eased open the half door, and it groaned upon its leather hinges.
There came a swift furtive rustle from the back, a whispered, “No.”
His nostrils widened. He sniffed the air and detected the delicate scent of… woman. Yes, he was certain. This one smelled of the forest, of pine, of innocence. He licked his lips and went forward.
When he got close, she came at him in a rush, striking him with her shoulder, and nearly overbalancing him. He caught her by the hair, yanking her around so roughly she cried out.
Swiftly he clamped her against him, and she struggled and kicked like a wild creature until he pressed the point of his dagger between her breasts. She went absolutely still; only the sharp jerks of her breathing betrayed her.
“ Nom de Dieu,” she said, using a French oath although he knew at once she was Greek. “Do not hurt me with that. Please do not-”
“Silence.”
There was cunning in her voice beneath the pleading. He hurt her just a little to get her attention. “You are the girl from the mountains?”
“Yes. I–I am Elena Milengus.”
“Very good. And what are you doing hiding out here in the darkness, Elena? Are you waiting for your lover?”
She choked and began to weep.
He squeezed her. “None of that! I do not want you. Pay attention to me. Everyone is looking for the man called Noel.”
“I know,” she whispered. ‘That was why I have been hiding. We tricked Sir Magnin because we thought he would cheat us of our share of the ransom money, and now he is angry.“
“What do you expect, you stupid fool?” said Leon. “No, listen to what I have to say. There is a way for you to redeem yourself.”
“I won’t-”
“Listen! Noel has probably escaped the castle by now. He will seek your help tomorrow or the next day. He will want you to help Theodore recover Mistra.”
“The Milengi do not serve Byzantine puppets!”
“But your alliance with Sir Magnin has been broken. Isn’t it better to change horses before the one you have falls beneath you?”
She remained silent, but he knew she was listening. This girl was shrewd. He liked her.
“Well, Elena?”
“My brothers will never support Lord Theodore. They want Greeks to rule the Peloponnese. Sir Magnin is half Greek, and that is better than nothing.”
“Better perhaps to have Byzantine rule than Turkish,” said Leon with a low laugh.
“The Turks will not dare come this far-”
“I think they will. Perhaps there is a way to make Sir Magnin happy with you again.”
“How?”
“Help us catch Noel.”
He loosened his arm, and at once she sprang away from him. He caught her wrist, however, and swung her around. Moonlight glimmered upon the blade of his dagger. He sheathed it, but he did not release her wrist.
“If you should find him,” said Leon, feeling his desire burn like fire within his veins. He put his hand upon the girl’s face, driving in with his mind and his will until he felt her facial muscles go slack against his palm. “If you should find him, steal the bracelet from his wrist and bring it to me. That is all you have to do.”
He took his hand away and Elena’s face remained slack. Her dark eyes were glazed, shimmering reflections of the distant moonlight. Her mouth trembled. Leon touched those voluptuous lips with a tender finger.
“Do it for me,” he whispered.
In silence Elena nodded. She looked drugged. Slowly she lifted her gaze to Leon’s, and her eyes were docile, submissive eyes. Satisfied, Leon kissed her, but there was nothing in rubbing his mouth against hers that affected him. Nothing at all. If he wanted to feel the heat of passion, he had only to think of his hatred for his twin.
Angrily he shoved the girl away. “Go,” he said and watched her run from the shed with her long hair streaming out behind her.
He paced there, shivering in the cold, rubbing his hands together, and felt hollow as though he were only a shell pretending to be a man. Was he doomed forever to be only half alive? Would eliminating Noel really make him whole?
No answers came to him, no assurance, no peace. He shivered in the night, and felt afraid.
CHAPTER 10
Noel’s hand closed over Sophia’s face. “Don’t be afraid,” he whispered.
She awakened with a muffled gasp and thrashed against him until he pressed her hard into her pillows.
“Hush,” he said. “It’s Noel. Don’t be afraid.”
She went stiff and silent for a moment, then struggled harder, trying to throw herself off the bed, trying to kick him, trying to wrench her mouth free to scream.
Exasperated, Noel wrestled with her despite the fact that he was hampered by his desire not to hurt her. She drove her fist hard into his stomach, and while he doubled, choking, she reached beneath her pillow and drew forth a tiny dagger that she slashed across his arm.
The pain was swift, like a razor cut, and the blood came welling up hot and vital upon his skin.
“Damn you,” he said in a choked voice.
She struggled free of his grasp and opened her mouth.
“If you scream,” he said desperately, ripping the knife from her hand, “I swear I’ll kill you.”
Kneeling upon the bed, she faced him with her hair streaming like silver in the moonlight. “Get away from me, villain,” she said in a low voice choked with loathing and fear.
“We made a bargain, my lady. I gave you my word I would not betray you. And you promised to show me how to escape the castle.”
She made a sound of denial, and he yanked her close against him. “I am not Leon,” he said. “You know that.”
“You look alike,” she retorted, her breath warm upon his face. “I think it likely you act alike. How dare you come into my chamber-”
“Shut up, and consider,” he said sharply. “I can help you and Theodore. But only if you help me. I have to get away. Will you keep your end of our bargain?”
The pain in his arm intensified as he flexed the limb and more air rushed into the wound, but it was a minor cut. Already it had stopped bleeding.
He tossed the dagger on the bed between them. Sophia watched him, saying nothing, doing nothing. He couldn’t tell if she was thinking it over or awaiting her chance to yell.
“My lady?” came a soft, sleepy voice from the outer chamber. “Is all well?”
Noel’s heart leapt into his throat. For a moment he thought he would choke. He froze, his gaze on the flimsy door between him and discovery.
“Yes, Cleope,” said Sophia. “A bad dream, that’s all.”
“Do you want some heated malmsey?”
“No, thank you. Go back to sleep.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Noel shut his eyes a moment. The relief was almost too much. He was so tired he could barely think. He knew he was bound to make a fatal mistake soon, if he didn’t find refuge.
“Please,” he whispered. “ Please.”
“If Theodore is still a prisoner in the mountains,” she whispered, “will you help free him?”
“Yes.”
