filling with heat.
“Moon blood…?” he explained, smiling at the way her cheeks pinked up.
“Menses.” Sibyl blushed even brighter, saying the word in a man’s presence. Even she knew you didn’t talk about such things in front of menfolk. But she couldn’t help thinking about Laina—poor Laina. She was tied more to her body and its cycles than Sibyl had ever thought about being. And here she’d believed she was limited by her gender!
“I will look for this willow before I am on my way,” Sibyl decided with sudden determination. She would help Laina and her kind, if she could. It would be good to liberate the wulver woman from her gender’s prison, even if she couldn’t change her own.
“Ye’ll go t’sleep and we’ll talk more on th’morrow.” Raife was giving orders again. He stood, an imposing figure in his plaid, thick arms crossed over his broad chest.
“I will find it.” Sibyl’s chin stuck out in defiance, more determined than ever.
“I b’lieve ye.” He chuckled, turning to go. “Thank ye for what ye did fer her. She’s as much like a sister to me as Darrow’s brother.”
“And Kirstin?” Sibyl’s cheeks reddened when Raife hesitated at the doorway to turn and look at her. She didn’t know why she’d asked, but the words had escaped her mouth before she could stop them.
“Kirstin?” Raife smiled, looking amused. “What about ’er, lass?”
“I just… noticed the way she looked at you.” Sibyl squirmed on the bed, feeling his gaze pinned on her. She couldn’t help but notice the way Kirstin looked at him, like he was some sort of a god, or God himself. Not that she blamed the girl, not in the least.
“And what way’s that?”
“The way a woman… looks at a man… who…” she stammered.
Oh damn him, she thought, unable to get the rest of the words out.
“I’ve no mate, Sibyl,” he told her, his words soft but clear, those blue, blue eyes trained right on her, seeing into her, into parts and places she had yet to even explore herself. “There’s no woman or wulver who’s been marked by me.”
Marked. She wanted to know what that meant, but she was afraid to ask.
“G’nite, lass.” He moved to close the door but Sibyl stopped him once again with her words.
“Where are you going?” she called.
“I’ll be right outside,” he assured her, smiling around the door’s edge.
“In that drafty tunnel hallway?” She frowned, glancing around the big room, noting a thick lamb’s wool rug by the fire. It would do nicely. Besides, even if she was a little afraid of him, she was more afraid of what was out there, beyond the closed door. She thought she might actually feel safer with him here, in the room. “No. Sleep here. I insist.”
“Here?” His eyebrows went up when he looked at her and Sibyl swallowed at the heat in his gaze. “Wit’ ye?”
“Oh, I mean…” She blinked, biting her lip. “You can sleep by the fire. Or have another mattress brought in…”
“Yer reputation will’na survive ’til mornin’, lass,” Raife said softly. The look in his eyes warmed her from head to toe and she tried to ignore her body’s response.
“My reputation?” Sibyl gave a short, strangled laugh. The memory of Alistair and her uncle and their concern for her reputation seemed very far away in this strange place. “I don’t care about my reputation any longer.”
“Ye’ll,” he assured her with a short nod. “If ye want to return to yer world.”
If. Not when, if. As if it was a question. And was it? She wondered. She wouldn’t have thought twice about it a few hours ago, would have jumped on the first horse she could find and rode hell-bent on getting away from this place, away from Scotland, away. Away.
But she had been so focused on running away, she hadn’t considered where she might be running to.
“I’ll be right outside,” he told her again, once more pulling at the door.
And Sibyl interrupted him yet again.
“This is
“Moon blood…?” he explained, smiling at the way her cheeks pinked up.
“Menses.” Sibyl blushed even brighter, saying the word in a man’s presence. Even she knew you didn’t talk about such things in front of menfolk. But she couldn’t help thinking about Laina—poor Laina. She was tied more to her body and its cycles than Sibyl had ever thought about being. And here she’d believed she was limited by her gender!
“I will look for this willow before I am on my way,” Sibyl decided with sudden determination. She would help Laina and her kind, if she could. It would be good to liberate the wulver woman from her gender’s prison, even if she couldn’t change her own.
“Ye’ll go t’sleep and we’ll talk more on th’morrow.” Raife was giving orders again. He stood, an imposing figure in his plaid, thick arms crossed over his broad chest.
“I will find it.” Sibyl’s chin stuck out in defiance, more determined than ever.
“I b’lieve ye.” He chuckled, turning to go. “Thank ye for what ye did fer her. She’s as much like a sister to me as Darrow’s brother.”
“And Kirstin?” Sibyl’s cheeks reddened when Raife hesitated at the doorway to turn and look at her. She didn’t know why she’d asked, but the words had escaped her mouth before she could stop them.
“Kirstin?” Raife smiled, looking amused. “What about ’er, lass?”
“I just… noticed the way she looked at you.” Sibyl squirmed on the bed, feeling his gaze pinned on her. She couldn’t help but notice the way Kirstin looked at him, like he was some sort of a god, or God himself. Not that she blamed the girl, not in the least.
“And what way’s that?”
“The way a woman… looks at a man… who…” she stammered.
Oh damn him, she thought, unable to get the rest of the words out.
“I’ve no mate, Sibyl,” he told her, his words soft but clear, those blue, blue eyes trained right on her, seeing into her, into parts and places she had yet to even explore herself. “There’s no woman or wulver who’s been marked by me.”
Marked. She wanted to know what that meant, but she was afraid to ask.
“G’nite, lass.” He moved to close the door but Sibyl stopped him once again with her words.
“Where are you going?” she called.
“I’ll be right outside,” he assured her, smiling around the door’s edge.
“In that drafty tunnel hallway?” She frowned, glancing around the big room, noting a thick lamb’s wool rug by the fire. It would do nicely. Besides, even if she was a little afraid of him, she was more afraid of what was out there, beyond the closed door. She thought she might actually feel safer with him here, in the room. “No. Sleep here. I insist.”
“Here?” His eyebrows went up when he looked at her and Sibyl swallowed at the heat in his gaze. “Wit’ ye?”
“Oh, I mean…” She blinked, biting her lip. “You can sleep by the fire. Or have another mattress brought in…”
“Yer reputation will’na survive ’til mornin’, lass,” Raife said softly. The look in his eyes warmed her from head to toe and she tried to ignore her body’s response.
“My reputation?” Sibyl gave a short, strangled laugh. The memory of Alistair and her uncle and their concern for her reputation seemed very far away in this strange place. “I don’t care about my reputation any longer.”
“Ye’ll,” he assured her with a short nod. “If ye want to return to yer world.”
If. Not when, if. As if it was a question. And was it? She wondered. She wouldn’t have thought twice about it a few hours ago, would have jumped on the first horse she could find and rode hell-bent on getting away from this place, away from Scotland, away. Away.
But she had been so focused on running away, she hadn’t considered where she might be running to.
“I’ll be right outside,” he told her again, once more pulling at the door.
And Sibyl interrupted him yet again.
“This is
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