She laughs, shaking her head. “God, you’re insane.”

“For you? Always.”

She laughs and tugs me by the hand as we walk the edge of the square. The stone arches of the academic buildings curve above us and ivy creeps over every edge of the courtyard walls.

I could watch her like this forever. She’s so free, so happy.

She stops just beneath the tower bell and stares up. “It looks like a castle.”

I press a kiss to the top of her head. “You’re my queen, so that tracks.”

“You’re so silly…” she cuts herself off when she notices another building on the far side. “Look at that. Let’s go inside the chapel,” she whispers, but we’re cut off by the reason we’re hanging out in the quad in the first place.

A deep voice cuts in. “You Kozlov?”

I feel Lakynn flinch at someone else saying our old name. I turn, already knowing who it is because this is Caiden’s contact in Ireland. I swear that motherfucker would know a guy on the dark side of the moon if I asked him.

This guy is American, and he looks just like Tristan Vale, the goalie from my short stint at Castlebrook University. Same build, same green eyes, same tightly wound fury underneath all that brooding.They’re identical twins, apparently, and I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart if I didn’t already know who I was coming here to meet.

I guess I won’t be sharing any rink time with this Vale because he’s got a rugby crest stitched into his shirt.

“Sebastian Vale,” he tells me, but he doesn’t offer his hand. He doesn’t need to. We both know why he’s here, and it’s not to make friends. He clearly owes Caiden, and this is the favor he’s been called in for.

I nod toward Lakynn. “My wife.” I don’t offer her new name because that’s nobody’s fucking business. I tug at my tie again, feeling myself get worked up over someone saying her name.

Sebastian’s eyes stay on me, and he nods once in her direction. Respectful. Distant.

Just how I fucking like it.

He pulls a card from his jacket and hands it over. “You know how this works. I know where you stay. If I call, you answer and I’ll return the favor.”

“Understood,” I tell him, but our conversation is cut short because a girl walks by and she looks worried, turning to look behind her at a guy following her. Sebastian curses under his breath, so I give the guy another glance. He’s dressed like me, so I assume he’s a student also.