Moon Burning - By Lucy Monroe Page 0,23

her attention to the child. “All will be well. You must trust in this.”

“I will try.”

Sabrine nodded and reached for the child with an instinct that superseded even her Chrechte nature. Brigit accepted a tight hug, returning it fiercely before climbing off the bed to join Verica, Earc and Circin at the door.

They left with quiet assurances of Sorcha’s welfare this night and last-minute instructions from Verica to Barr regarding Sabrine’s care.

Sabrine knew the other woman had tried, but she doubted those final words would protect her from Barr’s passion. Not when hers simmered right at the surface, waiting to boil over and join his.

Barr had never been so sorely tempted by a woman before.

While he had not always agreed with Talorc’s strict stance on physical mating, neither did he see it as something to be indulged in for the sake of nothing more than a few hours of temporary pleasure. Joining his body with another carried the weight of possibly true bonding, and that was not a risk to be dismissed lightly. He had been more than lucky his first foray into sexual intimacy had not led to the tie forming; bad enough it had cost him two dear friends.

His fellow warrior’s possessiveness of his true bond mate had made continued friendship impossible between him and Barr once he learned she had surrendered her virginity to the other man. As for the woman, neither she nor Barr had been comfortable in one another’s presence again after the debacle of that one coupling.

Once a Chrechte developed a sacred or true bond with his mate, he would become incapable of performing sexually with anyone else while his mate lived. Barr didn’t understand it any better than he did the miracle of his animal form and nature. He knew the truth of it, however, and had been sexually circumspect because of it.

Only a fool would not realize the strong reaction he had to Sabrine could well lead to a sacred mate bond. And Barr was far from being a fool. His wolf was drawn to the mysterious raven-haired woman in a way it had never been to another person.

In the usual way of things, he would take time to get to know the woman his wolf was so intent upon having. He would carefully consider whether she would make a suitable mate before acting on his baser urges. But this was no ordinary reaction.

His wolf was demanding instant action and his body’s cravings were making that demand near impossible to ignore.

The wolf howled for release, Barr’s libido ached with need and his mind fought them both. Still looking for an explanation of the sense of other he could not dismiss from his memory, his brain worried at this problem as well. How could she lie to him and he not smell it? For lie to him he was certain she had.

His beautiful, alluring Sabrine had no more lost her memory than he had. What her game was, he couldna fathom, but it was clear she’d been genuinely distressed about whatever was going on with Brigit’s mother, Sorcha.

Sabrine’s obvious compassion only made Barr desire her more, but her equally apparent deception prevented him from trusting her completely.

Could he bed a woman he did not trust? His wolf howled, “Yes.” His cock jerked in response and he was no closer to resolution of his inner conflict than before.

“You look like you are contemplating invading England, but you smell like you want to invade me.” Naught in her tone revealed what she felt about that, but the words themselves revealed much.

And he knew. He did not understand, but he knew it must be true. “You are Chrechte, but you hide your wolf nature so well, even I could not sense it.”

“I am no part of the Faol.” The loathing with which she spoke the word Faol left no room for doubt.

Yet . . . “You must be. You are no mere human.”

“Humans have their own strength.”

“Yes, they do, but you are Chrechte.”

She did not deny it, but her mouth set in a stubborn line that told him without words she would not answer.

“And you haven’t forgotten anything, except perhaps how to tell the truth.”

That should be all he needed to rein in his libido, but her stubbornness and equally undeniable strength laid waste to the last of his defenses. This woman was his match.

Eyes the color of warm earth rich with sustenance narrowed dangerously. “You call me a liar?”

“Nay.” He’d learned from Talorc’s mistakes with