The Rebel King

and was pretty sure Rhia wouldn't be, either.

'There's nothing out here,' he said, turning back to the castle. 'I need to get inside. D'you suppose it's locked?'

Rhia looked over at him and her lips curved in a kitty-cat smile. 'Shall we go and see?'

She set off up the hill toward the castle, moving ahead of him with her long athlete's stride. He didn't try to catch up with her; the view from where he was was far too enjoyable.

Their circuit of the castle confirmed Nikolas's fears: All the windows were either locked from the inside or firmly painted shut, and the doors were sporting what appeared to be new and very effective padlocks.

'Well, that's that, I suppose.' he said, having given the lock on the massive front doors a fruitless yank. He stepped back and craned his neck to study the upper-story windows. 'I guess we can try the scaffold, see if any of the upstairs windows-what are you doing?'

Rhia had taken a small black leather case from her belt and was unzipping it. As he watched with dawning apprehension, she selected several small metal objects from the assortment laid out inside, then tucked the case in her pocket and stepped forward. 'Excuse me,' she murmured, picking up the lock in one hand and weighing it appraisingly, 'this might take me a minute. It's been awhile…'

He said in flat disbelief, 'Rhee…those aren't lock picks?'

'Yep.' She was intent on the task now, the tip of her tongue clamped between her teeth, eyes narrowed in concentration.

It was hard to tell whether the strange shimmery feeling inside him was wonder or dismay. Stifling laughter, he managed to choke out, 'Rhee…luv…are you insane?'

'Shh! Be quiet. Almost…there.' She gave the lock a tug and it opened in her hands. She straightened and threw him a triumphant look-a bit of a smug one. too.

He gave an incredulous snort. 'Where did you-did Lazlo teach you that?'

She was suddenly very busy returning her tools to their case and not looking at him. but he saw when her smile slipped awry. 'No, not hardly-though he did provide me with this nice set of tools.' She gave him a sideways look from under her lashes. 'Guess I forgot to tell you-I used to be a cat burglar in my former life.'

'Come on…seriously.' He'd given up trying to stop the laughter, though a cold little breath of unease was wafting across the back of his neck. Or was it only the fog?

'He thinks I'm kidding,' Rhia muttered to the brass lion's head on the door.

She pushed the door open all the way, then leaned her back against it and watched him as she waited for him to pass through it ahead of her, chin lifted in unspoken challenge.

He hesitated…almost reached for her…almost touched her. Almost asked the questions he knew she expected, with that look of defiance that couldn't quite hide the vulnerability underneath. But then something-the chill stale wash of air from the closed-up castle, the musty smell of abandonment, perhaps-reminded him of where he was and why he'd come there, and the questions floated away like cobwebs to the back rooms of his mind.

Rhia pushed away from the door and closed it carefully behind her, enclosing them in gloomy darkness that was only slightly diluted by the pale light slipping through the cracks in dusty draperies and the panes of stained glass high in the stone wall above the entrance doors. Feeling vaguely abandoned, she tucked her hands in her jacket pockets and ambled unhurriedly after Nikolas, who was working his way down the vast hall, jerking doors open and looking briefly into rooms.

'What are we looking for?' she asked when she caught up with him. peering over his shoulder at a gray darkness filled with the ghostly shapes of shrouded furniture.

'You remind me of a small child on a long road trip,' he said tartly, narrowed eyes still studying what appeared to be a lady's sitting room. He pulled the door shut, shot her a look and mimicked a child's falsetto: 'Are we there yet?'

'Oh, very amusing.' She folded her arms on her chest and gave him a quelling look. 'However, I ask because we are trespassing, and our ride is going to be coming back to pick us up soon, and whatever it is we're here to do, I suggest we get it done quickly. Oh, yeah-and did I mention I'm starving? And that I tend to get bitchy when I'm hungry?'

His soft laughter reached for her in the gloom, then his arms and his warm mouth. 'Sorry, luv…' The words of remorse brushed her cheek like a caress, and she melted inside. Her arms found their way around his waist all by themselves. His arms crisscrossed her back and he wrapped her close against him so that she felt the slight jerking of his body when he laughed. 'I'm a pig…an absolute prick. I forgot. Of course we should eat something. Where did I leave the bloody duffel?'

'It's back there…by the door.' Her reply was muffled against his shoulder, and she released a long, uneven breath that snuggled her even more comfortably against him. Hunger forgotten for the moment, she felt a strange reluctance to let go, a premonition, perhaps, of a future she dreaded and didn't want to acknowledge. A future without him. A shudder rippled through her, and tears burned the backs of her eyes.

Low blood sugar, she told herself. With clenched teeth and willpower, she pulled herself away from him and half ran back across the hall to retrieve the duffel bag from where Nikolas had thoughtlessly dropped it on a huge mirrored hall tree just inside the entrance.

When she returned with the bag, Nikolas had seated himself on a step about halfway up one side of a matched pair of curving staircases that rose like gracefully spread wings to a second-floor landing. As she mounted the stairs to join him, she could feel his eyes drawing her in, almost like a guiding hand. Her eyes had adjusted to the dimness, and in that shadowy light his face looked grave and bleak.

She halted a few steps below him. her eyes on a level with his and a cold, undefined fear coiling in her stomach. 'Nik, what-'

'Shh…' He took the duffel bag from her and patted the stairstep beside him. 'Food first. Questions later. Let's see what sort of goodies our Elliot has squirreled away.'

'You want to eat here?' She was eying the dusty steps.

Nikolas had the bag open and was sorting through its contents. 'Good a spot as any. The whole place is dust and cobwebs… Ah-look what we have here. Something called… Cheese Doodles. D'you suppose they actually have cheese in them? That would be protein. I suppose.'

'Gimme.' Rhia snatched the bag from his hands and plunked herself down on the step below his. squeamishness and premonitions both, for the moment, forgotten. 'Oh, my God,' she breathed as she tore open the bag and inhaled the familiar smell, 'do you have any idea how long it's been since I've eaten a Cheese Doodle?'

'None whatsoever,' he murmured as she popped a handful of the dusty orange crunchies into her mouth. She closed her eyes as she chewed, shutting out his expression of horrified fascination.

She opened her eyes and dusted her fingers on her pants, leaving orange-ish streaks. 'Mmm-mmm-that was tasty- I used to love these things. What else is there?'

'What? Oh-yes, of course…' Tearing his gaze from her mouth, he dug once more into the bag. 'Well. okay, here's something else for you, peanut butter crackers.'

'Mmf-hand 'em over. I love peanut butter.'

'Of course you do. You're an American. Ah-here's something for me-crisps! That's chips to you, I suppose. Hmm… onion-flavored-not my favorite, but beggars can't be choosers, can they? Oh, and look-the fellow has a sweet tooth, it seems. Here's a tin of biscuits.'

'Biscuits? Oh-right. You mean cookies. Goody-hand 'em over.' She licked her lips, wiped more orange Cheese Doodle dust on her pants leg and reached for the red plaid tin of Scottish shortbread cookies. Wonder of wonders- they were dipped in chocolate.

He laughed and held the cookies out of her reach. 'You are a little glutton, aren't you? Sorry-no dessert until you've had your dinner…' He leaned down and kissed her, just in time to catch her mouth opening in protest.

She felt the kiss all the way down to her toes. Had she ever craved a man's touch so much? If she had. she couldn't recall it. Her head fell back and the world tilted…

Nikolas lifted his head, licked his lips and said thoughtfully. 'Hmm…I believe I'm actually acquiring a taste for Cheese Doodles. Let me just see…'

He lowered his mouth to hers again, his hand gentle on her arched throat, lips and tongue firm and clever as they tasted the cheese dust clinging to her lips in teasing nibbles. It tickled, but she felt no desire to laugh. She wanted him with a boundless yearning that made those unfamiliar tears prick at her eyelids again, and helpless