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A wave rolled through; I could hear it churning as it engulfed me, an unseen force so strong that I stumbled, reeling. As it washed through my body and soul, any lingering worries and troubles were swept away and I stood stronger, taller, focused only on what was happening.>As I followed the line, stopping at the center where they stood, Aeval broke into a smile and beckoned me in. “Camille, welcome, my child.”
I swallowed my caution and joined them, and she draped her arm around my shoulders, drawing me near. Catching my breath, I wondered what was up. The Queen of Shadow and Night was seldom this demonstrative. Something must have her feeling good. Either that, or I was in for hell week and she was cushioning the blow.
The man standing between Aeval and Titania turned to me, a cunning smile playing on his face. Something seemed familiar about him. He was pale as the moonlight, with curly blue-black hair to his shoulders and dark eyes. His lips were ruddy. Not the red of lipstick, but naturally dark. He was around Trillian’s height, not extremely tall, and his frame was lean and muscular. He wore a pair of black trousers and a white shirt that was open to the waist, showing a glimpse of thick chest hair. Gold and silver chains hung around his neck. A black vest completed the pseudo-pirate look, but somehow he made it work.
Aeval glanced at him, then at me. “Camille, before your training tonight, we have several things to discuss. Matters best left for here, in the sacred grove where all is protected from spies.”
Uh-oh. That didn’t bode well. I waited, not sure what to say.
“I want you to meet Bran. Bran, this is Priestess Camille te Maria—Camille D’Artigo.”
I held out my hand. Instead of shaking it, he lifted my fingers to his lips, then turned my palm up and pressed his lips to my wrist, and I swear he nipped the skin as he kissed me. A spark of hunger ran through me, and the arousal I’d felt earlier, in the pool, returned full force. I had to catch myself before I gasped. I pulled my hand away as quickly as I could without being rude.
“Pleased to meet you…” I still didn’t have a clue who he was, though something inside told me that I knew him, that I’d felt his energy before.
Titania caught my eye. “What Aeval has neglected to mention is that Bran is the son of Raven Mother and the Black Unicorn.”
Raven Mother. The Black Unicorn…
Speechless, I turned to Bran, searching his face. I had killed his father, had sacrificed the Black Unicorn so that he might live again.
Raven Mother, one of the Elemental Queens, was the nemesis of the Moon Mother, constantly seeking to steal my lady’s power. Raven Mother was jealous of the silvery moon, coveting the sparkling magic over which the Moon Mother ruled. To say we all had a volatile relationship was an understatement.
Bran held my gaze, his lips pursed. He reached out and took my hand again. I wanted to pull away, unsure of where this was going, but decided against it. Doing so might seem an insult. I glanced at Aeval, hoping she might intervene, but she seemed to have no interest in doing so.
His fingers were like fire against my own. One thing was for sure—Bran had considerable power. The tingling of his touch jarred me, racing up my arm like a thousand needles. His eyes sparkled with cold light.
“So, you are the priestess who sacrificed my father.”
And there it was. But I still had no clue of whether he was toying with me, or whether this was just his nature.
“I had no choice. It was my destiny, and your father chose me to fulfill his rebirth.” What I wanted to say was, Look dude, deal with it, and let’s not make this any more awkward than it already is, but there was a time and place for attitude, and this wasn’t it. Outspoken or not, I knew when to opt for diplomacy.
He raked his nails along the skin of my hand as he pulled away, almost breaking the skin but not quite. “So I’ve heard. My mother has much to say about you. She is…quite taken with you.”
I stared at the marks on my arm—long white scratches but not enough to call him on it. A glance at Aeval told me she was scrutinizing me, waiting for my reaction. Not sure what she wanted—or expected—I drew myself up, straightening my shoulders.
“If you have a problem with me, let’s clear the air now. I’m not sure why you’re here, but obviously there’s some reason. Chances are with the way things are developing, we’re going to have to work together on something. So if you have a grievance? If you’re pissed at me for doing what your father basically ordered me to do? Tell me now.” I stared at him, holding his gaze, unwilling to back down.
One beat. Two beats. And then…
“A problem with you? Not at all. My father makes his own choices. You might count me more in my mother’s court. I take after her.” His voice was smooth, and again—the cunning smile.
Instantly on my guard, I tried to gauge what it was about him that I didn’t like. The jabs he’d made weren’t really even jabs, except for scratching my arm, but there was something unsettling about Bran, and I couldn’t put my finger on it.
And then it came to me. I couldn’t read him, like I could so many other people.
And because I couldn’t read him, I didn’t know whether to trust him. The man unnerved me. Even then, man wasn’t the right word. The son of an Elemental Queen who was as chaotic as they come, and the father of the Dahns Unicorns? Trickster energy. Pure, essential trickster.
“Then we are settled?” Aeval nodded to me, a faint smile on her face. “Bran is here to train the warriors of Talamh Lonrach Oll. He is a sorcerer, and an adept hand-to-hand warrior. He will lead the helm if we need him.”
I whirled around, staring at her. What the fuck? Had she told Raven Mother what we were facing? Opening my mouth to protest, I stopped cold at the look on her face.
Then again, if Raven Mother and the Black Unicorn didn’t already know about Shadow Wing, it would be a miracle. I swallowed my protest and held my breath to a count of five, then let it out slowly. Politics sucked, especially when I wasn’t the one making up the rules.
“I see.” There wasn’t much else I could say.
“And you will be the liaison between Bran, the FH-CSI, and the Otherworld Intelligence Agency.” Again, the frozen smile, daring me to object.
