“Then why choose me? Was it because I was the only one you could summon?”

“No, there are others at my command.”

“Then why me? If Grace will sacrifice herself for anyone, and the Sentinels would protect her at all costs, why me?”

“Because you deserve the honor. I saw you through Grace’s memories, and you alone are worthy of any sacrifice she might make.”

Sacrifice? Hell, no. “I don’t care what she knows. She’s staying here. I’ll find a way to locate the portal without her help. I’m not letting her risk her life for me again.”

“You will do as I command.”

“Or what?”

The thrashing waves in her eyes kicked up and she seemed to grow larger. Power radiated out from her, making him realize that as weak as she might appear, it was all relative. Brenya was still strong enough to squish him flat. “Do not push me, Theronai. I lived with the Solarc for millennia. I have learned how to inflict pain.”

“You’re bluffing. You’re not going to kill Grace, and since I know that, I also know there’s nothing you can do to me. Nothing would hurt worse than when I thought I’d lost her.”

“Your lack of imagination makes you reckless.”

“I’m not going to risk Grace, no matter how scary you think you are.”

“If you do not obey, I will take every beautiful memory of Grace you possess and tear it to shreds. I will steal your love for her and burn it to ash. And then, each day, I will give you back what you lost—the memories, the love—just long enough for you to remember what you are about to lose all over again. You will suffer her loss each day and never know why you weep, why you rage. You will live without her, except for the moments when you know that you will have to live without her again. Over and over.”

Torr couldn’t even imagine such a thing. As many twisted things as he’d seen, he’d never witnessed a torment so complete and devastating. “If you do that, I’ll be useless. One less warrior to fight your battles.”

“Not useless. An example. A warning to others to obey my commands.”

“You’d really do that?”

“I hold the fate of entire worlds in my hands. Countless souls. What I do here is vital. I will not allow you or any other creature to get in my way, even if that means I become like the one I despise most.”

“If I take Grace out there with me, she could die.”

“If you do not, we all die. Including Grace.”

Torr searched for some way out but found none. The crushing blow of acceptance left him feeling weak and diminished. “Then I guess I have no choice.”

Her face sagged with weary sadness. “In that, we are the same.”

“I won’t forget this,” Torr warned.

“See that you do not. My next lesson will not be so gentle.” She pushed herself out of her chair, her body shaking with the effort. “Now go and prepare what you need to survive in the wilderness while I prepare Grace to find the crystals. You will leave at dawn.”

Chapter 11

Grace didn’t dare ignore Brenya’s summons.

She grabbed a bowl of stew and hurried through the village, pretending there was no tingling in her ankle. There was no pain or weakness left, but healing was an exhausting process that doubtless strained Brenya’s already weakened state.

The dimness of the hut blinded her for a moment. She stood still, aware of the piles of books and trinkets crowding the space.

Brenya’s dwelling was the largest, but she’d filled it until there was hardly any room to move around without knocking something over. From the aged patina that darkened the metal, leather and paper objects in the hut, Grace guessed that most of the items Brenya kept were ancient and priceless.

“I brought you dinner,” Grace said as she waited for her eyes to adjust.

The space smelled of the spices and herbs Brenya used to concoct various potions, soaps and salves. In the back of Grace’s mind, she knew that there were places to buy those things, but she couldn’t remember ever seeing any. That was something from her old life, unimportant in the here and now.

“Sit,” ordered Brenya with a snap in her tone that had Grace scurrying to obey.

She set the bowl of soup on the only clear surface in the hut, right at Brenya’s elbow. The chair across the small table was filled with stacks of rolled paper, so Grace settled on the floor at Brenya’s feet.

She waved her hand toward the chair. “Sit there, child.”

Grace stood to move the paper, only to find that it had vanished. She didn’t ask where it had gone. The mood Brenya was in was one Grace knew too well, and the sooner she was able to leave, the better.

The older woman leaned back in her chair and set down the book she’d been holding. It looked like the pages were blank, but she didn’t have a pen or ink, so Grace had no idea what it was for.

“You will travel with Torr to find a weapon to fight the invasion.”

The mention of the stranger’s name sent a frisson of excitement racing down Grace’s spine. Her stomach trembled as it had when he’d carried her back to the village. She had to lock her fingers together to keep from fidgeting.

She didn’t know what it was about him that made her feel so odd, but she was starting to enjoy it. The mere idea of seeing him again was enough to make her squirm in her seat with anticipation.

Rather than ask when or why, Grace sat silently, waiting for Brenya to finish giving her orders.

“You will leave at dawn. You are not to walk off of any more cliffs or scare the young warrior again. His heart has already been battered enough.”

“How?” asked Grace before she could stop herself. The need to know more about him had overpowered her better judgment, and she winced, waiting for Brenya to punish her for interrupting.

“Does it matter? Is it not enough to know that his soul is bruised and that you should do everything in your power to soothe it rather than add to his pain?”

“Of course, Brenya. I’m sorry.”

“Males are powerful, but they are also delicate. Their pride is easily damaged. You must take care not to injure it, or you will rile the beast within.”

Genuine fear took hold of her, tightening her throat until her words were pitiful squeaks. “I won’t let him hurt me. I’ll run, far and fast.”

“Torr would never hurt you, child. Not in the way you mean. But, like all males of his kind, he carries a predator within. A fierce protector who will not allow his woman to put herself in danger. That is the beast you must be wary of—the one that will bare its teeth and cage you for your own safety.”