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Iollen released her hands.
She removed his shirt. Her fingers caressed the shoulder of his missing arm.
"Does it hurt?"
"Sometimes. It aches." He drank his whiskey and refilled the glass. "Sometimes
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the fingers itch ... and they aren't there.
"I can make it better." Aghavie reached for the drawstring on his pants.
"Don't." He stopped her hands again.
"We're married."
"I can't get it up. I haven't been able to since that day on the scaffolds."
"Then let me help you."
The sweet earnestness in her voice brought tears to
Iollen's liquor reddened eyes and he surrendered.
* * * *
Kady sprawled in the middle of her bed, wearing the sheerest nightgown from
the chest of new clothes that Cahira had given her for the wedding and
attempted to look sensual,
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anticipating Kynyr's returning home that night. She glanced at the little
clock from Iradrim, and realized that her husband to be was late. After
another hour passed, Kady went from feeling aroused to irritated. By the end
of the third hour, Kady heard her stomach rumble and decided that, if she had
to wait up for him, tea and a snack were required.
"So much for the grand seduction," she muttered, wrapping an old brown robe
over the nightgown.
She padded to the kitchen and found Kynyr at the table with Trevor, eating his
way through the plate of cookies that she and Mary had baked earlier that day.
Kady snatched the plate and dropped into a chair with a flounce. "Some of
those are mine."
"I wasn't going to eat all of them." Kynyr grinned at her.
"How many did you intend to leave for me? One?" Kady made a show of counting
the cookies. Kynyr walked his fingers across the table in the direction of the
plate, and Kady slapped his hand. "There were four dozen cookies when I
went to bed. Now there's one and a half."
"I'm a growing cub?" Kynyr ducked his head.
"The only thing you've got that grows is in your pants."
Kady thumped him on the forehead. "We'll have no talk of growing anything
here."
Trevor's smile faded. "I've been telling Kynyr what happened with Preece."
"Why did you stop me, Trevor? I could have handled
Preece."
"Maybe." He paused, setting his blades and the whetstone on the table. "It
wasn't you I was worried about."
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She frowned. "What do you mean?"
"There's a cub in your belly now. One blow in the right place ... wouldn't
have to be a hard one even ... and the cub would be dead before it's born."
"Oh." Kady looked thoughtful for an instant, and then sent
Kynyr sprawling on the floor chair and all. "This is entirely your fault."
The two dogs stared at her. Kynyr's lips twitched into a fresh smile of utter
naughtiness. "Maybe we should finish this discussion in bed?"
"I should think so." Kady grabbed a handful of cookies.
"These are mine. Don't touch them."
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140
CHAPTER EIGHT
LONG NIGHT
Malthus filled glasses with wine and placed them on the table. "I'm so glad
you came. I have wanted to be alone with you for a long, long time."
Larena swallowed, a smile flickering uncertainly upon her face. "I'm not sure
about this. I mean ... I'm not a slut. You can have your coin back if you want
it. I don't know what I
was thinking. I'm a virgin. I just..." She fiddled with a strand of her long
blonde hair. She knew she was babbling, but could not stop herself. "I just
like to flirt. That's all. I mean."
Malthus lowered his head with a contrite expression. "I
didn't mean to imply that you were."
"You're married."
Contrition faded into sorrow. "She doesn't love me."
"But she married you." Larena looked confused.
"Merissa..." Malthus closed his eyes with a pained look and sucked in an
unsteady breath. "My wife is a slut. The twins she is carrying ... they aren't
mine."
"Whose are they?"
Malthus refilled Larena's glass. "I suspect..." Malthus'
shoulders drooped. "That they're Kynyr's. I-I caught them together."
"But, if Kynyr's sleeping with her ... why didn't he marry her? She's the
Chieftain's daughter. My sister's a little bit of nothing slut."
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"He can't marry her."
"Why not?"
"He's her brother."
Larena choked on a swallow of wine. "That's terrible!"
"Oh, gods, you mustn't tell anyone. Claw says he'll kill me if word gets out."
Malthus' face tightened and then a tear slipped down his cheek. "I don't know
why I'm telling you all of this. I'm so lonely and it's getting so hard to
keep it all inside."
Larena rose from her chair and went to the liquor cabinet.
She returned with a bottle of Dragonsbreath and a pair of whiskey glasses. She
poured for both of them. "You need something stronger. I never knew how bad
things were.
You've kept such a brave face."
She pulled her chair close to his and they sat together, drinking whiskey in
silence for a time. Malthus looked so broken-hearted that after a couple of
whiskeys, Larena got her courage together and rose from her chair and held
him.
Malthus raised a tear streaked face and kissed her deeply.
Larena started to draw away from him, but an odd buzzing in her head caused
her to stop and blink for a moment. She felt dizzy and disoriented; and yet,
she knew she was not drunk.
Although she was only seventeen years old, she had a decent capacity for hard
liquor.
Suddenly, Larena wanted him more than anything she had ever wanted before in
her life. His hands slipped to the fastenings on her bodice and undid them.
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