Lyris said that Talon was not like other men, but Shasta had seen with her own eyes just how much Talon enjoyed Erinda's touch. She couldn't imagine what else he could possibly have in common with the plump little chambermaid. Certainly Erinda possessed a worldly aura that implied confidence and experience. Maybe that was how she had won Talon over to begin with. And if a common chambermaid could seduce someone as stoic and self-controlled as Talon, why couldn't the Princess of Ithyria?

She wasn't worried about what the King would say. According to law she was allowed to choose her own husband, and her father, for all his faults, loved her enough to wish for her happiness above all other things. When he saw how happy she and Talon were together, she was certain he would not object to the match.

She spent hours envisioning the perfect wedding. She would sweep into the temple, dressed all in white, with a train so long that the temple doors would have to be left open so it could tumble down the stairs behind her. She would stand at Talon's side, and he would smile down at her with love shining in those incredibly deep, dark eyes. They would pledge their devotion in front of the entire court but be so absorbed in one another that it would be like they were the only man and woman left in the world. And she would then place the crown of Ithyria on Talon's head, making him heir to her father's throne and cementing the royal line for another generation.

They would have children, of course. A boy and a girl to rule after them. Maybe even twins, which were common in the Rane bloodline. She would name them Daric and Talia, after her brother and mother...unless of course Talon wanted to pass on one of his own family names. And when the King had reached an age where he was too tired to continue the responsibilities of the crown, he would abdicate in favor of his handsome son-in-law, and together Talon and Shasta would be the best rulers Ithyria had ever known. They would clean up the provincial governments, establish schools for the children of Ithyria, abolish the laws that made women the property of their husbands and fathers. And oh, the delicious, romantic irony of seeing a common Outlander rule the country as king!

It was a pleasant daydream. Of course, there was the small matter of getting her guardian to return her feelings. Her chances didn't seem promising, for with each passing day, he seemed more and more determined to ignore her. She was beginning to think she might never get through to him.

Spring turned into early summer and the weather began to get hot, especially in the afternoons. Shasta grew faint at times from the combination of heat and heavy gowns, and her tutors began to schedule lessons in the cooler hours of the morning so that her afternoons were free and she could lounge around her chambers in her lighter dressing robes.

On one such afternoon in her sitting room, Shasta looked up from the book in her lap and brushed a damp strand of hair from her forehead. She resented the mugginess of summer almost as much as the winter cold. Both extremes kept her cooped up indoors with nothing much to do. She was clad in an airy pink silk robe with short, fluttering sleeves that was much cooler than any of her heavier layered skirts and petticoats, but she was still feeling slightly light-headed. It was more humid than usual today, probably thanks to the rain shower the night before, and the air felt heavy in her lungs.

Talon was sitting in his usual chair by the hearth, one ankle crossed over his knee. The heat did not seem to bother him as much as it did her. Even on this sweltering afternoon he wore long dark trousers and a linen shirt buttoned all the way to his neck. There were several open books on the floor and an unfurled map on the table to his right, and he was busy scribbling something on the blank page of a notebook balanced carefully against one thigh. His dark hair was plastered lightly to his forehead, and one stubborn lock kept falling forward into his eyes as he worked.

Nurse had left a few minutes ago to see to the preparation of lunch, so they were alone for the time being. Shasta closed the book in her lap. I've tried everything else, she reasoned, rising to her feet. It's now or never.

Talon looked up at her. "Highness?"

She approached him with deliberate steps, taking the quill from his hand and closing the notebook and setting them both on top of the map on the table.

Her guardian blinked at her curiously. "Is everything all right?"

Shasta tugged at his hands and he stood obediently. She found herself looking up into his face, a full head above her own. Taking a deep breath, she thought of Bria's words. Men only understand one language. She placed her hands on his chest, running them slowly along his collarbone and then over his shoulders and around his neck. Meeting his dark eyes, she smiled shyly and rose on tiptoe.

Talon felt her entire body tense beneath Shasta's touch. "Highness, what are you doing?"

The Princess's fingers wound into her hair, and she tugged Talon's head down until Talon could feel lips brushing lightly against one earlobe. Shasta's breath tickled her neck and sent a sudden uncontrollable shiver coursing along her spine.

Talon gave a sharp gasp and seized Shasta's wrists. "Shasta. Stop." She rarely used the Princess's first name, but it seemed to get her attention.

"Why?" The amber eyes searched her face teasingly. "Don't you like me?" Shasta pressed her hips gently into Talon's, but did not attempt to free her hands.

"Princess, you know that isn't even an option." Talon forced herself not to dwell on the feel of Shasta's body against her own, or how remarkably beautiful the Princess looked with her heat-flushed cheeks and charmingly damp hairline. She realized her charge must have tired of subtlety and was now going to try a more aggressive approach. If it had been anyone else it might have been comical; the Princess was such an innocent and she was trying far too hard to be seductive. But there was nothing funny about the way Talon's heart had begun to pound. "You don't know what you're doing."

"I know enough. And what I don't know, you can teach me."

Talon backed away, releasing Shasta's wrists. "No."

She was startled by the bitter look that crossed the Princess's face. "You don't seem to mind when Erinda touches you."

"Erinda?"

"I've seen you, so don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about."

Talon ran a hand through her hair, her mind racing. She wasn't sure when the Princess had learned of her relationship with the chambermaid, or exactly how much Shasta really knew. Talon chose to keep her answer vague. "That's different."

"Why? Because I'm the Princess?"

"No...yes." Talon took a deep breath. "Princess, there are things that you don't know about me. I'm your guardian, and this is wrong."

"I love you, Talon. What's wrong with that?"

"Everything!" Talon growled. "You can't have feelings like that for me, Princess, you mustn't." Desperately she tried to think of an explanation, an excuse, anything to keep the Princess from touching her again. "Look, I know you think you're in love with me, but you're not."

"I am."

"You don't even know me."

Shasta laughed. "I spend every minute of the day with you. I think I know you pretty well."

"You don't know anything."

"And Erinda does? Is that it?"

"Yes."

"Are you in love with her?"

The hurt in the Princess's voice was unmistakable, and Talon closed her eyes tightly to maintain control. "No. Erinda and I have an understanding, that's all."

"What kind of understanding could you have with a servant girl that you can't have with me?"

"I can't explain it."

"Can't or won't?"

"Both."

Shasta gave a little screech. "Why do you always do this? Why are you always so closed off and distant? If I don't know you, maybe it's because you're so damned elusive, like you're hiding some huge secret all the time. I tell you everything, Talon. Everything. It's not fair." She stamped her foot childishly. "I could make you tell me, you know. Or I could make your precious Erinda tell me. It wouldn't be that hard."

"Princess." Talon tried for a reasonable tone. "If you love me as you say you do, then you have to trust me. I'm sorry I can't tell you everything, but I can't." The confusion and pain in Shasta's amber eyes was too much for Talon to stand, and she could not help taking the Princess's face in her hands. "Listen, if my relationship with Erinda bothers you so much, I'll call it off. Is that what you want?"

Shasta's hands came up again and locked themselves around Talon's neck, and Talon instantly regretted getting that close. "What I want..." The Princess tilted her face up and kissed her.

Her lips were so soft, and Talon's keen senses were suddenly overwhelmed with the smell of her, the flowery fragrance of the Princess's perfume mingled with the salty sharpness of her perspiration, and beneath it...Shasta's own unique scent, like raspberries and rain, the natural fragrance of her very skin. It was a scent Talon had grown to recognize easily over the past two winters, and knowing it belonged only to the Princess she found it intoxicating.

A powerful wave of desire swept through her, and before she could stifle it, a fire began in her belly and spread outward until she wasn't sure she still had control of her own limbs. Her arms tightened around the small of the Princess's back, the cool pink silk of Shasta's robe sliding sensuously beneath her hands.

Shasta's lips parted against hers and her small tongue teased at Talon's mouth, flickering over her lower lip. Talon was unable to suppress a moan. Delicately, playfully, the Princess ran her tongue along the bottom edge of Talon's upper teeth before pushing deeper. The taste of her was sweet, so erotic in its forbidden innocence that Talon felt like she was falling. In a few more seconds she would be completely bereft of her ability to reason at all.

This could not be. No matter how much she ached to take her Princess into her arms and give her everything she was asking for, Shasta was the future Queen of Ithyria, and Talon's responsibility. More importantly, she didn't know the truth about Talon and could never be told. Her life depended on it. With enormous effort Talon broke the kiss and pulled away.

A triumphant smile curved the Princess's lips. "That's what I want."

Talon stared, panting softly to catch her breath. Unbelievable. The Princess was such an innocent. She had no real understanding of the response her touch aroused. To her this was a game, but for Talon it was quickly becoming much more. Her trysts with Erinda were purely for fun and to satisfy their mutual need for physical contact, but they had no emotional attachment to one another. With Shasta it was different. Never in her life had Talon cared for someone so much or wanted someone so badly. Why did it have to be the one person in the world that she could never have? If Shasta knew, if she ever discovered the truth, she'd be disgusted.

Talon backed away, the back of her hand pressed to her mouth. When she managed to speak, her throat felt like it was coated with sand. "Don't do that again," she mumbled and left the chamber, closing the door behind her.

Leaning against the wall out in the corridor, she willed the rough stone to cool the heat coursing through her veins, heat that had nothing to do with the summer weather. How long could she keep this up?

Eyes on the door, Shasta raised a hand to lips that were still warm and tingling from the broken contact. Had she done something wrong? She could have sworn that Talon wanted the kiss as badly as she did. She felt the response of his body to her touch, the way his arms tightened around her and his breath quickened in her ear. But then he'd pushed her away and left.

Perhaps she'd made a terrible mistake. Was he angry? Shasta knew he would not have gone far; it was his duty to stay by her side. He was probably right outside the door, but she was too humiliated to go after him. What was she thinking, throwing herself at a man like that? She was no better than a common harlot. Hadn't he once insulted her with that label? What must he think of her now? How could she face him again after this? And why...Why doesn't he want me?

A small whimper escaped her, and with flaming cheeks Shasta threw herself onto her bed.

Talon had no idea how long she stood outside the Princess's door, listening to her muffled sobs. The sound tore at her heart. She knew Shasta had to be confused and hurting. A girl's first crush was a powerful thing, and Talon berated herself for ever flirting with the Princess, for giving her a reason to think she might be interested.

In truth, for a long while, Talon had thought it was harmless fun. Shasta was destined to be courted by princes and kings, and Talon was only a soldier. But she knew there had been moments when the flirting went beyond playfulness. Shasta was unlike any other person Talon had ever known-intelligent, beautiful, and fiercely independent, yet fragile. It was the Princess's ferocity and tenacity, despite her ironically frail constitution, that Talon admired most. It awakened her deepest protective instincts in a way that only Lyris and Bria had ever been able to. She had taken the position as Shasta's bodyguard solely to protect her sisters, but now she found that she wanted to protect the Princess just as much. Maybe even more.

She straightened as Lyris approached from down the hall, her anxiety apparent. No doubt she had been alarmed at the sound of Shasta crying from the other side of the wall.

She eyed the Princess's door and Talon's face, and demanded, "What's going on?"

Talon had no idea how to answer. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

Lyris patted her older sister's shoulder. "I know. It's not your fault. You're just too charming for your own good. She'll get over it, you'll see." Lyris paused and looked at Talon more intently. "You're not...you don't have feelings for the Princess, do you?"

Talon gave a heavy sigh and hid her eyes behind her hand. "I don't know."

"Talon," Lyris's voice took on a warning tone, "you're not a man. Erinda is one thing, but Princess Shasta?"

Lyris was the only other person who knew of Talon's relationship with the chambermaid. Talon hadn't even felt comfortable telling their youngest sister about it. Somehow she was sure Bria wouldn't be able to understand. Even the generally open-minded Lyris had found the situation strange, to say the least.

"I know. I know it's all wrong. But..." Talon laid a hand on the oak-paneled door, wishing she could see through the wood. "I can't explain it. I feel like my heart's being taken from me."

Lyris squeezed her shoulder. "I just want you to be happy, Talon. You've given up so much for everyone else, and you deserve to be happy. But this is only going to bring you pain."

Helplessly, Talon gazed into her worried eyes. "I know."

Lyris sighed again. "I'll go talk to her. Maybe I can cheer her up."

That night, Shasta lay in bed staring at the ceiling, listening to Talon's rhythmic breathing from the cot nearby. The whole evening had been awkward. Talon hadn't even come back into the room until right before it was time to sleep. He'd walked in without a word, inspected her privy chamber for her as usual, waited for her to finish, then lain down and fallen asleep without even meeting her eyes. Part of her was grateful that her guardian hadn't mentioned the events of the afternoon, and part of her was angry. Embarrassment and frustration had been battling back and forth inside her for the last few hours. She knew she'd overstepped an invisible boundary today, and obviously she'd made Talon extremely uncomfortable. But he should feel lucky for her attentions, she told herself stubbornly. She was Crown Princess Shasta Talia Soltranis of Rane. Did he think he could do better? Or perhaps he was afraid of her father. Shasta had no such worries, and if that was Talon's only reason for rejecting her she was certain she could explain it to him-if he ever spoke to her again.

Bitterly she replayed the memory in her mind for the hundredth time. The rich, throaty sound of his laugh, and Erinda's irritating giggle. The shock of the sight of them together in the hay, and the weak feeling in her knees as she watched them kiss, at the view of Talon's tanned, muscled back when he moved. Since that night, she had been unable to get the image out of her mind or to stop wondering what it might be like to have been in Erinda's place. The crazy mix of jealousy and longing that filled her as she ran back to the gardens had only grown stronger over the past few moons.

Once she'd realized how attractive Talon was, she became increasingly aware of his presence, the warmth of his body as he stood behind her chair at the table, the way his teeth flashed when he grinned. She admired the strength of his well-muscled frame when he swung her down from her horse after their rides. Even his quiet, husky voice in her ear when he helped with her lessons caused warm shivers down her back. She was surprised he hadn't seemed to notice. For the love of the Goddess, everyone else in the palace was well aware of her attraction to her guardian. Why did he insist on ignoring it?

Lyris and Bria were convinced that Shasta was merely infatuated with Talon, and his words to her that afternoon seemed to indicate that he thought so too. He probably thought she was just playing games with him, as Bria had said. But what else was she supposed to do? Shasta had never experienced such feelings before. She was certain they were far too intense to be a meaningless crush, no matter how silly she seemed to everyone else.

The thought of Talon with Erinda was what really stung, though. Today, Talon had said he would give up Erinda if she asked him to. That would help, but it wasn't enough. Shasta wanted him to hold her, to kiss her the way he had kissed the servant girl. She wanted to know what it felt like. And she could swear there were moments when he felt at least some attraction to her...a flicker in his dark eyes sometimes, when he thought she didn't know he was watching. But maybe she was just imagining it. She had to be, because she had practically thrown herself at him today and he'd rejected her completely.

In the darkness her face grew hot again at the memory of the way she'd wrapped her arms around Talon and kissed him as brazenly as a barmaid. No wonder he didn't want her. No decent man would want a girl who threw herself at him like that, and Talon was so honorable he must have been appalled. Like a fool she had tried to test his resolve, to make him forget the same integrity that made him so noble in the first place. A tear slid down her face. How was she going to face him tomorrow? Listening carefully for any change in her guardian's soft, steady breathing, Shasta slipped out of bed and slid her feet into satin slippers. Carefully she picked up her robe from the base of the bed and tiptoed to the door. She held her breath and opened the door a tiny, agonizing bit at a time, but with such patience that the leather hinges barely made a squeak. Once in the corridor she wrapped the robe around herself and started to run.

Chapter Fifteen.

Talon awoke the next morning with a jolt. It was still very early; the gray fingers of dawn were only beginning to creep through the window. But something was wrong, and it took her about two seconds to figure out what it was. Shasta was gone.

In a matter of moments she had donned her boots and sword belt and was racing down the corridor and into the courtyard. She was lucky. Shasta's dainty satin slippers had left light tracks in the grass that had not yet faded. The Princess had been heading for the servants' stables. Of course, she has her fencing clothes hidden out there.

Talon sprinted through the arched stone of the gardens toward the stables at the opposite end of the grounds. She didn't know how long the Princess had been gone or how much of a head start she had. Given the awkwardness between them last night, Talon could understand why Shasta would have slipped off alone, but as she raced across the palace grounds she cursed herself for not having been more vigilant.

She should have expected this. Shasta was obviously distraught and humiliated after Talon's rejection the day before. She should have talked to her, said something comforting, anything to let the Princess know that she hadn't done anything wrong, that it wasn't Shasta's fault. It's not you, it's me. Talon snorted; if she were in Shasta's place she wouldn't have believed that trite assurance either.

She could only hope she would find Shasta and get her back to the castle before anyone else realized that they were both absent-and before the Princess got herself into trouble, or worse. She cast up a quick prayer to Ithyris or anyone else who might be listening. Please, just keep her safe.

When she reached the stables, Talon ran to the haystack where she knew Shasta kept the split skirts and loose blouse she wore for sparring practice. Sure enough, the Princess's robe, sleeping shift, and slippers lay in a pile by the straw. Talon bent over to pick up the nightdress. It was warm-from the Princess's body heat or the mugginess of the air, she couldn't quite tell. Dampness around the neckline told Talon that Shasta must have run all the way to the stables.

Alarmed, she saw that one of the fencing foils was missing. If Shasta had taken a weapon with her, she was obviously planning to venture farther afield than the gardens. Was she running away? Talon felt sick at the thought. The Princess was a good fencer, but such skills wouldn't do much to protect her against an experienced assassin or anyone else who really wanted to do her harm.

"Looking for something?"

A voice startled Talon and she spun around to face an aged stable hand. "Kallin, did you see Princess Shasta ride out this morning?"

Kallin scratched his temple. "Sure, she left about a quarter of an hour ago, rode out of here on that little black filly she likes so much. Running fast, like demons were chasin' her. I thought you were with her."

"Which way did she go?"

"South, toward the moors."

There was no time for a saddle. Talon chose the biggest mare in the stables and swung herself onto its back. If Kallin was right and the Princess had left so recently, then she had a good chance of catching up to her. Leaning over the mare's neck as its powerful hooves pounded the ground, Talon thanked the Goddess that she hadn't slept any longer than she had or Shasta might have had a much greater head start.

They picked up her trail quickly. Shasta was riding fast and hard through the moor, so it wasn't difficult to follow the grass beaten down by her horse's hooves. But Talon knew she still probably had quite a chase ahead of her. The little filly Shasta was riding was not only swift, but possessed great endurance and probably wouldn't slow for at least an hour.

She found herself very thankful for Captain Vaughn's repeated field exercises on these moors. She was familiar with the terrain and knew what to look for. Shasta was heading southeast, and Talon pulled up a map of the area mentally, for the first time finding a reason to use all the geography Vaughn had pounded into her head.

The moors south of Ardrenn were bordered to the southeast by Warin Forest, which stretched all the way to the banks of Indellus Lake. There was one small village on the edge of the forest: Warinsmoor, if Talon's memory served her correctly. Though Shasta probably had no particular destination in mind, her trail cut through the grass and managed to find the one developed road leading across the moor, right to the village. Talon wasn't sure whether to be relieved or even more afraid. While the village meant that the Princess was unlikely to get lost, where there were people there was always greater danger. Especially for a pretty young woman riding alone.

Talon followed the dusty road for nearly two leagues before Warinsmoor finally came into view. She hadn't seen any sign of Shasta leaving the road, but it had been impossible to distinguish the filly's hoofprints from all the other traffic along the hard-packed earth. She pulled on the big mare's mane, stopping short in front of a man standing with an overturned cart just outside the village. He was picking up shards of broken pottery from the dust and muttering under his breath.

"Excuse me, sir. Have you seen a young woman on a horse come this way? She would have been wearing split skirts, long brown hair, riding fast..."