emotion. Her face remained blank in the lamplight, her eyes cold and dark.
He almost dismissed his impression as fancy. But an intuition prompted him to study her closely. With a look that was not the least mocking, he said, 'Something I said frightened you.'
Again Mara stiffened. Her eyes flashed. The Acoma fear nothing, she thought, and almost said so. Honour need not be defended before a slave! Shamed that she had nearly forgotten herself, she jerked her head in dismissal to the maid.
To Tsurani eyes, the gesture offered warning like a shout.
The servant knelt and touched her face to the floor, then left the room with close to indecorous haste. The barbarian remained oblivious. He repeated his question, softly, as though she were a child who had not understood.
Alone in the lamplight, and arrogant in her annoyance, the Lady's dark eyes bored into Kevin with a fury that sought to sear him.
He misread her temper for contempt. His own rawnerved anger kindled in response and he surged to his feet.
'Lady, I have enjoyed our chat. It has allowed me to practise your language and spared me hard labour under a brutal sun. But from the moment I came into your presence yesterday, you seem to have forgotten that our two nations are at war. I might have been taken captive, but I am still your enemy. I will speak no more of my world, lest I unwittingly lend you advantage. May I have your permission to withdraw?'
Although the barbarian towered over her, Mara showed no change in composure. 'You may not go.' How dare he act as a guest and request his hostess's leave. Checking her anger, she spoke in measured tones. 'You are not a
"captive". You are my property.'
Kevin studied Mara's face. 'No.' A grin lit his features, rendered wicked and humourless by the anger that lay behind. 'Your captive. Nothing more. Never anything more.'
'Sit down!' Mara commanded.
'What if I don't? What if I do this instead?' He moved with battle-honed speed. Mara saw him come at her like a blur in the lamplight. She might have shouted for warriors to defend her, but astonishment that a slave might raise his hand to her made her hesitate. The chance was lost. Hands hard with sword callus closed over her neck, crushing jade ornaments into delicate skin. Kevin's palms were broad, and icy cold with sweat. Too late Mara recognized that his banter had been a facade to cover desperation.
Mara gritted her teeth against pain, twisted, and tried for a kick at his groin. His eyes flashed. He shook her like a rag doll, and did the same again as her nails raked his wrist. Th.
breath grated through the back of her throat. He held her just tightly enough to prevent outcry, but not quite cruelly enough to stop her breath. His eyes bent close to hers, blue and hard and glittering with malice.
'I see you are frightened at last,' he observed. She could not speak, must be growing dizzy; her eyes were very wide and dark, and filling with tears from pain. And yet she did not tremble. Her hair hung warm over his hands, scented with spices; the breast that pressed his forearm through her silk robe made fury difficult to maintain. 'You call me honourless slave, and barbarian,' Kevin continued in a hoarse whisper. 'And yet I am neither. If you were a man, you would now be dead, and I would die knowing I had removed a powerful Lord from my enemies' ranks. But where I come from, it is shameful for a man to harm a woman. So I will let you go. You can call your guards maybe have me beaten or killed. But we have a saying in Zun: "You can kill me, but you can't eat me." Remember this, when you watch me die as I hang from a tree. No matter what you do to my body, my soul and heart are free.
Remember that I allowed you to kill me. I permitted you to live because my honour required it. From this moment forward, your every breath is a slave's gift.' He gave her a last shake and released her. 'My gift.'
Humiliated to her very core that a slave should have dared lay hands on her and threaten her with the most shameful death, Mara drew breath to call her warriors. With a gesture, she could subject this redheaded barbarian to any of a dozen torments. He was