By Vengeance Guided (The Lost Shrines Book 1)

by Amberlyn Holland

  No way was she touching him now. She still remembered the electric feel of skin on skin. The heat and the press and the need flaring hot between them.

  They had connected, burning and bright, both in body and soul. Yet, there was that dark spot when she had touched him. It may not be evil, but it was something she didn't understand. No matter how much she wanted to repeat the pleasure of the night before, the stakes were too high for her to gamble on it.

  If it had been just her own life, Lia might not worry about it. Might listen to that something deep inside telling her he was worth the risk. Asleep, the handsome face smoothed out and relaxed, making him look almost boyish. In a mouth-watering, want to crawl back on the blanket and do it all again kind of way.

  There was a multitude of reasons why that was a bad idea though. She needed to get out of there before she gave in or he woke. Before she proved Gui right and selfishly chose her own needs over the valley.

  The walk back passed too quickly. Her pulse continued to hammer out of control and Lia was no closer to sorting out her head or her heart. She had to face her people though. Every single one of them. She couldn't let any of her confusion show.

  Lia paused at the edge of the trees to wrap her cloak more tightly about her dress. She finger-combed her hair to get the worst of the leaves out before tying it back with a ribbon.

  She still looked disheveled, but it wasn't the first night she'd spent in the forest. Hopefully, no one would notice anything odd. No one would notice the way her life had changed in the blink of an eye.

  Raised chin and straightened shoulders gave her the illusion of confidence and she strode purposefully toward the front lawn where the valley waited for her.

  The familiar tingle welcomed her when she stepped over the invisible boundary Nel and the others had cast the night before. With a few whispered words she added her own essence to the protective magic.

  "Li'!"

  Tanis followed up the shout by wiggling out of Nel's hold and running full tilt for her aunt. Lia crouched down, scooping up the child, holding her close.

  This. This was the reminder she needed. This was why she couldn't let anyone know what had happened with Wyn in the Circle. Why she especially couldn't allow him to find out what it meant. What it could mean.

  "Li'. Glow."

  Lia smiled when Tanis stroked her tiny hand an inch away from her aunt's skin. The glow Marta and their mother had always carried after a night in the Circle had fascinated Lia all her life. She wasn't surprised Tanis reacted the same way.

  Nel, who had followed the little girl through the crowd of people, smiled brightly. "She's right. I haven't seen a glow that bright in a long time. We could even see the light of your Circle through the trees. The blessing must have been particularly potent."

  Lia's cheeks boiled with embarrassed heat and she dropped her chin, hiding behind her niece's curls to conceal the worst of her blush.

  "Um, well, we should get on with sharing the blessing."

  Passing Tanis to Nel, she walked to the front of the crowd, where the temporary altar sat by the eastern bonfire.

  The murmurs and chatter that had filled the Circle quieted and all eyes focused on her. Centering herself, Lia whispered the words she'd known by heart since was nine years old.

  The blessings she received the night before seeped out of her, filling the air, whispering throughout the Circle. It didn't glow the way it had in the confined, smaller Circle, but the air shimmered and energy swirled from person to person.

  For the first time since opening her eyes that morning, Lia let herself relax.

  *****

  The morning chill slowly crept into Caerwyn's awareness. Beneath him, the blanket had begun absorbing the wetness from the damp ground, leeching the warmth from his body. The spots where the sun stroked his skin, though, were still warm and languid.

  He stretched, easing the tight muscles, turning on his side to reach for the soft curves and welcome heat of Lia. But the blanket next to him was cold and empty.

  He sat up, blinking away the deep sleep still clinging to him.

  "Lia?"

  Only chirping birds and chattering squirrels answered his call.

  "Damn it. Lia!" He shouted this time, knowing it was futile. She was gone.

  How the hell had she left without waking him up? His sleep was uneasy at the best of times and not even one of the Hounds could sneak up on him.

  The truth, though, was they had connected last night. While his brain might continue to be wary, his body trusted her. Which was ridiculous. He had no reason to trust her now more than he had yesterday.

  Yet he wanted to. He wanted to go to her. To calm whatever fears had sent her scurrying away with the dawn.

  He hadn't let anyone close to him since his parents died. Why now? Why her, when everything he'd learned had only made him doubt her?

  Had she bewitched him?

  He remembered Daen ranting about uncharacteristic obsession. Caer found himself skirting the edge of that now.

  While he scoured the ruins for his clothes, he tried to put the disparate pieces of the night together.

  Why had she come here instead of joining the rest the valley at the manor? Some kind of magic happened in the Circle. Caer had felt the welcoming sting of it as soon as he stepped within the boundary of the ruins. Other than the pale glow burning away with the rising sun, though, there were no answers in the forest. He'd have to return to the manor if he hoped to find the truth.

  Folding the blanket over his arm, Caer headed back up the trail. A faint tingle of energy continued to crackle along his skin even after passing the ring of oak trees, different from anything he'd ever experienced before.

  Except on the Isle of the Goddess.

  Then, though, it had taken a full contingent of druids to call down Her spirit on the Solstice. There was no way Lia, young and delicate and alone, could have called Her presence.

  Humans couldn't invoke Her presence, no matter how many congregated.

  Caer couldn't completely dismiss what he felt though. Or the things he'd seen, heard and conjectured. Then it all started to come together in an entirely different picture. One with many pieces still missing. One impossible to make sense of.

  Caer was no longer sure, though, that the secrets of the valley, the unusual position Lia held or the inexplicable magic he'd experienced meant she practiced sorcery. What it did mean, however, he couldn't begin to fathom, yet.

  The entire valley was still congregated on the lawn when he trudged his way back through the trees. All focused on Lia, leading them in a chant nearly identical to her solo one the night before. The silver light from the Circle still skimmed around Lia. It did not fill this Circle but, instead, shimmered in a faint haze surrounding the congregation, outlining an otherwise invisible boundary circumference.

  Even without that hint, however, Caer would have been able to tell where the Circle began because of the increasing intensity of the buzzing along his nerves.

  He waited until the last of the chanting died away before crossing the boundary. Hopefully, it marked the end of whatever ritual was taking place and he'd be able to get Lia alone soon.

  She owed him answers. Not the least of which was why she abandoned him to wake up alone after the best sex he'd ever had.

  As soon as both feet stepped within the boundary, however, one of the group of farmers nearest him gasped. Before he knew it, people were shouting and pointing and demanding.

  Keneally hushed them all with an impatient wave of his arm, stumping toward him with grim determination.

  *****

  The energy of the Circle shifted abruptly and the currents of it changed before she heard the shouts. She looked up in time to see the crowd parting for Keneally and falling silent in his wake.

  The estate manager stopped inside the boundary and it took a minute before the crowd parted enough to make out who he'd stopped for.

  When she finally caught sight of the dark hair and broa
d shoulders, Lia realized she should have known all along.

  Wyn. Of course.

  Wyn, who stood tall and proud with one of her family's oldest heirlooms draped over his arm. Wyn, who should never have been able to cross a Circle boundary. But had. Twice. Wyn, who she'd been trying not to think about.

  She squeezed her eyes tight. Maybe she was dreaming. Maybe she'd fallen asleep in the grove and the last few hours had been a dream.

  Maybe the whole, humiliating scenario was the Lady's warning of what could happen if she didn't rein in her impulsiveness. Not to mention the inappropriate attachment she had to a man who was little more than a stranger.

  The entire congregation quieted to absolute silence while Keneally faced down Wyn with the intense glare everyone in the valley knew to fear and respect.

  Into the unnatural silence, a small piping voice echoed through the crowd from Lia's side.

  "Li', Wyn glow too."

  Lia gasped when she realized Tanis was right. What she'd taken as residual shimmer from the ritual clinging to Wyn's skin was a pale but very real reflection of the blessing she'd carried from the grove to share in the Circle with her people.

  As she grasped exactly what she was seeing, whispers and murmurs swelled through the crowd. The valley residents understood there was only one reason Wyn would share her glow.

  Next to her, Nel stared at her with shock.

  "Lia? You didn't? You couldn't?" She whispered it but the sound carried and she saw Wyn turn his eyes away from Keneally to watch them.

  "Nel. Not now."

  "Oh, I think we'd all like to hear this, Liadan." Gui stepped in front of her, a scowl shadowed his face and he glared down at her. "How could you do this? How could you let this happen with an outsider?"

  A few of Gui's lackeys, as usual sticking close to his side, gathered around muttering words of immaturity and carelessness.

  This snapped Nel out of her shock. "Oh, be quiet, Gui," she said impatiently. "You're just jealous the grove never allowed you within its boundaries."

  Lia had to swallow hard against the giggle threatening to erupt at the shocked affront on Gui's face. More because she feared it would turn into a hysterical meltdown rather than because she was afraid of laughing in his face.

  Now more than ever, she needed to keep her calm façade and remember her place.

  No matter how stupid, foolish or uncertain she felt, Lia couldn't show it. Her people deserved to feel confident and safe with their leader.

  Even if it was a lie.

  Gui's mouth shut with a snap. Anger simmered in his eyes when he glared down at her.

  "The grove hasn't let a consort in for two generations." Gui snarled and wrapped his fingers around her arm. "So, why is it that a stranger you know nothing about was obviously allowed into the Lady's Circle with you?"

  The hand on her arm tightened so hard and fast, Lia felt the pinch of bruises forming.

  "Gui—"

  She tried to interrupt, but he was on a roll now. His voice rose, carrying beyond the immediate group, taking on a sly, outraged lilt to play the crowd.

  "What exactly happened that he is still sharing the Lady's blessing, hours after the moon has set?"

  "I'm pretty sure I've already warned you to keep your hands off of her."

  The deep rumble of Wyn's voice surprised both of them, coming from just behind Gui.

  Gui turned, grip loosening, but his hand remained clamped around her arm.

  "This is none of your business, outsider. This is family business."

  "Oh, considering what you're implying at the top of your lungs, I think maybe it is my business."

  Wyn's hand shot out, gripping Gui's wrist and digging a thumb deep into a delicate tendon.

  Gui squealed and his hand dropped away from Lia. His face paled, and he took several steps back, eyes tracking Wyn like he was a wild animal ready to strike again.

  Wyn bared his teeth in a feral smile.

  "If you don't keep your hands off her, next time you may lose the hand. Now, if you'll excuse us, I believe the Lady and I have some things to talk about."

  *****

  Caerwyn glared at Gui, but his body thrummed with energy and his awareness centered wholly on Liadan.

  Anger threatened to boil up, to boil over. Part of him hoped Gui did something, said something, to give him a chance to unleash it.

  Anger at Liadan for making him wake up alone. Anger at being talked about like he wasn't even there. Anger that anyone would dare touch his Liadan.

  But the coward didn't give him that satisfaction. Instead, Gui straightened his clothes and glared down his nose. Then he sneered and step back to gather his cronies around.

  "You're right. You do have a lot to talk about. The first thing you may want to go over is how your fiancée is going to feel when he hears you spent the night in the forest with a strange man."

  With a dramatic swirl, he turned and strode away. Nel murmured a few unfamiliar words and sketched a symbol in the air. Caer was surprised when he felt the Circle boundary dissipate. What the hell was going on around here? Why was he suddenly so connected to things that shouldn't even be possible?

  Delicate fingers curled around his wrist and he looked down to see Lia, an uncertain smile gracing her mouth when she tilted her head and tugged a little.

  Just like that, his anger abated. Not gone. But more patient now, when he followed her away from the Circle. Behind them, the valley dwellers erupted again in shouted questions and demands and surprise but she ignored them and left them to her keepers.

  Somehow, they made it to the manor house without anyone following. He wondered if that was because of, or in spite of, Nel and Keneally.

  It was the first time he'd ever been in the house itself, but he didn't get much chance to absorb more than a sense of warmth, ancient and welcoming before she pulled him to the sitting room off the wide hallway.

  Caer settled himself on a delicate looking settee. Lia stayed on her feet and worried at her lip with her teeth. Silence stretched awkwardly for several minutes.

  "I don't know where to start," she finally said, with a huff.

  "How about you explain what happened last night?"

  Lia's lips quirked. "Well, you see, when a man and a woman like each other very much…"

  Caer couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out, and she joined in with giggles. The shared moment of levity burned away most of the anger left in him. Now, only the thirst to understand remained.

  When the relieving laughter faded away, Lia wiped her eyes and flopped down on the couch next to him.

  "How did you get into the grove last night?"

  He blinked. He hadn't known where this was going to go, but he hadn't expected that question. "I just followed you in. Was there supposed to be a barrier?"

  "You could say that. So, no magic, then?"

  His eyes narrowed and his body tensed. He hadn't used any magic. By his very nature, though, he always carried magic with him. Still, he doubted his Attribute had anything to do with being allowed within the electric borders.

  "I abhor sorcery," he growled. "And witchery is too close for my comfort."

  He watched her closely when he spoke, but he saw no wincing, no evidence of guilt or ire. Instead, she nodded and continued to look thoughtful.

  "What did you see, in the Circle?" He arched an eyebrow and allowed his eyes to roam over her. She flushed a little and added, "Before, I mean."

  He closed his eyes and remembered the scene. "You, chanting something. A glow, brighter than the shimmer around the group this morning. It felt…" He paused, catching himself before admitting it felt like the celebrations on the Goddess Isle. "It was like…warmth. Affection. Hope and joy."

  His attempt to describe the experience fell pathetically short. It was all of those things, but the words were pale and bland descriptors for the reality.

  "Yeah." She smiled, eyes a little distant, as if reliving it, too.

  Unable to help hi
mself, he reached over and cradled her hand in his.

  "Yeah," she repeated, coming back to herself. Her eyes focused on him, considering. "What you saw was a blessing ritual. It's been passed down through my family for generations. No sorcery. Maybe a little witchery."

  He decided to leave the lie for now. Admitting he knew she lied would reveal how much knowledge he had about human magic. Or Milesan. And the fact that what he'd experienced had been unlike either.

  "So what does that have to do with us? Why did everyone jump to the right conclusion?"

  Lia twisted a loose strand of hair around one finger and shifted her gaze to a spot on the wall straight in front of her.

  "We shared the blessing. By having sex. In the grove. During that ritual. Under a full moon. It kind of created a bond. Between us, I mean."

  He watched her get more and more withdrawn while she stuttered out an explanation that still didn't make sense to him.

  "A bond?"

  She sighed and looked at him. "A moon-bond."

  "A moon-bond?"

  "Yes."

  He didn't know whether to laugh or spit. Moon-bonds were myths. Stories that romantic young women shared with each other, along with tales of soulmates and fable princes.

  "You've heard of them, I see."

  Apparently his disbelief showed.

  "Sure. My cousin's favorite book was The Moon Princess and the Dragon."

  Lia winced at the title. The story was regarded as the worst type of self-indulgent, adolescent literature. Every romantic cliché in history was woven into the melodramatic tripe.

  "She could recite whole passages from memory," Caer remembered.

  And she often had. Often enough that Caer still remembered all three elements the Princess and the Dragon had needed to forge the first moon-bond. They’d met in a place blessed by the Goddess. Under the light of a full moon. And shared a soul-deep moment of pure emotion. That certainly described their night in the Circle.