There in the moonlight, with the play of shadows over his handsome face, he took her breath. Not because of the way he looked, but because of the vulnerability she saw in the heart of a man who seemed invincible.
"Why did you give me your moonstone?"
"To protect you on your journey." He said that like it was nothing, but she knew better.
She glanced down to his wounded shoulder. "You're the one who's fighting. Wouldn't you need it more than me?"
He shrugged. "Grandmother Moon never thought much of me. I was hoping she'd like you better."
Still, it meant a lot to her that he'd done it. And she'd offer it back, but if his people were like hers, that would be the ultimate insult. When a gift was made, it was from the heart. To return it was a rejection.
And this man had been rejected enough.
"Thank you, Ren."
He inclined his head to her, then returned to cutting a path for them through the woods.
"Ren? Can I ask you something?"
He paused to look back at her. "Have you not been doing that since we met?"
"Yeah, but this is personal."
"More personal than asking about my gift or age? Or if I was a demon? I shudder with dread over the possibilities."
She smiled at his sarcasm. "Fine. Does the name Makah'Alay mean anything to you?"
He hissed as his grip on his club slipped and he narrowly missed hitting himself with it. "Where did you hear that name?"
Kateri hesitated. Talk about personal. Admitting she'd seen him in her dreams for years was kind of creepy. Could that be considered a form of stalking? She hadn't done it intentionally. Still ...
Oh c'mon, Teri. Every friggin' thing about this is creepy. He was creepy.
Might he have the power to walk in her dreams? He was old ... and he was as paranormal as anything could be. It was possible that he'd been the one to make her dream those things.
Hoping for the best, she opted for the truth. "I've seen visions of you, but in them you're always called Makah'Alay."
Ren couldn't breathe as he heard that. Why would she dream of him? Dreams had great power. They were the key to all creation.
To all life.
If he saw visions of her and she saw them of him, then that meant they were tied together.
Intimately.
Was she the tool the Grizzly would use in this time and place to destroy him? It was the only thing that made sense. It would explain how she knew his name and why he'd been warned about her.
Whatever he did, he couldn't let his guard down where she was concerned. She was his assassin.
"And in these visions ... what does Makah'Alay do?"
She didn't flinch or hesitate with her response. "Usually, he kills me."
"Have no fear, ta'hu'la. I would never kill you. It's forbidden."
"Forbidden by whom?"
"The one who owns me. I came back to this life to protect humans, not harm them. So long as you're with me, I will give my life for yours. As for Makah'Alay, he died a long time ago."