A shudder went through her, and she nodded silently.
“I thought you might. If you wish, I shall leave it there, and if you try it again, I will know that you truly appreciate the punishment you receive when you disobey me.”
His hand moved over her face, long brown fingers a dark sacrilege against her pale, gleaming skin. Finally, with a laugh that told her he knew she was too frightened to attempt escape or resistance again, he rose and went back to the table.
A lamp burned with a steady, subdued glow, casting pools of rosy light and wavering shadows. The room was surprisingly large. Through the open window she could hear a dog bark, and far away, the plaintive sounds of a guitar.
Ginny lay supine upon the bed, marshalling the ebbing reserves of her strength as the fever rose higher, blurring her vision and nibbling at the edges of consciousness. It was no time to be sick! Oh God, if only she could hold on long enough for Steve to come. She’d be of no help to him if she was incoherent with a raging fever.
“I wanted you,” Luna said suddenly, walking back to the bed, “from that night in Ojinaga. You intrigued me, with your sultry beauty and the way you danced—like a Spanish gypsy. Such abandon, such fluid grace. I realized then what I had to do, how to set a trap for Steve Morgan. I did not think I would find his wife so lovely, so tempting. But you are accustomed to the admiration of a man. Of many men. Oh, yes, I saw your true nature in your eyes that night. You expect men to want you, to fall under your spell.”
Reaching out, he slid his hand over her face, then the arch of her throat, his fingers a light caress that made her shudder. Luna laughed at her reaction.
“How many times have you traded your body for favors? I am just one more man to use what you offer.”
“I never offered you anything!” Ginny glared at him. “I detest you. I find you repulsive!”
“Perhaps. But that is of no consequence. You are just an instrument to me, a method of gaining what I want.” He stood up, stared down at her a long moment, his dark eyes glittering in the gloomy shadows. “I have a special fate in mind for your husband, chica. This time, he shall see how it feels to watch another man take what is his—to spoil it, to desecrate that which he holds sacred. It shall give me great satisfaction to watch him suffer the same torment he gave to me.”
“Francesca di Paoli is hardly worthy of such devotion,” Ginny said calmly. “She is much more of a whore than you think me. She pursues married men—”
“Enough!” Luna slapped her, a vicious blow that stung her cheek and caused lights to explode in front of her eyes. As if from a distance, Ginny heard him say, “Never speak ill of such perfection, such talent! She is blameless, a victim of Steve Morgan’s careless attention. He abandoned her, and now will die for it.”
His words came in overlapping waves, descending through a dark haze of sound and the roaring in her ears, but Ginny could perceive that Luna’s determination to avenge the Italian diva was as warped as he was.
Crouching down beside her again, Luna grasped her chin between his thumb and fingers, a brutal hold as he turned her to face him. Dazedly, Ginny focused on his mouth, watched his lips form words that struck terror into her heart.
“When Steve Morgan arrives to rescue you—he will be surrounded by Rurales. Then he will watch while I strip you of your garments and give you to them. There are only a dozen, but they are very eager to taste your charms, chica. These Rurales once rode with Juan Cortina, who was called an outlaw and persecuted by gringo Texans like your husband. They will be quite happy to avenge Cortina.”
The fever made her shudder. Luna watched her with a faint smile, his eyes narrowing at her reaction.
“It is warm in here, is it not, chica? I can see you are too hot. Would you like to take off your camisa? It is just us, and I have already seen your beautiful body. No, do not protest, I will help you, eh?”
Ginny resisted, but it was a futile effort; Luna easily combated her attempts to kick him. She was at his mercy as he undressed her, leaving her in only the thin silk shift she had been wearing the night of the ball. Asleep on the settee, clad only in her dressing gown, she had been awakened by Luna sometime in the middle of the night. He had given her no time to dress, to do no more than snatch up a garment from the back of a chair before he had dragged her from the house. In the murky light, the shift had been all she saw.
Luna was laughing, his dark eyes filled with a kind of grim satisfaction as he perused her.
“You are so lovely, little Ginette, so very lovely. I am almost sorry I must do this to you, but it is necessary. I wonder what it might have been like if I had met you first, before even the lovely Francesca? But I shall never know, shall I. No! And it would never be enough to have you now, for you will never truly be mine. A curious thing, but I find I am not content with just your body. I must have the woman’s heart as well, must have her love and loyalty or it means nothing to me.”
“What—” She licked dry lips, her chest heaving as she panted for air to fill her lungs. “What are you going to do to Steve?”
“Kill him. But only after he
