Perhaps in the same way her uninjured shoulder was throbbing with the ache of an unclosed blade wound.
Perhaps in the same way both of them felt the prisma burning an invisible brand into their palms.
Perhaps, just perhaps, in the same way she was painfully, violently aware of his blazing masculine need. None of that fierce desire was diminished by the accompanying pain. Her senses were shocked by the depths of that masculine need. She felt it as intensely as if it were her own.
“You are my Shield Lady. We are bound together until death.”
The words vibrated inside her head. Sariana closed her eyes, unable to question this new, strange manner of hearing. She understood nothing in this moment except the feeling of being completely and totally possessed. Even that sensation seemed to be working the same way as the shared pain, she realized. It reverberated between herself and Gryph. They were like mirrors for each other. Sensation bounced back and forth, growing more intense with each reflection. The light from that mirror scattered into countless rays.
Sariana not only felt herself possessed, she was somehow also the possessor. She held Gryph just as he held her.
Time hung still for an endless moment in the darkened bed chamber.
Then, with agonizing slowness, the savagely disorienting sensations calmed. The unnatural pain faded and took on more normal dimensions, as if she and Gryph were each reclaiming that which was legitimately their own discomfort and freeing the other of the added burden. Even the branding sensation in Sariana’s palm began to disappear.
“It’s going to be all right, Shield Lady. The worst is over.” Gryph pulled her hand away from the weapon kit and folded her throbbing palm within his. Then he kissed her trembling fingers. “I swear to you, Sariana, I had no idea it would be that violent. The link between us must be very, very strong. I’ve never heard of a mating such as this one.”
“Gryph, I don’t understand any of this.” Sariana’s mouth was so dry she could hardly get the words out. The initial, painful sensations that had gripped her were almost gone, but the sense of disorientation was taking longer to fade. And one particular focus of discomfort had not yet returned to normal. Gryph was still sheathed deeply within her body and she was intensely aware of every centimeter of his invading shaft. Her body felt unbearably tight and stretched as it sought to accommodate his.
“I know, my sweet.” Gryph was trying to speak soothingly, but his voice was still tight from his unreleased sexual tension. “I know. It’s over now. I’ll explain everything to you in the morning. But now you and I have some unfinished business.”
Sariana winced as he began to move within her. The pain had diminished, but she still felt overly sensitized. “Gryph, I don’t want—”
“Hush, Sariana. No more words. Not now.” He continued to stroke gently in and out of her warmth. “Let yourself relax and respond. There is so much passion waiting to be released within you. I think the linking was all the more painful partly because of that passion. We are going to be very good together, you and I. Damn good.”
Sariana was not so certain of that, but her body seemed to be accepting him now, albeit somewhat unwillingly. She still felt stretched far too tightly, but the sensation was not as uncomfortable as it had been. In fact, it was oddly exciting. She tightened her hold on Gryph, preparing to let herself explore this new, more pleasant feeling. Her legs wrapped around his waist in an unconscious need to get closer to him.
Her sensual movements had a totally unexpected effect on him. Gryph lost his control.
“Sariana.”
He arched forward, surging deeply into her as his whole body went taut. Gryph stifled a shout of triumphant release and then he shuddered and collapsed on top of Sariana.
Minutes passed and Gryph did not move. Sariana stroked his warm back slowly, not certain what to do next. He seemed to be in a deep sleep. Then she became aware once more of the heat in him. He was still feverish.
Slowly, carefully she wriggled out from under Gryph’s heavy body. He didn’t stir. She slid toward the edge of the bed. Her hand brushed the weapon kit as she did so. She jerked her fingers back reflexively and then realized there was no longer any burning sensation coming from the prisma lock.
Sariana got to her feet and nearly fell over. She was weak and dizzy and every muscle in her body seemed to have turned to liquid. Turning, she glanced down at the bed. Gryph would be cold by morning. She fumbled with the quilt and managed to cover him with it. Then she checked his wound to make certain it had not started bleeding. The bandages appeared clean.
Sariana quietly picked up her clothes and pulled them on. It was fortunate that the hallway outside would probably be empty. She could make it to her own suite without being seen. She opened the door and let herself out of the room. A moment later she was safely in her own chambers.
As she closed the door behind her a small, slithering sound made her look down. The scarlet-toe was making its way toward her across the floor.
Sariana laughed shakily and bent down to scoop it up. “I don’t know why I bother to keep you in a cage, Lucky. It’s obvious you’re too smart to stay trapped in one. Are you sure you wouldn’t like to be free?”
The scarlet-toe leaped from her hand to her shoulder and curled happily into her warmth. Sariana looked at her bedraggled reflection in the mirror. Her gown was drooping, her hair was tangled and her eyes were huge and shadowed. The lizard looked like a brilliant scarlet jewel on her shoulder.
“Maybe it’s too late for you to be free, just as Gryph said,” Sariana whispered. But it was her own reflection she was studying as she spoke, not the lizard’s.
For better or worse, she seemed to have embarked on an affair with the Shield lord. She wondered if it might be better to limit the event to a one-night stand.
Sariana wasn’t sure she could survive another night in Gryph’s arms.
Chapter
7
THE vivid dawn light awakened Gryph the next morning. He lay still for a moment absorbing the knowledge that he was alone in his bed. Then he sat up slowly, wincing at the ache in his shoulder.
All things considered, he was not particularly surprised to find Sariana gone.
As a wedding night, last night had bordered on being a complete disaster. The groom had been clumsy from beginning to end and had fallen asleep immediately after the main event. The bride had undoubtedly been traumatized by the pain for which she had been totally unprepared. She certainly had not gotten any satisfaction from the encounter. On top of everything else, Gryph suspected Sariana didn’t even realize she was married. He’d been too groggy from the medic’s painkiller to explain the law of the First Generation Pact to her.
He made his way into the antechamber that held a huge sunken tub, a sink and other assorted necessities. He needed several of those necessities this morning.
The tub in Gryph’s chamber was fashioned to resemble a grotto, complete with its own waterfall and a collection of vivid green plants. He turned the bird-headed spigot that set the waterfall in action and then stepped underneath the hot water. Deep in the basement of the Avylyn household vapor heaters kept plenty of hot water available at all times.
As he stood there contemplating the imitation rock wall in front of him Gryph tried to decide how best to approach Sariana this morning. It was not an easy decision. When all was said and done, he did not know a lot about women. No man did. The fact that this particular female was from the eastern provinces further complicated the matter.
She had lived in Serendipity for a year, but it was clear she did not yet know all the local customs and laws. If she had known them, she would have stayed in Gryph’s bed last night. Any western woman would have recognized the full significance of what had happened.
Gryph was faced with the task of explaining everything to Sariana this morning. He turned off the waterfall and reached for a thi
ck towel. He did not look forward to the coming encounter. Something told him his new bride was not going to enjoy learning of her status. He had really botched this business of wooing a Shieldmate. Gryph damned the medic’s painkiller and damned his own impatience.
There was nothing to do but go forward and finish the business. He tossed aside the towel and went back into the main chamber to dress.
He did so carefully, pulling on a clean shirt, trousers that had recently been pressed by one of the household attendants and his best jacket. Then he spent several minutes cleaning mud off his boots.
When he was finished he critically examined his image in the gilded mirror. He looked reasonably neat and clean, but that was about all that could be said for him. Nothing he did was going to make himself look handsome by city standards. It was difficult to turn a warrior into a man of fashion.
Gryph turned away from the mirror, his mouth hardening into a determined line. Sariana had started all this, whether she realized it or not. She would have to take the consequences. Gryph just wished he had a little more time in which to ease her into a willing acceptance of the situation.
Gryph stood thinking for a moment, remembering what had happened the night before in that filthy alley. Because of those events he knew he could not grant Sariana any time at all. Everything had changed now. There were more dangerous matters to be handled than a wife who did not yet realize she was a wife.
Gryph walked out of the chamber and down the hall to Sariana’s room. There was no point in postponing the inevitable. The sooner he got this part over the better, as far as he was concerned. He was a Shield, the only son of a proud family, raised on the frontier, a man trained to hunt other men, but he was, in the end, only a man. When it came to dealing with a woman he was as easily baffled and as thoroughly cautious as the next man.
He halted in front of Sariana’s door and pulled the cord that rang the soft chimes inside her room. As he waited for a response he glanced down and saw that he’d missed a scuff mark on the toe of one boot. Irritated, he quickly rubbed it against his trouser leg. The door opened just as he was checking to be sure he’d removed the mark.
Gryph’s head snapped up, his senses leaping in anticipation even though he knew a difficult time lay ahead.
For a few seconds he just stared at Sariana. She was smiling hesitantly at him. The morning light poured into the room behind her, highlighting the gold in her sleekly coiffed brown hair. Her eyes were nearly gold, too, the expression in them feminine and mysterious and shy and questioning. The buff colored suit she wore fit her very snugly, emphasizing her small waist and the proud tilt of her gently curving breasts. A flash of crimson drew Gryph’s eye. The scarlet-toe was clinging possessively to its perch on Sariana’s shoulder. It regarded Gryph with an unblinking gaze.
Gryph found himself smiling slightly as he looked at the lizard. Then he met Sariana’s eyes again and it hit him full force. This was his Shieldmate, he thought dazedly. He had done it. He had found a woman with whom he could link. The always precarious future of his clan had been provided with one more chance at survival. He had taken the first major step toward fulfilling his primary duty to his clan and at the same time he had found himself a true mate.
Gryph wanted to shout his triumphant joy until the elegant corridors of the Avylyn household rang with the news of what had happened between him and Sariana. He wanted to take his Shieldmate back to his clan house and parade her in front of his parents and his friends.
But most of all he wanted to sweep Sariana off her feet, carry her into the bed chamber and lay her down on the swinging bed. He wanted to make love to her properly this time. He wanted to watch her respond to him, hear her cries of pleasure and satisfaction, see the full knowledge of their relationship blaze in her gentle eyes.
Instead of all that, Gryph inclined his head in a formal greeting and said, “I bid you the luck of the day, Sariana.”
She returned the polite greeting, her tremulous smile growing more confident. “Luck to you, Gryph. I thought perhaps you would want to sleep in this morning. How is your shoulder?”
He smiled crookedly, memories of the night shimmering through his head. “You will be happy to hear that it feels a great deal better than it did last night.”
Sariana’s own smile slipped a little and Gryph saw the memories in her eyes. “I’m glad. It must have been quite…quite uncomfortable for you.”
“You know exactly how uncomfortable it was for me, don’t you, Sariana?” Gryph watched her closely, wondering how much she would admit to remembering. He drew in a deep breath and prepared to make his apologies. He certainly owed her a few. “And I know how unpleasant parts of last night were for you,” he added quickly. “In addition to your own personal feelings, you were being bombarded with a lot of what I was feeling. I sincerely regret the pain you experienced last night.”
“I’m not sure I want to talk about this, Gryph. I’ve been thinking, and I’ve decided that some things are better left undiscussed. I’d had several glasses of punch last night by the time you showed up and I’m afraid I may have been a little drunk when you—”
He interrupted her, intent on completing his formal apology. “I was not in full control, as I should have been. My only excuse is that, as I told you, such a linking as we shared was as unfamiliar to me as it was to you. I didn’t realize how much you would pick up on what I was feeling. No one ever warned me the bonding would be that strong. I wasn’t prepared for it myself so I couldn’t prepare you. If you’re worrying about it, I can promise you that next time neither of us will be so jolted by the experience. Our senses will quickly adjust and become attuned. We will learn to filter out the discomforts of a linking and focus instead on the, uh, more pleasant aspects…“ Gryph felt himself redden slightly as he ran out of words. For the life of him he couldn’t tell what Sariana was thinking.
She looked up at him, her expression unfathomable. He wondered how she could still be such a mystery to him after what they had been through together last night. Then he remembered his father once telling him that the mystery of a woman, even a Shieldmate, was never completely solved. Gryph waited in an agony of suspense for Sariana to acknowledge the link that had been forged between them. When she did, he would explain her new status to her.
“Last night was something of an experience for both of us, wasn’t it?” Sariana observed with astonishing calm. She absently touched the scarlet-toe on her shoulder. The creature’s tongue lanced out and briefly touched her palm. Sariana lowered her hand and smiled a little too brilliantly at Gryph. “I think we were both a little out of control. You were obviously reacting strongly to the anesthetic the medic gave you for your shoulder and I was reacting to the Avylyns’ punch. I am still not completely accustomed to the clever concoctions you westerners create with alcohol. In the east we stick to wine and beer. I should know by now that any punch served at a party here is bound to be quite strong. But I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better this morning. So am I.”
Gryph stared at her, at a loss for words. He had been prepared for hurt accusations, a host of questions and a great deal of confusion on Sariana’s part. There was much, after all, that needed to be explained. The one thing he had not expected was a complete denial of the whole experience. He remembered belatedly that the lady had a way with words.
“Sariana,” he finally said quietly, “there’s no point in denying what happened last night. You were not under the influence of too much punch and I was fully aware of what I was doing, even if I was a little groggy from the anesthetic.” His mouth curved faintly. “You, of all people, know the anesthetic wasn’t working very well, anyway.”
Sariana’s fingers tightened on the door. “Why don’t we meet in my office after breakfast, Gryph? We have a lot to discuss. I want a full report of what happened last night when you went to meet your informant. Then we can make plans for the next step in this matter of re
trieving the prisma cutter.”
“Don’t think you can retreat behind a wall of words and a business discussion,” he muttered. “Listen, Sariana, I don’t want to put this off until after breakfast. I think we should discuss it now. You have to understand a few things.”
She nodded quickly. “Yes, I know. I have a whole list of questions.”
Gryph relaxed slightly. “I thought you might.”
“To begin with, I want to hear every detail about the meeting with your informer last night. I want to know exactly what happened so we can make plans. I still think we may have to call in the town guards. But we must try to think of some way to protect the Avylyns’ reputation. If you’re to continue on this assignment, we’ll have to concoct a new excuse for your presence in the household. I’ve been giving that some thought this morning and I’ve come up with a couple of ideas that might work.”
Gryph stared at her, realizing he hadn’t made any headway at all. Sariana was prepared to ignore the whole experience. He could hardly believe it. He stepped through the doorway, forcing her back a pace. From its perch on Sariana’s shoulder the scarlet-toe watched Gryph and bared its tiny teeth. Gryph paid no attention to the lizard. His attention was focused on Sariana.
“You don’t seem to understand what’s going on here, Sariana,” he began with as much patience as he could muster. “I realize you’re confused. I’m prepared to explain everything to you. But this is between you and me. I am not particularly interested in the Avylyns’ problem at the moment.”
Sariana’s smile vanished. “I am sorry to hear that, Gryph, because you were hired precisely for the purpose of interesting yourself in the Avylyns’ problems. Are you telling me I am not going to get my money’s worth out of you?”
“What money’s worth?” he exploded. “So far I haven’t received a single trell note from you. Forget the money, we’ve got more important things to discuss and not a whole lot of time in which to discuss them.”
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