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not till Friday. You ll have your full thirty-one days after that. That
will be more than enough time to go through this town, and you can
start with that cottage on Castle Road, Kash said. Enda knew he was
trying to reassure him and that all was not lost and his walker would
be found.
Jez s mobile decided to make an appearance into the conversation.
Checking it, he answered immediately.
Assyn, my man, what can I do for you? Jez asked in a relaxed
manner. Listening to the man on the phone, his face slowly fell.
Suddenly, he turned and ran back toward the castle. We ve got to
move, guys. I may need your help with this one, he shouted over his
shoulder as he continued up the hill.
Spirit Found 49
We d best follow him, Kash said, looking at Enda s face. I m
sure your walker will still be here in the morning.
Enda nodded as they followed Jez up the hill. The scent of his
walker becoming fainter the farther he went.
50 Ellen Quinn
Chapter Five
What was wrong with him? He d been here only a month, well
four weeks to the day since his first full day in Kashmerle, but he felt
so lethargic and uncomfortable. His skin itched, and it was getting to
the point that he couldn t bear to touch anyone, which wasn t easy in
a gentleman s outfitters. That phrase still made him smile. He had
started wearing gloves, especially when he went out to work and met
more of the locals, but people were so friendly, always shaking your
hands or more often you d get a hug. Those were getting to be really
painful.
William and Percy invited him over every Sunday, and they were
so touchy feely he was sure he d be in agony. Still, they were so
insistent that he d been unable to get out of going. He walked round
to the back of their building and up the stone steps that led to their
front door. It only took five minutes, as the back of his cottage was
onto the road that ran behind the shop and their home. He knocked
and waited.
Hello, sweetheart, Percy said right before he gave Daniel a hug.
That was all it took. Daniel let out a strangled cry. The pain was so
intense he felt like he was losing his mind.
Oh my, William, get yourself out here. Daniel s dying, Percy
yelled into the house.
Dying? Daniel thought. What do you mean, dying?
Oh, my dear child, you don t know, Percy answered. Daniel
hadn t realised he said his thoughts out loud.
What on earth is going on? William asked as he got to the door
to find Percy barely holding up Daniel.
Spirit Found 51
Help me before he collapses, Percy snapped.
When William grabbed hold of Daniel it all became too much,
and letting out a violent scream, he let the darkness take him.
* * * *
Enda was so glad to be back on the plane home. He hadn t wanted
to go to India and sort out their stonecutters and dealers with Jez.
Unfortunately, three tiger shifters who cut their rough stones had been
imprisoned. The group of dealers who had done this were working in
the UK, laundering money through buying gems and gold from the
public and then selling to unscrupulous goldsmiths. It had been one
slick operation, but the pack had managed to get the men, their stones,
and the equipment they d supplied the company out without alerting
the authorities of their knowledge of the criminal dealings. They
weren t sure why this had happened, and they hadn t had the
resources to find out any more. That might have to be another trip.
At least the tiger shifters were safe and sat further back on the
plane. He d seen Assyn moving about. He was certainly the
spokesperson of the group. Darian and T narr were much more
reserved.
What they had accomplished was good, but it had taken four
weeks to sort. It would be Sunday afternoon by the time they arrived
home. When he d left, he thought he d be back before the last full
moon, two, three days at most. Now he only had a week before the
next one and that would mean his time was up. His walker would end
up in a coma if human, and if shifter, they went insane as once the
spirit has bonded as his now was, if the next two stages have not been
completed, then to be separated from them was more than any
paranormal could deal with. Both Jez and Kash knew the
consequences of the delay. Kash had stayed at Kashmerle as one of
them had to be there as pack leader. Hopefully he d set about
collecting some information to help Enda in his search for his
52 Ellen Quinn
mysterious spirit walker. He just now wished it had been him who had
remained.
Fasten your seat belt, Enda. We re coming into Glasgow
Airport. Jez brought him out of his thoughts.
Is the helicopter ready? I don t want any holdups once we re
through customs.
We should be straight through. The equipment and stones are
coming with secured freight. It would have caused too many problems
to carry that amount of stones plus the equipment.
Thanks for that, Jez. I ve not been much help. My mind is on
other things.
Jez smiled at his best friend. It s not been an easy trip, plus that
Assyn is quite a handful.
Yeah, isn t that the truth!
Hello, darlings. I heard my name mentioned so I had to come and
see what wonderful things you were saying about me, Assyn
interrupted.
It was nothing, Jez said quickly. We were talking about all that
you d been through.
Assyn s dark, chocolate-brown eyes glazed over a little as he just
shrugged uncharacteristically.
You d best go sit down, Assyn, we re about to come in to land,
Enda added with a smile of encouragement, which was all that was
needed to change Assyn entire face.
Oooh, Scotland. I want to see the Loch Ness Monster, but not so
much the rain, he said, peering out at the grey sky.
Sir, you need to sit down for landing. The hostess saved them
from any more of Assyn s aspirations as he went to sit back with his
companions.
Loch Ness Monster? Jez asked, raising an eyebrow at Enda.
We ll have to ask Tobias to go for a swim in Loch Ness, Enda
added.
Tobias?
Spirit Found 53
Well, he is an orca, so it might work, Enda replied before the
pair of them burst out laughing.
* * * *
It was early evening by the time they got in, and Enda wanted to
go to the cottage.
I need to go now! he shouted at Jez and Kash.
Look, my ansome, he be going nowhere. Half an hour to a
shower and put some clean clothes on will make our Alpha a sweeter-
smelling beast, Kash answered, his Cornish accent popping up as it
did very occasionally.
Enda had to agree, but he was not going to say it out loud. Okay,
but I m out of here as soon as I m ready.
Twenty-seven minutes later he was heading out of the castle gates
with Kash following some way behind.
The house looked deserted. Was he out with another man, having
a meal at Willow s Restaurant, or in another s man home? No, he
wasn t going there. Surely their joint spirit would stop him from
doing that. Enda had not wanted anyone else since he d looked at
those sky-blue eyes and felt their spirits combine. No one would be
good enough now. He only wanted him. He strode up to the door and
knocked. No answer. He couldn t even hear movement inside.
Where is he? he asked himself. Hell, who is he?
His name is Daniel King. He s twenty-eight years old. He
worked as an apprentice goldsmith and sales assistant at Kingdoms in
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