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for that.” Kenna tried to pull her up, a little astounded that this woman would think to curtsey to her.
    “This is Julianna,” Yuri’s richly accented voice rumbled as he entered behind them. “Please go with her, my lady. She has your clothing.”
    Still in possession of Kenna’s hand, Julianna pulled her toward a curtained-off area.
    “Come out when you’re done. They can’t start without us,” Lore responded to Kenna’s questioning look over her shoulder.
    Once behind the curtain, Julianna chatted in a steady flow of Hungarian. It didn’t appear to bother Julianna one bit that Kenna couldn’t understand it. The process of removing Western clothes was accomplished with a lot of fumbling.
    Swiftly, Kenna realized letting Julianna do whatever she wanted was the safest route in this situation. Besides, most of Kenna’s attention was taken up with the ebb and flow of Lore’s emotions while he dressed a short distance away. Awareness between them was constant. They both were finding ways to deal with it, even manage it. They were absorbing new abilities and information at a rate she realized should be impossible.
    Even though telepathic communication was easy for them, it wasn’t thoughts or words that flowed freely between them. What they shared with relentless clarity was feelings, as though a floodgate had opened between two souls. It allowed an exchange that went both ways.
    The exchange felt natural, as if her body and mind were meant to communicate with her partner on this level and she’d just forgotten how.
    Kenna snapped her thoughts to a screeching halt. Partner? Where did that strange word come from? Partner was a weak word for the one she should have used there.
    Oh my God! She couldn’t bring herself to even think the other word that went so naturally in that thought. This deep emotional connection to Lore could only end in… She didn’t know what. What possible outcome would be a good one?
    What attracted her to Lore had nothing to do with his station or wealth. And she had been attracted long before she’d been forced to contact him. Since entering this strange little country, she’d be battling the constant need to open her mind to him. He gave her relief from the overwhelming psychic burden of reading every thought and emotion around her. He offered peace by simply reaching for her mentally. She needed him just to remain sane.
    There was something else she couldn’t escape. If these strangers found out who Grandmother claimed she was, they would get rid of her in the really bad sense of the words. And it was the guy she kept climbing who had the most to lose.

Chapter Three
     
    Fear, panic, exhaustion, they all rushed to the surface and wrapped around her neck. The heavy weight of impossible emotions squeezed down on her windpipe. She couldn’t breathe. Kenna couldn’t make a sound as she clutched her throat. Julianna was turned away, folding her jeans, and never saw Kenna’s hands grasp her throat.
    Immediately Lore was there. Clothed only in tights that molded powerful thighs and disappeared into period boots, he dragged her against his chest.
    “Breathe! Slow and easy, baby.” His command cut through her panic, his lips talking into the top of her head. “That’s it. It’s all right. Stop scaring yourself. What the hell were you thinking?”
    His gentle crooning and the overwhelming tide of concern that washed through her panic effectively diluted it. He didn’t exactly invade her mind, but there was no question he would if she hadn’t responded. His grip on her mentally, though gentle and soothing, was firm and much more direct than it had been five minutes ago.
    As oxygen rushed into her brain, Kenna found she was losing the ability to focus anyway. Lore holding her mostly naked body against the heavily muscled chest created a whole new set of problems. Fear faded into awareness of how deeply she felt every inch of him.
    Lore leaned back to look into her face, hands