“The quarry is in sight,” Gregor said. “Do we storm the palace?”
“No, find quarters for the men in the village. I’ll go in alone.”
“Ah, what bravery, what self-sacrifice.”
Jordan ignored the flippancy. “And question the villagers about any newcomers who have arrived here. We don’t want Nebrov surprising us.”
“I will do better than that,” Gregor said. “I’ll send Niko to double back and watch for our demon friend.”
Niko groaned in mock despair.
Gregor ignored him, his gaze going from the palace to the fluted towers of Moscow. “This palace is very close to the city. It could be one of the exits for the tunnel.”
“I’ll place a sizable wager it is,” Jordan said.
Gregor turned to Niko. “Well, come along, my friend, let us get these men under a roof for the night. I am certain Jordan will summon us if we are needed.”
Niko grimaced. “You care nothing about getting me under a roof for the night.”
“I promise tomorrow night you will have both a warm fire and a dry roof.” He lifted his hand to Jordan. “I will come to you tomorrow morning to see if you have triumphed or merely survived.”
Jordan watched them ride down the hill toward the village and then again looked up at the palace.
She was there within those walls.
In a moment he would see her, talk to her.
He started up the road toward the palace.
She struck him on the back of the neck as he entered the front door!
Marianna was standing behind the door and would have hit his head if he had not seen the shadow of the club on the floor and whirled to face her. Even the glancing blow made him grunt with pain.
When she again tried to bring down the club, he grabbed it and tore it from her grasp. Her weapon turned out to be a tree branch. “Dammit, are you trying to kill me?”
She whirled and tried to run away.
He caught her by the hair, jerking her to a halt.
She did not cry out from the pain as another woman would have done. Instead, she turned her head and sank her teeth into his arm.
His grasp on her hair loosened, and she broke free. She dashed across the foyer toward the staircase.
He caught her on the sixth step and tumbled her to her knees. The next moment she was on her back, and he was astraddle her, pinning her arms above her head.
“Let me go!”
“The devil I will.”
“Fool,” she muttered. “I was a fool. I led you here. I should have realized …” She started to struggle again. “But you can’t have it!”
“Stop fighting. You’ll hurt yourself.”
She glared up at him. “Or you!”
“Not me,” he said thickly. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve begun to enjoy this.”
She froze as she realized the truth of his words. In her position she could scarcely miss the hard arousal pressed against her body. “You won’t rape me,” she whispered. “You wouldn’t do that.”
At the moment he wasn’t as certain as she seemed to be. The sudden physical struggle had released all the anger and frustration that had built over the months. He was having trouble thinking, and the mindless hunger was readying him. His hips moved in the most sensual of caresses, rubbing against her. “How can you be sure?”
A shiver ran through her. Her teeth sank into her lower lip. “I know you.”
“I thought I knew you.” His lips brushed her throat. She smelled of wind and pine and an acrid scent that was vaguely familiar. It didn’t matter. She also smelled of woman, and that scent was more arousing than any perfume. He licked delicately at the pulse in the hollow of her throat. “But that didn’t stop you from deceiving me and then trying to kill me.”
“I wouldn’t have done that. I was only trying to knock you unconscious. I had to stop you.”
His hips moved again. “From doing this? Why? You like it. Right now, you want nothing more than to wrap your legs around me. Isn’t that right?”
She drew in a deep, shaky breath. “Yes, that’s what I want, but I’m not going to do it. I’m not going to let you use me to rid yourself of anger. You won’t rape me, and I won’t be seduced.”
“We fought this battle at Dalwynd.”
“I’m stronger now.”
He studied her face. “Yes, you are.” He smiled. “But did it ever occur to you that will only make the battle more interesting for both of us?”
“Let me up. I feel as if I’m stretched on a rack.”
“Don’t you like it? I do. I can feel every muscle and soft place in your body. I think if I entered you from this position, you would find it very exciting. Do you remember what pleasure you received stretched over the arms of the chair? I can see the way—”
“Let me up.” She suddenly burst out, “If you’re going to rape me, do it!”
He would not have to rape her. She was already trembling and in need.
Her eyes blazed up at him. “Do it! Otherwise, let me be free of you.”
He did not want to let her free. He would never free her, he realized. Not in this lifetime or the next. The knowledge sent a wave of shock through him.
She stiffened. “What’s wrong?”
He couldn’t let her go, and if he tried to hold her, she would never stay. “There’s a good deal wrong,” he said grimly. “And I wish I hadn’t become aware of it in this particular instant.” He released her arms, then swung off her and moved to one side. “Get up.”
She lay still, surprised at the sudden victory.
“I said get up,” he repeated harshly. “And, for God’s sake, stop looking at me like that. It makes me want to—” He broke off and moved farther away on the wide step.
She slowly sat up and brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Why did you—”
“It’s cold as Hades in here.” He stood up and started down the steps. “I’ll get wood for a fire. You’ve had a few hours to explore. Is there a small room that will be easy to heat?”
She indicated a door to the left of the foyer. “There’s a fireplace in that anteroom.”
He nodded, then said, “Don’t try to run away. Gregor and the men are in the village. We’ll track you down, if you do.”
“You needn’t worry. I can’t run away,” she said quietly. “Not until I do what I’ve come to do.”
The ax came down, biting into the wood.
Jordan struck again, hitting the log as if it were a mortal enemy.
Marianna shivered as she watched him from the window. She had been aware of his anger, and to see its release in violence was a chastening sight.
Chastening and vaguely erotic.
Vulcan.
He was as primitive as Vulcan wielding his hammer. She could see the bulge of muscle on his thighs as he braced himself before each blow, the pull of tendons in his shoulders beneath the black shirt. A wave of heat went through her as she remembered that moment when she had lain stretched beneath him on the stairs.
The hammer striking the anvil.
No, she would have been no passive anvil. She would have matched him blow for blow. She had felt her will melting with every touch, every moment that passed.
And he had known it. He always knew her every intimate response. He had known he could have her, and he had let her go.
• • •
Jordan stacked the logs in the fireplace, set the kindling, and struck flint. “What is this place?”
“The palace belonged to Czar Paul.”
“It looks as if no one has been here for a long time.”
“No one has. The czar was assassinated in 1801, and the royal family had no knowledge of this place. He had it built by the same workmen who built the tunnel.”
The kindling caught fire and flared. “And were later killed?”
“Yes.”
He sat back on his heels, looking into the fire. “The lock for the key.”
She didn’t answer.
>
He didn’t take his gaze from the fire as he asked quietly, “Where’s the Jedalar, Marianna?”
She might as well tell him. If he searched, he would find it anyway. “It’s in the chapel down the hall. Do you want to see it?”
“Not now.” He stood up and stoked the fire. “I hope you’ll give it to me later. I don’t want to be forced to take it.” He turned and strode toward the door. “Watch the fire. You must be hungry. I have food in my saddlebag.”
If he had only come an hour later.… She wondered if she had time to run to the chapel and complete her work. No, she decided. What she had to do would take too long. And she must not be discovered until it was done.
No, that wasn’t the true reason. She wanted this time with him. When he found out what she had done, he would never want to see her again. It wasn’t too much that she take this little for herself.
The fire was burning brightly when he returned to the anteroom, and the chill had almost dispersed. He threw his saddlebags on the hearth and shrugged off his cloak. “I unsaddled your horse and put him in the stable. You shouldn’t have left him standing outside so long.”
She said defensively, “I was coming back to care for him when I saw you and Gregor down the hill.”
“And decided to remove my head from my body.”
“I told you I didn’t mean to harm you.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Then you didn’t succeed.”
“Did I really hurt you?”
“You most certainly did.” He studied her expression. “I believe you’re displaying concern. How peculiar. You must be plotting something.”
“No.” She moved over to the saddlebags. “Not at the moment. I’m too hungry. If you’ll make a spit, I’ll skin the rabbit.”
“That’s why I brought in the branch you used to club me with. Sit down and rest. I don’t need help.” He looked at the dust-covered chairs and added, “You’ll stay cleaner if you spread your cloak on the floor and sit on that instead of those chairs.”
“I haven’t worried about cleanliness for weeks.” Still, she did as he suggested, then sat in front of the fire. She watched him as he began to whittle one end of the club. “Where did you send Gregor?”
“To the village. He’ll be back in the morning to see if I’ve survived.” His lips curved ruefully. “I’ll tell him it was not an easy task.” He looked from her face to the large round window gracing the wall across the room. The stained glass depicted a scarlet sun shooting out golden rays of light as it sank down behind purple hills. The sun pouring through the brilliant panes cast a long beam of multihued light that struck and formed a radiant circle on the oak floor in the center of the room. “That’s very beautiful. Your grandmother’s work?”
She nodded, her face lighting eagerly. “Grandmama did all the stained glass in this palace. Wasn’t she wonderful?”
“Yes.” He glanced at the window again. “But I think the work you did at Cambaron is better.”
Her eyes widened in astonishment. “You do?” Then she immediately shook her head. “No, that couldn’t be true. She was a magnificent craftsman. No one did better work than Grandmama.”
“Until Marianna.”
“Truly?” she whispered.
“Truly.”
Happiness surged through her. He meant it, and though it might not be true, it was wonderful to hear praise from his lips. “You should see her windows in the chapel. That’s where her best work is displayed.”
“And where you took the Jedalar.”
Her smile faded. Everything always came back to the Jedalar, casting a cloud over every joyful happening between them. “Yes.”
“Why?”
She looked away from him. “Do you wish me to skin that rabbit or not? I’ve gotten quite skilled at the art in the past weeks.”
For a moment she thought he was not going to allow the evasion, but then a smile lit his face. “I know.” He knelt on the hearth and drawled, “By all means. Such crudities are totally beyond me.”
Her spirits lightened as she recognized the lazy, mocking tone she had heard a thousand times at Cambaron. The coming conflict between them was inevitable, but it was not to be yet.
Eat.” He frowned. “You’ve had only a few mouthfuls.”
“I’ve had enough.” It was true she had eaten only a little of the rabbit roasting on the spit in the fireplace, but she was satisfied. Her appetite must have lessened due to the scant fare on the journey here. “You eat the rest.”
“You’ve got to be hungry. You’ve not had a bite since last night.”
“How do you know?” Then she shook her head as she guessed. “You were that close to me?”
He shook his head. “Niko.”
“I feel very stupid. I never realized anyone was following me.”
“You weren’t stupid. Niko is an expert tracker, and we stayed several miles behind. You did better than most men would have done.” He looked away from her into the fire, and the next words came awkwardly. “I was proud of you.”
Her eyes widened. “You were?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I suppose it’s due to a few unimportant qualities I’ve noticed in you. You never give up. You have a fine mind, and you’re brave as a lion. Oh, and one more reason.” He still was not looking at her. “Because you belong to me.”
She tensed. “I don’t belong to you.”
“Not yet. I have to make it so.” He looked up and held her gaze. “Will you wed me, Marianna?”
She stared at him, stunned. “Wed?”
“I’ve decided it’s the only way you’ll stay with me. You would never break your vows.”
Her astonishment caused her to blurt out the first thing that came into her head. “Your mother broke hers.”
“She had reason. My father was the worst kind of bastard. I’m not stupid enough to follow his example.”
“You don’t mean this.”
“Why not?”
“You’re the Duke of Cambaron. You know such a marriage is unacceptable.”
“You’ve been listening to that balderdash Dorothy has fed you,” he said roughly. “I accept such a marriage, and I’m the only one who counts. The rest of the world can go to perdition.”
She shook her head.
“Do you think you’re unworthy of me?”
She lifted her chin. “Why should I think that? I’m probably too good for you.”
He chuckled. “Then we agree.”
“But it’s not what I think. They will—”
“I’m tired of listening to what ‘they’ think.” His expression turned grim. “I want you as my wife and, by God, I’m going to have you.”
“Because I wouldn’t be your mistress.”
“I wouldn’t be satisfied if you consented to that now. I want more.”
“Why?”
He was silent, as if searching for words. “I love you,” he finally said haltingly.
She felt an incredible burst of joy. It was a miracle, an unbelievable gift. She wanted to—
It was unbelievable.
A deep thrust of pain tore through her as she realized how gullible she was to have had that initial response. She swallowed to ease the tightness in her throat. “How very convenient.”
He muttered a curse beneath his breath. “Convenient? I’ve never said ‘I love you’ to any woman before, and you say it’s convenient? It’s not convenient. Do you think I want this? It hurts like the devil.”
It did hurt, and the pain was growing with every moment. “You said I wasn’t stupid, and yet you expect me to believe you,” she burst out. “I won’t be duped again, Jordan.” She tightened her lips to keep them from trembling. “I always thought you honest. I didn’t think you’d lie to get me to give you the Jedalar.”
His eyes glittered with anger. “Christ, I can take the damned Jedalar. It’s here in this palace.”
“But you don’t know how to put the puzzle together. Yo
u need me for that.”
“I need you.” He added, “But not for that. If I have to do it, I’ll figure it out for myself. It’s not—” He stopped as he saw her expression. “I’m wasting my time. You don’t trust me.”
“Can you blame me?”
He smiled crookedly. “No, I suppose it’s too much to ask. It’s clear I’ll have to prove myself.”
She shook her head wearily. “There’s no time.”
“Nonsense, we have all the time in the world.” He took a few moments to subdue his exasperation and annoyance. “After we finish with this business, I shall set out to court you.”
After they finished with this business, he would not even wish to look at her. The thought sent a surge of panic through her. She wanted to reach out and touch him, fill herself with warmth to ward off that chill future. “No!”
His lips tightened grimly. “Resign yourself to it. I’m going to find a way to have you. I’m even willing to be as civilized and correct as even Dorothy could wish. What the devil else do you want from me?”
She said unsteadily, “I want what we had at Dalwynd.” She paused, then added, “Now.”
He went still. “Even though you have no trust in me?”
She nodded. “I don’t have to trust you to know that you will bring me pleasure.”
“Oh, I’m to be a toy for your pleasure?”
“Isn’t that what you wanted of me at Dalwynd?”
“Not entirely. As a matter of fact, during that period my motives were often muddled even to myself.” He shrugged. “But I have no objection to the role. You can be assured I’ll endeavor to please. Take off your clothes.”
She stared at him in bewilderment.
“Well, since you’re so eager, you surely didn’t expect me to waste time seducing you?” He started to unbutton his shirt. “You evidently have no need of sweet words.”
“I don’t remember you ever giving me sweet words.” The words of seduction he had spoken to her had all been raw and shimmering darkly with sensuality.
“But you listened to them with all the attention of an acolyte to Venus.” She became aware of the faint bite beneath his usual mockery. He stripped off his shirt. “I’ve never seen a woman so eager to be convinced.”
“You’re trying to hurt me.”