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  But now, she kept glancing to her window wondering where he was. She had expected him hours ago. Slowly, she climbed from the bed and gazed down from her window. It was a sheer drop to the street with nothing to hold onto to climb up or down.

  In the silence of the night, a board creaked outside her chamber. She spun around, her heart hammering in her chest. Something was trying to come in her door.

  Katrina grabbed the dagger on her table and rushed to the wall beside the door, prepared to plunge the weapon into the Tnarg and race down the hallway. Her breathing seemed loud to her own ears, but she couldn't slow it no matter how she tried.

  The door slowly swung open. Katrina lifted the dagger over her head and prepared to bring it down when strong hands suddenly gripped her arms and pushed her against the wall.

  "Katrina?"

  She nearly cried as she heard Sorin's voice. Her fear melted away and she sagged against him as her hand loosened and the dagger dropped to the floor. “I thought you were the Tnarg. I've been waiting for you."

  His arms wrapped around her. “I couldn't scale the wall. I had to sneak into the house. Everything is all right now."

  But it wasn't. Katrina inhaled his scent of pine, spice ... and power. She closed her eyes and buried her face against the soft material of his tunic and took a deep breath. Thickly muscled arms held her steady, comforting her as no one else could.

  She wasn't sure what made her want to be near Sorin so. Was it because he said she was his mate? Did she want to believe him so desperately she had started to convince herself?

  "You're shaking,” he murmured in her hair as he leaned his face close to hers. “I told you I would protect you."

  She swallowed and pulled back to look at him. “You're asking me to believe the impossible, and yet, I find myself doing it."

  "Good.” He smiled and ran a finger down her cheek. “By the saints, it hurts just to look at you. I've never seen a woman so beautiful."

  Many men had told her she was pretty, but no one had meant it as Sorin did. Being this close to him, having his arms around her, Katrina yearned to kiss him. Not the chaste kisses her beaux had put upon her cheek, but a kiss of passion and desire. A kiss that one lover gave to another.

  The air closed in around her. Sorin's face was in shadows, hiding his emotions from her. And just when she was about to step out of his embrace, one of his hands moved to her neck, urging her forward.

  Katrina's lips parted and her breathing quickened. Her skin tingled in anticipation, her heartbeat accelerated, and for the first time in her life, she felt like a woman. His head lowered towards hers, and beneath her palm, she felt his heart race.

  Then his lips touched hers.

  Soft, seductive ... and too tempting to resist, Katrina's lips moved against his. A groan vibrated his chest and his hands pulled her closer, crushing her against him. His lips kissed, licked and nipped hers, making her yearn for more, to feel more of him.

  When his hand braced against the back of her head and his mouth slanted over hers, she wrapped her arms around him. Slowly, his tongue ran over her lips.

  Katrina's lips parted, and as soon as they did, Sorin's tongue delved into her mouth, touching his tongue against hers. It was the most erotic thing she had ever felt. And she wanted more.

  As he increased the kiss, she followed his example, giving as much as he gave her until her body began to hum with a desire she had never thought to feel.

  But it frightened her.

  Katrina broke the kiss and stepped away from him. She used the wall at her back to keep her upright as she gently touched her lips. They felt swollen, just as her breasts did.

  "Katrina?"

  His voice was barely a whisper, but it sent chills racing over her heated skin.

  "Are you some magician that you've cast a spell over my body?"

  His head swivelled side to side slowly. “Nay. I'm a man, a man who has found his mate. The desire you feel will grow with each hour that we are together until you cannot deny it."

  Just then a throb of longing pulsed between her legs. Katrina gasped and squeezed them together, but it only made the sensation return.

  "Don't fight it,” Sorin said. “Let me show you how wonderful our joining can be."

  She wanted nothing more than to go to him, to take his outstretched hand and lean against his strength. But the yearning in her own body kept her rooted against the wall.

  Her gaze watched him as he moved to her. His hand brushed her face, moving a lock of hair behind her ear. The heat of him, his seductive scent drove her wild. What was happening to her? It was if her body wasn't her own, her mind wasn't her own.

  For all she wanted, all she cared about was Sorin, of feeling his lips on hers again, of his hands on her body.

  And suddenly, she was in his arms. His body pressed her against the wall as his mouth took hers in a fierce kiss that ravaged her like a thief.

  But instead of making her fear him, it only made her want him more.

  Katrina slid her arms around his neck to hold him against her. She heard him moan and a thrill went through her. His body was hard and hot, much like his rod pressed against her stomach.

  Sorin couldn't get enough of her sweet, intoxicating mouth. Drinking from those plump lips was like drinking from the most delightful wine. He'd never get enough of her mouth or of hearing her soft moans as she gave into the desire running through her.

  It hadn't been his intention to seduce Katrina that night, but now that he had begun, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop. His father had warned him that the lust would be great, but Sorin hadn't expected it to override everything.

  He turned them and slowly backed her to the bed. Her kisses left him breathless, his body on fire for her. The need to sink into her heat, to feel her clench around him was overwhelming.

  Once they reached the bed, he broke the kiss long enough to lay her down and move next to her. Her lips were wet and swollen, her eyes dazed with desire.

  His head lowered and he nipped at her mouth. No words were needed, not now. Not when every kiss, every touch told him it was the right thing to do. Once he had joined their bodies, she would see for herself they were well and truly mates.

  And in the meantime, he would get to enjoy her delicious body.

  His hand moved from her hip over her stomach to the curve of her breast. She gasped as he cupped her breast. It soon turned into a moan as his thumb stroked her nipple into a hard little pebble.

  Her body instinctively sought his as her back arched and her hips moved against him. It took everything he had not to rip off their clothes and plunge into her.

  He reined in his desire as he kissed down her neck. She smelled of wildflowers and innocence, of desire and passion.

  And she was all his.

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  Chapter Five

  Katrina's hands moved over Sorin's thick shoulders and heavily muscled arms. His mouth was doing delectable things to her skin as he moved down her neck to her chest. His hand massaged her breast and tweaked her nipple, sending shivers of delight racing through her to pool between her legs like liquid heat.

  Her sex clenched, greedy for more.

  And Sorin was more than willing to give it to her. When he settled over her body, his weight made her tremor with anticipation. His cock pressed against her sex, as if seeking entrance through their layers of clothing.

  It was too much for Katrina. She clawed at Sorin's tunic as she tried to pull it off him. In one swift motion, he sat up and yanked it over his head before tossing it aside. She sighed and rose up so she could look her fill of him. Her hand reached out to touch him, but he rose from the bed.

  Katrina was afraid he was leaving, but then she saw him tug off his boots and yank down his pants. She bit her lip as she got her first real look at a man.

  He was ... beautiful. Tall and rippled with muscles, Sorin was everything a man should be.

  She rose up on her knees at the edge of the be
d and let her hands move over his wide chest and down his rippled stomach to his narrow hips. His rigid cock jumped every time her hand neared it.

  As much as she wanted to touch him, feel him, she was too hesitant to do it. Until he took her hand and placed it over his rod.

  "Feel me, the desire I have for you,” he whispered in her ear just before he took her lobe in his mouth and sucked.

  Katrina gasped at the sensation and closed her eyes. He was hot and hard and velvety smooth in her hand. He guided her hand up and down his length while his other hand found her breast.

  Pleasure spiked through her. Something warm and needful unfurled in her sex. And then he yanked her chemise over her head. She arched her back and let her head drop back as her hips sought him.

  His hand came around her waist to hold her as his mouth descended on her nipple, suckling it deep in his mouth. Katrina bit her lip to keep from crying out as her need grew to overwhelming proportions. She wanted ... more.

  Sorin didn't make her wait. He pushed her back and knelt beside the bed. Katrina lifted her head to look at him when she felt him opening her legs. No one had ever looked at her sex, but the need for him overruled her fear.

  His hands caressed the insides of her thighs, placing kisses against her skin. She let her head fall onto the bed, unable to stop the desire. Her body gave a slight jerk when his fingers skimmed over the curls at her sex, but at the same time, delicious heat filled her. His fingers parted her and dipped inside her.

  Katrina clawed at her bed coverings and cried out Sorin's name. His fingers went deeper, stretching her, teasing her. Filling her. The pleasure was intense, but still she wanted, needed more.

  And then his mouth touched her.

  Her mouth opened on a silent scream as his tongue did things to her she didn't know were possible. He licked, he kissed and he suckled sending her spiralling towards something she didn't understand.

  And just when she didn't think she could stand it anymore, her world shattered around her. Waves upon waves of pleasure rolled over her, sending her drowning in an abyss of ecstasy she never wanted to end.

  Her body still convulsed with her climax when Sorin moved over her. His cock rubbed against her sensitive flesh, and she opened her arms to welcome him. His thick head slid easily into her wet sheath, stretching her, filling her.

  Slowly, he pushed his rod inside her and then stopped.

  "'Tis going to hurt,” he whispered.

  "Don't make me wait,” she begged. “I need more of you."

  The words were barely out of her mouth when he partly withdrew then thrust deep. Katrina gave a soft cry and buried her head in Sorin's neck as the pain spiked through her.

  "I'm sorry."

  "Shh,” she said and moved her head to look at him. “'Tis the way. It had to be done, and the pain is already beginning to recede."

  He smiled and kissed her. “How did I live my life without you?"

  She couldn't answer him, not when he began to move in and out of her, sending her desire spiking once more. Her body had accepted him eagerly, and the pleasure was blinding. His thrusts were long and deep, short and quick, and each one brought her more satisfaction than the last.

  The need began to build again, unfurling in her belly with greater intensity than before. Sorin gave a final thrust and stiffened as his seed spilled in her causing her to peak again, the pleasure blinding her with its power.

  Katrina wrapped her arms around him and kissed his neck. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  A few moments later, he rose up on his elbows to stare down at her. “You're incredible."

  She giggled. “Nay, what we did was incredible. I never knew it could be like that."

  A frown passed over his handsome, angular face.

  "What is it?” she asked.

  "There's more I need to tell you, especially now."

  A shiver of dread filled her. “What?"

  He pulled out of her and sat on the edge of the bed. “Remember how I told you the Fae help us find our mates, and that we're never wrong when we find them?"

  "Aye."

  "There's something else that happens, to help us ensure we return with the right woman."

  She almost hated to ask. “What is that?"

  He lifted his right arm, and before her very eyes, a pattern began to darken from his elbow to his shoulder. The pattern was unique in its knot work and beautiful in its swirls.

  Katrina sat up and ran her hand over the now black marks. “So, once you bed the right woman, this mark appears?"

  He grimaced. “Aye, but not just on me."

  She blinked, unable to believe what he was telling her until she looked down at her arms. The same patter on his arm now appeared on her left. “By the saints,” she said with a gasp.

  If she hadn't seen with her own eyes, she'd think it was a hoax. Now, she could only look in stunned silence at the beautiful mark upon her skin.

  "Katrina?"

  "I'll have it always?” she asked.

  "Aye. As will I."

  She raised her gaze to his. “There is more, isn't there?"

  "Aye,” he said with a sigh. “I have to return with you before the fifth moon of the harvest year."

  "And that is when?"

  "In less than two months."

  Katrina needed to think. She rose and paced before the bed. “And the rest?"

  "I don't know if now is the time, lass."

  She turned sharply to him. “I think now is definitely the time, Sorin. I cannot doubt that I am your mate and that there is a creature out to kill me, but I need to know everything."

  "All right.” He ran a hand down his face. “If you don't return with me, my kingdom and all its inhabitants will cease to exist."

  She stopped pacing. “My God."

  "You can refuse me if you want, but you will never find happiness with another man. Eventually, over the years, the pain at not being with me will grow and turn you bitter and hateful."

  "Yet, you can find another?"

  "Nay.” He lowered his gaze to the floor. “If you decide not to return with me, I will stay with you for I cannot leave my mate. I am bound to you always, forsaking all others for you."

  Katrina wanted to cry. How had she gotten into this mess? And what could she do other than return with Sorin?

  "I won't have deaths on my conscience,” she finally said. “I'll go with you to Drahcir."

  She expected him to be excited instead he closed his eyes and clenched his jaw.

  And that's when she realised what she hadn't seen before now. “If I go with you, I'll never be able to see my family again, will I?"

  He slowly shook his head.

  Her family meant the world to her, how could she leave knowing she would never see them again?

  "You ask the impossible,” she murmured and reached for her chemise. She slowly pulled the garment over her head.

  "I know. If I could change things for you, I would,” Sorin said. “Drahcir is kept secret by Fae magic, and though we allow anyone who wants to leave our kingdom to do so, they cannot return."

  "Yet you can?"

  "We don't leave because we want to. We leave because we have to,” he said softly. “Time travels slower in our kingdom. Much slower."

  "In other words, even if I were able to leave when I returned my family might well be dead."

  "You've the right of it."

  She returned to the bed and sat beside him. “I've waited my whole life to find a man who understood me, who made my blood sing. I just never expected him to be from a magical kingdom."

  He rose and silently dressed. No more words were spoken as she crawled beneath the covers and Sorin took up post in a corner near the window.

  Somehow, despite all she had learned, she was able to find sleep knowing he was there to protect her. Yet, when she opened her eyes with the morning sun, Sorin was gone.

  * * * *

  Sorin waited until the streets began to fill before he moved away from hi
s post beneath Katrina's window. He had spent the night watching her sleep, replaying their conversation over and over in his head. His body yearned to feel her beneath him again. Her soft cries of pleasure had been music to his ears, and he could easily spend the rest of the night making love to her. But she needed time, time they didn't have.

  And he needed her.

  He had seen her face. The thought of leaving her family forever was not something she could do. He wished he had more time to woo her, to convince her that they were meant to be together. But time wasn't on his side.

  Already he could feel the countdown to the fifth moon of the harvest year. He had lied when he said he had two months before he had to return. It was less than a month, but he didn't want to worry her more than she already was.

  All he could do now was give her a day or so to think while he hunted the Tnarg. If the Tnarg was dead and she decided to return with him to Drahcir, their way would be considerably less dangerous.

  In the light of day, the Tnarg wouldn't venture into the heart of the city, which is where he prayed Katrina stayed. He would go to the small grove of trees and see if he could retrieve his sword.

  He had numerous other weapons, but his sword was important to him. He and his father had made the sword, so to lose it would be like losing a part of his father.

  Sorin took one last look at Katrina's window and moved off through the streets. The sky was gray with storm clouds. He prayed the storm held off until he could find the Tnarg. The rain would only send everyone indoors and make it easier for the Tnarg to attack Katrina.

  He found another horse at the edge of the city. After a quick look around, Sorin untied the animal and vaulted onto his back. A click from him sent the animal into an easy gallop.

  Sorin's gaze searched the ground for any sign of the Tnarg's tracks. He circled the city twice before he was sure the beast wasn't there. Then, he turned towards the grove of trees.

  He needed his sword. With his thoughts jumbled, he walked the horse to the grove, hoping along the way he could figure out a way to persuade Katrina to return with him. Thunder rumbled in the distance as the wind began to bend the trees and whistle over the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something move. He jerked his head around, but it was too late.