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Queen continued to use her strength against the bars, eventually one or more would give way.
    He had promised the Grandmother that if he could not get the Queen to end the curse, then he would transport his prisoner to that cabin high in Caradon Territory, where me ancient witch had taught him so well. His gift required much instruction and supervision, and for years that cabin had been almost like home to him... if he cared to call any place home. It was clear that Queen Keelia wasn't going to undo anything, but they could not travel until after the next two nights of the full moon had passed. He could not take the chance that she would slip away from him while he was in his animal form and she had the power to take her human shape. What other unexpected powers might she possess? No, before they traveled away from this place, he had to know that he could call upon his gift for fire if it was needed.
    The Queen moaned once, and lifted her head from the floor of her prison. Her long red hair was wild and tangled, and covered one cheek so that he could not see her face well enough. Not that his eyes were drawn to her face at the moment. In her gold gown she was beautiful, with curves aplenty and a regal grace. Naked, she was exquisite. Did her skin glow, or was that a trick of the firelight?
    Joryn didn't pretend that he wasn't admiring her when she stood. Might as well not pretend, since all he wore was his enchanted bracelet, and his reaction to her state of undress was evident. Her eyes were drawn down his body, and the only reaction was a slight lift of her eyebrows ... and a tightening of small nipples.
    "The Queen used both hands to push her tangled hair away from her face. She did not try to hide her nakedness. The animal was a part of her, as it was of him, and she did not possess the reserve that so many ordinary women had been cursed with. She allowed him to look upon her, and as he watched, her cuts and bruises began to heal, slowly but surely.
    She asked, her voice even, "Are you going to kill me now?"
    "No."
    She didn't seem surprised. Did she ever? "That's quite an interesting gift you possess." She licked her lips, and if he hadn't already been hard, that would've done it. "Fire."
    She didn't know everything, and he wasn't about to tell her. He might question whether or not she was evil, he might dream about her—he might even want her body beneath and around his. But that didn't mean he was foolish enough to trust her.
    His prisoner had moved closer to the bars than was safe, considering her abilities and his exposed state. If Queen Keelia—ruler of the Anwyn and gifted seer— killed him, she'd never get out of her prison. She was smart enough to know that. Still, he took a step away from the bars.
    Joryn's eyes were drawn down the Queen's fine body, which he admired openly until he came to a small mole positioned against fair skin just beneath her navel and slightly to the left. In his dream, she'd had just such a mole. He knew because he'd kissed that mark on an otherwise flawless body and she'd laughed. He remembered the laugh, the taste of her skin, the quiver of her flesh, as if it were all real.
    He reached for the bracelet which was supposed to protect his mind from hers. Obviously the Greuidmodier's protective magic was flawed. The Queen couldn't read his mind, but apparently she could reach into his dreams.
    And she was trying to seduce him into releasing her.
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3

     
    It was all too evident to Keelia that summer was approaching. There wasn't much of a breeze in her prison cave, though on occasion she caught a whiff of fresh air. She missed her cool baths, her fans, and the welcomed brush of fresh night air against her flesh.
    The cell was slightly more tolerable when she was unclothed. Since she wasn't shy about her body, she began to pass the days in that state. Her captor seemed alternately amused and annoyed, but she did not care.
    When her army found her, she would insist that they take her