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Yes,” Bard declared in a
tone that brooked no argument. “Dunhelm is all mine.” He was once
again a grim warrior and Aurelia had no doubt that Bard would be a
formidable adversary.
    And he was the new king. Dunhelm had been
lost, her father’s fate was unknown. Aurelia refused to be daunted
by the minute prospect of her being able to change any of that.
    She was the only hope her father had.
    Aurelia stood tall and slipped her hand into
the broad strength of the warrior’s palm. His skin was warm, his
grip over her own small hand both strong and gentle.
    But Aurelia would not be fooled. She
summoned every vestige of regal training she had and turned a
polite, if vacant, smile on her companion. “I thank you for your
hospitality, King Bard.”
    The priest snorted. “King? More like your
knight in shining armor! He’s awakened you with a kiss, just like
some goddamned fairy tale, and now you want us to believe your
father’s a king.” The priest folded his arms across his chest and
glowered at Bard. “Just let me know when reality can intrude
again.”
    The words made Aurelia’s cheeks burn. Did
Bard know the ridiculous prophecy of her birth? Had he arranged
this awakening to trick her into believing that he was her destined
lover?
    That would explain his kiss. He was using an
old bit of whimsy to his advantage. Aurelia’s heart went still.
    And then her anger erupted. Oh, his ploy was
lower than low. Any fool could see that the curse placed upon
Aurelia was meaningless! Who ever heard of someone sleeping for
eons, let alone until their one true love awakened them? It was
beyond reason!
    These two must think her stupid indeed!
    But, all the same, this was a perfect
opportunity to bolster their expectation of her intellect. She
could play the witless woman as well as anyone, if it meant saving
her sire and her home.
    Without another thought, Aurelia spun and
clutched at Bard’s hand. “Truly?” she demanded with a cloying
sweetness alien to her. “You have come for me, just as it was
foretold?”
    Bard opened his mouth, but Aurelia was not
going to give him any chance to make his lies yet worse.
    Instead, she flung herself into his arms. “I
was so hoping you would come soon, warrior of mine!” she cooed.
    And Aurelia stretched up to kiss the
deceitful murderer full on the lips.

    *

Chapter Three

    Her soft lips were on his and the breasts he
had glimpsed were pressed against his chest before Baird guessed
what the woman was going to do.
    And then nothing else mattered but her
kiss.
    Baird’s fingers of their own accord fitted
to the neat indent of her. She was so tiny that his hands nearly
encircled her completely, her curves fit against him as though they
were made for each other.
    And Baird, a man not given to impulse, only
cradled her closer and deepened his kiss. She trembled, as though
she was also surprised by the heat of their kiss and just as
powerless to end it as Baird. A protective tide swept through him
and he lifted her to her toes, slanting his mouth across hers.
    There was a rightness about kissing her, a
sense of homecoming, a rush of victory that made absolutely no
sense. In this moment, Baird didn’t care about what made sense. Her
lips were as soft and warm as the rain, her kiss as sweet as
honey.
    Baird knew with sudden clarity that he had
come to Dunhelm precisely and purely to find this woman. It was no
coincidence she was here, he was oddly certain of it. This woman
was the lure that had drawn him not only to Dunhelm, but to this
chamber.
    He had been looking for her.
    What? How could he look for someone he
didn’t even know? That kind of thinking had no place in Baird
Beauforte’s supremely rational mind!
    Baird tore his lips away from hers, but his
odd certainty didn’t fade. He stared at the woman as he backed
warily away, and his hand rose to wipe away the nectar of her kiss.
She was possibly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, as
perfectly made as a china doll, but