Amazingly, the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. He had already touched her when she’d tried to unman him in the lake, but he hadn’t considered that she might be his match. Now that he thought about it, though, there’d been no telltale tingle, no hum from his luceria. “We’re not. The only woman I’m interested in being with is you.”

She gave him a sad smile. “That’s sweet, but we both know you have to find your mate.”

“I’ve lived a long time without one. My lifemark is healthy.” Ish. “I’ll be fine.”

Grace hid her face, but he felt her nod against his chest. “I’m going to get some sleep. Do you want to come?”

“I do, but I can’t. The stakes are too high. I need to patrol the area, but I’ll stop by before I leave. Brenya is supposed to have something ready for me by morning.”

“I understand. If you change your mind, I’m in the third hut south of Brenya’s. In a real bed.”

He lifted her chin so he could see her pretty eyes. “You are pure temptation, honey.”

She gave him a smile that didn’t go very deep, but then again, she was probably worried about Tori and about him finding a compatible woman. What she didn’t know was that he had no intention of looking for one—something he would tell her when things were a little more settled between them.

Right now he had a village to protect. Brenya’s shield was nowhere in sight, and it was well past the time she usually put it up. It wasn’t the kind of thing a person forgot, which made him wonder just how much power the woman had left in her.

He needed to find out, but there were also other things he needed to discuss with Brenya, and those were all things best left for after Grace was safely asleep.

Chapter 29

Torr rapped on the door to the hut where Brenya was staying. After a few seconds, she finally let out a faint “Come.”

He ducked inside and shut the door behind him.

Brenya sat huddled in a pile of furs. Lines visibly marked her face, and her pale skin sagged along her jaw.

“You’re not okay, are you?” he asked.

“I am as well as I must be.”

“There’s no barrier tonight to hide the village.”

“I could choose only one task tonight, and this one was more important.”

He looked at the small table in front of her. The box with the crystals sat there, along with a small pile of dull stones. They looked like all the others scattered across the ground in this area, but he could feel a subtle pulse of power radiating out from them.

“What are they?”

“The distraction I promised.”

“How do they work?”

“You will drop them in bodies of water. Each one will create the energy of a Sanguinar stepping into direct sunlight.”

“How is that going to help?”

“The Solarc hates their kind most of all. He watches for them constantly, peering through suns for signs of them so he can send his Wardens to destroy them. The presence of two suns here blinds him, but the closest Warden will be drawn to it—summoned.”

“What if it doesn’t want to go?”

“Wardens have no wishes, no will. They are empty instruments of destruction that live only to obey the Solarc’s command.”

“So I toss one of these in water, and poof, instant Warden?”

She nodded. “You must wait until the Masons’ job is done before you attack. When they return home, you will then slay the Warden and any Hunters that remain.”

“Will the Mason’s hammer do the job?”

“It will when applied properly.”

“And how is that?”

“With all the force you can muster.” She gathered the stones and poured them into an oiled leather pouch. “Kill the Warden fast, young Theronai. I am too weak to be of much use to you if you fail.”

“You should rest.”

“Rest is not what I need to recover.”

“What do you need?”

“I must return home. Here, I am cut off from the source of my power.”

“And what source is that? Maybe I can bring it to you.”

She gave him a weak smile. “I do not think even you can fetch an Athanasian moon for me.”

“Sorry, no.”

“I will go home soon, when my moon is at its most powerful and will restore me fastest. You will stay here and guard my people.”

“I will, will I?”

“You will do this thing, for it is the only way to protect what your heart desires above all else.”

Grace.

“I see you are interested, young Theronai.”

“She remembered everything.”

Brenya’s shoulders bowed with sadness. “I know. And for that I am sorry.”

“Why are you sorry? She remembers our time together. She remembers loving me.”

“Her heart was always yours. She would have loved you again given enough time, even without her memories.”

“But now I don’t have to wait. What’s so bad about that?”

“She remembers other things as well as her love for you.”

“I know she had a hard life, but she’s strong. She can handle it. Whatever bad memories she has, we’ll work through them together.”

“It is not her memories of abuse and loss that you should fear.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Brenya shook her head. “All will be as it is meant to be. Like you, I can only watch.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“I am, but only time will prove that to you.”

“How about we stop with the cryptic crap and you tell me how long you’ll be gone. I want to take Grace back home as soon as possible.”

“And then what?”

“I find a way to make her happy, keep her safe.”

“Have you forgotten the disk you wear?”

“Of course not.”

“Now that Grace remembers everything, she also remembers how to use the disks. What will happen to her the next time you are injured?”

His blood chilled as he realized what Brenya meant. “I’ll make sure Grace knows she’s not allowed to use them.”

“If you believe that will stop her, then you are a fool.”

He hated to admit it, but Brenya was right. “Okay, so we take them off.”