It was stupid to be this close to his enemy and not at least take the opportunity to see what he was up against.

“Will you wait here for a minute?” he asked Grace. “I need a little privacy.”

She slumped to the ground where she stood, her breathing heavy. “Sure.”

He had set a hard pace, and as much as he hated pushing her, it was better than having her out here after dark.

“I won’t be long.”

He slipped into the trees, following the stone’s pull. He didn’t have to go far to find what he was looking for.

Inside a large clearing was what looked much like a Sentinel Stone. Two Masons hammered away at it, chipping tiny bits of rock from intricate runes. Even though he’d stolen a hammer, each of them still wielded one. With each strike of their tools, he could feel little sparks of energy shoot into the atmosphere—the same kind of sparks that fueled his power.

Each of those sparks seemed attracted to him and hit him like a minuscule stinging bite against his skin. He guessed that if he stayed here long, the power inside him would grow dangerously fast.

In addition to the two Masons, he saw a crystalline Warden standing guard over the site. Its clear sword was in its grip, catching fiery rays of sunshine. A cloud of rainbows covered the ground around it, each one cast from the Warden’s prismatic body. It was so still it looked like a statue, but Torr knew better than to let that fool him.

Flanking it were two glittering black Hunters, sitting idle, ready to pounce.

He used some of the power bombarding him to amplify his vision. Glittering filaments crossed the area, indicating the presence of several traps. The entire perimeter was covered. In fact there was one only a few feet in front of him.

The runes carved into the stone appeared to be the same ones that had been Brenya’s portal. They were progressing slowly, chip by chip. Even with both Masons working, he guessed he had at least a day to plan his attack.

With only him to wage the battle, he wasn’t sure it would be enough time.

Torr backed up the way he’d come, being careful to retrace his steps so that he wouldn’t accidentally run into any nasty surprises along the way. When he got back to Grace, she was sitting where he’d left her, hugging her knees with her head resting on them.

She didn’t hear him coming until he was too close, which only served to highlight her human limitations and how vulnerable they made her.

He needed to get her back to the village. Now. And once he did, he was going to force Brenya to keep her safe.

Torr reached down and offered Grace his hand. “We need to keep moving.”

She gave him a weary nod as she took his hand. He pulled her up, the move putting her close enough to him that he could smell her scent.

He was instantly aroused. Every coherent thought he’d had only a moment ago had been knocked out by memories of having her naked in his arms, of being inside her, and wondering how he could get there again.

She stared up at him. Her lips parted, and all he could think about was kissing her, tasting her.

He saw her mouth move, but whatever she said was lost. It wasn’t until he heard the sound of his name that he snapped out of the spell she wove around him.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He closed his eyes to block out the sight of her sweet face. “Yes.”

Her fingers settled on his brow, so gentle and warm. How many times had she touched him like this back at Dabyr? How many times had he wished he’d been a whole man, able to love her the way he wanted?

Now that he could, there was no time. She was angry at him for hiding the truth from her, and while he understood that anger, he couldn’t change it.

“We should go,” he said.

“You seem sick. If you need to rest—”

“No. That’s not going to help.” Not even close.

He pulled her into motion and let go of her hand to put some distance between them. He couldn’t touch her and still keep his head where it needed to be. Danger was only a few minutes’ walk away, and if she’d let him, he would have taken her right there on the forest floor.

It was better not to look at her or touch her, better to remember why he was here.

The rest of their trip was an exercise in self-discipline. Centuries of doing the hard things, of being responsible, gave him the mental fortitude he needed to get them where they were going.

As soon as she recognized where their path led, she stopped in her tracks. “You were bringing me here all along, weren’t you?”

He turned to face her, and the look of betrayal on her face nearly brought him to his knees.

“Yes,” he said, unwilling to lie to her. Misleading her had been bad enough. He wouldn’t heap more sins on top of that.

Her voice wavered, but he couldn’t tell if it was sadness or anger that caused it. “And that little pit stop you made? You found the Masons, didn’t you? You found them and didn’t even tell me.”

“Yes. You’ll be safe here while I go back and deal with the threat.”

“I guess saving your life wasn’t enough to prove I’m worthy of your trust, that I’m capable of not only taking care of myself, but also helping you.”

“It’s not like that.”

She got right up in his face, close enough that he could see the wet sheen of pain glittering in her eyes. “I thought you were different from the others, that you didn’t see me as a puny, weak human. I know now that I was wrong.”

Grace turned and left, hurrying off into the village, where she disappeared inside one of the huts.

Brenya’s voice came from behind him. “I see our Grace has kept you on your toes, young Theronai.”

He’d been so absorbed in what Grace had been saying that he hadn’t even realized the other woman was standing there. Now that he did, shock rocked him back on his heels.

She looked tired. Exhausted. Her skin hung on her frame, the smooth, ageless texture replaced with deep lines. Even her eyes, swirling with stormy waves, seemed duller, with a milky sheen of passing time.

He tried to hide his reaction so as not to insult her. “I guess that’s one way to put it. Why the hell didn’t you take her with you when you teleported everyone away?”

“You needed her. I trust the information I gave her was useful?”

“I found the Masons. They’re not too far away, either. If they finish that stone and open a portal, this whole village will be overrun within hours.”