Rital of Proof (9 page)

"I'm wondering what is going on behind those aqua eyes of yours."

He blinked slowly. Purposefully. "Perhaps nothing."

"I sincerely doubt that."

"Perhaps I am wondering just what it is you think to 'show' me out here."

"I thought you were showing me."

He stared at her expectantly.

"The gardens?"

"So I am. What do you think?" He spread his arms wide, indicating the landscape, but his inquiry was not about plantings.

So she answered in him in kind. "I think it is a beautiful place, rich in detail, and layered with complexity. Vibrant, with subtle tones, and altogether individual in nature."

"You flatter my family," he responded evenly, giving nothing away.

"The Reynards have always been known for their leadership abilities; surely that trait is evident even here in this... garden."

"Yes, they have often paved the way where others have followed." He watched her carefully.

"And is that what you wish to plant in your garden?" she asked pointedly. What he was implying was so radical, it would surely ostracize him from decent society, especially if he spoke of it to others.

He watched her steadily. "Yes."

She sucked in her breath. "And how do you hope to accomplish such a thing? Surely such seeds would not grow in this soil and might in fact end up poisoning your entire house."

"One never knows what can take root when the proper conditions are met."

"Have a care, Jorlan." She put all pretense aside. "It is one thing to entertain outlandish notions, quite another to attempt to act upon them."

" 'Outlandish'?" His nostrils flared.

"You would disgrace the Duchene for a youthful whim?"

"This is no youthful whim. But you needn't concern yourself, Marquelle. I assure you, I would never hurt my grandmother."

She breathed a little easier at that statement. For a minute, she wasn't sure if he did not have some foolish escapade in mind. "I suppose not; you do realize that you are more apt to cause wagging tongues by our walk last night than by anything else?"

He shrugged. "I do not think I am that interesting a topic to the Slice."

"Then you underestimate your charm."

"Charm?" His lips curled in a sneer of disgust. "Is that what you call it?"

"Among other things." She let her gaze travel the length of him. It was ironic that one so blessed with natural attributes should be so opposed to the appreciation of them by the ladies of the Select Quarter.

Unlike other come-outs, Jorlan did not get flustered or nervous at her blatant regard. Instead he met her perusal with a steady regard of his own that made
her
slightly uncomfortable. With his looks, she supposed he was used to women trying to chase a "bit o' the velvet."

What was it about this young man that gave him the maturity and the
knowing
not usually found in men twice his age, if ever?

A disturbing thought occurred to her. Surely he had not... ?

No, she had tasted him herself, experienced firsthand his initial trembling, his slightly hesitant touch. Whatever made Jorlan different was inherent in
him
and had nothing to do with any outside influence or experience.

They walked by a mesh-pond. Tiny crisscrossed fibers covered the liquid underlayer of the plant, forming a red ripple fading out to pink on the edges. The mesh-pond was in bloom; several tiny pink-and-white buds dotted its surface. It was a charming sight.

As they strolled by, the mesh-pond croaked slightly, begging Jorlan for a tidbit. He leaned over to snap off a cilia twig from a nearby bush, tossing it into the fibers as they passed.

Gurgling happily, the mesh-pond absorbed the treat.

Green smiled to herself. Despite his insolent stance, there was a hidden kindness in his heart. Again, she remembered the incident with Claudine's Klee when he was a boy.

"What are you thinking?" he murmured.

"I was remembering something from a long time ago... "

"About your family?" He smoothed away a strand of auburn hair that had flown into her eye.

"It's not important." She looked up at him. He was shadowed; beautifully shadowed. "Kiss me," she breathed. "Right now."

He paused only a second, then simply reacted. He bent forward, brushing warm, smooth lips over hers. It was an incredibly tender kiss. At once sensual and sweet.

Standing on tiptoe, Green's hand reached up to cup the back of his head. Even though he was bending, he was still towering over her.

Green's hand clasped his shoulder and upper arm, noting the muscular strength concealed by his black sleek-cut layer coat. Her fingers sank recklessly into the depths of the silky black hair. Its texture was finer than any she had ever touched. Softer. More luxurious. The strands slid between her fingers, twining about her hand.
Have I ever felt such hair?
She marveled at the sensation of it. There was something incredible about touching Jorlan, the feel of him unlike anything—

Again, she felt him tremble.

Jorlan tried to stiffen himself against the sensual assault but could not. Against his will, he felt himself give over to the awareness. Felt his body come alive as the tremors shivered down his length and throughout his body.

Green felt his initial resistance followed by the reaction he could not contain. Somehow, the fact that he had lost a bit of his rigid control in the essence of the moment pleased her.

She was going to love awakening this man. Teaching him of the passion within himself. Watching it rise slowly until it overtook him. And her

A picture of him sprawled across her sheets came into her mind. His golden skin warmed by flamelight, flushed with a slight sheen of moisture, dry and hot to the touch as he waited for her to come to him. For her to ignite him. His eyes were illuminated with his heat. Jorlan jolted suddenly, breaking off the pure kiss to stare into her eyes. Shielded, his expression became inscrutable.

"Wh-what is it?" She tried to control the pace of her breaths, which had sped up with the press of his mouth and her unaccountable thoughts. It was a mystery to her how this untried veil had managed to get to her like this.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. "Nothing, Marquelle." He pulled back from her abruptly.

She regained her composure with his distance. "Do you not like the taste of me?"

"I like the taste of you just fine."

"Then what is it?"

"As I said, nothing." He snapped a boomerang leaf from the branches of an overhanging Dreamtree, setting it in flight. The small V-shaped leaf spun back and forth through the air, riding the currents as it gently cascaded to the ground.

Had he somehow picked up a glimmer of her impetuous fantasy? She glanced up at him through the fringe of her lashes.
It was possible.
Who knew what he was capable of? The boy had been a mystery; the man was an enigma. And yet, he had spoken the truth. He could not hide his reaction to her. The slight warm flush of his golden skin, the husky tone of his voice told their own tale.

"How long have you known that you are a Sensitive?"

His shoulders stiffened. He looked back at her. "What do you mean?"

"There is no sense trying to hide it, Jorlan. You might have gotten away with it with another woman, had you chosen someone else to experiment with. I, however, know better. I am too experienced not to. You knew that as well, which makes me wonder why you chose me to explore with."

He looked up at the tallest branches of the Dreamtree where a Ramagi was spinning its matrix. "Yes, I know of your experience. And you're right, I am curious where perhaps I shouldn't be. I have never had such a curiosity with anyone before—" He stopped, unwilling to say more.

Green watched him carefully.
What was he weaving?
He wanted her. Only her.

It was not simple experimentation. Not with this man. She stored this incident away for later contemplation. "And what of being a Sensitive?"

His brow furrowed. "I do not know what you are saying."

"You... " She hesitated. Perhaps he did not know. Perhaps he had no idea that he was very different from most, men. That he experienced the senses on a completely different level. Being brought up in a proper way in a proper household, he would not have been exposed to the term "Sensitive."

"Why did you break away, Jorlan?" she said carefully. He rubbed the back of his neck as if he were releasing a building tension. "I'd rather not delve into it, Marquelle, if you do not mind."

"I do mind." She approached him once again, placing a hand on his forearm. "Tell me what it was. And my name is Green."

"Very well... Green. I cannot put a name to it. I had this—this vision, you might say... " He glanced up at the bank of clouds on the horizon. "It sounds strange, I know."

"No, no it doesn't. What did you see?"

He looked her way; a muscle beat in his jaw, and then he stared at the clouds again.

"Yes?"

"It was a rather erotic image."

"Go on." She was sure now what he was going to say, what he had seen. The same thing she had. Him, in her bed...

"I saw you lying across my bed. Your skin was lit by flamelight, your hair was spread across the pillows. It caught flames of light. Your eyes were closed as if you were dreaming or thinking of something or someone... Something caught your attention and you rose up on your elbow and looked my—" He stopped, as if sensing some danger.

She watched him speculatively. His description of his vision was not just like hers—it was an exact
reflection
of hers.
What does it mean?

His words interrupted her thoughts. "It appears as if a storm is coming." His aqua eyes scanned the horizon.

He glanced down at her. "Shall I tell
Billings to have a room prepared for you for the evening? I would not want you to be caught in an arc storm on your journey home."

"Thank you, Jorlan, but I shall be fine. There are plenty of places to take shelter on the way."

"There are no places to take shelter between here and your estate. It is all open land."

"It doesn't look like an arc storm to me. In any case, I never said I was going directly home." At his angry, resentful look, she turned and headed to the coops to retrieve her mount.

It was only the slight hurt in his eyes that made her add, "I have a business appointment in Town. Unfortunately. I expect I'll be tied up late into the night going over dreary account ledgers."

"I'm sure you'll be up very late doing
that,
Marquelle," he replied cynically.

A small smile graced her mouth. Jealousy was an excellent mood for a brash, independent male who wanted no name-giver. Perhaps she should point that out to him?

"Your untoward
concern
is touching, Jorlan, but you may sleep easy tonight knowing that I am in the arms of my ledgers and nothing else."

His azure eyes narrowed dangerously. "What makes you think I care, Marquelle?"

"I had a vision." Her soft laughter trailed after her as she left.

Come-outs were not the only ones who could be mischief-makers. With the right incentive, a seasoned Marquelle could easily develop a yen for it.

Her progress to the coops was reflected in his pale eyes.

Whatever lay beneath
their
contained, hidden depths remained a mystery.

Chapter Four

Although the arc storm never came that night, it did arrive several nights later.

Green's business in
Capitol
Town
had taken longer than she had estimated. Since she had been tied up on her western properties these past months, the accounts were behind and had to be brought up-to-date. Instead of one night of dreary ledgers, she had dealt with four nights of tedious accounts.

The one bright spot was that she and her solicitor had finally put the books to right.

The strange part was that she had been in town all that time and had not once gone to see River. In fact, she had not been with the lusty pleasurer for several months. Since she had met Jorlan, she did not seem to have the desire to visit him. Her brow furrowed.

The rain began to pelt her and Kibbee as the Kloo plodded its way through the muddy roads of the country. She was headed back to her estate, not wanting to spend another night in town. Her thoughts wandered to Jorlan as she tried to get her mind off of the cold drenching she was getting.

Tomorrow, she would see him again; maybe offer to show him her estate. His eyes were really the most unusual color...

A rumble sounded above and Kibbee shied on the path.

Green tightened her hold on the reins and patted her mount's side. "There, girl. Guess we didn't see that arc-er coming, did we? If you can put some wind to it, I believe there is a tavern not too far down the road. We can take shelter there. They have a nice warm Kloo coop."