He sat up and said, “I’ve waited so long for this moment, and it has been as wonderful as I’d hoped it would be, Lia.” Gruin stood, stopped to glare at her, then returned to the underworld,his laughter carrying all the while he descended the staircase into his dark, greedy world, the door slamming behind him.
Five items. Five wrongs. A moon of time in exchange for the work of evil overlords.
The list was lengthy and impressive, but she now had something she hadn’t had in centuries.
Hope.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ailith
Ailith couldn’t sleep. She’d slept for an hour or two, but then tossed and turned in her bed, her mind reeling from the night’s events. Dawn would be upon them soon.
She’d never seen a creature like the banshee, and the banshee’s situation surely saddened her. But what truly haunted her was Edan, wild with desperation, ready to attack the banshee for refusing to part with three strands of her hair.
Why the banshee was so adamant about it, Ailith couldn’t comprehend, though she supposed she could understand if others had come asking her for the same thing.
Her cousins were sound asleep, so she crept out to the balcony to see if anyone else was awake. Finding no one in the gathering room, she tiptoed down the stairs, careful not to awaken Sylvi or Tora.
It was chilly in the main room, but dying embers still glowed in the hearth. She moved closer, stirred the remnants, and tossed two pieces of wood onto the pile, hoping to build a fire for warmth. Wrapped tightly in her night rail, she grabbed a blanket from the basket in the corner.
A sound from outside caught her, making her jump. A distinctive cough interrupted her movements, freezing her in place.
Someone was outside.
Who would be out there instead of inside? They had no neighbors nearby except for Morgan, Magni, and Uncle Connor. She chided herself not to overreact. Her imagination could easily run wild, especially after her recent encounters with banshees and bogles, but that cough had sounded familiar.
She moved to the door and peeked out, surprised to see Edan leaning against a tree nearby. “Edan? What are you doing?”
He stepped away from the trunk, visibly shaking himself awake before he replied. “I came early. I couldn’t sleep and I didn’t wish to miss anything. I know you’ll be deciding on the next step, and I wanted to be here.”
“Come in, please. The night is still chilly and damp. Sit by the fire and warm up. Though I just tried to bank it, I’m not sure I was successful.”
He stepped inside, wiping his boots on the rush mat by the door and hanging his mantle on a nearby peg. “I’ll check the fire for you. I’ll get it going as dawn is nigh, and the others will soon be up.”
She followed him to the hearth, still wrapped in a blanket, her eyes taking in every detail about him. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, but his keen eyes missed nothing. Her hand moved of its own accord to his cheek, touching a spot of blood—from the ravens or the banshee, she wasn’t sure. “Your ears bled. How painful was that for you?”
“There was no pain from that, just surprise at the flock of birds attacking me.” He finished arranging the wood, then reached out to catch her hand in his. He turned and stood, kissing the palm of her hand so gently it humbled her, his calloused hand not interfering at all. He set a second kiss on her fingertips, and Ailith’s insides heated more than the logs in the hearth.
“Lass, I don’t know how to thank you properly.” He dropped her fingers from his lips but brought his other hand up to cocoon hers. “You’re cold. The least I can do is warm your hands after you put yourself at such risk for me. You were so brave. And how did you know to ask the banshee about her daughter?”
Hoping her blush didn’t show in the frail light from the hearth, she considered his words before answering. Why had she done what she did? “Because motherhood is so special. I’d seen the joy in her face during the vision of the woman with the infant. She adored her child, and to have it die in her arms… I can’t imagine such pain.”
“You are a wise, compassionate woman, Ailith Grant. I’m honored to be in your presence,” he said, his finger tracing the side of her face. Then he leaned in to whisper in her ear, his fingers now on the fine bone beneath her neck, his breath heating her all the way to her toes. “I hope someday you’ll trust me enough to allow a relationship between us. I will do my best to earn that trust until then.”
This was all so new to her, she felt foolish and naïve, unsure how to answer the handsome man in front of her. She inhaled his scent, wishing she could bottle it, to draw on it whenever her courage needed a bolster. He smelled of pine, horse, and a hint of honey.
Until she’d met Edan, she’d never noticed a man’s scent before. Or the breadth of his shoulders, the warmth of his skin, the way his lips curved when he smiled, the way his voice turned husky when he stood close to her, and the way her nipples peaked in response to that nearness.
What was happening to her?
He cupped her cheek and kissed her lips, the touch so featherlight it stole the breath from her lungs. Warmth unfurled low in her belly as she caught the subtle curve of his smile, his gaze holding hers with an intensity that made the world beyond them disappear.
His thumb brushed slowly along her skin, roughened from sword and weather, yet impossibly gentle against her face. The contrast sent a shiver through her. He kissed her again, lingering this time, coaxing rather than claiming. Her lips parted on asoft gasp, and his tongue swept into her mouth with a slow, intoxicating tenderness she had never known before.
The kiss deepened, unhurried and devastating in its sweetness. She felt the steady heat of him, the faint scent of rain and cedar on his skin, the quiet sound of his breath mingling with her own.
Her fingers settled against his chest, feeling the hard strength beneath his tunic. When he drew back only slightly, his forehead resting against hers, she trembled beneath the weight of the desire shining in his eyes.
