Lord of the Abyss - By Nalini Singh Page 0,31

twelve hours after the man who'd given her a red dress had told her he'd find the berries, "the cook said they add milk and sugar to it."

Jissa's eyes widened. "Delicious, sounds delicious."

That was when Liliana remembered that brownies were rumored to love sweets of every kind. "Shall we try?" she asked, mischief in her veins. "His Lordship will never miss it, he brought back so many berries." He'd likely denuded an entire tree, the greedy creature.

"Liliana," Jissa said in a censuring tone. "You must not say 'His Lordship' in that tone. If he hears, oh, no, oh, no."

"Don't worry, Jissa. He'll threaten to throw me in the dungeon and I'll bribe him with food." Laughing at the look on the brownie's face, she put aside some pulp in a jug. "Why don't you add the milk and sugar to your taste?"

Jissa bit her lip. "We shouldn't."

Liliana lowered her voice. "I won't tell."

Temptation won over Jissa's timid nature and soon the woman was standing beside Liliana stirring the mixture into a rich purple concoction while Liliana put aside the rest of the pulp and pulled across the thick pastry crust she'd already baked. It was her special recipe, so buttery and rich it melted in the mouth. Even the cook had praised her for her pie crust - especially because she only ever made it for him, not for her father. Never for her father. But she would make it for the Lord of the Black Castle.

"There!" Jissa's voice rose in excitement. "Try, try!"

Feeling like a child, Liliana brought a small glass to her lips, took a sip. Her eyes widened, met Jissa's across the top. Both of them tilted back their heads and gulped. They'd drunk half the jug when Jissa wiped off her milk moustache and said, "Bard would like this, I think. Yes, I think."

"So would His Lordship."

"Liliana."

Laughing, Liliana poured two more glasses. "Here, you go take it to them. If he asks where I am, tell him I'm slaving over his damn lushberry pie." It was dark outside, time for sleep, but he wanted his pie.

"So impertinent. Trouble, you are, trouble." Shaking her head, Jissa pushed through the door with the glasses.

A tiny chittering sound came right on cue. Liliana turned, put her finger to her lips. "Shh. You're not supposed to be in the kitchen."

Her little friend sat up on his hind legs and made the most arresting face - as if saying that he was a very clean creature, thank you very much. "Well, of course you are," she said in apology. "I've seen your fastidious ways." Liliana didn't find that as strange as she should have - the mouse had magic of its own. A tiny magic, but magic all the same.

"Lushberries are not something you'd like," she said, and, when his face fell, picked up the tiny but perfect pastry crust she'd baked the same time she'd done the large one. "Here, my friend. Now shoo before Jissa catches you."

Nose twitching with excitement, the mouse - its bones no longer so sharp against its skin - dragged away its spoils as she washed her hands and returned to mix a rich sweet cheese with the pulp before pouring it into the pastry. That done, all she had to do was put it into the oven for but a quarter hour. She took the time to whip up the cream, since His Lordship had decreed he'd eat the pie the instant it left the oven.

When the door opened, the caress of lushberries lay heavy and mouth-watering in the air. "Jissa, I think the pie will be - " It registered then, the scent that had come in with the opening of the door.

Darkness and heat and something quintessentially male.

Keeping her eyes resolutely on the cream, she said, "You're in my domain now."

Instead of arguing as she'd expected, he walked to the oven, made as if to open it. "Stop!" she ordered. "If you open it now, you'll let out all the heat."

Growling low in his throat, he came over to stand beside her at the counter, staring at the cream. She knew what he wanted even before he tried to dip a finger into it. Scooting away the dish, she shot him a scowl. "If you don't behave, I'll put salt in your pie."

He shifted closer, went for the cream again.

Glaring, she jerked it away once more.

He stepped over.

She looked up, intending to tell him to stop it when she was caught by