‘I did not!’

He smirked. ‘You did. I understand it’s hard for you to admit but you need a big, strong man like me around to save your skin from time to time.’ He rocked forward on his toes. ‘You owe me.’

‘Screw you!’

He laughed. ‘Funny. I was just thinking that would be the ideal payment.’ He dropped his voice to a husky whisper. ‘I’m picturing you lying on my bed in suspenders.’ He paused. ‘Nothing else.’

I glared. ‘No chance.’ I wrinkled my nose. ‘Unless they’re hot-pink suspenders.’

‘Now you’re talking.’ Byron reached out, his thumb caressing my cheek. Heat flared up between us. Then someone cleared their throat right behind us.

‘Chieftain?’ It was Lyle or maybe it was Kirk; I still got those two trolls mixed up. ‘What are your orders?’

Shite. I needed to come up with a plan that would keep us all alive. I gave Byron a last reluctant smile and gently kissed his cheek. He growled.

‘Time to get to work,’ I told him.

***

The ferry was huge. Goodness knows where Sorley and his buddies had boosted it from at such short notice. Sorley was doing well ‒ I’d make a proper career thief of him yet. Everywhere I looked, trolls were doffing imaginary caps to me in deference as I walked by. Part of me smiled at the celebratory atmosphere; part of me was overtaken by foreboding about what was to come next.

‘Is everyone here?’ I asked the security-conscious troll.

‘There are a hundred or so trolls back at your Lands keeping everything ticking over,’ Sorley informed me. ‘I can assure you that they will let no one in or out.’ His small eyes grew distant and his fists bunched. I imagined that he was dreaming about the joy he would take in doling out punishments if any trolls disobeyed orders. Sorley wasn’t their official leader but he might as well have been.

I nodded thoughtfully. ‘I need another hundred at the MacQuarrie Lands.’

‘No, it’s too dangerous. We need to protect you.’

‘Sorley, there are hundreds of trolls on this ferry. I think we’re good. We can spare some.’

‘Actually,’ he sniffed, ‘there are one thousand, two hundred and twenty-three.’

‘Well, there you go then.’ Guilt surged through me. ‘We should have had them there from the outset.’

‘We all decided it would have caused more problems than it solved. If the other Clans had noticed…’

I pushed back my hair. ‘I know.’ I sighed. ‘But still…’

Sorley dropped his head. ‘She was a good woman.’

I nodded. ‘Yeah. Too good for the likes of us.’

We shared a glance. My heart ached at the thought of Morna and I was pretty certain I wasn’t alone.

Sorley shook himself. ‘We have set up perimeter guards around the deck.’

I raised an eyebrow. ‘In case we’re attacked by mermaids?’

He threw me a nasty look. ‘Those Sidhe have all sorts of Gifts. They could send one of their water-Gifted dunderheads to assassinate you. Then there where would we be?’