Alyce looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears.
Whether she loved him or not, there was no excuse for what she had done. And she had not done it alone. Her accomplice was somewhere within the keep.
“I want you out of the keep by nightfall.”
With a sob, she threw herself at his feet, her arms wrapping around his ankles. “No! Please, not that!”
“Count yourself lucky that I’m letting you keep your head!”
“Where will I go? Please, my lord, let me stay!”
“Go where you will. Be gone from my sight! And take Ragan with you.”
Sobbing, she gained her feet and moved woodenly toward the door. She paused to look back at him, her eyes begging him for mercy. Finding none, she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Reyes stared after her. He would have no one within the keep that he couldn’t trust. He held loyalty above all else. To betray someone under his roof was the same as betraying him. Alyce had crossed the line and there was no going back.
Later, after he had bathed and dressed, he summoned Shanara.
She arrived a short time later. She was more beautiful every time he saw her. This morning, she wore a lavender, long-sleeved gown. The square neckline revealed a modest amount ofgolden-brown flesh. Her hair fell over her shoulders, a mass of thick auburn waves that tempted his touch.
He felt his gut clench when he thought of how he had found her in the bottom of the pit. Had he not found her in time, she might have fallen prey to wild beasts, or starved to death. For the first time that he could remember, he was grateful for the curse that plagued him. Without it, he might never have found her.
He took a deep calming breath, then gestured at the table, now laden with covered dishes. “Sit, Shanara,” he invited.
She walked across the room and took a seat at the table.
She carried herself like a queen, he thought. Her every movement was regal. He sat across from her, every fiber of his being aware of her beauty, her nearness. It had been a mistake, inviting her to his chambers. She was far too desirable and his bed far too near at hand for his peace of mind.
He filled her plate with the meal the cook had prepared for them. They ate in silence for a time. Reyes had no interest in food, not with Shanara sitting across from him. All he could think of was carrying her to bed and making slow, sweet love to her, then falling asleep in her arms.
“My lord, you must not stare at me so.”
“It displeases you?”
She blushed prettily under his regard. “It is unseemly.”
“Unseemly?” he asked, amused. “There is nothing unseemly about a man admiring his bride to be.”
“I never said I would marry you.”
“But you will.”
“Nay.”
“I will have my way in this, Shanara. Tomorrow, the castle seamstress will attend you. We will be wed on Sunday.”
“You said a fortnight!”
“I have changed my mind.”
Rising, he rounded the table and lifted her into his arms.
“My lord, we must not…”
“Just a kiss,” he murmured, lowering his head. “One kiss.”
One kiss, she thought, and she was lost. What power did he possess that he could so easily make her want him? All thought of right and wrong, friend or foe, fled her mind as his lips captured hers. Her stomach fluttered at his nearness. Her legs grew weak and she leaned against him, gasping as she felt his arousal. Her body grew warm, her heartbeat erratic.
