“It is.” Madeleine’s voice was rough, a breaker against sandstone. “Too important to talk about now. Don’t you ever want to think about things before you start talking about them?”

Hæra had been thinking for five years about what she’d say to Madeleine, how much she would reveal, and she still wasn’t sure. “Sometimes.” Now, of all times, the urge to tease Madeleine returned. “On special occasions.”

Madeleine gave her a quick, startled-looking glance. Hæra couldn’t help grinning at her. How could she? The sun was out, lighting the edges of Madeleine’s dark hair. It changed the color of her eyes too, from the shallows of the sea to the paler grass all around them. You had to smile at something so beautiful.

“Um.” Madeleine began to play with her jacket’s zip, which she’d drawn all the way up to her chin. “This is…you were right. It’s a great view.”

Hæra raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

“Huh?”

“You’re not looking at it.”

Madeleine’s breath caught, and she turned away at once. This time, Hæra didn’t mind. The sun seemed to have lit in her own chest. Right now, nothing could be finer than standing in this light, at the top of this hill, with this woman.

No, that wasn’t true. It would be even finer if Hæra could touch her—slide her arm around Madeleine’s shoulders as she’d seen Jim do with Isla. Could she? Madeleine hadn’t objected earlier when Hæra had touched her hand, and later her forearm.

Then, Madeleine stepped away again, and the question was moot. “You really can see everything.”

True. Because Hæra couldn’t put her hands on Madeleine, she put them on her own hips and looked around. From the top of this hill, the green land of Jorsay rolled, stretching out toward the cliffs and shore.

The sea surrounded them on all sides. Whitecaps glistened in the distance, and milky foam sluiced over the sand and rocks of the shore. This far inland, on a sunny day with no storms, no Each-uisge would see Hæra. From here, she could look upon her former home. Would it ever be her home again? Would she return to prove herself, earn her wings, and take a place of honor in the herd? If she did, the Sire would pardon her, and Beathag and Asgall would never hurt her again. She wouldn’t have to mate, and she’d have her full strength back. It was what she’d always wanted.