She nodded. “That’s what we believe, yes. They came over here with the rest of the Vikings in the eighth century. My ancestors. And for some reason, they took a liking to that ancient circle and buried their Moon Stone there. Carved their images on the stones as well.”

“But they’ve been gone for hundreds of years,” Eve said. “Why?”

Fiona shrugged. “That, I do not know. What we have are stories passed down through the years, along with what has been written on the stones—much of it in a language we can’t read.”

Fates, this was getting twisty.

The faint sound of bells pealed outside, and Fiona stood. “That’s my cue. It’s time to light up the boat.”

I stood, frowning. There were still more questions.

Fiona could clearly see it in my face, as she raised her hand. “Not now. We’ve waited all year to light this damned thing on fire. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have something to show you. It’s best to see it at dawn, anyway.”

“Thank you.” Eve stood. “Truly.”

She nodded. “I meant it when I said accommodation is impossible to find. Do you have a place to stay tonight?”

“We do not,” I replied.

“There’s a garret at the top of this building. It’s yours if you want it. There’s a good view of the festival from the window, in fact.”

“Thank you.” I inclined my head to her. “We owe you.”

“I’ll be sure to collect. But in the meantime, plan to meet on the street out front, an hour before dawn. Don’t be late.” Without a backward glance, she swept from the room. Her pack followed her, leaving us alone.

I turned to Eve. “Shall we go watch this festival from the window?”

She nodded. “Let’s. Dawn will come early.”

9

Eve

 

* * *

 

Together, Lachlan and I made our way to the stairs that led to the top of the building. We passed a little toilet on the floor below. The tiny flat held only a bed and a counter with a sink.

I faltered when I entered and stared at the small bed. It was a double mattress, at best. How the hell were we both going to fit?

A glow from the single window caught my attention, and I walked toward it. In the distance, I could see the blazing Viking boat. It was magnificent—a bonfire in the middle of town, the surrounding crowd cheering as the inferno lit up the night.

“Impressive,” Lachlan said from behind me.

I nodded, riveted, but part of my mind was back on that bed.

“I can sleep on the floor,” he offered.

“We’ll be fine.” The words escaped me before I could consider them, but I meant it. I wouldn’t make him sleep on the floor, and we would be fine. Sure, I wanted him, but I had some self-control. He definitely had self-control.

As the blaze died down, I turned from the window and toed off my boots, then climbed into the bed. I arranged myself in a narrow shape and stared up at the ceiling, leaving plenty of room for him. “You might as well sleep here,” I said, shoving a pillow between us.

He sighed, then turned off the light and climbed onto the other side of the bed, making sure to stay on top of the covers. His weight depressed the mattress, and I could imagine him lying there so close to me.

Immediately, the room shrank by half, and every inch of my skin lit up with awareness.

Shit.

This, perhaps, had been a bad idea.

Lachlan didn’t move a muscle, however. He might as well have been a statue. Seconds passed, then minutes. At one point, I heard a hitch in his breath that made my own breath catch.

Images flashed in my head—me, him, us. What if I just rolled over and kissed him? That wouldn’t be the craziest idea.

Yes, it would.

I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and tried to ignore the thoughts that popped into my head.

Impossible, of course.

By the time I finally fell asleep, I was so worked up that the next part felt like a dream.

Suddenly, I wasn’t alone anymore. There was warmth pressed up along one side of my body. Like a heat-seeking missile, I turned toward it, then raised my hand and sunk it into Lachlan’s hair.

He moaned low in his throat, still asleep.

I was still asleep, too—wasn’t I?

Did it matter?

Through a haze of dreams, it was easy to do what I wanted. Especially when he wanted it, too.

I pulled at him, and he rolled on top of me, settling between my thighs with a groan. Despite the layers of clothing, the heat and hardness of him made me gasp. Pleasure shot through me, stealing away the rest of my resistance.

I was awake.

So was he, and his green gaze burned down at me, hot and fierce. “We shouldn’t,” he whispered.

“I know,” I said, and kissed him.

He leaned into the press of my lips and slipped his tongue into my mouth. He kissed like a man determined to enjoy his final minutes on earth, and my head spun.

“Fates, it’s been so long,” he muttered, dragging his mouth down the side of my neck.

Heat trailed in his wake, making me shiver. “So long?”

“There’s been no one since I saw you that first time.” The words seemed torn from him, as if he didn’t want to share them but couldn’t help himself.

No one? Holy fates, I couldn’t imagine.

Was that why he spent so much time in the fight ring?

I tilted my head, joining my lips with his as I kissed him like he was the last person I would ever kiss.

He might be.

Time slowed as he moved on top of me, heat and pressure making pleasure coil more tightly within me.

“More,” I gasped.

He shuddered, then slipped a hand to my stomach, resting it on my skin. His fingertips drifted lower, brushing the waistband of my jeans.

I shuddered, arching up toward him.

“May I?” His voice was rough as gravel.

“Yes. Please.” I couldn’t get the words out fast enough, wanting to do this before my rational self caught up with us.

Deftly, he flicked open the buttons and slipped his hand inside my pants. At the first touch of his fingertip to my flesh, he shuddered. “Heaven.”

Ecstasy like I’d never known raced through me as he found the center of my pleasure, focusing his efforts there. It didn’t take long for my body to explode into a kaleidoscope of sensation.

When it was over, I opened my eyes. Lachlan stared down at me like I was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen.

Then he launched himself off the bed.

Horror flashed through me, and I yanked a pillow over myself even though I was still mostly clothed. He clenched his fists, his eyes flickering black.

“We shouldn’t have done that,” he almost growled, then spun around and charged from the room.

Panting, I stared up at the ceiling.

Holy fates. Had that really just happened?

And his eyes…

Lachlan

 

* * *

 

I strode away, my mind racing and my heart barely able to keep up. At the base of the stairs, I leaned against the wall.

What had I just let myself do?

With shaking hands, I dug one of Mordaca’s potions from my pocket and swigged it back. The foul taste was welcome, and I prayed it would suppress the curse that I could feel raging through my veins.