Finally they reached the apartments of the Dominus and Jason repeated his message to the guardsmen, one of whom asked them to wait while the Dominus was awakened. But Magnus Hauk was already awake. He had not slept well for the past three nights.

"Dillon, what is it?" he asked as he came to the door and ushered his stepson into his dayroom. "Thank you, Jason," he called as he shut the door behind them. "What has happened? Is your mother all right? I have been restless the past few nights."

"My mother has gone missing, my lord," Dillon said quietly. Seeing the look of concern in his stepfather's eyes Dillon liked him better than he ever had.

"What do you meangone missing? " he asked in a tight voice. He was suddenly terrified at the thought he might lose Lara, but he couldn't let the boy know that. Dillon had obviously come to him for help and for reassurance.

"We had been out on the hillside-Mother, Anoush and me-watching the Night of the Flying Stars. Zagiri is too little to stay up so late," he explained lest his stepfather think they were unfairly excluding his daughter. "We returned and went to bed, but when I awoke in the morning, Mother was gone. At first I was not concerned, for more often than not she arises early to watch the sunrise. But she was not outside and no one had seen her that morning. Dasras and I searched for several hours, but we could not find her. I wanted to come to you that night, but Liam insisted upon wasting another day searching with all the men of Camdene. Then last night in the hall I discovered Anoush wearing Mother's star and chain. She said she found it in Mother's bed. I have never known Mother not to wear that star, my lord, have you?" He drew it from his pocket and held it out to Magnus Hauk.

"Nay, I have not," the Dominus said. His chest felt suddenly tight.

"My lord," Dillon started to continue, but Magnus Hauk held up his hand.

"We have discussed this before," he said quietly. "When we are in private you are to address me by my given name. I am your stepfather, but I know you cannot call me Father, for you knew Vartan. Still, 'my lord' seems so formal and your mother had written me that you and Anoush would be coming to live with us after the Gathering. Now, Dillon, my stepson, continue." He put a comforting arm about the boy.

"My lord stepfather, there is magic here. I know there is. You must come to the New Outlands and you must call for Prince Kaliq to come, as well. My mother is gone, I know it. I feel it! Further searching will not find her there."

Magnus Hauk knew that Dillon favored his mother for she had often enough marveled that he did. "What do you know?" he asked his stepson.

"I can only speak before Prince Kaliq," Dillon replied. "I tried to tell Liam and the others but they would not listen to me. They do not understand!"

Magnus Hauk nodded. "No," he said quietly. "They would not." He did not argue with Dillon. Instead he called out in a firm voice, "Kaliq of the Shadows, I need your aid. Please come to me."

And then suddenly Prince Kaliq stepped from a hazy corner of the chamber. He bowed to the Dominus; an eyebrow raised curiously as he saw Dillon. "How may I help you, Magnus Hauk?" he asked. "Good morning, Dillon."

"Lara has disappeared from the New Outlands," Magnus Hauk said without any preamble. He then quickly explained what Dillon had told him. "There is more, but Dillon will only speak of it to you."

"Let us sit down," the Shadow Prince said. "I can feel your fear, your concern and your exhaustion, Dillon. Sit by me and tell me what you could not tell the others."

The three sat together upon a silken couch that had been placed before a large hearth. The prince raised a hand and snapped his fingers; a fire sprang up in the fireplace, crackling and snapping, its warmth spreading out to touch the boy's thin, chilled frame. Almost immediately, a goblet appeared in the prince's hand and he offered it to Dillon who sipped thirstily. "Now, tell me," Kaliq said gently.

Dillon explained how they had watched the flying stars and then gone to bed. "I awoke because I thought I heard a noise," he said. "I opened my eyes and saw filmy creatures hovering over mother. They were almost silent but for the tiniest of murmurs. My hearing is very acute. I am able to hear the beetles in the grass and the rabbits in the field," he explained shyly.

"Did they have faces or hands?" Kaliq asked the boy. A small smile played about the corners of Kaliq's mouth. What powers Dillon exhibited and he was yet untrained.One day, the Shadow Prince thought,he will be a great sorcerer.

"I didn't dare look too closely for I was very afraid," Dillon admitted. "I thought I might be dreaming, although something within me knew I wasn't. Aye, they did have faces. Long, somber visages. And thin hands with long slender fingers that they waved over Mother as they floated over her. And then, my lord Kaliq, they were gone. Evaporated into the air, it would appear.

"I stared hard, for I was not even sure I had seen what my eyes were so certain they had seen," Dillon said. "And then as I watched over my mother lest they return-and had they, I would have tried to repel them-my mother seemed to disappear into the very darkness that encompassed our bedchamber. I got up immediately and went to her bed. It was yet warm with the heat of her body, but she was gone." He sighed. "I went back to bed, sure I was in a dreamlike state, but when I awoke in the morning she truly was gone. Dasras and I searched for her the day long. We could not find her. The Fiacre searched for her the following day. That second night I saw Anoush wearing Mother's crystal star! Mother is never without Ethne. Anoush said she found it in the tangled coverlet of Mother's bed. I realized then my dream had not been a dream, but when I tried to explain to Liam and the others they would not listen to me. So Dasras and I came to Terah."

"You were wise to call me," Kaliq said to Magnus Hauk.

"It was Dillon who asked me to do so. My mind seems not to be functioning," the Dominus replied. "Who has taken her, Kaliq? And why have they taken her?"

"This is a mystery even to me," the Shadow Prince replied. "I must speak with my brothers. After we have conferred I will return to you." But he knew the creatures Dillon had seen were the Munin, although he did not say it.

"I must go to the New Outlands and reassure the clan families that I do not hold them responsible for my wife's disappearance. And then I will return with Dillon, Anoush and Zagiri. I suspect the children are safer here in my castle than anywhere else."

The Shadow Prince nodded. "Aye. I know for a fact that Lara placed a spell I taught her about the castle to repel evil and the darkness. Her children will be very safe with you. Wherever she is, I know that would please her."

"Thankyou, Kaliq, for your reassurances," the Dominus said.

"Farewell, my lord. I will find you in the New Outlands. Go to the Gathering, for it will comfort the clan families. Together we will get to the bottom of this mystery." Then the Shadow Prince disappeared into the umbra as easily as he had come from it.

"I cannot wait to study with him," Dillon said admiringly.

"And you will one day," the Dominus assured his stepson. "Has your mother not promised you that you would?"

"Will we find her, Magnus?" the boy asked.

"We will find her," the Dominus assured his companion. "Now I think you must get some rest. If Dasras is up to it we will travel to the New Outlands later today. Come and sleep in my bed, lad. You look fair worn with your worry of these past few days."

"If only they had listened to me," Dillon said sadly.

"Even had they believed you, they could have done nothing. This business is magic and we will need magic to undo it. The Fiacre have no magic, Dillon. You did the right thing. You came to me and we called the Shadow Prince. He and your faerie grandmother will help us." He helped the boy into his big bed and tucked a coverlet about him. "I will call you in a few hours," he promised and then left Dillon to sleep.

Sitting back before the fire that Kaliq had started, Magnus Hauk stared into it.Where are you, my love, my beloved? he cried silently. But silence was his only answer. That she had left Ethne behind-or whoever stolen her had-was not a good omen. There was something wicked brewing. He had lived long enough with Lara to sense it.

He needed to speak with his brother-in-law, Corrado, who commanded Terah's fleet. His vessel had just returned last night from a trading voyage. Corrado would have to manage Terah while he was in the New Outlands because the Great Creator only knew how long he would be away. Corrado and his wife, Sirvat, would have to move into the castle to look after the children while he was gone.

And there was the ambassador from Hetar to consider. Jonah had returned to Hetar with Lara away. There was no one who would tell him where she was, for Hetar had no idea that Lara and the Shadow Princes had removed the clan families from the Outlands and brought them to safety in Terah. If he were here now he would be sniffing about for gossip and information as he always was.

The Dominus almost felt sorry for Jonah. He was an intelligent man but he was every bit as evil as his master, Gaius Prospero. And Magnus Hauk knew he was in Terah for the sole purpose of finding a weakness in Terah that he might exploit to his own benefit or Hetar's. Now and again he returned to The City to report to his master on the nothing he had been able to learn. And Lara had laughed, knowing how frustrating that must be to Gaius Prospero. It was better he was gone now, the Dominus thought.

The day went quickly and was coming to a close when Magnus Hauk woke his stepson. They ate a hearty meal and then, as Dasras had agreed he was up to returning to the New Outlands, they departed the castle. They reached New Camdene while it was yet night there and Liam, who had been awaiting them, came from his hall to meet them.

Kneeling before the Dominus he begged his forgiveness for Lara's disappearance.

"It is not the fault of the Fiacre that my wife is gone," Magnus Hauk said loudly, for all of New Camdene's population were gathered around them despite the early hour. "This is dark and wicked magic. You could not have prevented what happened. I have spoken with Prince Kaliq and he will join us shortly. In the meantime, keep to your preparations for the Gathering. I will travel there with you."

Liam arose and kissed the Dominus's hands. "Thankyou, my lord. Your words of reassurance are soothing to us. Now come into my hall and refresh yourself after your long ride. The new day will soon begin."

"See to Dasras," the Dominus murmured to his stepson, ruffling his hair.

In the hall, Magnus Hauk greeted Noss and admired Mildri. He sat with them before their fire, and told them that before the trek for the Gathering began he would be sending the children back to his castle. "Lara has a spell about it to protect it and its inhabitants. My sister will be there to see the children's lives continue on uninterrupted. I am waiting for Kaliq, for he can transport them quickly. I may need Dasras."

"You said dark magic," Noss half whispered.

"Naught else could have taken Lara. Kaliq will explain it all to you when he arrives. Until then we must carry on as usual."

"Papa! Papa!" Zagiri came running and climbed into his lap. "Mama is gone."

The Dominus kissed his little daughter and then, reaching out, drew Anoush, who had been standing nearby, into the curve of his arm. "And how are my two girls?" he asked them. "Zagiri, you are as brown as a little nut! And Anoush, oh my, how lovely you are growing. Come and give me a kiss, too."

Anoush bent and kissed his cheek. "I am so afraid, stepfather," she said, shivers racking her slender little body.

Magnus Hauk drew his stepdaughter into his lap with her sister. "I am, too, Anoush," he told the girl. "But we will find your mother, I promise you. We will find her, and we will bring her home to us."

Anoush lay her head on his shoulder. "May I call you Papa, too?" she asked him shyly and softly.

The Dominus of Terah could feel a prickle behind his eyelids and he blinked hard. "It would please me so much if you did," he said as he placed a kiss on her brow. "But only if you want to, Anoush."

"I have never had a father," Anoush told him. "Vartan sired me but he was gone before I might remember him. I have always wanted a father."

"Then you shall have one in me, my daughter," the Dominus told her. "And I know your mother would be happy with your decision."

"I do not do it for my mother," Anoush replied. "I do it for me."

Magnus Hauk chuckled. "Has the Great Creator given me two headstrong daughters to raise?" he demanded to know in pained tones.

"I am much better at minding than Zagiri," Anoush said primly.

"I am relieved to learn it," the Dominus said.

"Will you find our mother, Papa?" Anoush asked him again.

"I will find her, I promise you, my daughters. And I have never broken a promise," Magnus Hauk told them. "I will find Lara. And I will bring her safely home."

SHE AWOKE, her green eyes scanning her surroundings. She lay in a huge bed of furs in a dim chamber. There was a great hearth opposite which burned high.

She was naked, and as she turned her head, her gaze met the dark silvery one of a naked man next to her.Where was she? She wondered. And then a sudden terrible fear gripped her, almost paralyzing her. Who was she? She did not know who she was! she struggled desperately to think-to remember-but for the life of her she couldn't. A small cry of panic escaped her and she sat up, clutching the furs to her breasts.

The man sat up, too. "Ah, my precious Lara," he said to her in a deep, musical and very soothing voice. "What is it? Have the pains returned?" He caught her hand in his and kissed it lingeringly.

"I...I...I don't know who I am or where I am," she half sobbed.

"You are Lara, my mate. I am Kol, the Twilight Lord. You have been very ill for many weeks, my precious. You are only just now beginning to recover."

"But why can I remember nothing of it?" she asked him.

"The physician said that your memory could be temporarily lost, for you burned with a deadly fever for many days. He has assured me that it will return. Slowly, my precious, but it will return." Kol wrapped his arms about her, holding her close.

The warmth of his body pressed against hers was comforting. Lara let her head fall against his shoulder. "You will not leave me?" she asked him.

"Nay, my precious, I will not leave you," he promised her. "I have not in all these weeks. I have remained by your side, and governed from this room. Alfrigg has not been pleased with me at all, I fear," Kol told her.

"Alfrigg?"

"My chancellor, sweeting. But he has of course prayed to Krell for your recovery. Everyone in the Dark Land has, Lara. You are my mate, and it has been foretold that you will be the mother of the next Twilight Lord."

"Who is Krell?" she asked him.

"Why, our deity, my precious. Krell, Lord of Darkness," he explained. Then he pressed her back upon her pillows and pulled down the furs covering her bosom. His eyes admired her breasts and leaning down, he kissed each nipple.

Lara shivered slightly.

"Ah," Kol chuckled. "I think you may have a small memory of pleasures," he teased and was rewarded by her blush. "I am relieved, for the mating lust has been upon me for several days now and I long to sink my rod into your sweetness." Bending again, he now began to lick at her nipples, finally taking one into his mouth and sucking on it with strong tugs of his lips. Her little cries of obvious appreciation encouraged him onward. His rod began to throb and swell.

Lara felt a corresponding tingle in her nether regions, and made a small murmuring sound of satisfaction. "Oh yes, my lord! Oh yes, that is nice." She wasn't quite so frightened now. This was something she seemed to understand.Pleasures. Yes, she knew pleasures. She liked pleasures. Her fingers threaded themselves through his ebony hair, then slid down to caress the nape of his neck.

Kol fought back the mating lust that demanded he impale her immediately with his burgeoning rod. Instead, he began to explore the beautiful body he had desired for over a year now. The flesh of her breasts was firm despite her three children. Her belly was a soft delicate mound that he covered first with kisses and then tasted with his tongue. Her thighs fell open to him with the barest encouragement. He stroked the inside of the tender flesh.

She pulled her nether lips apart for him and he played with the tiny lust orb that swelled with his attentions. He rose and kissed her mouth, his tongue twining itself about hers as he pushed a single long finger into her. She moaned against his lips for more and he complied, adding a second finger and finally a third. She was tight and hot and her juices ran down his hand. Withdrawing his fingers he looked down into her glittering eyes and then sucked upon his wet digits.

Her tongue ran quickly about her lips and she smiled up at him. "I remember pleasures, my lord," she admitted softly.

"Good," he replied, his own eyes blazing. Then he mounted her and pressed his rod forward until he was totally sheathed within her body. He rested there a moment, letting her feel the throbbing as his rod increased its girth. He let her enjoy his as she had enjoyed other rods. But there were certain features of his rod only possessed by a Twilight Lord; he would later introduce to her to them. Not tonight. Tonight would be about tenderness and sweet lust.

Lara wrapped her legs about Kol so he might delve deeper into her body. Had she ever enjoyed a rod so thick? She didn't think so but her mind was still very hazy. And when he began to move upon her, his rod flashing back and forth within her, Lara lost herself in the fiery pleasures he engendered within her body. She let herself soar and reveled as the stars exploded behind her closed eyes. And then when she could climb no higher and his rod burst forth its juices, Lara screamed with her satisfaction, a sound overpowered by his leonine roar of exultation. She lost consciousness briefly. When she came to herself again her sex was being tenderly bathed by tiny winged elfin-like creatures, as was his.

"Have they been here all along?" she asked Kol.

He nodded. "They are Lustlings. It is their duty to refresh us in the afterwards," he explained. "You have never minded before, my precious."

"I do not recall them, my lord," Lara answered him.

"You enjoyed pleasures? You always did previously," he told her.

She smiled at him. "I think I am hungry for food and then I would take pleasures with you again, my lord, if you would take them with me. I feel safe then, and knowledgeable, which I do not otherwise as my memory is impaired."

"Your memories will eventually return, my precious," he promised her. Then drawing the furs back over her, he clapped his hands and servants began entering the room with bowls and platters of food. "I will feed you but a little, Lara," he advised her. "You have not had solid food in many weeks. Open your mouth now for me," and when she did he gave her two raw oysters before swallowing down a goodly dozen himself. He fed her a bit of poultry, allowed her a bite or two of buttered bread. He dangled asparagus over her open mouth; he groaned as she sucked the stalks. Finally he offered her several plump strawberries he first dipped in cream and then rolled in sugar. As he fed her he told her what each item was. Holding a goblet of something sweet to her lips for her to drink he said that it was frine, a mixture of fruit juice and wine. What he did not tell her was that aphrodisiacs had been mixed into the frine to increase her own natural desires. He suspected she didn't need it but still he gave it to her.

"Tell me a little about myself," Lara said. "Where did I come from and how was I chosen to be your mate, my lord Kol?"

"You come from a faraway land called Hetar," he explained to her. "When I visited it last year I went to a bride fair to see the maidens offered and you were among them. Because you were so beautiful your father was asking a very high price even though you are of peasant stock. It was prophesied that the mother of the next Twilight Lord would be a golden girl from a faraway land. The moment I saw you I knew you were she. So I paid your father's price and brought you home. We were very happy, and then you were bitten by a rather nasty spider and fell into a swoon and have been ill ever since."

"What is a spider?" Lara asked him.

"An insect, a lower species among the Dark Kingdom," he said. He could tell she was trying to piece it all together. Spider. Insect. Low species. He would have to consider restoring some of her memory sooner than later, he suddenly realized. "But not to worry, my precious. I have banned all spiders from the castle."

"Castle?"

"Here. Where we are now," he replied. Yes, some of her memory had to be returned so her references to everyday things would again be intact. He would speak to the Munin in the morning-after he had sated himself with pleasures.

The remnants of their meal were now removed and they began to kiss again, tasting each other with eager lips. His hands wandered over her body, learning it, and her little hands followed suit slipping down his long back to fondle his tight buttocks. She bent her golden head and licked at his nipples. Her little fingers marched across the dark hair covering his chest as she bent lower to kiss his navel.

"You are very furred on your chest and legs," she murmured.

"You are not," he replied.

She giggled, her hands now reaching out to play with his rod and his male orbs. She was gentle but provocative, her fingers teasing, stroking. She bent her head and then her tongue licked about the head of his rod several times. He was afire with his new need for her. He wanted to give her all of him, but would she be ready this first time they were together?

"Careful, my precious," he warned her. "If you suck upon my rod you will arouse its twin. We had not done that before your illness."

"You have two rods?" she asked him, surprised.

"The larger one, the dominant it is called, has a lesser member. When I am at my most lustful it appears. And it must be used along with the dominant when I seed you. The dominant will then also sprout hard sharp little nodules that will but increase your pleasure and guarantee a child for us. The nodules only appear when it is time for me to impregnate you. But my precious, you must regain your strength first."

"Have I ever been pierced by two rods belonging to the same man?" she said slowly. Her brow furrowed in thought. "Was I a virgin when you made me your mate?" she asked him.