“There is a grave difference, my kindhearted wife, of how you will not tolerate something and how I won’t. You understand this, no?”

Eep!

“I wouldn’t like it if you separated all his joints,” I whispered.

“I would not do this to your father, but I would ruin him,” he returned unemotionally. “I would take everything from him that matters, and as much as I hate to share this with you, what matters to him is not you. But I would find it, whatever it is. And I would take it. And I would leave him knowing I had it, I took it, and he’ll never have it again. This conversation we’re having, the whole of it, is very important, including this. So I must know, is this something you understand?”

“He’s my father, Mars,” I told him.

“He is the man who sired you, Silence, there’s a vast fucking difference. You will not know this until you see how I will love and treasure our children. So now, no matter his ways and wiles in trying to convince you differently, you will simply have to trust me.”

I decided not to say anything further.

Mars didn’t say anything either.

We stared at each other.

It was me again who put a stop to it.

“Now are we done talking?”

“Indeed, we are, my queen, for now, although I will not enter you until you’re protected against conceiving, I will teach you how to pleasure me.”

I felt my eyes grow huge.

His face got close.

It had changed.

His voice had changed.

The feel of the room had changed.

I would not be surprised if the whole world had changed.

This as he whispered to me, “You have much to make up for, mio ardente.”

Oh faith.

I had no other thought or got no word in before he was kissing me.

And with that, I had no other thoughts but my husband’s mouth on mine and how much I liked it.

I was returning his embrace, enthusiastically, when he broke it.

I would have protested this, but I was too shocked to do so when he bent low, put a shoulder in my belly and hefted me up on it.

“Mars!” I exclaimed.

He did not reply to me.

He carried me across the room, saying, “You, the fair one. My wife needs a three-month supply of pennyrium. Go to the village and see to that,” right before he made a turn toward the stairs.

I lifted my head to see Pegeen (and Bernadette…and Olive) standing in the doorway Mars had lounged in earlier, staring at us with wide eyes.

I tried not to smirk.

I had a feeling I failed.

It was when he made the top landing that it came back to me where I was, where I was going and why.

Before I could comment on this, Mars made his own comment.