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punishment.”
    Kieron smiled at her for a moment. “’Tis more consideration than she deserves, but I am not surprised by that.” He turned to Annis. “You are lucky. Fia is more forgiving than I, but even her sentence would not hold with me if you had caused more harm to my chief than prolonging his pain, which is already more harm than the man deserves. If you had, I would happily give you over to Tavish’s temper.” He grabbed her none too gently by the upper arm and dragged her to the door. The pouch that held the milky stone bounced against his leg and caught Fia’s attention.
    “Wait.” She knew the stone had turned vaguely pink when she and Elena had held it, and now it turned a sickly dark brown when Annis spoke. Kieron said she lied, and she had verified that for herself. The stone told him. A murky brown for lies. Pink for truth. She suddenly realized it was after he saw the stone turn pink, not only in her own hand, but also in Elena’s, that he had assured Tavish that she could heal the MacAlister chief, as if he knew it for a truth.
    Truth. If the stone knew when someone spoke the truth…
    “Kieron, can you have someone else take her away?” Excitement coursed through her, dissolving all fatigue in its wake. “I need to discuss something with you.”
    He glared at Annis. “Aye, lass. Give me a moment to hand her off and I shall send someone to fetch more willow for you. I know my grandmum has a supply. Shall I summon someone I trust to sit with the chief so you can prepare the brew yourself?”
    “Not yet,” she said, turning her attention fully to her patient. “Not yet.”

Chapter Four
     
    Kieron hurried back to the hallhouse after rounding up a guard for the disgraced Annis. He then sent a lad to Kieron’s grandmother for some willow. He was anxious to get back to Fia, and not just to learn what she had in mind for the chief. In spite of the distraction of Annis’s interrogation, Kieron couldn’t shake the desire that had gripped him when he’d kissed her. The pull of it still shimmered through him like the northern lights, shifting and pulsing each time he thought of the taste of her, sweet like the first taste of honey mead, the warmth of her in his arms, her soft breasts pressed against his chest, the…
    He had to stop lest he grab the woman and kiss her as soon as he saw her again, and that he could not do.
    As soon as she had put her small, perfectly formed hand in his, he had known that she felt the same attraction he did. He grinned, well pleased with this day in spite of the discovery of Annis’s deceit.
    He should have acted sooner with that one. He had known there was something uncomfortable between the lass and Fia from the way Fia dealt with her—cool and to the point—unlike the way she dealt with everyone else—with smiles and warmth—but he had thought it was just one of those tiffs women got into with each other, else why would Elena have sent the lass with them? If only he had tested her with the Winter Stone sooner…
    But he hadn’t. At least now, thanks to Fia, Annis would be punished for her acts against the chief and for her lies. Pride rushed through him at the memory of Fia confronting Annis when she realized the lass put the chief’s recovery in danger. She was like a mother badger defending her kits, fierce and unafraid to stand between her patient and her assistant. Pouring the false brew on the floor had been a bit dramatic, but it made her point quite clear—she would not be giving anyone that brew.
    He picked up his pace, jogging the rest of the way back to her side.
    Moments later he burst into the chief’s chamber and found Fia at the brazier that was used to both heat the room and heat water for the chief’s care. She was stirring the embers under a small pot of water and had a larger bowl filled with oats ground to a fine powder ready to make a new poultice. He glanced over at the chief who was once more fitfully asleep.
    “I gave him the