Darkness had given way to daylight when I awoke, snug and warm in Leo's arms, to the sound of melting snow dripping onto the roof of our tent from the snowladen boughs above us. Not remembering much about where we'd camped for the night, it occurred to me that we might want to- "Move!"

Giving Leo a shove to wake him before scrambling out of our tent, I jumped backwards and fell, sprawling, in the snow, only to watch helplessly as a deluge of melting snow slid from the branches of an enormous pine to bury our supplies, our tent-and Leo, as well- under an avalanche of heavy, wet, mounded snow.

I believe I screamed, which would account for Rafe's sudden leap from his own bedroll-either that, or Gerald bit him, which was by no means out of the question. As the moments passed and there was no sign of life under the silent snow bank, I tried to fight down sheer panic, reasoning that Leo would survive the cold if he went into hibernation-after all, I'd pulled him out of a snowdrift once before-but it had taken him a while to recover, which would undoubtedly slow us down even further, as my own collapse had done on the previous evening. Rafe was obviously thinking along *191 *37*.

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Cheryl Brooks the same lines, for I could hear him swearing as he trudged through the snow toward me.

"By the gods, this is an ill-fated journey!" he declared. "It seems you might lose your new husband after one night."

"Not if I can help it," I said firmly. "Stand back."

Max was already frantically digging in the snow where Leo was buried, and I shot balls of fire into the mass of white to melt it. I'd seldom had occasion to do that before, but when you're trying to save the one you love, anything is possible. It occurred to me that hypothermia might be the least of our worries where Leo was concerned, for he might very well have been crushed beneath the weight of all that snow. I kept on, and finally, the snow was melted enough that the top of the tent was visible, and Rafe waded into the slushy mass and pulled the tent away to reveal Leo's crumpled, inert body. My heart dropped like a stone as I realized that he might truly be dead this time.

"Rafe!" I gasped. "Is he-?"

"Dead?" Rafe finished for me. "Well, if he isn't, he ought to be."

I couldn't believe it. The gods couldn't be so cruel- could they?

My heart was in my throat, and my feet seemed to have acquired lead weights on them. I couldn't seem to move fast enough. Falling to my knees in the slush, I rolled Leo onto his back and began frantically searching for a pulse, but my numb, icy fingers couldn't feel a thing. Too distraught to do anything useful, I couldn't even remember how to warm him, or my fingers, or do anything helpful whatsoever. I'd never been in such a *192 *37*.

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state of panic before-perhaps because I'd never had so much to lose.

"If he's alive, Rafe, we're going home!" I said desperately. "This whole fiasco is pointless to me if he dies." I paused, trying to compose myself. My hands were still numb, and my voice was shaking. "Do you understand me? I don't give a damn about you or your boys! This is the only person in this whole, wide world that I care anything about-have ever cared anything about-and if he's gone-"

"Tisana!" Rafe said sharply. "This is no time for you to be having hysterics! I've always known you to be a perfectly rational female. Don't ruin my opinion of you now."

I hadn't thought that Rafe held anything remotely approaching a good opinion of me, but his stern tone cleared my head, and, suddenly, I remembered what I had to do. Thrusting Leo's jaw forward with my thumbs, I pinched off his nostrils, sealed my lips over his, and gave him a breath, and another, and another. I stopped to check for a pulse again, this time, having enough of my wits about me to warm my fingers first so I could feel it. His heartbeat was there, but was very slow. He'd gone into hibernation, or shock, or something, but not full cardiac arrest. However, if his chest was moving on its own, I certainly couldn't tell it.

"Still not breathing!" I swore angrily and began again.

Rafe sat back on his heels in the snow, watching me.

Having brought me to my senses, he no longer seemed to know what to do, and he'd probably never witnessed this form of resuscitation before.

"Get some wood on the fire!" I gasped between breaths. "I'll start it, but we need more wood!" I gave *193 *37*.

194.

Cheryl Brooks two more breaths and shouted after him, "And put your bedroll by the fire!"

I checked Leo's pulse again. I thought it seemed a hair faster now. "Breathe, goddammit!" I screamed at him. "Don't you dare die on me!"

I have no idea how much longer I went on that way, but finally, Rafe called out for me to start the fire. I gave Leo another breath and glanced over my shoulder and shot a huge ball of flame into the woodpile.

"Careful, Tisana!" Rafe bellowed, leaping back from the flames. "You'll burn down the forest!"

"Shut up!" I snapped back at him. "And start digging out the supplies!"

I heard him grumble something about overwrought females, but I didn't give a damn. At that point, Rafe could go hang for all I cared. All I wanted was for Leo to start breathing again, and as soon as he could ride, we were heading back to my cottage! I was never letting him out of my sight, never letting him do anything remotely unsafe, never letting anyone come near him for fear that they might pass on a contagious disease.

He was mine, and I wasn't about to let anything like this happen again-if he lived...

He was still cold. I stopped for a moment and focused on the snow next to his head. When it began to melt, I swept his entire body with a quick glance, as I had when I'd found him in a snowdrift before. It was funny, I thought between breaths, because I hadn't been nearly as frantic that time. I'd been calm, even making a little joke with Morgana. What a difference falling in love with someone can make! Before, he'd only been a guy I was trying to heal who just so happened to be able *194 *37*.

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to produce orgasmic fluid from his cock. Now, he was my Leo-my love, my husband, and the father of my child-and if he died, I'd probably die, too. Wouldn't want to go on living, anyway.

Checking his pulse again, I found that his heart was beating at almost a normal rate.

"Tisana," Rafe said gently. "Perhaps it is time to-"

"Give up?" I shouted. "Not until I haven't got a breath left in my body."

"You don't mean that," he said. "Think of the child."

"I am thinking about the child!" I shouted. "And I want that child to have a living, breathing father! Not merely the memory of one planted in her mind by her mother when she's old enough to understand."

I gave Leo another breath and realized it was getting easier. He must have been pulling air in on his own.

I stopped and turned my head, placing my ear near his mouth. Then I sat back on my heels, watching him intently.

Leo was breathing.

"At last you're beginning to see reason," Rafe said, sounding somewhat relieved. "I'm sorry, Tisana."

"Sorry, hell!" I said grinning and pointing a finger at Leo's chest. "Look."

"By the gods!" Rafe whispered hoarsely as he leaned closer. "You truly are a witch!"

"It has nothing to do with being a witch," I said firmly. "I'm a healer, Rafe. It was part of my training as a child." He still seemed doubtful, so I added, "I guess I know a few things you don't."

"But bringing someone back from the dead?" he said.

"That is witchcraft."

*195 *37*.

196.

Cheryl Brooks "Sorry to disillusion you, Rafe, but it's not," I said flatly. "Of course, if you don't want to believe me, you can simply forget about what you just saw."

He nodded slowly. "It never happened."

Shaking my head in amazement, I wondered how he was able to accept my ability to communicate with animals and start fires-both of which did have something to do with magical powers-but not this simple, basic technique that had been passed down through generations of my family and even had its origins on Earth. There had been a great many things that we had left behind to come here and live the way we chose, but some of those things were damned useful to know! It was a pity our society had forgotten so much of its own ancient lore.

"Okay, then," I said briskly, the horror of Leo's demise beginning to fade, "let's get these wet clothes off of him and get him dry and into your bedroll."

After a quick check to make certain there were no broken bones to contend with, I began removing Leo's clothing. I dried him off with a relatively dry blanket and then we placed him carefully on the bedroll by the fire- after I'd warmed up the bedding with a quick stare.

"I see what you mean now about not letting Carnita have him," Rafe said grudgingly. "That's some tool he's got there."

"You don't know the half of it!" I exclaimed enthusiastically. "See those little scallops on the head? They secrete a fluid that chemically induces orgasms, so, no," I added firmly, "you really do not want Carnita anywhere near him."

This might have been more information than he needed to hear at the time, but at least Rafe was now in *196 *37*.

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complete agreement with me on the subject of Carnita and her slave. "I think it might be best to tell her he's dead," Rafe mused. Then he muttered something I wasn't able to catch.

"What did you say?" I demanded suspiciously. If he thought Leo was going to die anyway, I had news for him.

"Nothing," he said shortly. "Let's get him covered up and see what we can salvage from this mess."

Max and Gerald, who had been wisely keeping out of the way until then, came over and cautiously approached Leo. No longer at odds with one another and actually working as a team, Gerald took up a position next to Leo's head and patted his face in what I'm sure he thought was a helpful fashion, while Max curled up at his feet.

"Now, don't you worry, Tisana!" Gerald offered cheerfully. "The big cat is pretty tough. He'll be okay."

"Yes," I said grimly, "but to get him awake, I'm going to have to do some rather intimate things to him.

Think you could look the other way for awhile?"

"Righto!" he said, sounding equally chipper. "Want me and the dog to help dig for the supplies?"

"That's a great idea, Gerald! Max," I said, directing my thoughts toward him, "why don't you go help Rafe?

You're good at digging."

Max wasn't too happy about leaving the warm, dry spot he'd gotten comfy on, but he went anyway. Once they were gone, I sat down beside Leo, warmed up my hands and reached under the blanket. To my surprise and dismay, I didn't get the response I'd come to expect.

*197 *38*.

198.

Cheryl Brooks Could Leo have internal injuries I couldn't detect? If so, it made sense that he would shut down in order to hasten the healing process. Once again, I cursed my limited knowledge of his species.

Leo was alive, he was breathing and had a good, strong pulse, and the best I could tell, no broken bones. That was the good news. The bad news was that he was totally unresponsive, and I had no way of knowing how long this condition would last. I thought back to that snowy night, not so long ago, when I had first encountered this alien whose life force seemed to be on the wane. He had survived a severe beating, sickness, and a rough trip through a cold night to be deposited unceremoniously on the floor of my cottage. I had to believe that it was only a matter of time before his recuperative powers would bring him back to me. I was tucking the blankets firmly around him when Rafe called out, "Is he alive?"

"Oh, yes," I replied. "He's still very much alive! But he's going to need some time to recover."

Rafe grunted noncommittally. "I've got almost everything out of here, but I'll need you to help me dry out a few things. I must say, Tisana, that heated sight of yours is very useful."

"I've always thought so," I agreed, dragging myself away from Leo's side to consult with Rafe.

"When do you think we'll be able to get going again?"

he went on.

"We'll see," I replied, reluctant to admit, even to myself, that I wasn't sure when Leo would be in shape to travel. "I know you're anxious, Rafe, but it might be best to rest for the morning at least. The trail is probably cold, anyway-I doubt that even Morgana can follow *198 *38*.

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it now, and until Leo recovers, I don't see how we can continue." Looking around distractedly, I added, "I need to boil some water, too-if I can just remember what herbs to use." I ran a hand through my hair. Normally I was completely unflappable in times of crisis. Where was that clearheaded inner calm when I needed it? "I don't suppose there's any of that stew left from last night, is there?"

"A little," he replied. "I'll add some more to it. Should be enough."

"Well, let me know when it's ready to cook, and I'll take a look at it."

Rafe actually laughed out loud. It was good to hear, and it was surprising how much it served to raise my spirits-not as much as Leo waking up would, but still, it was...nice.

"Remind me to be careful about what I have you look at in the future," Rafe said, still sounding amused. "It could be dangerous."

"Rafe," I said witheringly, "have I ever scorched you before?"

"Well, no," he admitted, "but now that I think of it, it's a wonder you never have."

"True," I agreed, "but I'm usually pretty careful- though now that you know I can do it, I might not be so cautious."

"You wouldn't-would you?"

"I don't know, Rafe," I said darkly. "Better watch your step, or I might singe the hair off your head."

"As long as it's the head on my shoulders, that might not be so bad," he said after a moment's consideration.

"Would save me from having to cut it so often."

*199 *38*.

200.

Cheryl Brooks "What's the matter, Rafe?" I taunted. "Afraid of what I might do to your cock?"

"Actually, I was more concerned about my balls," he replied. "Not sure I could live without them."

I hoped Goran and Calla and the other geldings in our party hadn't heard that. If they had, they might have pointed out that testicles were not required for a male to live, though Sinjar might have disagreed.

Perhaps Rafe only felt that way because of Carnita, though he'd said she was barren after the second child.

If he didn't get his sons back and Carnita had no more, that would be a big blow to Rafe-and ultimately to Carnita, as well. "Carnita isn't still trying to have more children, is she?" I inquired.

"No," he replied grudgingly. "I just don't think I'd like not having balls."

This was more personal information than I'd heard out of Rafe in some time. He'd given me Leo to keep me from asking too many questions, and it seemed odd that he should be so forthcoming now. Maybe he was just trying to be nice, because he knew how concerned I was about Leo. This slowdown was frustrating, and I wouldn't have put it past him to suggest rigging up a travois and pushing on, but so far, he hadn't.