Millicent appeared to be feeling the same quiet contentment, for they sat a time in silence, listening to the soughing of the branches in the wind.

“How long do you plan on staying here?” asked Gareth, his voice low, hesitant to destroy the peaceful feeling between them.

She closed her eyes, tilting her head back to catch an errant breeze. “Long enough for Nell to recover her strength. Shape-shifters don’t take well to confinement.”

He admired the smooth curve of her throat, the outline of her full lips. “And then?”

“And then we travel deeper into the Underground until I find a way to get this relic off my wrist.”

Stubborn wench. He’d already told her there was only one way to remove it.

“There must be another way,” she continued as if she’d read his mind. “Tell me exactly how you got trapped in the stone.”

Gareth sighed. He would do anything to convince her he spoke the truth. “I seduced Merlin’s lover.”

Millicent huffed. “Why am I not surprised?”

“I was young and foolish,” replied Gareth defensively. “And I thought I was in love. Those are the only excuses I can offer, lady.” The colorful glow of the forest faded as his vision turned inward. He still remembered every detail of that day. The feel of triumph when Vivian surrendered to him. The look of betrayal on Merlin’s face when he’d found them together. “Merlin wove a spell that shivered the stones of Camelot. I could almost see the magic he called, forming in his palms, twining about my body. I remember struggling into my clothes, telling him I loved her, worried I’d have to draw my sword against the king’s advisor. “’Twas bad enough I had broken faith with Merlin, but I didn’t want to be forced to do so with my king.”

She stared at him with ever-widening eyes, as if she couldn’t quite believe his world had once existed. But when she spoke, her voice sounded no louder than the sigh of the wind, tinged with awe and sympathy. “What did Merlin say to you?”

“He said, ‘Only true love will break this spell, boy, and I curse you to search until you find it.’ And then I fractured into a thousand pieces, and knew despair when I later materialized to Vivian from out of the relic, and she could not break the spell.”

“Merlin said nothing more specific?”

“No. Why should he? He intended for me to suffer for my betrayal. He did not want to make breaking the curse easy.”

Millicent frowned. “So. You began to search for your true love.”

“Yes. I had to learn to become intimate with a woman quickly, to sense her desires and longings, to discover if she could truly love me. If she might be the woman who could break the spell, for I long for nothing more than to be free.”

“I understand. My were-cat values freedom more than life itself.”

Gareth brushed her shoulder. He believed her. It felt good to be understood, if only a little. And it felt good just to be with this woman, to talk and share their minds if not their bodies. The thought startled him, for he had never experienced such a feeling before.

He changed the subject, suddenly eager to know more about Millicent’s own life. He wished to understand what might have shaped this fascinating woman at his side. “If you do not return home soon, won’t your family and friends wonder what’s become of you?”

A lizard-like creature scurried across the sand toward Millicent, and Gareth redirected its path with a nudge of his boot, not knowing if it might be poisonous or not. He’d yet to find anything in the forest that would harm his lady, but he would take no chances.

The corner of her mouth twitched. “I have no family, and Nell is my only friend. I suppose Bran might wonder what happened to me. He won’t easily find a replacement.”

Gareth felt a prick of jealousy. Alas, it had been long and long since he’d felt that particular emotion. “Who is this Bran?”

She lowered her head and looked at him. “He’s the tavern owner of the Swill and Seelie. Where I work.”

“And what do you do in this place?”

Her golden eyes danced. “I wipe tables, serve ale, and between Bran and me, keep the patrons from dismembering one another.”

She laughed at the look on his face.

“It’s the favorite pub for my kind, and our animal-natures don’t always mix well. Fortunately, I’m one of only a few predators in the Underground, and most don’t want to tangle with me. It’s why Bran hired me. A were-bear likes it peaceful.”

Gareth found himself smiling with her. “Bran shape-shifts to bear?”

“Mmm. He likes honey and scratches his back on door frames and speaks slowly.” Her smile faded. “Yes, I suppose he just might wonder what happened to me.”

Gareth noticed she didn’t say this Bran might care about her. His tone became low and coaxing, unsure of how far to push her confidences. “What became of your family?”

For a moment he feared she wouldn’t answer. Her expression became guarded and wary. But she deigned to reply, and in that moment, he knew she’d decided to finally trust him.

“I don’t know who my father is. And my mother died when I was little.” She took a deep breath, as if afraid that her voice would falter on her next words. “My mother had been used poorly, by one man after another. Men like to torment a beast, you see. Or enrage it.”

Gareth had met many men with twisted desires. He had yet to understand it. “I’m sorry, my lady.”

She looked genuinely confused. “For what?”

“That your life has taught you to care for so few.”

Millicent smiled widely at him, exposing the long canines at the corners of her mouth. “Ah, but Sir Gareth. Don’t you see there’s freedom in that?”

His name on her lips sounded as sweet as wine, and for the first time, he understood her nature. She seemed to read that understanding in his eyes and accept it.

He had wanted this woman before. Now it became a burning desire. “There’s freedom in loving too, my lady. Won’t you allow me to show you?”

She froze and the air became charged between them. Gareth leaned forward to face her, moving slowly, not wanting to frighten either the lady or her beast. But there was no fear in her eyes when he locked gazes with her, just confusion and doubt.

“It’s true,” he assured her, leaning closer, his lips but a breath away from her own. “Freedom… and joy.” He tilted his head and pressed his mouth against hers. She tasted salty sweet and unlike any other woman he had known before. Her lips felt warm and soft—but completely still, as if she feared to move.

Gareth pulled slightly away from her, studying the sweep of her brow, the cat-shape of her eyes, the golden depths within. “Breathe, my lady.”

She let loose her breath with a gasp, and he tilted his head farther and leaned in, taking advantage of her parted lips. This time her lips stirred beneath his, mimicking his own moves with shy hesitancy. When he opened his mouth farther, she did as well. When he dipped his tongue inside, she touched her own to his, a slow dance of wet heat that grew to feverish intensity. He felt a vibration and realized she’d started to purr, a low sound in the back of her throat.

Gareth’s body responded with a rush of blood to his groin. But he reined in his desire, grateful that centuries of experience granted him such control. An ordinary man would never have managed it. He allowed her to leisurely explore his mouth, guiding her with a gentle touch whenever she faltered, letting her discover the exquisite joy within a kiss.

Every nerve of his felt afire, and he dug his fingers into the sand to prevent them from touching her. He longed to feel her body against his, to touch every curve he’d admired from a distance. But he couldn’t push. Gareth must give her time to adjust—

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her strength still astonishing him, and she crushed his body against hers, her purr interrupted by a growl as she flipped him over onto his back and lay half atop him, continuing to ravish his mouth. Gareth sighed with relief, brushing the sand off his palms before wrapping them around her hips and positioning her fully atop his body. He explored the curves of her back while she tangled her fingers in his hair. He covered her buttocks with his hands while she sucked on his lower lip.

She wiggled atop him, unaware of the torture she caused. Or so he thought. For suddenly she jerked her head back, blinking down at him with passion-glazed eyes, a shock of realization blooming within their depths.

Gareth brushed a tendril of hair away from her cheek. He knew she’d felt his need for her. “Don’t let it frighten you.”

Millicent spun away from him, coming to a crouch on all fours.

He slowly rose to a sitting position, ruffling the sand from his hair. He pretended that naught of significance had passed between them, seeking to maintain that air of camaraderie they’d shared earlier, hoping to assuage her fears. But her kiss had shaken him to the core. What had started out as only a means to seduce her had turned into something… larger. Something he did not understand. How had her kiss managed to make him feel… somehow… complete? How could it make the world spin, when he had gone through the same motions with thousands of other women with nary a twist of his senses? “I’m going to bathe. Do you wish to join me?”

She leaned toward him as if to comply, passion still shimmering in her eyes. One hand lifted to touch her swollen lips. “How can you—aah, you’re a slick one. If I didn’t know you had another reason for seducing me, I might even be able to believe in the tenderness you’ve shown me.”

Gareth gazed at her solemnly. “I would never lie to you, lady. In word, or deed.”