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“I want no payment for my trouble.”
    “But you will seek the vision? You’ll help me?”
    “Aye.” His blue eyes shifted away. “For Aiden’s sake.”
    “When?”
    “ ‘Where’ is the better question, lass.”
    “All right. Where?”
    “Such an endeavor is best done in a place of power. A circle ordained by the Old Ones.”
    “A ring of stones, you mean.”
    “Aye.”
    An unpleasant shiver ran through her. She’d been raised on tales of bloodthirsty Druids and human sacrifices made within those stone circles. She pushed such thoughts aside. “When may we depart?”
    “
I
depart on the morrow. Ye will stay here.”
    “Alone?” What if he didn’t return? What if he decided to keep the grail for himself? Aiden had declared Owein a man of honor, but what if he were wrong? Her father would die. “No. I’ll go with you.”
    He shook his head. “ ’Twould be folly.”
    “I won’t be a burden.”
    He gave a short laugh. “Ye would be a grinding stone hung from my neck! A mountain in winter is no place for a woman.”
    “Many women once lived in these hills.”
    “Aye,” Owein said. “Celt women, not Roman ones. A Celt woman is strong and clever.”
    “Are you saying I’m weak and dull-witted?”
    “I didna say it, lass.”
    “Clara,” she muttered. “My name is Clara. Not ‘lass.’ ”
    He held her gaze for a moment, then snorted and looked away.
    Clara’s anger surged. She gathered her pride like a mantle around her, straightening her shoulders and drawing herself up to her full height. “I’ll not be left behind. If you try to leave without me, I’ll follow.”
    “If I were of a mind to lose ye, lass, ’twould be no challenge.”
    Her hands fisted in her lap. “You won’t go without me.”
    His lips pursed. “I willna carry ye.”
    “You won’t need to. I give my word on it.”
    “Ah, that’s fine. The word of a Roman. Forgive me, lass, if I’m nay overwhelmed with joy.”
    Barbarian.
The thought rose sharply. She hadn’t realized she’d sent the word into his mind until she saw his eyes narrow. Again, they were joined. And just like before, she had no clear idea how the union had come about.
    His swift rage seared her. She withdrew as quickly as she could, heart pounding.
    He rose and stepped toward her, causing her to tip her head back. He towered over her, his blue eyes glittering. “Keep to yourself, lass,” he said evenly.
    “I … I didn’t mean to do it,” she whispered. “I’ll try not to let it happen again. Please. Let me go with you. I’ll be no trouble.”
    He stared at her for what seemed a long time. Then his expression turned calculating. “Perhaps I’ll take ye to the stones,” he said, “if ye agree to give me something first.”
    Tiny wings fluttered in her belly. “Coin? Gold?”
    “Nay. ’Tis something I’ve wanted since I first laid eyes on ye. Worth more, I am thinking, than all the jewels in your wee bag.”
    “What is it?” Clara whispered.
    His gaze dropped to her mouth. “A kiss, lass. I would have a kiss.”

Chapter Five
    “A … a kiss?”
    Owein suppressed a snort of amusement. The expression on Clara’s face—wary and curious at once—brought to mind a kitten exploring dangerous ground. His fingers itched to unravel her braids and spread her glossy tresses about her shoulders. She was unaware of it, but a pin on the sleeve of her tunic had come undone, baring a swatch of creamy skin. If only one or two more clasps would break, the yellow wool would surely slip far enough to reveal the curve of her breast.
    He captured her gaze. “Aye. A kiss.” He was crazed, perhaps. But it had been more than two years since he’d seen a woman, and he’d seen more of this Roman lass than he could bear. The strain of denying his desire had only grown. Just thinking of claiming Clara’s lips had his body tightening in anticipation.
    He’d wanted her the moment she’d blinked up into his eyes. But now that he’d discovered she