Page 76 of Three Irish Kings

“I guess I wouldn’t.”

Dare frowns. “Hey. I didn’t mean it like that. You’ll find someone.”

I bark out a laugh. “Me? Please.”

I don’t mean it to come out self-pitying, but it kind of sounds like that.

Dare’s face softens. “C’mon, Cill. You’re a good-looking dude.”

“It’s not about looks. But I’m not going to get sappy with you. Liam wants me to relieve him, so you’ve just got to deal with that.”

Dare’s face goes dark. “Do you think he fucked her?”

I frown. “Does it matter?”

He rolls his shoulders around. “I guess not.”

He sounds sullen, but I don’t ask any more questions. Whatever he’s got going on with Isla is none of my business—even if it feels like it should be.

I try not to think too much about Isla or the night we all shared her. It puts knots in my stomach for reasons I’d rather not look into.

Dare is still sullen when I leave, but that can’t be helped. The poor kid seems head over heels.

It’s not like I’m surprised, exactly. Dare has always been a hit with the ladies; I just never thought he’d be the type to want to settle down.

But maybe he doesn’t. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself.

When I arriveat the house, Liam meets me at the door, his eyes bloodshot.

“About time.” His voice rasps from lack of sleep and the early hour.

“Sorry. Had to break the news to Dare that you don’t want him staying for a couple of days.”

Liam grunts in an almost satisfied way.

He and Dare have been at each other’s throats, and before that, it was me and Liam. It’s like everything’s falling apart, all because of one woman.

I just want things to go back to normal. As normal as it gets, in this lifestyle—torturing and killing bad guys and the occasional night out with these two. No women for more than a couple of hours. And even that was a rare occurrence for us. Except Dare, of course.

Liam grumbles something about Isla being asleep, and I nod as he gets into his car and drives away.

I actually had a good night’s sleep for once, but it’s nearing ten in the morning, so I’m surprised she’s not up. Did she and Liam...

No. Liam wouldn’t do that. Even though he was the one to come up with the whole “pet” thing, I don’t think he’d actually use her to service himself.

Would he? Has he changed that much without us noticing?

That whole conversation rubbed me the wrong way.

We are not these people, we don’t force ourselves on women.

Hell, I shared her with them, but she wanted it, right? I asked, we asked, and she said yes.

Still, where is the line?

Our enemies have no problem abusing women, they take pleasure in it. We don’t. We kill them for it.

Though we all enjoy inflicting a bit of pain while we pleasure our partners for the night, we’d never truly hurt them, never take pleasure in torturing them, in their suffering.