He smiled as the gentle ripples in the watergave away her disquiet. It was a conqueror’s smile, full of darkthoughts and decadent intentions.
Shea was so in over her head.
“Roughly eight months?” His thumb rubbeddelicately against the rim of her ear. “I wonder how much youlearned in that time.”
He rested his chin on the arm draped acrossthe tub. Shea watched him, spellbound by the liquid warmth in hiswhiskey colored eyes.
“Do you know how most Trateri chooses theirTelroi, the bearer of their children?”
Shea shrugged. She’d heard stories. That wasit. Some of them had seemed a little farfetched.
“Most pairings happen when one abducts theother.”
Shea hid her skepticism. That was pretty muchanother way to say kidnapping. There wasn’t a lot of places arelationship could go from there.
“Yes,” he said to the clear doubt in herface. “Our people have a long standing tradition of seeing apotential partner and then claiming them whether they want to beclaimed or not.”
“Doesn’t seem like an ideal start to a lifetogether.”
“You forget that for the past fourgenerations our people were not united. They were scattered intribes, and every tribe regarded the others as enemies. Carryingour potential mates off into the night was the only way to surviveas a people.” He tugged at a strand of hair. “It also added spiceto a couple’s beginning.”
Some spice.
“That still doesn’t tell me why you’re so allfired up to have me as your Tolroi. If I recall, the first time youtried to make off with me, I was coming off a three day journeyacross country and had just mounted a rescue mission. I hardlycompared to the beauties in your own camp.”
Shea didn’t lie to herself. Her strengths layin her brain and her talent for navigation, not in how fair of faceshe was. She was happy with that much and saw no need to aspire tomore. The fact that a warlord professed to want her was bafflingand set her instincts twanging. There was more.
“It’s true. Your beauty isn’t the type tooutshine the likes of Indra.”
Ha. Shea knew it.
“But there’s more to attraction than theexterior packaging. The color of your eyes has been burned into mybrain since that man ripped away your hood in Edgecomb. The feel ofyour body when I caught you on the wagon has tormented me in dreamsever since. I never know what is going on behind those eyes ofyours.” He gave her a wicked smile and Shea’s breath caught at thesight. “You are a constantly evolving puzzle. It drives me mad, andfor someone like me, who can guess an opponent’s move before theyeven make it, that is more attractive than a fragile thing likeappearance could ever be. You ask why you. How could it be any butyou?”
Shea’s heart felt like it was going a mile aminute. She felt like she was suspended and any movement would sendher plummeting to the ground.
For a warlord used to spending time killingor practicing to kill, he could sure talk pretty. Even Dane didn’thave as glib a tongue as this man.
Shea had to be careful, or he’d wrap heraround his finger before she even know what hit her.
“So it’s not because I’m one of the few whocan get you past the cliffs?”
Fallon didn’t move, the expression on hisface remained unchanged, and yet the room felt saturated with hisanger.
Shea held very still, somehow knowing that asingle movement could reap consequences she was in no way preparedto deal with.
A quick movement and Fallon caught Sheabehind the neck, slowly forcing her up with him as he stood. Watersluiced down her body as she rose.
The pulse at her neck beat wildly as his gazeheld her rapt attention.
“I will admit that is a significant benefitto our union,” he told her, his voice a deadly whip in its quietintensity. “But you would have led me past the cliffs and the mistwhether I claimed you as my Tolroi or not. Those weapons you had inEdgecomb are too important to walk away from. You forget, littlecat, I am the warlord. I don’t need pretty words to get what I wantfrom you.”
She grasped his wrist tightly for balance. Hewasn’t hurting her. His grip was firm on her neck but notharsh.
He put his mouth against her ear andwhispered, “I suggest you enjoy your run while you can. In the end,you will still be mine, and youwillgive me what I want.”He drew back and smiled his dark smile at her. “I will certainlyenjoy the chase you lead me on.”
With that, he released her and was gonebefore she had caught her balance.
She sank back into the water no longerfeeling the warmth.
