He bent down and kissed her softly, persuasively. When he felt her yield, he murmured against her lips, “We’ll have a quiet dinner. Then we’ll play a couple of hands of ‘cradle.’ I’ll even let you win.”

Her huff of laughter provoked another hunger. His kiss deepened as his hand caressed her breast.

“I think I am hungry,” Jaenelle said breathlessly when he finally gave her a chance to speak.

After they had thoroughly satisfied one hunger, they finally sat down to dinner.

5 / Hell

Pain woke him.

Kartane opened his eyes. Two fading balls of witchlight provided enough light for him to clearly see that he was outside. Then he realized he was upside down. Someone had tied him upside down.

Something rustled the bushes nearby.

Turning his head a little, he stared at an odd pile of brown clothing, neatly folded.

Suddenly, his heart pounded. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe.

The surrounding shadows shifted just enough for him to see that the odd pile wasn’t clothing, it was brown skin.

As he drew in a breath to scream, glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness around him.

Even with her head under the water, Surreal heard Kartane scream.

She popped up out of the water, then immediately lowered herself to her neck. The pool, fed by a hot spring, was delightfully warm, but the air was cool enough to bite.

She heard snarls, a howl, a terrified shriek.

The air wasn’t the only thing around there that had a bite.

“So this is Hell,” she said, looking around. It was too dark to see much, but the area around the pool had a kind of stark beauty.

“This is Hell,” Titian replied, a blissful smile on her face. She straightened up and gave Surreal a searching look. “Has the debt been paid to your satisfaction, Surreal?”

The snarls and shrieks stopped for a moment, then started again.

“Yes,” Surreal said, leaning back with a sigh, “I’m satisfied.”

6 / Kaeleer

“Sometimes the heart reveals more than panes of glass can.”

Saetan turned away from the window, tensed, took a step forward, stopped. “Tersa, why are you at the Keep?”

Smiling, Tersa walked across the room and held out a thick envelope. “I came to give you this.”

Even before he took the envelope, he knew who it was from. Sylvia always added a drop of lavender oil to her wax seal.

Laying one hand on his shoulder, Tersa kissed him on the lips—a lingering kiss that surprised him. Worried him.

She stepped back. “That was the other part of the message.” She was almost at the door before he gathered his wits.

“Tersa, this can’t be the only reason you traveled to the Keep.”

“No?” she said, looking puzzled. Then, “No, it wasn’t.”

He waited. She said nothing.

“Darling,” he prodded gently, “why are you here?”