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Needless to say, I didn’t make it back to Lugh’s that night.

But I did dream.

ChapterSix

I sat upright in bed,my heart a fierce drum that reverberated through the silence and a scream dying on my lips.

Eljin was holding my hand, speaking words I didn’t understand, words that nevertheless sounded both soothing and concerned.

I drew in a deep breath and scrubbed a hand through my tangled hair. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you like that.”

“That is of no concern,” he said, switching to English. “I take it you dreamed?”

I nodded. “Oddly, I can’t remember of what.”

“Is that unusual?”

“Very.”

“Then perhaps it was nothing more than the unspoken worry of sleeping in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man.”

It was teasingly said, meant to draw a smile, and it did. “I hardly think you could be called an unfamiliar man. Not now.”

“It is indeed a truth that our explorations were very thorough.” His smile remained warm, but concern nevertheless dominated his expression. “Would you like a drink? Perhaps a cup of tea to soothe your nerves?”

“That would be lovely. Thanks.”

“Wait here, then, and I shall prepare it.”

He slid off the bed and padded naked down the stairs. As he rattled around in the kitchen, I cupped the Eye and felt the answering flicker of energy roll through it. No visions rose, but I could feel the lingering ghosts of one haunting the outer edges of my mind. They were filled with an odd sense of betrayal, a warning to be careful, but of who or what, I couldn’t see.

I sighed, released the Eye, and then rose. According to the clock on the bedside table, it was close to five, so I might as well get up. There was, after all, a sword to destroy and a ring to find, and I couldn’t laze about in bed with a sexy man, as enticing as that always was.

Eljin glanced up as I appeared. “Seeing as we’re both now up, would you like something to eat? Perhaps a croissant? Or some crusty bread and cheese?”

I nodded and perched on the stool, watching him prepare a small platter of fruits, cheeses, and bread to share. “You do know that if you keep treating me this well, I might not want to leave.”

“How do you know that isn’t my exact plan?”

I smiled. “There is another man in my life.”

“I would be surprised if there wasn’t.” He paused. “Serious?”

“No, but fun.”

“Meaning I have my work cut out for me.”

“Indeed, you have.”

“Excellent. I shall make it my mission to lure you away from him.”

I laughed, though there was a light in his eyes that said he wasn’t joking. “May the best man win, then.”

“Oh, he will,” he said, with all the confidence of a man who had just sexed a woman senseless.

I smiled but didn’t reply. While I could easily envisage spending a lifetime with Eljin after only one night, a long road remained ahead for us. And I had no intention of giving up Cynwrig until I knew for sure my heart—and Eljin’s—were a match.

We chatted easily over breakfast, shared a shower and another glorious session of sex, then we got dressed and he walked me back to the tavern.