After the night they had shared, it amazed him just how much he longed to possess her again, how much his body craved hers.
He still couldn't believe he'd told her as much as he had about his past and people, yet as his mate, she had a right to know all about him.
If she would be his mate.
He still hadn't really made up his mind about that.
The kindest thing would be to return her and let her go. But he didn't want to. He missed having someone to care for and someone who cared for him.
How many times had he lain awake at night aching for a family again? Wishing for the comfort of a soothing touch? Missing the sound of laughter and the warmth of friendship?
For centuries, his solitude had been his hell.
And this woman sitting in his lap would be his only salvation. If he dared ...
Channon bit her lip as they entered the bailey and she saw real, live Saxon people at work in the village. There were men laying stone, rebuilding a portion of the gate. Women with laundry and foodstuffs walking around, talking amongst themselves. And children! Lots of Saxon children were running around, laughing and playing games with each other.
Better still, there were merchants and music, acrobats, and jongleurs. "Is there a festival going on?"
He nodded. "The harvest is in and there's a celebration all week long to mark it." She struggled to understand what the crowd around them said. It was incredible! They were speaking Old English!
"Oh, Sebastian," she cried, throwing her arms around him and holding him close. "Thank you for this! Thank you!"
Sebastian clenched his teeth at the sensation of her breasts flattened against him. Of her breath tickling his neck.
His groin tightened even more, and it took all his human powers to leash the beast within. He felt the ripping inside as he set the two halves of him against each other. It was a dangerous thing he did, but for both their sakes, it was a necessary action. Especially since both halves of him wanted the same thing-they wanted the Claiming where Channon would entrust herself to him, the ceremony that would bind them together for eternity. It wasn't something to be taken lightly. She would have to give up everything to be with him. Everything. And he wasn't sure if he could ask that of her.
It would be unfair to her, and he definitely wasn't worth such a sacrifice. He saw the happiness in Channon's eyes and smiled at her.
But his smile faded as he looked around the town and saw all the innocent lives that would end if something went wrong.
Bracis had shown a rare streak of intelligence when he had set up this exchange. Sebastian was forbidden by his Sentinel oath to transform into his dragon form or to use his powers in any way that could betray his heritage to the humans. To the innocent, he must always appear human.
Bracis had sworn that the Katagaria would come in as humans to make the exchange and then leave peacefully. Unfortunately, Sebastian had no choice except to trust them.
Of course, Bracis knew the extent of Sebastian's powers, and the Katagari male would be an absolute idiot to cross him. And though the beast could be stupid, Bracis wasn't that stupid.
As soon as they reached the stable, Sebastian helped Channon down, then dismounted behind her. He pulled his hauberk lower so that no one could see just how much he craved the woman before him.
Channon watched as Sebastian removed his huge broadsword from his horse and fastened it to the baldric at his waist. She had to admit the man looked delectable like that, so manly and virile.
The chain mail sleeves fell from the shoulders of the leather armor, clinking ever so slightly with his movements. The laces of the hauberk were open, showing a hint of the hairs on his chest, and all too well she remembered her hours of running her fingers and mouth over that lush skin.
And as she stared at the small scar on his neck, she ached to trace it with her tongue. This man had a body and aura that should be cloned and made standard equipment for all men. Prideful and dangerous, it made every female part of her sit up and pant.
Stop that! she snapped at herself. They were in the middle of town and ... And she had other people to study.
Yeah right. Like they were really more interesting than Sebastian. He adjusted his sword so that the hilt came forward and the blade trailed down his leg, then pulled a leather bag from the saddle. A youth ran up to take his mount. "What day is today?" he asked the boy in Old English.
"It be Tuesday, sir."
Sebastian thanked him and gave him two coins before relinquishing his horse to the boy's care.
He turned toward her. "You ready?"
"Absolutely. I've dreamed of this my whole life."
Channon held her breath as he led her through the bustling village. Sebastian looked behind him to see Channon as she tried to watch everything at once. She was so happy to be here.
Maybe there was hope for them after all. Maybe bringing her here hadn't been a mistake.
"Tell me, Channon, have you ever eaten Saxon bread?”
“Is it good?"
"The best." Taking her hand, he pulled her into a shop across the dirt road. Channon breathed in the sweet smell of baking bread as they entered the bakery. Bread was lined up on the wooden counter and in baskets on tables all over the room. An older, heavyset woman stood to the side, trying to move a large sack across the floor.
"Here," Sebastian said, rushing to her side. "Let me get that."
Straightening up, she smiled in gratitude. "Thank you. I need it over there by my workbench."
Sebastian hefted the heavy sack onto his shoulder.
Channon watched, her mouth watering as his hauberk lifted and gave her a flash of his hard, tanned abs. His broad shoulders and toned biceps flexed from the strain. And when he placed the sack on the floor by the bench, she was gifted with a nice view of his rear covered by his black leather pants.
Oh yeah, she'd love a bite of that.
"Now what can I do for you gentle folks?" the woman asked. "What looks good to you, Channon?"
Was that a trick question or what?
Forcing herself to look at something other than Sebastian, she attempted to find a substitute to sink her teeth into. "What do you recommend?" she asked, trying out her Old English. She'd never used it before in conversation.
To her amazement, the woman understood her. "If you're in the mind for something sweet, I just pulled a honey loaf from the oven."
"That would be wonderful," Channon said.
The woman left them alone. Sebastian stood back while she examined the different kinds of bread in the shop.
"So what's in the bag?" she asked, indicating the black one Sebastian had removed from his horse.
"It's just something I need to take care of. Later." Again with the hedging. "Is that why you came back here?"
He nodded, but there was something very guarded in his look, one that warned her this topic was quite closed.
The woman returned with the bread and sliced it for them. While Channon ate the warm, delicious slice, the woman asked Sebastian if he would help her move some boxes from a cart outside into the back of her shop.
He left his bag with Channon, then went to help.
Channon listened to them in the other room while she ate the bread and drank the cider the woman had also given her. Her gaze fell to the black bag and curiosity got the better of her. Leaning over, she opened it to see what it contained. Her breath left her body as she saw the tapestry inside.
He really had stolen it. But why?
The old woman came in, brushing her hands on her apron. "That's a good man you got there, my lady."
Blushing at being caught in her snooping, Channon straightened up. At the moment, she wasn't so sure about that. "Is he still unloading the cart?" The woman motioned her to the back, then took her to look out the door. In the alley behind the shops, she saw Sebastian playing a game with two boys who were wielding wooden swords and shields against him while pretending to be warriors fighting a dragon. The irony of their gam
e wasn't lost on her.
She took a minute to watch him laughing and teasing them. The sight warmed her heart.
The Sebastian she had come to know was a man of many facets. Caring, compassionate, and tender in a way she'd never known before. Yet there was a savage undercurrent to him, one that let her know he wasn't a man to be taken lightly.
And as she watched him playing with the children, something strange happened to her. She wondered what he would look like playing with his own children. With their children ...
She could see the image so plainly that it scared her. "Why do you wear a mask?" one of the boys asked him. "Because I'm not as pretty as you," Sebastian teased. "I'm not pretty," the little boy said indignantly. "I'm a handsome boy."
"Handsome you are, Aubrey," a middle-aged man said as he moved a keg through the back door of the building across the way. The man looked to Sebastian. He gaped widely, then wiped his hand on his shirt and moved to shake Sebastian's arm. "It's been a long time since I seen one of you. It's an honor to shake your arm, sir."
The boys paused in their play. "Who is he, grandfather?"
"He's a dragon slayer, Aubrey, like the ones I tell you about at night when you go to sleep." The man indicated Sebastian's mask and sword. "I was just your age when they came to Lindsey and slew the Megalos."
She wondered if Sebastian was one of the ones who had come that day. As if sensing her, Sebastian turned his head to see her in the doorway. "If you'll excuse me," he said to the man and boys, then made his way toward her. Sebastian could tell by Channon's face that something was troubling her. "Is something wrong?"
"Were you one of the ones who fought the Megalos?"
He shook his head as pain sliced through him. If not for his banishment, he would have been here that day. Unlike the other Sentinels, he had to fight the Katagaria alone. "No."
"Oh."
"Is something else wrong? You still don't look happy."
She met his gaze levelly. "You stole the tapestry from the museum," she said in modern English so no one else would understand her. "I want to know why.”
“I had to get it back here."
"Why?"
"Because it's the ransom for another Sentinel. If I don't give them the tapestry on Friday, they will kill him."
Channon scowled at that. "Why do they want the tapestry?"
"I have no idea. But since a man's life was at stake, I didn't bother to ask." Suddenly, she remembered what he'd said last night about the tapestry. "It was made by a woman named Antiphone back in seventh-century Britain. It's the story of her grandfather and his brother and their eternal struggle between good and evil."
On their way into town, he'd said it was the story of his grandfather. "Antiphone is your sister?"
"Was my sister. She died a long time ago."
By the look on his face she could tell the loss was still with him. "Why was her tapestry in the museum?"
"Because..." He took a deep breath to stave off the agony inside him, agony so severe that it made his entire being hurt.
He felt the tic working in his jaw as he forced himself to answer her question. "The tapestry was with her when she died. I tried to return it to my family, but they wanted nothing to do with me. I couldn't stand having it around me, so I took it into the future where I knew someone would preserve it and make sure it was honored and protected as she should have been."
"You plan on taking it back after all this is over with, don't you?" He frowned at her astuteness. "How did you know?"
"I would say I'm psychic, but I'm not. I just figured a man with a heart as big as yours wouldn't just steal something without making amends.”
“You don't know me that well."
"I think I do."
Sebastian clenched his teeth. No, she didn't know. He wasn't a good man. He was fool.
If not for him, Antiphone would have lived. Her death had been all his fault. It was a guilt that he lived with constantly. One that would never cease, never heal.
And in that moment he realized something. He had to let Channon go. There was no way he could keep her. There was no way he could share his life with her. If anything should ever happen to her ...
It would be his fault, too. As his mate, she would be prime Katagari bait. Even though he was banished, he was still a Sentinel, and his job was to seek and destroy every Slayer he could find.
Alone he could fight them. But without his patria to guard Channon while he fulfilled his ancient oath, there was always a chance she would end up as Antiphone had.
He would sooner spend the rest of his life celibate than let that happen. Celibate! No!
He squelched the rebellious scream of the inner Drakos. For the next three weeks, he would guard her life with his own, and once his mark was gone from her, he would take her home.
It was what had to be done.
After they left the bakery, they spent the afternoon browsing the stalls and sampling the food and drink.
Channon couldn't believe this day. It was the best one of her entire life. And it wasn't just because she was in Saxon Britain, it was because she had Sebastian by her side. His light teasing and easy-going manner wrapped around her heart and made her ache to keep him.
"Beg pardon, my lord?"
They turned to find a man standing behind them while they were watching an acrobat.
"Aye?" Sebastian asked.
"I was told by His Majesty, King Henfrith, to come and ask for the honor of your company tonight. He wishes to extend his full and most cordial hospitality to you and to your lady."
Channon felt giddy. "I get to meet a king?"
Sebastian nodded. "Tell His Majesty that it would be my honor to meet with him. We shall be along shortly."
The messenger left.
Channon breathed nervously. "I don't know about this. Am I dressed appropriately?"
"Yes, you are. I assure you, you will be the most beautiful woman there." Then, her gallant champion offered her his arm. Taking it, she let him lead her through town to the large hall.
As they drew near the hall's door, she could hear the music and laughter from inside as the people ate their supper. Sebastian opened the door and allowed her to enter first.
Channon hesitated in the doorway as she looked around in awe. It was more splendid than anything she'd ever imagined.
A lord's table was set apart from the others, and there were three women and four men seated there. The man with the crown she assumed was the king, the lady at his right, his queen, and the others must be the daughters and sons or some other dignitaries perhaps.
Servants bustled around with food while dogs milled about, catching scraps from the diners. The music was sublime.
"Nervous?" Sebastian asked her in modern English. "A little. I have no idea what Saxon etiquette is."
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers, causing a warm chill to sweep through her. "Follow my lead, and I will show you everything you need to know to live in my world."
She cocked her brow at his words. There was something hidden in that. She was sure of it. "You are going to take me home at the next full moon, right?”
“I gave you my word, my lady. That is the one thing I have never broken, and I most assuredly would not break my oath to you."
"Just checking."
A hush fell over the crowd as they crossed the room and neared the lord's table. Channon swallowed nervously. But she was there with the most handsome man in the kingdom. Dressed in his black armor and mask, Sebastian was a spectacularly masculine sight. The man had a regal presence that promised strength, speed, and deadly precision.
He stopped before the table and gave a low, courtly bow. Channon gave what she hoped was an acceptable curtsy.
"Greetings, Your Majesty," Sebastian said, straightening. "I am Sebastian Kattalakis, a Prince of Arcadia."
Channon's jaw went slack with that declaration. A prince? Was he for real or was it another joke?
He turned to her, h
is features guarded. "My lady, Channon." The king rose to his feet and bowed to them. "Your Highness, it has been a long time since I've had the privilege of a dragon slayer's company. I owe your house more than I can ever repay. Please, come and be seated in honor. You and your lady-wife are welcomed here for as long as you wish to stay." Sebastian led Channon to the table and sat her to his right, beside a man who introduced himself as the king's son-in-law.
"Are you really a prince?" she whispered to Sebastian.
"A most disinherited one, but yes. My grandfather, Ly-caon, was the King of Arcadia."
"Oh my God," Channon said as pieces of history came together in her mind. "The king cursed by Zeus?"
"And the Fates."
Lycanthrope, the Greek word for werewolves, vampires, and shape-shifters, was taken from Lycaon, the King of Arcadia. Stunned, she wondered what other so-called myths and legends were actually real.
"You know, you are better than the Rosetta stone to a historian."
Sebastian laughed. "Glad to know 1 have some use to you."
More than he knew-and it wasn't just the knowledge he held. Today was the only day she could recall in an exceptionally long time when she hadn't been lonely. Not once. She'd enjoyed every minute of this day and didn't really want it to end. She looked forward to spending the next few weeks with Sebastian in his world. And deep inside where she best not investigate was a part of her that wondered if, when the time came, she'd be able to leave him.
How could a woman give up a man who made her feel the way Sebastian did every time he looked at her?
She wasn't sure it was possible.
Sebastian cut and served her from the roast of something she couldn't quite identify. Thinking it best not to ask, she took a bite and discovered it was quite good.
They ate in silence while others finished their meals and started dancing.
After a time, Channon glanced to Sebastian and noticed his eyes seemed troubled. "Are you all right?" she asked.
Sebastian ran his hand over the uncovered portion of his face. He felt ill inside. The harmony between his two halves had been disrupted by his inner fighting over Channon, and the pain of it was almost more than he could stand. The Drakos wanted her regardless, but the man in him refused to see her endangered. The struggle between the two sides was so severe that he wondered how he was going to make it for the next three weeks without doing permanent damage to one or the other of his halves.
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