FORBIDDEN TALENTS Read Online Free Page B

tongue, but he said none of them. He resolved to go slowly instead of gathering her into his arms as he wanted. Even though she’d been often on his mind these last months, they’d been apart more than they’d been together. As much as she’d been with him in his thoughts, they really knew each other only a little.
    Celia walked over to the window, putting some space between them, then turned iridescent eyes on him. Their glow had unnerved him at first, but he’d grown used to it after he realized no one else could see that evidence of their contact with the Elves. Now her eyes shimmered brightly enough for him to see in dim light, just as his own did. Twilight eyes, they called them.
    It wasn’t the glow that bothered him now. It was the trace of reticence he saw in her face. Was all this talk of Katsinas and Elves reminding her of what Loloma had said five months ago? At the parley, the Kikmongwi had told Celia they had no magic to send her home, but that the Katsinas might.
    Celia had accepted his betrothal, rather than seek them out. She’d chosen to stay with him rather than returning home to Midgard.
    Is she having second thoughts ?
    He stared at her, appreciating her beauty, admiring the strength he knew was in her, wishing he knew how to breach the awkwardness between them. He opened his arms, not knowing what else to do.
    She came to him instantly, and he gathered her in.
    When she turned her face up to his, he kissed her forehead, her nose, and her lips. He’d never tasted anything so sweet. He bent and drew in the scent of her, all the while holding her tight. Her nearness satisfied something deep inside him even as it fed a new hunger.
    The heat that had kindled months ago was still there between them. It burned even hotter as Celia pulled him closer, her hands sliding up to his shoulders, her mouth seeking his. He’d planned to take it slow, give them time to know each other again, but apparently she had a different idea. And he didn’t mind one bit. Dahleven stroked his hands up and down her back, then resting them on her gently rounded hips to pull her against his growing erection. He liked the soft little moan she made as she arched into him. He kissed his way down her neck, tasting and savoring every inch.
    A knock sounded at the door. Dahleven allowed himself a small sigh of frustration. He stepped back a little but kept hold of her hand. “ Enter, ” he said at the same time as Celia. They glanced at each other and laughed.
    Thora, Celia’s maid, bustled in, keys jangling on the chain hanging from her plump waist. “ You must ready yourself for the feast tonight, my lady. ” The older woman looked Dahleven up and down with something less than approv al. “ And you as well, my lord. ”
    Thora had served the family since he was a child and had spent some time chasing after him and Ragni when they were boys. Her chiding was familiar and he accepted it with a grin.
    “ Do you think so? ” He turned to Celia. “ Why didn’t you tell me? What sort of wife will you make me if you won’t tell me when I stink like a muskrat three days dead? ”
    Celia rewarded him with the smile he sought. “ I was just getting around to it, my lord. Didn’t you notice me holding my nose? ”
     
    *
     
    “ Lord Dahleven Nevenson and Lady Celia Montrose! ” a servant announced as the two of them entered the Dining Hall.
    Celia flinched inwardly. She hated being formally announced and hated being stared at. She was getting used to it, thanks to Gudrun’s lessons, but she still had to consciously lift her chin and adopt an attitude that she deserved her elevated position.
    Hand resting lightly on Dahleven’s arm, she entered the dining hall. Her gauzy, spring-green over-dress did little to enhance the modesty of the low bodice of her soft wool under-shift, which matched the forest green tunic Dahleven wore. Embroidered hawks flew wingtip to wingtip around her neckline and cuffs, declaring her status as a