She let go of his hair and slid her fingers over his neck torque. “Know this, then.” She laid on her smoothest tone. “It is a great and difficult feat for a living soul to appear to another in such a way. A soul —”
He huffed, cutting her off.
“A soul,” she went on regardless, “one already dwelling in thesaoghal thall— the Yonder World — can achieve the like much easier.”
Stepping back, she placed her hands on her hips again. “That is the way of it.”
“I still dinna like the idea.” He crossed his arms. “And why would Maldred appear to you?”
“Perhaps because he knows everyone else wants nothing to do with him.” She lifted her chin, sure of it. “He needs me and knows I will help him.”
The Raven snorted.
“The saintliest saint couldn’t help that one,” he said, frowning again.
“He could not appear to me or any other soul, if the Old Ones wished to deny him.”
Ronan harrumphed again.
Crossing the room, he snatched a folded plaid off a chair and returned to swirl it around her.
“I’ll no’ have you standing naked when we’re speaking of the man,” he groused, knotting the plaid at her shoulder. “He was said to have been irresistible to women.”
Once again Gelis felt a ridiculous urge to dance and jig.
Instead, she stood still while the Raven fussed and straightened the plaid, smoothing and tucking in its folds for her.
She clenched her fists, not quite ready for him to see that each brush of his fingers against her skin sent tingly firelicks of heat rippling across her nerves.
Sweet tingly heat that set her belly all a-quiver and lit a fire in the secret place low by her thighs.
Then he stepped back, looking satisfied.
“That’s better.” He dusted his hands and glanced around the candlelit room almost as if he expected to see his ancestor leap out of the shadows at him.
“No need to tempt the old marauder — if he is about!”
“He isn’t concerned with women.” She tried to reassure him, his words reminding her of the spirit’s sadness.
The piercing stare Maldred had fixed on her.
“He needs us to help him and” — she drew a breath to present hercoup de grâce— “he wants to help us.”
The Raven’s eyes widened. “Howe’er can he help us?”
“ ’Tis simple.” Gelis smiled. “I am quite sure he showed me where the Raven Stone is hidden.”
Chapter Sixteen
His tomb?”
Ronan nearly choked on his surprise. “Then, sweet lass, your gift has lied to you. “Or” — he waved away her protest — “you’ve falsely interpreted what you saw.”
His lady huffed and set her own hand to slashing the air.
“I do know what the inside of a tomb looks like,” she minded him, her tone fringing on indignant.
High color stained her cheeks and, as so oft, her braid had come undone. Her hair tumbled to her hips in a welter of red-gold curls, each glossy strand gilded by fire glow and tempting him beyond reason.
