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the Roja Festival were one of the methods.
    She had gotten dressed, wrapped herself in a cloak and crept out the secret passageways past the guard. Once out, she had hired a skimmer and gone to Roja .
    “Yes, I remember.”
    “Then you remember that you took your place among the young dancers and tried to pass the first stage of the competitions.”
    “How did you know that? I didn’t tell anyone. The guard came and hauled me off before I could take the stage.”
    “Who do you think called the guard?” He pushed away from the table and crossed his arms. His black shirt made his skin glow and his eyes were embers as a remembered irritation flowed through him.
    “You were there?”
    “Yes, I followed you out of the palace. I watched as you changed into a Roja dance costume and as you signed up for the dances with a false name.” His fingers drummed on his upper arm. “What were you going to accomplish?”
    She hugged herself, her arms pushing her breasts against the fabric of her gown, “I just wanted to be a normal woman of Nyal for one day.”
    “Do you know what could have happened to you?”
    “Yes. A male may have taken me home and rutted with me, or tried to arrange a more formal agreement.” She shrugged, “I was young and stupid. I just wanted to be wanted for myself, not my rank or properties.”
    “Did you really want a normal life so badly that you would have risked your life and virtue?”
    “At the time, yes. It was all I wanted.” She thought about it and then voiced her thoughts, “Since I couldn’t have you, I wanted anyone. It doesn’t make much sense, but there it is.”
    He was dumbfounded. “Are you saying that you wanted me then?”
    “I had asked my father to consider you as a potential mate when I was sixteen. He told me that I was being foolish, and that a male as pretty as you had plenty of pure blooded women to choose from.”
    His lips twitched, “He called me pretty?”
    “Or attractive…pretty was my word.” She rose and went to look out onto the gardens that had been lit for the evening that was swelling around them. There was too much. Too much information, too much time, too much everything.
    He came to stand behind her and placed his arms around her, a feeling of protection and warmth stole through her and they just stood there together, bodies still and minds touching lightly.
    Hours passed and the lights in the garden became hypnotic. The flaring drew her and the moons rose as they stood and watched them. Big and little sister traveled together, big sister taking the lead and little sister following, falling further and further behind.
    “It’s almost Roja festival, isn’t it?” She rocked slightly in his arms and he gave her a light squeeze.
    “It is. In three days. Would you like to go?” His murmur was hot in her ear and she shivered. It was different from the insistent hunger of her heat, it was more of an attraction and less of a compulsion.
    She turned in his arms, and wrapped her own around his neck. “I would love to go. I never did get to see the whole festival.”
    He smiled and his head moved close to hers, “That is just something we will have to remedy.” He paused and she tugged his lips down to hers.
    A chuckle broke from both of them and the laughter quickly stilled as the kiss went from silly to serious. A slow and deliberate touching of tongues took place as she stroked his and he took possession of her mouth with a harsh groan and hands that held her head still for him.
    Each merging of their mouths was simply a seeking of contact, not the harsh burn of lust, but the slow warming of pleasure.
    “Would you care to try and make love without your body shrieking at you?” The gold in his eyes was burning her. No, not burning, melting. A distinct dampness was occurring between her thighs.
    “Is it different?” He was nipping a strand of kisses down her neck and across her cleavage.
    “As night to day.” The other side of her neck got the