Page 74 of The Noldrin Witch

She shot him a look of disdain. All she saw was a being so spoiled he found himself irresistible to any woman. An infernal with an ego as immense as Hell itself. A complete idiot, as far as Elise was concerned.

But the arrogant fool was not as confident as he appeared. As soon as Elise showed a few teeth, he found himself at a loss for words. She glanced back at him, and for a moment he looked like a startled rabbit. She figured not many people had dared put him in his place.

“Are you coming or not?” she muttered from a few paces ahead.

The demon gave a reluctant nod and quickly caught up with her.

Elise felt a renewed confidence as a fraction of a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

“If you have any supernatural powers that can help find the stone, now would be the time to put them to good use,” she said. “This is as far as I have explored.”

Seth grumbled something indistinguishable, but interested as he was in making his visit short, he closed his eyes and began to wobble his head like a hound catching the scent of prey.

Nothing like a little backbone to improve the attitude of a knave. Elise considered keeping up her bold front, if only to spare herself any further insults from Seth. Why in the blazes was he always so fixated on the idea that she was attracted to him? One might think that after seeing her with Kurt, it would be obvious she wasn’t interested. Instead, Seth had behaved like a dog guarding its home the moment he saw another man.

Elise tried to forget about the demon’s annoying personality as they navigated the labyrinth. The maze seemed to extend so far that even with Seth’s help they spent the better part of an hour walking into dead ends.

Seth glanced back at Elise now and then, his gaze a pinch kinder, or at least that was what she would have liked to think.

The warm night breeze reached her from all sides. Her chemise was so thin she felt almost naked walking around in it. In the spirit of fairness, she admitted to herself that her attire was perhaps more revealing than she had thought. In the spirit of preserving her pride, however, she had no intention of admitting it to anyone else.

Still conflicted about her whole interaction with Seth, Elise looked up to find Bruno cawing so loudly it startled her. In her distraction, she managed to snag her chemise on a couple of badly cut branches protruding from one of the maze’s walls.

She feared what might happen if she tugged any harder, but still she kept trying to free herself. In her desperation, she scraped her calf against the sharp end of a twig.

“Agh,” she rasped.

It was only a moment before she sensed Seth’s tall body beside her. His scent seemed stronger than before. His warm skin was so close to hers that she could not help but quiver. She did not know if it was her imagination, but for a split second she thought she saw the demon falter as well.

Seth grabbed the piece of cloth firmly and with one sharp pull ripped the chemise free from the wall of bushes.

After Elise was released from the branch, she quickly distanced herself from Seth. He did the same, and as though they were both searching for a distraction, Bruno continued cawing as loudly as before.

“He must have seen something,” she murmured.

Seth swallowed and gave a curt nod. “Let’s follow him.”

They followed a path through the maze, the silence of the night sharpening Elise’s senses with every step. A measure of excitement filled her as she quickened her pace beside Seth. Bruno kept flying back and forth, guiding them through the intricate labyrinth.

Finally, after winding through the many walls of greenery, the path took a sharp turn around a corner. The maze curved and opened into a small clearing and before they could say a word, there it was: a rock as tall as a pillar, a truly imposing sight. It was exactly how Morgaine had described it. Elise had no doubt it was the Stone of Raj.

“You have a good ally in that bird,” Seth said, looking up at the sky where Bruno was circling overhead.

Elise expected the demon to leave by now, but Seth merely stood there as if waiting for her to perform a miracle.

“Well, thank you for your help,” Elise said.

Seth took a deep breath. “Do you even know what to do next?”

Elise swallowed hard. She didn’t know what he was talking about. According to Morgaine, she just needed to be near the stone for her powers to grow. She stood there admiring the rock, its crescent shape shining in the moonlight. Many inscriptions covered the square pedestal on which it rested. She placed a hand on it and found a porous surface, warm and soft.

“I’ll wait here for a while. You don’t have to stay the whole time.”

The demon shook his head. Then he walked dangerously close, trapping her between the stone and his tall frame. Elise felt her rear pressed against the warm surface as Seth broke any semblance of personal space.

She could feel her heart racing as he took her hand. She closed her eyes, expecting the unavoidable. To her shock, it was not a kiss the demon wanted. Having her hand in his, he placed it in one of the symbols carved on the base. Then he muttered softly.

“Ramara, cara mara ra.”