She nodded, knowing he was avoiding her question.

After breakfast, they walked out to the barn together. The horses weren't ready for the ride today. All hands were busy cleaning up from the small battle. Emily put a bridle on Patra and led her out into the barn while Chevalier fit a saddle to the buckskin mare.

She effortlessly slid onto Patra bareback and waited for Chevalier to mount up.

Emily clicked her tongue, and Patra began to walk forward. It was warm out this afternoon, so she slipped off her sweater, aware that she was again being watched. She led the way to the tree-line, and then followed the curve of trees to the beach. They kept the pace slow. She wasn't sure she could handle a gallop, because she was still recovering from the double pneumonia. Chevalier didn't care how fast they moved. He spent most of his time watching her.

"You miss your ranch, don't you?" he asked as they set out along the beach.

She nodded.

"Would you like me to get you some livestock here?" He suddenly realized how easily that could be done.

Emily turned and looked at him. "Really?"

He nodded and smiled.

"With no servants... all mine?" she questioned.

"If that's what you want, then yes."

Excitement glowed in her eyes. "That would be wonderful! I can only wander the castle so many times before I'd go insane."

"Then consider it done. As soon as the cleanup is finished, I'll get someone right on that." He was pleased at how well she was taking his small gift to her.

Chevalier got a mischievous glimmer in his eye, and just as Emily was about to question him, he blurred and appeared on Patra behind her. He quickly spun her to face him and positioned her legs over his. "There... I like this better."

"I don't think this is an American Equestrian approved riding position though," she explained, and then laughed.

"Mmhmmm," he mumbled as he began kissing along her neck.

Chapter 11.

Emily waited, crouched behind a stone pillar in the field beside the castle. She was hunkered down, patiently holding the small gun firmly in her hand, and her breathing was steady. There was a sheen of sweat on her forehead as she peeked around the corner and drew back quickly. Looking down, she noticed her tennis shoe was untied. She set the gun down beside her, tied it, and then picked the gun back up.

It was almost time, time to defend herself again. The cows around her ignored her while she waited. Her legs began to strain. She checked her gun again. It was fully loaded.

She heard footsteps coming toward her from the barn. She held her breath, afraid it might give her away, and she got ready to aim and fire.

"Emily?" Kyle called to her.

She kept still.

Kyle sighed, and she could hear him. He was almost close enough to launch her attack. After taking a deep breath, she rounded the corner, took aim, and fired, shooting long streams of water directly into his face. He was caught off guard, so she took that opportunity to run.

"That's it!" he shouted, and followed after her.

She ran as fast as she could but heard him gaining. She took a blind aim behind her and shot again, not sure if she'd hit him. Mid-stride, her feet disappeared out from under her as Kyle picked her up and threw her across his shoulder.

"You cheated!" she yelled at him.

"I did not cheat. I ran. Someone who attacks someone else should take their abilities into consideration."

"Ha-ha, now put me down." She was laughing.

"No." He began to run faster, and she could feel the wind blowing past her.

"No!" she screamed, sure of what he was doing.

Kyle didn't answer.

"Stop or I'll tell Chev!"

She heard him chuckle, and the sound of waves came closer.

"Kyle, no! It's cold!" He didn't slow, and she saw the sand turn to wooden planks.

"Good afternoon, sir," said one of the guards, hiding a laugh.

"Good afternoon, Travis."

"Stop!" she shouted. "Travis, help me!"

The guard laughed. "No can do, Lady Emily."

She felt herself fall off of the pier the three feet down to the icy cold ocean. She surfaced, and the cold water knocked the breath out of her. She swam up to the beach and stepped out, soaking wet and shivering.

"Some guard you are," she teased Travis.

He smiled, and his teeth glistened in the sun.

She spun and looked at the pier, but Kyle was gone.

"Wimp!" she shouted after him, and she thought she heard laughing on the wind. She tossed the water gun to Travis, and he glanced at her questioningly.

"If he comes back, shoot him," she said, starting off for the castle.

The guards at the front of the castle bowed to her and opened the door. She stepped inside with her clothes dripping water all over the floor. A towel flew out at her from the dark shadows and landed at her feet.

"Thank you," she mumbled, and headed to her room to change.

As she walked up the stairs, she saw Chevalier standing at the top, watching her. "Long day?"

"Kyle tossed me into the ocean!" She knew tattling wouldn't do any good.

"I see, and before I behead him... who started it?" he asked.

She began to dry her hair as she passed him. "Heku... always sticking together."

Chevalier walked behind her, laughing. "You realize it's not fair for you to ambush him. He can smell you from five yards away, less if you are upwind of him."

"I was downwind. I made sure of it, and I did get off a few good shots." She grinned and walked into the antechamber. Kyle was standing in the corner smiling. "But he cheats."

Kyle cleared his throat.

Chevalier raised an eyebrow at him and smiled. "We all cheat. It's in our nature."

Emily disappeared into the bedroom and headed straight for the wardrobe. Chevalier looked at Kyle again and shook his head.

"One hot chocolate coming up," Kyle said.

Chevalier nodded and walked into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"I don't think Kyle knew what he was getting himself in to when he took up this position," he said, sitting down on a chair by the fireplace, though there hadn't been the need for a fire in months.

"Oh, he knew." She disappeared into the bathroom.

"Which reminds me, I heard a congratulation is in order," he called into the bathroom.

Emily walked out in dry jeans and a t-shirt. "Well, it wasn't exactly planned."

She took the hot cocoa from Gordon and thanked him, and then sat down in a chair by Chevalier. She sipped at the warming drink.

"Kelly does apologize." Chevalier was trying not to laugh. He wasn't sure why he found it funny.

"He shouldn't have let your monster horse out while Patra was in heat," she grumbled. "I'm not saying this place doesn't need more horses, but we could have at least gotten her a paint stud instead of that grouchy Arabian you ride around." She frowned. Chevalier's horse was ornery and temperamental.

"Maybe he found her mouth wateringly appealing."

Emily blushed and sipped on the hot cocoa before answering, "I'm considering getting him castrated."

"That seems a bit drastic."

"I usually don't like to fix them in case I want to breed them, but I think his attitude would be better with a little less testosterone."

"I like him how he is."

"I guess... it's your horse."

"So what brought on the sudden attack on Kyle?" Chevalier was still working on being casual about their relationship, but at times he had a hard time accepting it. He couldn't help but find it irritating when the two of them were together so much, and they had begun to have inside jokes that he didn't understand.

"He made fun of Patra for being pregnant." She glared at him, and he took the hint to drop the laughter at her mare's expense.

"You don't find it the least bit funny?" He grinned and looked at her eyes. "I've been thinking..."

"Yeah?" She was watching him closely because he seemed nervous, which was extremely uncharacteristic of him.

Chevalier smiled broadly. "Marry me."

Emily sighed, "Be serious, Chev."

"What if I am serious?" He moved to kneel in front of her and took her hand. "Please... consider it."

"What about our secrecy? You know... mean ol'Enforcer can't be caught loving a mere mortal." She raised an eyebrow and smiled down at him.

"We'll get married in secret, just us and one other. It will finally make you mine." He smiled, knowing how much she hated to be claimed that way, but he loved to see the way she blushed when she heard it.

"Ugh, Chev! We don't need to get married. I've done that, remember? White wedding, hundreds in attendance, the stress, the panic, the pressure. You saw how well that one worked out." She was still sipping at the hot cocoa.

"Not a human wedding, Emily. It's amazing how hard it is to find any type of preacher from any flavor of mortal religion that will marry a mortal to an immortal. It goes against the ethics of every theological professional in the world." He was still smiling. She was getting uncomfortable, and he found human emotions fascinating.

"Well then, what are you suggesting?" Her curiosity peaked.

"An immortal bonding... sealing us together, forever, as mates."

She frowned. "Doesn't that sound romantic?"

Chevalier leaned his head back and laughed.

"Well it doesn't! Mates... we might as well be friends with benefits or..." Her words were cut off by his lips.

He leaned back and stared into her vivid eyes. "Please, Emily. I want you to officially be with me forever."

She sighed, "What exactly does it entail?"

He grimaced a bit. This was the part he was afraid to tell her. "Well... normally... it's a small ceremony with just one other witness present."

She could tell he was leaving something out. "And?"

"Well to finalize it... there's an... well an exchange."

Her eyes narrowed. "An exchange of what?"

"The ceremony is for immortals."

"Don't you see one tiny problem with that?" Emily set her empty cocoa cup on the table.

"It can be done with a mortal too, Em. It's just different for them."

"How? You're trying not to tell me something, and that's making me nervous." She studied his eyes and the nervous twitch of his lips.