Black Moon Draw

"Aye." He gazed down at her, their bodies separated by a foot that was strangely too far. Recalling how she had felt beneath him, and how he could never let them go farther, he clenched his fists to keep from reaching out to her. His man parts had not fallen off after that encounter, either.

Pink spread across her features once again, a sign she was thinking about the kiss. "It was an awful plan," she told him. "I still don't know how to use this thing." She patted the medallion.

"I do."

She waited.

"It involves kissing you each time I want it to work."

Anger sparked in her eyes. She whirled and started up the beach.

He watched, amused and grateful she was angry again. Her emotions were too delicate for him to predict entirely. But he knew anger and that it would help them get to where they needed to be as well as encourage her to maintain her distance from him. It was growing more difficult for him not to take an afternoon to slake his desire for her shapely form.

"I'll tell you this once, Atreyu," she called over her shoulder.

He jerked, not accustomed to hearing his name aloud.

"If you kiss me again or put us in danger to manipulate my magic, I'll sell off your name to the battle-witch of Brown Sun Lake."

"Brown Sun Lake has no battle-witch."

"Then to some other kingdom."

He trailed her up the beach. It was a threat by a woman who had no knowledge of his world. Every kingdom but the Red Knight's, including Brown Sun Lake, had a battle-witch. It was far too easy to dismiss the hollow threat from someone who had proven for a second time she was not about to let him die, let alone betray him to an enemy.

"You should not use my name," he said, trotting to catch up and drawing abreast of her. "Someone may overhear it."

"That's your problem," she said tartly. "I don't believe this nonsense about names being dangerous." She glared at him defiantly.

He did not look at her, gaze on the cliff separating him from the hills that rolled between them and his keep at Black Moon Draw. "You have shown me you will do naught to harm me or my war."

She was breathing hard from the march across the beach of loose sand. He motioned for her to start walking, eyes on the sky. It was midmorning - and his time was nearly up. He had given orders for the attack on Brown Sun Lake to start this evening, even if he was not present for it. However, he did not plan on missing the great victory.