Free Vision of Light [The Renegades 1] by Amanda Hilton

that made him appear to be sleeping, she felt energy shifting within him.
    She remembered faintly him carrying her, running fast. Something had exchanged between them. Even now, she could feel his touch, his warm fingers gentle against her throat, her temples, her shoulder blades. Her body felt different. Reaching over, Aislan touched his knee. He stiffened as her fingers pressed into the solid, muscular thigh. She felt wetness, his blood. His clothes were torn, and she saw open wounds on his leg and arm. As she sat up, everything came back in full force. Aislan felt the hilt of the dagger in her hand.
    Scooting away from him, Aislan stared at him in the semi-darkness. She could barely make out his features, but she saw his eyelids flicker. Even while inactive, he remained dynamically vibrant. She knew then he could not break his concentration. Her pulse raced in nervous uncertainty as she got to her feet. He remained unmoving, but she sensed his tenseness and just a tinge of anger.
    Aislan looked at the dagger on the ground. Even though it could protect her on her journey, she knew it would also provide a means for him to track her. He had protected her, but when it came down to it, she was his prisoner. Aislan had no other choice because staying meant the inevitability. She had to take the opportunity to escape, to maintain the last shred of dignity. Her nature dictated that she run for freedom. She would no longer allow any man to own her. Aislan headed for the entrance of the cave and began walking as fast as she could, heading for Victania, the only place she belonged. Her vision had told her so.
    When Aislan was about eleven, she had learned about Victania, an all-female sorcery clan, from one of the troubadours. Her father had not wanted to talk about her abduction by Narisse, so Aislan had painted Victania as a school for girls. She begged and pleaded with him to pay for her education with them, but he had balked at the suggestion, refusing to spend his limited coffers on the education of any of his five daughters.
    Aislan had run away many times in search of Victania, and her father caught her every single time before she got very far, beating her for her constant defiance, and eventually, locking her up for fearing she would succeed. Soon, she found out why he would not let her go. A few months before she turned sixteen, he had sold her to Hayton Temple, who had been waiting for her to grow old enough to wed. At every opportunity, she would run away, causing Hayton to lock her up in a tower or keep her under guard. Confined since she was twelve by her father, Aislan continued her life as a virtual prisoner at Templeton Castle these past four years. It took Hayton's death to gain her freedom, but she did not feel responsible. Aislan absolved herself of all responsibility and guilt because his activities leading to his execution had nothing to do with her.
    As she walked, Aislan sensed a change within herself. Something was different, but she could not determine what. She felt more energetic and alert. Her vision had always been good but now had become sharper. Her senses had heightened. It had rained slightly, and she smelled the dew on the passing leaves and saw sprinkles of water dripping from tree limbs. If she stopped to look, she could see each drop.
    What had happened? She could not recall much of anything after the wolf bit her. Bit her! Aislan looked at her hands and rubbed the flaky, dry blood off her skin. Her hands felt tender, but no broken skin, no pain. Lucien had healed her. She knew that without a doubt and faltered for one moment. He had saved her, and she had walked away.
    No, she was his prisoner, and she must not forget. Why had he saved her—because he wanted her? She had no need for any man's attention. She could not bear the thought of being bound to another man.
    Aislan stopped by the river for a drink of water. Starving, she dug around for roots to eat, staying hidden in the forest to keep