The Gun Battle The convoy of unmarked police vehicles rolled to a stop in the shadows outside Blackwater Castle. The air was heavy, the only sounds the whisper of the wind through the surrounding trees and the faint metallic clicks of weapons being prepared. Thirty officers gathered in the darkness, their faces grim. The lead…

Castle Escape Chapter 22 – Castle Escape The dining hall was cold and silent, the flicker of candles casting long shadows on the stone walls. Sasha and William were seated at the far end of the table, opposite Cian. Platters of roasted meat and bread were laid out before them, but no one spoke. Sasha…

The plan Late afternoon sunlight slanted across the fields when the unmarked cars rolled up the gravel drive to Heather’s brother’s farmhouse. Lydia stood at the window with Moschops perched anxiously at her feet, watching as men and women in plain clothes stepped out, their faces set with quiet determination. Steve opened the door before…

The Branding Sasha woke with a start, her heart hammering. For a moment she thought the roar in her ears was the sound of fire, of the pyre outside the night before, but it was only the wind whistling through the cracks in the stone walls. The bed was cold. William was still curled against…

Chapter 19 – Lydia The rain had finally eased by the time the ferry docked in Dublin, but the roads were still slick as Lydia’s husband guided the car through the winding country lanes. Moschops gave a low, pitiful yowl from the crate in the back seat, scratching occasionally at the bars as if the…

Sasha meets William Chapter 18 Sasha stumbled as she was shoved through the doorway, the stone floor bruising her knees. Before she could catch her breath, a gloved hand yanked her upright by the hair and forced her against the wall. The cold press of leather tightened around her throat, and she realized with horror…

Cians plan, Sashas capture. The boy stirred when the heavy door creaked open, the dim light spilling across the stone floor. He tried to sit up, but his body wouldn’t obey; the fever had made him weak, and the wound at his side burned like fire. Cian stepped inside, the sound of his polished shoes…

Taken Chapter 15 – Taken Sasha sank into the steaming bath, letting the hot water soak through her aching muscles. Dust and cobwebs from the castle clung to her skin and hair, and she scrubbed at herself almost frantically, as though she could wash away the horrors she had seen. She was tired. Scared. But…

What have you done? Chapter 14 – What Have You Done? Sasha’s heart pounded as she crouched in the cupboard, listening to the boy’s soft, stifled sobs from where he had crumpled on the floor. She knew the safest thing to do was stay hidden until Cian was long gone. But the thought of leaving…