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Bain poured the remaining tea into my cup. “Are you enjoying the tea? Did you know I had it made especially for you?”

“It’s amazing,” I beamed. The tea and the meal had made me feel so good. Everything felt so right. I never wanted this evening to end.

“But is it working?” he asked, his voice low almost like he was talking to himself. He leaned forward like he was going to tell me a secret. “Tell me why you ransacked my chambers last night.”

I smiled, not hesitating with the truth. “I was looking for a weapon or a way to escape,” I said.

“And what would you have done with the weapon?”

“Tried to kill you.” I bit my lip, thinking how silly that sounded now. I would never want to hurt Bain.

“Hmm.” Bain was staring intently at me now, a look of wry amusement on his face. “You’re going to tell me everything I want to know when you’re like this, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” I said, meaning it. I would do anything for him. Anything.

Something’s wrong, the small voice cried again, but I could barely hear it now.

“Good. I want to know aboutthis.” He unfolded an old piece of parchment paper on the table between us. The edge was torn like it had been ripped from a book. “It’s a stone of power said tohave once been guarded by the Zavien tribe—your tribe, Raven. What do you know about it?”

The ink drawing on the page depicted a round stone with what looked like rays of light emanating from it.

“I’ve never heard of it.”

Bain pressed his lips into a thin line. Or maybe I was seeing things, because when I blinked again, there was a pleasant smile on his face. Skies, he was good-looking.

“What about a key? A key with a bird on it?”

I shook my head.

“Think harder.”

The intense desire to please him burned in my chest. I wished I had more to share with him, more to give him. Then I remembered something.We think your brother found where the stone is,Sora had said.

“The map,” I said suddenly. If the map on my hand led to my brother, and Sora said my brother found a stone, then wouldn’t that mean the map led to the stone? And could it be the same stone Bain was looking for?

“What map?”

“I—”Wait, stop, the small voice in my head pleaded one last time before fading far, far away.

“This one.” I raised my hand for him to see it.

He sucked in a breath. “This leads to the Zavien stone?” He took my hand and stroked his thumb across the labyrinth on my palm.

“I think so.” I smiled at him, feeling warm, relaxed, and practically dizzy from his touch.

“How do you read it?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, not wanting to think about the map anymore. I just wanted to be close to him, to feel his strong hands on my skin, and …

“Well, how did you get the map?”

“A girl in the mine gave it to me,” I said. I tried to conjure up a mental image of Sora, but my mind was too foggy. So, I focused back on Bain, feeling happy I could help him.

“Do you think you can figure out how to read this map?” Bain asked.

As he spoke, I gazed at him. I loved the way his dark eyes contrasted with his wavy brown hair. And the dimple that formed on only one cheek when he smiled. I was surprised I hadn’t noticed how handsome he looked before. He was everything a man should be—kind, brave, heroic, protective …

“Raven?” he said when I didn’t answer.