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the Truthsayer. Unfortunately for him, not even the Truthsayer himself understood exactly what happened. All he knew was the call of the full moon each month drew forth his ability to hear the truth in men’s minds. Whether they wished it or not, the Truthsayer found the truth.
    Gavin walked to the windows in his sleeping chamber and stared out at the bay. A few more days and he would lose more of himself. Would there come a time when there was nothing left? Each month, he noticed that his heartbeat slowed, nearly stopping when the ritual finished. Would it stop altogether one day?
    Haakon entered with a cup of wine, and Gavin drank it down, holding the empty cup out for more. Though the twitching of Haakon’s left eyebrow was the only indication of censure, Gavin could tell the man disapproved of his constant and increasing reliance on strong drink. It mattered not to Gavin, for whatever could ease the pain was what he would use until he could discover how to battle this affliction. Another cup appeared before him, and Gavin took it from Haakon without a word.
    As he tried to concentrate on keeping the clamor at bay, he could hear Haakon in the other room, most likely unpacking his garments and readying the room for his evening meal. Gavin would eat here alone rather than join the others at their dinner. The sheer numbers of people in the hall would overwhelm him.
    His rooms faced the water, with a balcony that extended over the edge of it, and were located away from the hall where everyone gathered and separate from the rest of the household.
    At the worst of times, the sound of the water, crashing on the sands or against the rocky foundation of the building, eased Gavin’s pain. That was why he liked the cave so much, for between the rushing of the river from the land side and the crashing of the waves from the seaside, there was so much noise surrounding him that the voices in his head faded into one blur.
    “Sir?” Haakon said quietly. Gavin faced him. “Your supper will be here soon. Would you like me to invite…” The words faded off for there was no need to finish them.
    The craving rose in his blood then. He had ignored it for as long as he could. His cock hardened in anticipation, ready to find its place deep within the heat of a woman. His skin itched and ached with the need to plow the softness between a woman’s legs and make her scream out in release as he reached his. Tempted to reach down and ease the ache, Gavin nodded at his servant, knowing that the scent of his lust was already spreading through the household. In very little time…
    The knock startled him, though it shouldn’t have.
    Haakon crossed the chamber and opened the door a bit, peering into the corridor and speaking quietly to someone there. Gavin’s hands fisted and released as the scent of his arousal washed over him, filling the room. When the servant stepped back, he allowed a young woman to enter. Stupidly, some small part of his heart hoped to see his blond angel. Instead, a very different sort of woman stood there, her eyes glazed over from the scent his body exuded. Shorter by inches than his angel, with black hair and a thin, lithe body, this woman enticed him anyway.
    Haakon looked at him, waiting for the word to dismiss her or to allow her to stay, and Gavin nodded his permission. With the ritual so near, his body wanted release, and this woman, one who’d warmed his bed before, had been very pleasing. He was certain she would be once more. He held his hand out to her and watched as she walked toward him, loosening the ties of her gown at her neck as she did.
    Thora was her name and she was a slave here in Magnus’s household. His mouth watered as he remembered the talents she had displayed in bedsport. Haakon disappeared without a word, trained well to do so when privacy was needed. She tugged her gown down and dropped it on the floor, barely pausing to step out of it. When she stood but an arm’s length from him, she