Foreboding prickled through her, and she forced her eyes open only to find Arun and Finn hovering much too close. Selena stood up, giving herself a moment to find her equilibrium and accept the full meaning of what all of this meant. Then she answered the unspoken question hanging in the air.
"It's a message spell. There's another rock like this, somewhere else, and the vibrations of the stones are in harmony with each other. Using the power of the blood, someone infused this one with a short message. Whoever owns the other half will be able to decipher it."
Selena didn't mention that, for most other people, the blood was only a means to gain power over the leylines. That it took the substantial natural magic of the area to boost the vibrations far enough to make the spell worthwhile.
"Message? What's the message?" Arun asked.
Selena shook her head, tears prickling her eyes and she lifted her chin, refusing to let them fall.
"I don't know. There's no way to know. Not what message was sent. Not who sent it. Or who received it."
"I think we can guess who the message was meant for," Arun murmured darkly. "As for who sent it, that's something we need to figure out quickly."
His eyes darted past her, to where Finn still stood by the edge of the pool.
"Finn was with me when I felt the... magic being manipulated." As much as it would be easier to pin this on him, to believe the newcomer, the outsider, the mercenary only temporarily among them was responsible, Selena couldn't lie to herself or to her brother.
"Doesn't mean he didn't have an accomplice, though."
Even if that was true, there was still someone among them, someone they considered family, capable of the twisted darkness a blood spell demanded.
She met Phelan's eyes. She could see the questions and the curiosity and the concern. But he didn't ask. Didn't say a word.
"If I had something to tell someone," he said quietly, "I'd have just left. Nothing is keeping me here but my own choice. And if I were an accomplice to someone capable of this, I wouldn't need to be here at all."
And, damn it, she believed him. She knew he wasn't telling them the whole truth about his purpose here, but she believed he had no part in this.
"Let's get this cleaned up—" Arun reached out for the rock and Selena reacted instinctively.
"NO!"
Panicked, she pushed her brother away before he could touch any of it. He stumbled back and stared at her with surprise.
Selena bit her lip and shrugged in apology.
"I only know what it's done, there could be other magic hidden within it. Or traps for the unwary. If you cut yourself on the glass, it could trigger something else. Or if the corrupted blood used by the sorcerer mingles with yours..."
Selena shuddered. She'd managed to keep Arun untouched by this darkness, so far. She wouldn't fail him now.
"It will have to be cleaned up carefully. I'll take care of it. You need to go make sure everyone stays in the outpost. If anyone saw one of us rushing out here, it won't be long until someone comes looking for us."
She swallowed hard, hating even having to think about the implications of what she needed to say next. But it was reality now, and they had to deal with it, whether she liked it or not.
"We also need to see if anyone looks shaken. Or has any blood on them that they missed washing off."
Her brother nodded grimly, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder once before heading back up the path. Once she got Arun safely out of the way, Selena was surprised to find Finn still standing there.
"You should go too," she said, keeping her voice and gaze steady. She refused to let him see how much this had shaken her.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a square of cloth and handed it to her. As soon as her fingers tentatively curled into the soft fabric, she knew it was silk. Exactly what she needed to insulate herself from any dark magic still clinging to the stone and the glass shards.
Her eyes narrowed. "How did you know?"
"I've been around a bit. You do business in Marnak long enough, you pick up a few things," he said with a shrug. It wasn't really an answer, but she doubted she'd get anything more from him, now.
She pinched her lips against the questions wanting to tumble out and took the handkerchief with a nod of thanks.
Of course, that got her one of his smug grins. And Selena found herself biting back the urge to smile in return. Now wasn't the right time. And Finn... He couldn't ever be the right man. She doubted there ever would be a right man.
Instead, she looked around, searching for someplace to put the remnants once she cleaned it up.
"I'll go borrow one of Omal's iron pots and a lid."
And, yet again, he seemed to have the perfect solution. Burying it in iron would keep it contained long after any residual magic seeped away.
"She's not going to give up one her pots easily, not even for your lavish charm."
"Good to know you think I'm charming. But I'm not planning to ask. And I promise she won't notice it's missing before I get a chance to replace it."
Selena raised a skeptical eyebrow but, if anyone could manage it, she'd put her money on him.
He disappeared into the trees, a jaunty whistle on his lips that she thought might be intended more to raise her spirits than his.
Once he was gone, though, the stakes they faced could not be pushed aside. Fear and anger twisted inside her like twin snakes. She'd known, from the moment they'd stumbled on it, that they needed to protect this spring from Hafgan. And now that meant protecting it from someone she considered one of her own.
The burning treachery carved itself into her heart and Selena didn't know if she had it in her to survive being betrayed by someone she thought she could trust. Again.
She had to, though. She had to be strong enough for everyone else who'd put their trust in what they were building here.
And Finn, he seemed to know quite a bit about what they were facing. She believed he wasn't part of what happened here tonight, but that didn't mean he didn't have his own agenda.
She'd deal with that when the time came. For now, she needed to protect the wellspring and the outpost and the people who were loyal to her.
And if that meant using Finn for her own ends, she would. Even if she couldn't allow herself to trust him.
*****
Finn was gone long enough for Selena to carefully gather up every bit of the vile remains of sorcery and smother them in the folds of the silk he'd given her. Even after her appalling task was complete, she stayed on her knees, letting tears of disgust and fear and anger fall. She didn't try to hold back the chaotic emotions running through her. She allowed herself those few moments of weakness, all alone here in the moonlight. Because, when she was done here, she had a traitor to hunt down and there wouldn't be time for anything but cold determination.
Around her, she watched the leylines as she mourned and raged. Slowly, they faded back to their normal pale yellow glow and Selena was relieved there was no permanent corruption introduced into the area's magic.
Eventually, the heavy tread of Finn boots along the path warned her of his return. Selena knew him well enough by now to know the noise was deliberate.
He signaled his approach with purpose so as not to startle her. Or to give her time to pull herself together, if she needed to. Despite herself, she was grateful for it.
With the hand not holding the silk-wrapped bundle of malevolence, she wiped away the dampness trailing down her cheeks and did her best to compose herself as Finn came into sight.
He silently set the iron pot down in front of her, and she dropped the handkerchief and its contents into it with a satisfying thud. Finn settled the lid on top and held out his hand to help her up. She took it without hesitation. A sharp, static buzz raced over her fingers, sliding along her nerves and she instinctively gripped tighter, holding on to him with everything she had as she got to her feet.
Selena let hersel
f lean into him as she stood. Let Finn wrap her in his arms. Let the warmth and electricity of his touch soothe all the jagged edges inside of her.
She didn't think, didn't want to. Just tilted her head up, and met his lips halfway when he leaned down.
The kiss was fierce and demanding, pouring everything between them into a single, molten moment of escape. The buzz jangling along her nerves exploded into lightning, and they both gave over everything to the embrace. The desperate heat slowly tempered itself into something softer.
When it ended, Selena was reluctant to pull back, and Finn seemed just as unwilling to move. So they stood, foreheads pressed together, bathed in the glow of the moon.
Except…
It wasn't the moon glowing around them. It was a silver mist, shimmering above their skin. Brighter and stronger where they touched.
"What...?" Selena jerked away, staring at her hand as if it belonged to someone else.
Finn grimaced as he looked at her hand, then down at his own.
"Damn. This isn't... Damn," he muttered and stepped away to put more space between them.
The overwhelming whirlwind of need and comfort and heat that had swamped Selena for the past few minutes cleared and she narrowed her eyes at him.
"What is this?" She waved at the silver glow hanging between them. She remembered the iron and the silk and the knowledge he had of sorcery and cold fear crept into her bones. "What did you do?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking uncertain and off-balance for the first time since she'd met him. It made her even more uneasy.
"I didn't do it. We did it."
"Did what, exactly?"
Finn dropped his hand and looked at her. Sincerity warred with confusion in his eyes, making her want to believe him. Making her want to comfort him. But Selena refused to let herself trust it. Not until she understood what was happening.
"We created a moon-bond."
"That's—"
Selena stared hard at him for a minute, waiting for the joke. When he didn't take it back, she shook her head and growled, "There's no such thing. Moon-bonds are a fairy story told to children. Or to gullible women that men like you are trying to seduce. What is it, really? Some bard trick to sell the show a little better? An illusionist powder?"
A flash of unexpected irritation overrode her amusement. There and gone so fast she had no idea why she'd felt it to begin with. Until she looked in his eyes and saw the irritation mirrored there.
"Oh, they're real," Finn answered, voice hard and frustrated. "I just watched my brother and his bond-mate tangle and untangle and tangle themselves again in the grip of one. They're happily married now, by the way."
"You can't be serious," she said, but another fleeting sense of vexation that wasn't her own flittered through her head again.
She winced at the odd sensation then glared at the satisfied half-smile curling his lips.
"You can feel it, can't you?" Finn asked. "There's a hum, a connection between us. Soon, some of my emotions will cross over."
"They already are," she admitted grudgingly. Crossing her arms, she refused to simply accept the bond as inevitable. "How did this happen? Why us? Why now? How do we undo it?"
"Look, until Caerwyn and Lia, I didn't believe it either. But for them, it was like the stories. A bond happens when compatible souls share an intense, emotional moment under the light of a full moon. Near a sacred site."
Selena carefully didn't look at the bubbling spring, and neither did Finn. Perhaps he knew the truth and, considering the knowledge he'd already shown, it was very possible. But if he didn't, she wasn't going to give that secret away.
Instead, she pinched her lips together and focused on Finn.
"Well, then it can't be a moon-bond. I'm pretty sure there aren't two people who are less compatible in the entire outpost." She held up her hand, the silver mist had faded to nearly transparent white, dispersing like it had never existed. "And look, whatever that glow was, it's gone now."
This time, exasperated amusement whispered across her thoughts but it was obvious it was not her own. Finn took her hand, and an echo of the spark crackled along her skin. The warm acceptance embraced her with its soothing comfort again. Selena jerked her hand away before she gave in to the urge to let herself sink into it. To sink back against him and forget why the kiss was such a bad idea. Why a bond like this was so dangerous.
Unfortunately, he'd proved his point and ignoring this connection was not an option.
"Fine, then. Legendary moon-bonds might be real. What happens now?"
"Now, we'll feel the connection, and it will grow the more we use it. We'll need to spend time together, often. Touch regularly. If we don't, the need will become unbearable."
"This need, this connection, how long will it last?" Selena wasn't sure she wanted the answer, but she had to ask.
"That depends," Finn said with a shrug, his thumb stroking softly over the back of her hand.
"On what?"
"On whether we meet back here at the next full moon and make it permanent or not. If we don't, everything goes back to the way it was before. No bond."
"And if we do meet here at the full moon?"
She didn't mean to ask, but the words slipped out.
His fingers tightened slightly, his voice dipped low.
"Then the bond would be permanent. A tie more powerful and eternal than wedding vows."
Selena tugged her hand free and stiffened her spine. She wanted to pretend it was because the idea shocked her. But she tried to be honest with herself. She was surprised by how much she wanted it. For a moment, anyway. The idea of forever was tempting to someone who'd been buffeted by the winds of fate as much as she had.
But there was no room in her life for this. She'd endure it and not let him get close to her. Not allow herself to get close to him.
Ignoring the lingering temptation, Selena focused on the more immediate problems.
"Well then, I guess I'll only have to worry about it for a few weeks. You should go bury that." She waved her hand at the iron pot, trying not to think about it too hard. "I'll go talk to Arun. We need to find the person responsible. Then deal with them."
Selena let her gaze harden slightly when she looked at Finn. She didn't really believe he had anything to do with it, but she couldn't be sure. And he didn't need to know that.
She was almost to the edge of the clearing when he spoke.
"Are you going to tell your brother? About us? About the moon-bond?"
Selena jerked to a stop, startled and unnerved by the question. She hadn't thought about it, but the answer sprang to her tongue immediately.
"No. "
Glancing back over her shoulder at him, Selena kept her glare cold, hard and implacable when she spoke, "And you're not going to, either."
Then, head held high, she walked away without another backward glance.
-7-
PHELAN watched her go, grin tugging at his lips despite her harsh parting shot. He loved her strength, her resolve, and her stern assumption that she'd be obeyed.
Of course, he also loved ruffling her feathers and seeing her honest reaction when she dropped the mask and just let herself be Selena.
Now he'd get to feel it along the bond. Even when she was too composed to let it show.
Phelan's smile fell away when the impact of that hit him.
If he felt her...
She'd feel him.
And, no doubt, all the lies and half-truths he told. If Phelan was going to succeed, no one could know his truth. No could know who he was. Or why he was there. If he intended to deceive his bond-mate, though, he had to find a way to keep the connection as shallow as possible.
Sorrow and disappointment sank heavy and leaden in his heart. A weight he had no business feeling. He didn't want to be bound any more than she did. He had too much to lose. The world had too much to lose, if he got tangled up with love and lost his ed
ge.
No. Phelan should not be disappointed. He should be thinking about ways to end it sooner.
He loved Caerwyn. Was happy his foster brother found something beyond vengeance to live for. But Phelan wasn't Caerwyn. He'd learned how to find the small joys of life—woman, music, adventure—while single-mindedly pursuing the men responsible for the deaths of the parents he didn't remember and the foster parents he'd adored.
Now wasn't the time to dwell on the past or worry about the future. Phelan needed to bury the pot and its nasty contents. Then help Selena figure out who was responsible. Whether she wanted his help or not.
Because, if there was someone capable of sorcery here, then Hafgan was involved. And if they'd risk communicating now, when the group had been living here ages, it probably meant they were suspicious of Phelan and why he was here.
Before he could do anything about that, though, he needed to dig a hole.
Hiking deeper into the forest, Phelan found a decent spot that looked like more soil than rock.
He called the Hound form and set about digging into the soft dirt.
Phelan hadn't wanted to draw unnecessary attention from the handful of stragglers still lingering after dinner. His misspent years abroad and a little sleight of hand allowed him to snag the pot with no one the wiser. But searching out a shovel would have raised more questions than he'd had time to deal with. And his claws were perfectly suited to the task.
Even as he'd been focused on getting something to contain the sorcerous remains, Phelan had been filled with questions. Selena appeared to know too much about sorcery. Well beyond common campfire stories and old wives' tales. She'd understood it, recognized it. It had seemed to disgust her and worry her, but the itch of doubt and suspicion nagged at Phelan. Was she the threat he'd been sent here to stop? Was all the care and worry a facade? Was the outpost, and its residents, just a convenient cover?
Now, though, those doubts had quieted.
Lia insisted the Goddess brought bond-mates together. Phelan wasn't completely sure he believed that, but he did have faith that, whatever force was responsible, it was a benign one. Whatever faults he had, he'd like to believe that force wouldn't consider him remotely compatible with someone steeped in the destructive powers of blood magic and sorcery.
By Blood Betrayed (The Lost Shrines Book 3) Page 7