The Serpent in the Stone - By Nicki Greenwood Page 0,80
a mission that Hakon could not: the downfall of some rogue druid sect and their serpent ceremony. Might as well have asked for the Brooklyn Bridge, while he was at it.
Thinking back on Hakon’s first reaction to seeing her, she gave her ribcage a discreet rub. For a ghost, he was awfully good at dealing out bone-crushing hugs. Bleeding, too. That he could touch, and bleed, and at other times disappear without a trace from her senses, made her head spin with questions.
He’s not completely a ghost, she thought, startled. That explained why she couldn’t always hear or feel him. His soul had been trapped on Hvitmar, one foot in this world, and one in the next, because he’d never finished his quest. He’d vowed himself into a half-existence for the love of a woman.
But Aesa had gone on. Why couldn’t Faith sense her here, trying to be with Hakon however she was able?
A frisson flew down her spine. She gripped herself. Oh, my God. She’s me. A strangled whimper escaped her. How could she have failed to make the connection all this time?
Ian’s head snapped up. “What’s the matter?”
Air refused to reach her lungs past the constricted knot in her throat. She felt the blood drain from her face, chilling her further. “I loved him. I cried for him. I’m her. She’s me.”
“Faith, you’re starting to scare me.” Ian gripped her shoulder.
“Hakon’s wife. I’m her, a thousand years later.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Her name was Aesa. She loved him more than anything in the world. I felt it when I saw him.” The depth of passion Aesa and the Viking warrior had felt for one another brought tears to her eyes, even now, in a mere echo. She’d never imagined love like that existed. She fisted a hand on her chest. “I felt it like it was my own emotion.”
Ian started shaking his head. She cut him off before he could deny her words. “You saw her,” she protested. “It’s me! I have to finish this. I was meant to.”
“I hope to God you aren’t saying what I think you’re saying. If you think your sister’s going to let you sacrifi—”
“Ian!” Faith felt the shiver of her eyes flashing into silver. She wrenched his hand from her shoulder and dug her fingers into the coarse denim of his jacket. “If you say one word to her, I swear I will make you regret it. I don’t need you scaring her.” She shoved his hand away. “Hakon said gifted blood. He didn’t say sacrifice. It could take one drop, for all I know.”
Ian bared his teeth. “Or everything you’ve got. Damn it, Faith, this is insane. Even considering it is insane. You don’t know what that ley line will do to you if you try this.”
“You don’t, either. We haven’t got many options. It’s Callander, or Sara, or me.” She blinked again to let her eyes return to their normal color, then gave him a sardonic smirk. “Do you want to walk up to Callander and say, ‘Excuse me, but I know you’re a telekinetic and a murderer. Can I use some of your blood to ruin your chances at absolute power?’”
A muscle worked in Ian’s jaw. He sat back to push a hand through his hair. “Don’t you think Sara needs to know about this? If something happens to you, it’ll kill her.”
The knot in her throat tightened a little more. “You love her, don’t you?”
He looked away then, his expression irritable...but he didn’t deny it. Faith grinned.
She heard the shuffle of footsteps and looked behind her. Sara came toward them with a towel slung over her shoulder. She’d changed into her red bathing suit, with a beach wrap tied around her waist. Faith felt a surge in the air beside her. Another look at Ian confirmed him sitting up straight now, all attention. She smiled again. When he noticed, he glared back with a look that said shut up, which only made her smile wider.
Her good humor vanished when she saw Luis and Flintrop trailing behind her sister. “Great. I was just saying to myself how I needed a raging headache.” She scrubbed at her face, angry now that Alan Flintrop might catch her teary-eyed.
“Yeah. My day didn’t suck enough, either,” Ian agreed, getting to his feet and helping her up. He pulled a bandanna from his back pocket and handed it to her.
Sara reached them, beaming. “Found a bone comb.” The exultant smile died on