Moon Burning - By Lucy Monroe Page 0,95

that morning.

“Good.”

Without another word or any warning, Barr shifted to his wolf. Sabrine reached out, wanting to touch this Faol that was also her mate, her sense of revulsion completely absent and now replaced by affectionate awe. Barr seemed oblivious to her desire, though. The magnificent creature leapt the stream, running into the forest. All that remained where he had been were his plaid and weapons.

Battling disappointment she doubted he would understand or even believe she could feel, Sabrine jumped to her feet, her senses alert to any sign of danger.

Something had triggered her mate’s instincts, but she could not tell what. She did not think it would be a nearby danger, or he would not have left her alone. Despite his clear respect for her fighting skills, the man was too protective to leave her unguarded against imminent threat.

She gathered his things and took them to the horse, which had stopped munching on grass by the stream and now stood without noise but its own quiet breathing.

She patted the horse. “Can you please sit down?”

She didn’t know how to get the large animal to lower itself, but she did not want to sit on the ground under its belly. That just seemed unsafe. Still, she had to be near for her gift to protect them both and knew that she would not be able to remain standing if Barr was gone very long.

She wished she had the gift of communing with animals, but she didn’t, and hers would be useless if she could not get this great beast to cooperate.

Proving his master had chosen well, and that he was more intelligent than he looked, the horse lowered his body to the ground. His legs folded under him, he looked quite settled. And calm.

She hoped that looks were not deceptive in this instance.

Gingerly, not wanting to startle the big animal, she moved to sit beside him. When he did not show any antipathy to that, she carefully settled against him, letting her body rest against his much bigger one.

Closing her eyes, she concentrated on sending for the image of empty forest as if she and the horse were not there. Once she felt the image settle around her and the large beast completely, she opened her eyes and searched the area for evidence of a threat.

The quiet of the forest took on more sinister connotations as not even a birdsong could be heard. Nothing moved among the trees. No rustle of sound to indicate even a rabbit lurked in the under foliage. Yet, her senses picked up no scents that might indicate danger.

She did not let the lack of overt signs deter her from maintaining the shield to her presence and that of the great beast Barr held in such esteem though. Each minute she had to project the image around them drained her strength further, but she could do naught else until her mate’s return.

If she had only herself to protect, she would have taken the Clach Gealach Gra and climbed a tree. Blending into branches would have been much easier than building the image of an empty spot by the stream around her and the horse.

But she could not risk the big beast. He belonged to her mate and therefore had great value to her. Thankfully, the horse did its part, maintaining a silence she would not have thought the animal capable of doing.

She lost track of the time Barr had been gone as she grew weaker and increasingly weary. She slipped into an almost trance as her raven maintained the shielding image.

Only the sound of her mate shouting in her head brought her out of it, taking her from that nether place where her gift manifested itself. The image dropped as she released the shield, knowing Barr was near enough to protect her; the stoic horse, whom she now considered bloody brilliant; and the sacred stone.

Suddenly he was there, right in front of her, pulling her into his strong arms. “Where were you? What was that? What is the matter?” he demanded, each question coming out in quick succession, so unlike her unflappable mate.

She tried to speak, but no words came forth. She cleared her throat and licked her lips and then croaked, “Needed to protect the stone and the horse.”

Barr groaned.

“He’s a smart horse, I think.” Her throat convulsed and she had to stop speaking while she tried to swallow moisture that was not there. “Thirsty.”

Barr released her, but before she had a chance to complain