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He clamped his hand over her mouth "I read your sords I knohat you have done You say you are mine but you have kept yourself froain "I wanted you I love you By God, I could kill you"

Tears spilled over his fingers, scalding him like liquid copper He slid his hand to twine in her hair, and touched his forehead to hers

"Lass" What was he doing to her?

"Kill me, then," she whispered "It would be a mercy, for I cannot leave you"

"Never" He looked into her wet eyes "I will never let you go"

Her sorrow dissolved his rage, gentling his hands and ether He pushed past her resistance and into her, taking her ue as he worked his penis inside her, possessing all of her spaces, filling her with the dance of flesh to the syer She wept and struck at his in his shoulder and pleaded for her release He forced her to his will, punishing her and wooing her with his body, keeping her fro beneath hiht her, sopping wet and swollen, to his ue over her jewel and she came, her body locked, her hands twisted in his hair, words of lovefro her as he slid into her He pressed her face against his chest, and groaned as she tightened over hi, slow pulls

He kept her there, joined to him, and held her until sleep clai, or the man who came to stand over them

Robin of Locksley looked down at the lovers in silence, his hands becoain

"So be it"

He reached down, pulled the coverlet over then that dangled from the doorknob of room 413 of the EconoMotel in Dothan, Alaba there ever since the couple staying in the room had checked in

The floor maid sahen she pushed her heavy cart down fro the probleet into the rooe the linens for days She put an ear to the door, heard voices and the television, and sighed If they wanted to use old towels and sleep on old sheets over and over, that was their business

Inside room 413, Viviana put down the telephone and spoke to the man reclined on one of the twin beds "Beauht Jayr Lord Byrne ordered her to refuse his challenge, and when she did not, he discharged her from his service She is sworn to Lord Halkirk now so that she ht"

"You see? The minute you and I leave the Realm, the place falls to pieces" Rain muted the television set, but watched as the latest episode of Top Design continued "We could wait to see if she kills him That would be rather convenient"

"We could" She sat down on the bed next to him "I do not wish to Jayr is my friend I miss Harlech" She took the remote from his hand and switched off the set "You know that you miss Farlae more than you lust after Todd Oldhaarded her gravely "Vivi, if we return Guy could very well expose us both The seigneur would be within his rights to demand our heads"

She nodded and stared at the hands she held folded tightly in her lap "I miss Harlech," she said, unable to offer any other reasonable argument

"Farlae will havewith the re the walls black and covering nant look "He would do it, too, just to spite ," she said softly "Should I call the lobby, then, and tell them ill need a cab?"

"I cushioning pads to the horse’s front and hindquarters For this final practice she decided to use the leather trappers, which were lighter than the heavy metal peytral, flanchards, and cruppers she would use to protect herthe joust

Her movements echoed in the barn, which, aside from the stabled horses, was deserted Harlech likely had ordered the ive her time alone to prepare and think Lord Halkirk had already told her he did not expect her to begin her duties until after the tournae of circumstances to him He would understand He had probably accepted her as his seneschal only out of pity, or only because he thought she would not live long enough to serve hi to live for now Aedan loved her

Aedan had also discharged her over the challenge, and had kept fro of betrayal over his actions, but she would not allow herself to regret giving her heart and body to him He had done what he had out of love for her, to protect her

She shouldn’t have left hi with hi; it had also been tender and powerful and coh every th of their bond Not as master and seneschal, but as man and woman, key and lock, seed and field

Loved and beloved

"How fares the arm?" Robin of Locksley asked as he came into the barn

"It is not as loose as I would like," Jayr said, fitting the horse’s head with a brown leather shaffron and buckling it to the crinet covering the mane "But I can hold h"