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“I don’t know. Wait till they come out, I guess.”

Regan chuckled. “I didn’t mean about Vojalie and Davido. I meant about us.”

He turned back to her, frowning. “You need to stay here in Camberlaune. It was stupid to think I could let you take off. I’d be worried about you the whole time because if some other mastyr ever got hold of you, some bastard without a conscience, you could end up in a bonded relationship that could hurt you forever. And I don’t think I’d be able to forgive myself. Maybe I have issues with what happened a long time ago, but I don’t have a problem with you sticking close, not until all of this is settled.

“Besides, you know the lay-out of Margetta’s fortress and encampment. None of the rest of us do. You’re the logical person to answer all the questions any of us will have.

“And Stone reminded me about something Mastyr Malik had shared with us. When he was battling the Invictus in his realm, he’d asked Zane to come in for support. When Zane reacted to Willow in the same way Stone recently responded to you, Malik used a small portion of Willow’s blood and painted streaks up both arms. Zane said it made a huge difference in his ability to withstand the pull toward Willow.”

“That’s right,” Regan said. “I remember hearing something about that.”

Ian offered a half-smile. “I have no doubt Malik made sure Zane stayed away from Willow, but it really helped. What do you say? Will you mark me with your blood?”

Regan knew she’d just stumbled into really dangerous territory. Everything about the situation warned her to keep her distance but here he was suggesting she mark him to help keep other mastyrs away. It was bad enough she’d already agreed to stick close to him until they had everything figured out. But the giving of her blood in such an earthy cavewoman sort of way, had warning

bells clanging loudly inside her head.

“Ian, is it really necessary? Can’t we just make sure that I’m not around other unbonded mastyrs?”

He might have answered, but Davido called to him. Regan shifted to look past Ian and saw that Vojalie stood beside her man. The troll was grinning ear to ear and a warm blush suffused his wife’s face.

Vojalie held his arm, her eyes full of affection as she looked down at him.

Davido called out. “We must be going, Ian. Thank you for the cognac.” His smile broadened when he looked at Regan. “And I suggest you indulge your interest in the mastyr. Life is very short, even for us long-lived types. Make the most of every opportunity.”

And with the extraordinary power the troll possessed, the couple simply vanished.

“With so much ability between them,” Regan said, “why don’t they battle alongside us?”

“I’ve wondered the same thing, and I’ve asked Davido to intervene with Margetta, but he refuses. He said he made war for the first thousand years of his life, but promised himself never again. I guess if you’ve served that long as a warrior, it’s enough, no matter how many centuries you added to your belt after.”

He glanced behind him. “Listen, are you hungry? My housekeeper always keeps soup and some of her homemade bread stocked in my refrigerator.”

At the suggestion, she put a hand to her stomach. “I’m starved, so yes, I’d love some.”

He gestured with his hand for her to precede him. She led the way across the foyer to his great room, an open area of his house encompassing a north view of the mountains.

He directed her to sit at the island bar, where earlier he’d served her coffee, then moved easily from the pots and pans, to the fridge, and back. He was comfortable in the kitchen and Regan couldn’t help but smile. Ian had been a bachelor a long time, but when she’d dated him, he wouldn’t have spent a second building a fire and setting up the spit to roast some meat. He’d had staff back then to take care of him and he’d made use of them.

Though he had a housekeeper now, apparently he no longer minded doing some of the cooking.

“Did you make the coffee, too?”

“Sure.” He chuckled softly. “I know what you’re thinking. I remember how you went into the woods yourself so long ago and collected firewood. It pissed you off that I ordered my servants to the task.”

She smiled. “I was perfectly capable of scouring your land for some deadfall. And so were you.”

“You even started bringing your axe to my house.” The vegetable beef soup was heating in a pot on the stove and already smelled heavenly. Ian leaned on the island marble, his smile warm as he held her gaze.

“I’m a resourceful person,” she said, “though I will confess it’s much easier now with food grown in bulk and shipped to markets, with electricity and how about the microwave?”

Ian grinned. “One of my favorite things. That and cell phones. I mean, not everyone can communicate telepathically and I can reach any of my Guardsmen at any time. What did we do without all our gadgets?”

She shrugged but smiled. “We headed into the forest. Do you remember the time you brought down a buck?”

“Of course. Used my bow and arrow.”

“You shared it with the village, too, the one at the base of the Rim near the Peralin River. Pikon, I think, at least that’s what I remember. You know, I swear that’s when I fell in love with you.”

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