glimmered in her sea-green eyes, and the sight wrenched at his heart.
He took a deep breath. Maybe it would be better if he changed the subject. “Will you go home as I asked?”
She closed her eyes briefly with a pained look. “Were you trying to coerce me? Is that why you kissed—”
“No!” Shit, he’d just made things worse. Now she must think he was a monster. “There was no ulterior motive involved. It was nothing more than . . . lust.” And longing.
Her eyes widened. “You feel lust for me?”
“Well, yes. A little.” He waved a dismissive hand. “At the moment. Any man would. You’re naked. And you’re the most beautiful woman in all of Aerthlan.”
She gave him a dubious look. “I’ve never heard anyone else make that claim.”
“Believe me, the men are thinking it,” he growled. “They all want you, I’m sure of it.” The bastards. “So don’t you dare shift in front of anyone else. Understand?”
A corner of her mouth curled up.
Why the hell did she look so amused? “This is not a jest, Maeve. You may think that getting naked is simply part of the shifting process, but to any man it’s going to be damned seductive. So be careful. All right?”
She bit her lip as if she was trying not to grin.
Dammit, she still wasn’t taking him seriously. “You don’t understand the power you wield as a siren. When you sing, men will cross oceans to hear the sound of your voice. When you laugh, they will lose their hearts to you.”
Her smile faded as a wary look crossed her face.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I feel that I do need to apologize for getting carried away. Are you all right now?”
She groaned. “I’m fine. And you shouldn’t apologize. As far as first kisses go, I thought it was rather nice.”
“Nice?” Hell, he’d never gone stiff so quickly in his life.
“I would say glorious, but then I have nothing to compare it to.”
His groin sprang back to attention, urging him to give her a full range of samples for her comparative analysis. Control yourself, you dog. “So, will you go home?”
“No. Will you tell me your plan so I can help you?”
“No.” He couldn’t let her find out that her parents had started the Circle of Five.
She sighed. “We seem to have reached an impasse.” When she folded her arms across her chest, the movement lifted her breasts a little bit.
He gulped and looked away.
“You fussed at me that I would be no match for an Embraced army,” she muttered. “But neither are you. It’s too dangerous for you to take this on by yourself. What if they capture you? How will we know where to find you?”
He didn’t want to explain that he would be safe as long as he was disguised as the Seer. But still, she had a point. As soon as he discovered the whereabouts of the Embraced army, he needed to let Leo and the other kings know. If Maeve was correct, and the army was hidden on another island, he could fly to the Isle of Moon quickly enough that no one would miss him. “All right. You can help me.”
Her eyes lit up. “How?”
“Remain here at the convent. If all goes well, I’ll come tell you the location of the Embraced army. Then you can have Nevis take the news back to Leo.”
Her shoulders slumped. “That’s it?”
“I’m counting on you. It would take too long for me to fly all the way to Eberon.”
She nodded slowly. “When do you think you’ll come?”
“I’m not sure. Sometime in the next few days. I’ll probably have to sneak over here in the middle of the night.”
She sighed. “Very well.”
“Thank you.” He stepped back, memorizing every curve and angle of her beautiful face, her sea-green eyes shimmering in the light of the full moons, her creamy pale skin and midnight-black hair. “Please stay safe.”
She gave him a wry look. “Careful, or I might think that you care.”
He winced inwardly. “I’m only thinking about myself. I don’t want any distractions while I’m working.”
Her mouth curled up. “Right.”
Was that a hint of sarcasm? He’d better get the hell out of here. “Good-bye.” He turned, and as he shifted into a seal, he heard her sweet voice calling out to him.
“Be safe, Brody.”
He swam around the bend and slid up onto a rocky shore. Then he shifted into an eagle and flew away. As he passed over the convent, he heard her singing. Her