Mists of Velvet

run-ins with the murderer. But it was Bronwnn he worried over. She was pale and shaking. His capable goddess was terrified.
    “We’re leaving— now .”
    She didn’t try to stop him. Instead, she ran to the table and wiped her face with a damp cloth, then pulled a white gown from the bag she had brought. She slipped it over her head, and, as the garment’s fabric slid downward, Rhys watched as it hugged her curves. The long hem slid over her thighs, covering the blue line of the tattoo.
    He had touched her there, seconds before she had gone into her trance. That tattoo, he thought, was not simply a tattoo, but a portal of some sort. She saw that he was looking there, and she hurriedly covered her thigh.
    “That’s how you had the vision, isn’t it? I touched you there.”
    She nodded, then glanced away from him.
    “How does the connection work?”
    Shrugging, she avoided his gaze and packed up the bottles and jars into her bag. Then she pointed to the door.
    Fine. They would leave, but this conversation definitely wasn’t over.
    Reaching for the door, he inched it open and peered into the darkness. Trees surrounded them, and the first rays of dawn were too weak to penetrate through the tall trunks and thick canopy of leaves.
    He listened for a second, then proceeded to take a step. He was blocked by a massive chest.
    “Going somewhere?”
    His heart stopped, then immediately started firing again when he looked up to find Bran, the king of the Sidhe, glaring down at him.
    Keir was behind him. So were Sayer and two other men Rhys had never met. Gazing out over the gathered crowd, he saw Rowan and Mairi at the back of the pack, their eyes wide and their cheeks pink. Shit! Instantly, he placed his hands over his genitals.
    “Drostan,” Bran commanded. “Summon a pair of pants for our friend. He seems to have misplaced his.”
    The blond-haired warrior stepped forward and looked at him from head to toe with a distasteful grimace. “My summoning magick is for greater things than this. Besides, he’s a mor—”
    “Do it,” Bran snapped.
    Rhys found his lower body encased in black leather. Personally, he was a jeans type of guy, but leather would do for now. He nodded his thanks to the warrior, who continued to look at him with disgust.
    “What took you so long?” he asked Keir. “I’ve been searching for you for days.”
    “I couldn’t hear you.”
    Keir had his arm around Rowan. No wonder Keir hadn’t heard him. He’d probably been too busy listening to Rowan’s sighs of pleasure.
    Reaching for Bronwnn’s hand, Rhys pulled her out from behind him and heard Keir gasp. Rhys knew the wraith had seen her in Rhys’ dreams. Their gazes met, confirming what Rhys suspected. “ We’ll talk later, ” they mentally conveyed between them.
    “We need to leave this place,” he announced as he stepped out into the night with Bronwnn in tow.
    “You may both come back to the castle.” Bran’s gaze drifted over Rhys’ chest. “But what has happened?”
    “The Dark Mage,” Rhys said. “We have information about him, but not here. This place isn’t secure.”
    “Then let us be off.”
    “Not so quickly, Raven.”
    Rhys whirled around as the woman’s voice came from the forest. Behind him, Bronwnn clutched his forearm. Then, a woman wearing a long white gown and a white robe stepped out from between two trees. Her golden blond hair hung to her waist. She looked like a medieval princess as she glided over to them.
    He knew who she was the minute her gaze turned upon him.
    “Rhys MacDonald, descendant of Daegan, you are not welcome in Annwyn.”
    Keir stepped between them, and Cailleach glared at him. “Your bond has no power here, Shadow Wraith. The mortal is mine.”
    Rhys heard Bronwnn gasp at the same time she squeezed his hand. He squeezed back, letting her know everything was going to be okay.
    “Rhys MacDonald, your life is forfeit, the punishment for trespassing in Annwyn.”
    “Cailleach, you will stay where you are,” Bran commanded.
    “Alas, your orders do not pertain to me, Raven. This is my curse, and I will deal with it as I wish.”
    Keir stepped between them again, and the goddess raised her hand. “I could kill you, wraith.”
    “I am prepared to die for him.”
    “But not in Annwyn. Not this night. You are needed elsewhere, and so you will turn back and leave us be.”
    Keir started to say something, but Cailleach pressed past him. He reached for her, but she sent him a