirror with Ciarán.

Oh, boy.

“Duncan?” Graham asked, trying to communicate with him.

When he lifted his hand, he dropped his hood, and it was most definitely the man. He was big, bulky, and had a scar across his cheek.

Someone had definitely been through some shit.

From what they’d seen researching the castle, they knew who it was.

It was most definitely the Scottish Lord who had once called this home.

Lord Duncan Granndach.

Without a word, he pointed at the water where they were standing, and they all stepped back.

Slowly, Duncan disappeared, the mist swallowing him whole, but the vibe there…they all felt watched.

That’s when they noticed that there was something moving in the water, and that was beyond creepy.

What was it?

A hand.

Only, it was not attached to anything else.

They all stared at it, and no one said a word.

Were they all seeing the same thing?

A ghost in the water?

That made sense since Gabby and Finn had both heard something under the water.

“Uh-oh,” Tony said, already seeing what Duncan’s ghost had been pointing them toward.

“What?” Finn asked.

Moving closer, Tony bent down, and he picked up a handful of things that had been in the shallow water.

Then, he showed them in his wet, open hand.

They were bones.

Finger bones.

Immediately, Gabby gasped.

Oh, she knew what those were, and it wasn’t good. Elizabeth was going to shit herself over this one—for sure.

“These are human. They’ve been in water a very long time,” he said, showing him. “Someone died in this lake, and Duncan wants us to figure this out.”

Oh, holy shit.

That was when they heard gurgling, and they focused on the bubbles that had appeared.

Before their eyes, a leg bone floated up.

Yep, someone had dumped a body in the water, and after hundreds of years, it was floating to the surface.

For them to be found.

Oh, and everyone there knew what was coming next.

Callen and Chris’ deaths.

Because Ravensmire still had some secrets that were yet to be uncovered, and it appeared they were not pretty ones.

Instead...

Dark ones.

Very.

Very.

Dark, indeed.

* * *The Ravensmire Castle* * *

For Duncan, his home means everything. It was where he laughed, loved, and died. It was where he raised his only child beside a man he loved more than anything.

In his home, he came back from wars, made love to his mate, and watched his only son be married to his beautiful wife. There hadn’t been many years alive, but they’d been special to him.

Now, as he was watching from the shadows, there was no doubt that he needed to make this right.

The evil that came here and caused all this needed to come to light.

For the honor of his legacy, and Ciarán’s, the truth had to be set free, and no longer would the secrets hold them all prisoner.

His clan would know the truth of the castle, and the curse.

If he ever wanted to rest in peace, with the man he loved, he needed to make sure the truth came out.

He needed the truth to be known.

It looked as if like Duncan had no choice but to put his faith in the living, and hope that the curse didn’t do its damage to his bloodline.

For him, the living here were his only hope.

Ravensmire’s secrets had to come out—no matter the consequences.

No matter his truth.