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reason other than death. Second, for my beloved parents’ memory alone, I cannot allow the offspring of the village idiot to take my mother’s family throne.”
    Lutian gasped. “On behalf of village idiots everywhere, I take offense to that.”
    Christian cut him a murderous look.
    “Well, my queen, he does have a point. It is on his head, but still he has one.”
    She felt Christian tense as if catching himself before he lunged at poor Lutian, who immediately rode out of reach.
    They fell silent as Adara grappled with the sense of failure and struggled to think up a new plan of action.
    Not even Lutian spoke. He merely rode quietly as if fearful of pushing Christian past his limit.
    None of this was going the way she had planned it.
    How simple it had all seemed to come to this land, consummate her marriage, then return home with her husband to present to his people as their king.
    Now she would be lucky to return home at all.
    Still, she was undaunted. So long as she breathed, she had hope, and so long as she had hope, Basilli would not defeat her. She would find some way around Christian’s defenses and make him see the truth of what she offered.
    But in the meantime, they had to get to safety.
    Her heart stilled as she looked down and realized she was still naked beneath her cloak. This wouldn’t do!
    Adara placed her hands over Christian’s on the reins. “Can we stop for a moment?”
    “Why?”
    “If we are to enter a village, then I wish to dress.”
    Christian’s breath caught as an image of Adara’s bare body whipped unbidden through his mind. During their argument, he’d forgotten her state of undress, though how he’d managed that, he couldn’t imagine.
    Lutian made a cry of surprise as he covered his eyes with one hand. “My queen is naked beneath her clothes? I should go blind should I glimpse her fair beauty.” He split his fingers apart over his eyes to look at her. “Or will I? Mayhap we should test this theory.”
    “Lutian,” Christian said solemnly. “All people are naked beneath their clothes, and if you glimpse Adara’s flesh, then it is quite possible that you will become blind when I poke out both of your eyes for the affront.”
    Lutian gave a devilish grin at that as he dropped his hand from his face. “No matter what he says, your prince is jealous of you, my queen. ’Tis a good sign.”
    Christian scoffed. “I’m not jealous.”
    “He sounded jealous to me,” Lutian said loudly from behind his hand. “ Very jealous.”
    Christian let out a growl that reminded her of a ferocious bear as he glared at Lutian, who took his surly mood in stride.
    Reining his horse, Christian stopped before a small copse of trees while Lutian rode a little farther away from them. Christian dismounted first, then helped her down.
    As she slid down beside him, her cloak opened, showing him a glimpse of her lean, beautiful body.
    Christian hardened even more at the small glimpse of heaven that she gifted him with.
    Adara paused as if she knew what it was she didto him. “Are you sure I can’t interest you in a quick consummation, my lord?”
    In truth, he hungered greatly for her. How sweet she would be lying in his arms, her body wrapped around his. But this wasn’t about his baser urges. This was about getting her to safety and extracting himself from a most unwanted position.
    “Do you tempt every man you meet this way?”
    “Nay. Only my husband.”
    Christian’s stomach jerked at the reminder. By law and right, she was technically his to do with as he pleased. That knowledge was most potent against his will.
    She reached up and placed one silken palm to his cheek. “You are even more handsome than I thought you would be…and far more stubborn as well. I should have known that you would be much more than the boy of faint memory.”
    As she spoke, he couldn’t seem to tear his gaze from her well-curved, tempting mouth. It was all he could do not to pull her into his arms and taste her