“For once in her life, the thought of being on the back of a magnificent horse did not command Rycca's attention. She was far too busy looking at her magnicifent husband as he removed his sword belt and blithely shucked off his trousers. Naked, he walked straight into the pool, submerged completely, and came up a few minutes later, tossing streams of water from the thick mane of his hair."Hand me the soap,would you?"Such a simple task, yet to fulfill it he would have to come closer.Or she would."That's a lovely gown," he said, smiling."All my gowns are lovely thanks to the Lady Krysta and your own generosity.""It would be a shame to get it wet."She looked at him in alarm, wondering if he would actually do such a thing. His answer was a look of pure innocence, which immediately confirmed her suspicions."Do you have any idea how any women must have labored so long to make this gown?""No,do you?""Well,no,not actually because I never had a gown like this before, but even so, surely you wouldn't do anything to damage it?""Just to be safe,why don't you take it off?"Oh,yes,that would certainly be safe. Indeed,never was she any safer than when was she naked and in his arms. Except, of course, from the danger of her own emotions."I bathed when I awoke.""The day is warm.""The pool looks deep.Recall, I cannot swim.""Recall I mean to teach you.”

“Rycca?""Yes...""I will take two breaths. Then I am coming out of here, taking that gown off you, and you are going to learn to swim.Clear?"Clear.She took another step back and glanced over her shoulder,looking for a likely route for flight. It was a mistake.Wet hands gripped her. He was there so suddenly she had no time to anticipate it.Just as quickly he removed her gown, prompting the gnawing thought that he was very adept at dispensing with women's garments.The water was...not unpleasant."Relax," Dragon said. He held her snug against him as he waded in deeper.Her stare was chiding.He saw it and laughed. "All right,perhaps that is too much to ask.But try not to drown us both.""I could do that?""No,of course not,it was a joke. Just breathe normally.You're doing fine."She was clinging to him as the water rose ever higher around them. Why did people do this? Why couldn't they stay on land where they belonged?"I don't think-""Good,thinking is a mistake in situations like this.""I meant this is not a good idea."He stopped and looked down at her, his eyes suddenly tender. "Rycca, fish swim.""Of course they do.""Fish are very stupid.How else do you think we catch them? Yet they swim and you, a woman of intelligence and spirit, will do the same.”

“What is it?” Dragon asked.“There is a man, lord, just off a ship from Normandy. He’s in the tavern over there and he’s asking for the Lady Rycca.”“Is he? What manner of man?” “Tall, slender, actually he looks rather like her ladyship. He says she is his sister and he seeks word of her.”“Does Rycca have yet another brother?” Wolf asked. He was close to Dragon and had overheard the exchange. The news had him fingering the hilt of his sword.“Yes, she does, but I gather he’s an altogether different sort. Do you mind finishing up here?”“Not at all. Go ahead.”Scant minutes later, Dragon set a horn of ale in front of the visitor from Normandy. The young man looked up, startled. He was pale skinned, with eyes like honey and hair that held the promise of fire. Had Rycca been a man, she would have looked just like him.Happy, happy day that she was not.“What brings you to Hawkforte, friend?” Dragon asked as he took the seat opposite his new acquaintance. “I seek word of my sister, the Lady Rycca of Wolscroft. I have had troubling word of her in Normandy and wish to be assured of her safety.”Trouble involving Rycca? How astonishing. Dragon hid a grin and said, “You would be called—”“Thurlow. And you are—?”This time, Dragon’s smile would not be denied. “Ah, well, as to that, therein hangs a tale.”

“The day wore on.While yet Rycca slept, Dragon did all the things she had said he would do-paced back and forth, contemplated mayhem,and even honed his blade on the whetstone from the stable.All except being oblivious to her,for that he could never manage.But when she awoke,sitting up heavy-lidded, her mouth so full and soft it was all he could do not to crawl back into bed with her,he put aside such pursuits and controlled himself admirably well,so he thought. Yet in the midst of preparing a meal for them from the provisions in the pantry of the lodge,he was stopped by Rycca's hand settling upon his."Dragon," she said softly, "if you add any more salt to that stew, we will need a barrel of water and more to drink with it."He looked down, saw that she was right, and cursed under his breath. Dumping out the spoiled stew, he started over. They ate late but they did eat.He was quite determined she would do so,and for once she seemed to have a decent appetite."I'm glad to see your stomach is better," he said as she was finishing.She looked up,startled. "What makes you say that?""You haven't seemed able to eat regularly of late.""Oh,well,you know...so many changes...travel...all that."He nodded,reached for his goblet, and damn near knocked it over as a sudden thought roared through him."Rycca?"She rose quickly,gathering up the dishes. His hand lashed out, closing on her wrist. Gently but inexorably, he returned her to her seat. Without taking his eyes from her,he asked, "Is there something you should tell me?""Something...?""I ask myself what sort of changes may cause a woman to be afflicted with an uneasy stomach and it occurs to me I've been a damned idiot.""Not so! You could never be that.""Oh,really? How otherwise would I fail to notice that your courses have not come of late? Or is that also due to travel,wife?""Some women are not all that regular.""Some women do not concern me.You do,Rycca. I swear,if you are with child and have not told me, I will-"She squared her shoulders,lifted her head,and met his eyes hard on. "Will what?""What? Will what? Does that mean-""I'm sorry,Dragon." Truly repentant, Rycca sighed deeply. "I was going to tell you.I was just waiting for a calmer time.I didn't want you to worry more."Still grappling with what she had just revealed,he stared at her in astonishment. "You mean worry that my wife and our child are bait for a murderous traitor?""I know you're angry and you have a right to be.But if I had told you, we wouldn't be here now.""Damn right we wouldn't be!" He got up from the table so abruptly that his chair toppled over and crashed to the floor.Ignoring it,Dragon paced back and forth,glaring at her.Rycca waited,trusting the storm to pass. As she did,she counted silently, curious to see just how long it would take her husband to grasp fully what he had discovered.Nine...ten..."We're going to have a baby."Not long at all.She nodded happily. "Yes,we are, and you're going to be a wonderful father."He walked back to the table,picked her up out of her chair,held her high against his chest,and stared at her."My God-"Rycca laughed. "You can't possibly be surprised.It's not as though we haven't been doing our best to make this happen.""True,but still it's absolutely incredible."Very gently,she touched his face. "Perhaps we think of miracles wrongly. They're supposed to be extraordinarily rare but in fact they're as commonplace as a bouquet of wildflowers plucked by a warrior...or a woman having a baby."Dragon sat down with her still in his arms and held her very close.He swallowed several times and said nothing.Both could have remained contentedly like that for a long while, but only a few minutes passed before they were interrupted. The raven lit on the sill of the open window just long enough to catch their attention,then she was gone into the bloodred glare of the dying day.”

“Take off your clothes. Better yet, I’ll do it.”“Oh, no!” She stepped back quickly in alarm, which prompted a swift frown from him. It vanished when Rycca said, “I saw how you manhandled that tunic. You aren’t about to do the same to this gown. Just wait a moment . . .”Even as she spoke, she deftly undid the laces down the side of the garment and lifted it carefully but quickly over her head. Her husband was in a mood, ridden by tension she could not understand. She wanted to placate him, yet she also wished to surrender to the urges he so effortlessly unleashed within her.Naked save for the gauzy chemise that hid nothing from his eyes, she stood before him, her head lifted proudly to conceal the quivering she felt within. She gloried in his gaze, hot and potent, raking over her. But when he reached for her, she stepped back again. “I ask a boon, lord.”She had never asked him for anything—save freedom and that he could not give. Caught, knowing he could hardly refuse, Dragon rasped, “What?” He had not meant to be so curt but speech was almost beyond him. He wanted her with a desperation he had never felt before save every time he lay with her, and even then he usually managed to maintain some semblance of control. Not now. He burned, his body drawn bow-taut. If he did not sheathe himself soon within his wife’s silken depths . . .She looked at him directly, her eyes wide and candid. “All day I have wanted to . . . touch you.”His dark brows rose. “All day?” Well, that was certainly pleasing but it didn’t make his condition any easier to bear. Harshly, he said, “You don’t have to ask permission to touch me.”She shrugged her lovely, almost bare shoulders. “I know, but under the circumstances . . .” Her gaze drifted down his body, rather pointedly, he thought.Which definitely did not help matters at all.“You can touch me later,” he said and reached for her again. She pressed her palms against his chest, tossed back her gleaming hair, and laughed. Really, he was going to die from this. “Just a little now . . . please?”Dragon squeezed his eyes shut and reached deep down inside himself for the control that was so intrinsic a part of his warrior’s nature. It had to be in there somewhere. Any moment now he’d stumble across it.”

“His teeth flashed white as he smiled. “Let us strike a bargain, wife.”“What sort of bargain?” She made no attempt to hide her suspicion.“I will do as I please with no resistance from you, and when I am satisfied, you may do as you wish.”For just one moment, his evenhandedness surprised her. Just a moment . . .“Do you remember what I said about ignorance and innocence, my lord?”“Very clearly, my lady.”“I have shucked off both. You toy with me. When you are satisfied, you will go to sleep and leave me to fume at having entered into so poor a pact.”“You wound me, all the worse for wounding yourself. Do you not know you are a temptress no man could resist?” He frowned at the sudden thought. “Although they had damn well better lest they be fodder for my sword.” His big hand caught her hair, drawing her head back, baring her throat to his caress. “Be advised, wife, I am a possessive man.”She took a breath, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and parted her legs, drawing him into the cradle of her hips. “Be advised, husband,” she murmured close beside his ear just before she bit it lightly, “I am a possessive woman.”

“It was as she remembered, a haven of comfort and serenity. With a glad sigh, she kicked off her shoes and sat down on the side of the bed.Smiling, she patted the mattress beside her.Her husband scowled. It seemed to have become his habit. "We aren't here to relax.""Wolscroft may not even be in the area. It could take days for this to be settled.""He's here," Dragon said with certainty. "He will know what happened at Winchester, and he will be looking for a way to stop us before we can threaten him further."Privately, Rycca believed the same but she saw no reason to stress it. Nothing would happen until dark. Of that she was confident. Which meant..."We have hours to fill.Any ideas?"When he realized her meaning,he looked startled. With a laugh,she scrambled off the bed and went to him."Oh,Dragon,for heaven's sake, do you really want to mope around here all day? I certainly don't. I still haven't gotten over being afraid Magnus was going to kill you,and I simply don't want to think about death anymore. I want to celebrate life.""There are three hundred men out there-""Which is why we're in here." She raised herself on tiptoe, bit the lobe of his ear, and whispered, "I promise not to yell too loudly."A shudder ran through him. Even as his big hands stroked her back,he said, "Warriors don't mope.""No,of course they don't.It was a poor choice of words.But you'll be pacing back and forth, looking out the windows, or you'll go get that whetstone I noticed in the stable and sharpen your sword endlessly, or you'll be staring off into space with that dangerous look you get when you're contemplating mayhem. You'll be totally oblivious to me and-"He laughed despite himself and drew her closer. "Enough! Heaven forbid I behave so churlishly.""Speaking of heaven..."With the covers kicked back,the bed was smooth and cool.They undressed each other slowly, relishing the wonder of discovery that still came to them fresh and pure as their very first time."Remember?" Rycca murmured as she trailed her lips along his broad, powerfully muscled shoulder and down the solid wall of his chest. "I was so nervous...""Really?" Fooled me....Ah...""I'd never seen anything so beautiful as you.""Not...beautiful...you are...""I can't believe how strong you are. Why am I never afraid with you?""Know I'd die 'fore hurting you? Sweetheart...""Ohhh! Dragon...please..."His hands and lips moved over her, sweetly tormenting. She clutched his shoulders, her hips rising, and welcomed him deep within her. Still he tantalized her, making her writhe and laughing when she squeezed him hard with her powerful inner muscles. But the laughter turned quickly to a moan of delight.She looked up into his perfectly formed face,more handsome than any man had a right to be, and into his tawny eyes that were the windows of a soul more beautiful than any physical form. A piercing sense of blessedness filled her that she should be so fortunate as to love and be loved by such a man.Her cresting cry was caught by him, hismouth hard against hers, the spur to his own completion that went on and on,seemingly without end.”