The lord of the castle

chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

She woke with the warmth of the sun on her face and a sense of anticipation.

On the morrow , he had said,when the sun is new, we shall look upon each other .

Throwing the covers aside, she sat up. "My lord?"

"I am here, Channa Leigh."

" 'Tis dawn."

"Aye. Are ye ready?"

"Aye," she replied tremulously. "I am."

"Hold out your hand."

She did as he asked, her fingers closing over something soft.

She started to ask what it was, but then she knew.

It was the wolf's fur, twisted into a tight braid.

She felt his hand close over hers.

"I am Darkfest," he said, his voice soft yet ringing with power. "Master of fire and light. Believe, Channa Leigh, and receive thy sight."

Heat flowed into her hand, raced up her arm.

She trembled as his power poured into her, as warm as the sunlight on her face.

She blinked and blinked again as her vision cleared.

Looking up, she saw him watching her.

He wore a black shirt open at the throat and black trousers tucked into supple black boots.

A long black cloak fell from his broad shoulders.

She had not expected him to be handsome, but he was.

Undeniably so.

Why hadn't her father told her?

Darkfest's hair fell past his shoulders, thick and black.

His brows were slightly arched, his nose straight, his lips full.

His expression was stern but not cruel.

But it was his eyes that held her gaze.

Green eyes that were familiar somehow.

He was tall, as she had expected.

She was sorely tempted to run her hands over his shoulders, to press her palms to his chest.

She folded her arms tightly over her breasts to keep from reaching for him.

His arms were long and well muscled, his hands large and capable-looking.

"How is it possible that I can see?" She glanced at the bit of braided fur in her hand. "How long will it last?"

"Until sundown."

"No longer?"

He shook his head.

The power in the cuttings of the wolf's fur grew weaker with time.

"What sort of magic is it that grants me my sight?"

"The power that lies in the hair of the wolf." Odd, he thought, that in his human form he lacked the same ability.

"The power within your own blood. I wove the two of them together, then cast a spell upon it, to

quicken it."

"My blood? Where did you get my blood?"

"It was on the blade of the knife." He did not tell her how tantalizing he had found the scent of her blood or how frightened he had been at the way it called to him.