Rezkin had no idea what had just happened. It was not the first time the young woman had crossed the acceptable barrier of personal space, but this had been so much more intense than the last. She pressed her body so close he could feel her every curve through the thin fabric of her tunic. Her body was warm and soft, and she smelled of lilacs. When she pressed her mouth to his, he froze. He had no idea what the woman was doing to his face. The only other time he had experienced anything like this had not been a pleasant experience. In fact, he had almost died.

Rezkin attempted to put the actions into context. He had just reiterated his vow to protect her per Rule 1, so maybe this was her way of accepting? What was more confusing was his reaction. He had liked it. The way her soft lips and warm breath mingled with his own, the way her breasts and body heat pressed into him, had made something stir deep within him that resulted in an unfamiliar feeling of pleasure. He was confused as to what the action meant and why she had done it, but he was certain he wanted to do it again.

Just as Rezkin thought he might grab Frisha and do just that, Tam cleared his throat. “Right, well, if you two are done kissing, maybe we should talk about Kaibain.” Frisha’s face turned a deep rose. She had momentarily forgotten about Tam.

Kissing? That had been kissing? He had heard the term before, but had never seen it in practice—aside from that one time, but at that time he had not known a name for the act, and it had been very different from this. He quite liked kissing, he decided.

Rezkin shook his head, forcing his attention back on to his surroundings. When had that happened? It was as though the moment Frisha’s lips touched his everything he had ever learned just vanished. He suddenly realized kissing was dangerous. As much as he liked it, he did not think he could leave himself so vulnerable again. He would have to avoid it in the future … probably. Most importantly, he would have to figure out what had incited the reaction. He did not know why, but somehow he was absolutely certain he did not want to experience the same thing with Tam.

“What about Kaibain?” asked Rezkin, clearing his throat as he addressed Tam’s question that he had almost forgotten during his musings.

“Well, do you know where you will be staying?” his friend asked.

Rezkin shrugged. “I suppose I will get a room at an inn.”

“No!” Frisha said excitedly. “You will stay with me … us, I mean. At my uncle’s home.”

Rezkin cocked his head curiously. “You have a family in Kaibain? Your family is not in Cheswick?”