Her confusion remained, but Thana couldn’t believe it wasgenuine. “What is it that we’re supposed to be past?” Sylph asked. “There arenobles, and there are peasants, and we are part of those respective classes.Why does that make you so angry?”
Thana clenched her teeth and stepped forward, determined to beheard. “If we’re so far apart and will always remain so, why did you kiss meback last night?”
Sylph swallowed, and her gaze flicked to Thana’s lips. “I…wasn’tthinking at the time.”
“How about now?” Thana took her face in hand and kissed heragain, swallowing her gasp.
Chapter Thirteen
As before, when Sylph’s lips met Thana’s, her mind becamequiet. Only this time, it wasn’t to avert some great catastrophe. Class andstatus and worries fled. Anger and fear and frustration mutated into hunger,and she put her arms around Thana and drew her closer.
Thana’s hands went from her face to tangle in her hair. Athousand options flashed through Sylph’s mind as Thana’s soft body molded tohers, but her hands seemed to wander without her permission. She caressedThana’s back, her hips, giving her buttocks a firm squeeze.
Thana moaned, and when her touch skimmed over the curve ofSylph’s breast, her legs threatened to buckle. She tried to stay standing, butThana half collapsed with her, both kneeling before lying down, and Sylph clungto every sensation rocketing through her body.
Thana’s lips delighted her neck, her ears. When Sylph found thegap between Thana’s shirt and trousers, she seized the opportunity to explorethe bare skin until Thana panted in her ear and began a journey of her own,finding the most wonderful places to linger.
Thana mumbled something, a question.
“Yes,” Sylph said. Whatever it was, she wanted it. Thana’s earcame near her mouth, and she traced it with her tongue.
“Ah,” Thana said with a gasp. “Wait, wait.”
The last thing Sylph wanted to do was stop, but she pulled back,forcing her hands to still as Thana pulled her shirt down between them. “What?”
Thana swallowed and breathed hard. Her eyes seemed like pools ofink, and her hair spread over the grass like a raven’s wing.
“My raven,” Sylph asked, “what’s wrong?”
Thana looked at her curiously, amusedly, before she sat up,taking Sylph with her. “Someone’s coming.” She squinted into the distancetoward some moving shapes.
Right, other people existed. Sylph stood and straightened herclothing. Whoever it was couldn’t find her rolling around in the grass like a—
Like a peasant. With a peasant. Shame flooded her. She tried toargue against those thoughts, but they were as much a part of her as any other.She gritted her teeth and helped Thana up. There, she told herself, as ifhelping Thana to her feet would dismiss all she knew about the circumstancesthat separated them.
“Come on,” Thana said, plucking her sleeve. She grinned as sheled them back to the horses. “I know you’re still reeling from those kisses,but we should get under cover.”
“Yes,” Sylph said, returning her smile, happy to let her thinkthat was the reason for her hesitation, not wanting to ruin the moment by speakingthe truth again, even if it had been truth that made Thana kiss her in thefirst place.
* * *
Part of Thana wanted to ask herself what in the spirits’ namesshe was playing at. She’d been pissed that Sylph said they were noble andpeasant, but that didn’t mean it was wrong. All the kisses in the world wouldnot erase it.
And none of it mattered right now, she told her busy brain. Shewouldn’t have stopped what had been shaping up to be an epic session oflovemaking just to philosophize. Someone was coming this way, and there was achance that it was someone they didn’t want to meet.
Sylph’s dazed demeanor made Thana preen a little. It was good toknow that a long stint of celibacy hadn’t robbed her of her skill. Though fromwhat she’d gleaned, Sylph didn’t have much experience for comparison.
She told her mind to shut up again.
The trees on the opposite side of the road had been cut far back,a deterrent for brigands and footpads. Thana was certain that the othertravelers saw their dash for cover, but there was nothing for it. It wasslower-going under the trees, but they continued north while watching the road.When the other travelers didn’t pass, Thana looked back. If they’d entered theforest in pursuit, they weren’t yet close enough to see.
“What do we do?” Sylph asked.
“I don’t know.” Her plan had been to follow the tales of roguepyradistés until she found the source of the crystal, but it was clear theycouldn’t do so in a day. And how could they rest when every other sign of lifehad them fleeing?
“They must have turned a different way or stopped,” Sylph said.
“Maybe.” Thana pulled to a stop, giving in to aggravation. “Idon’t know what to do,” she muttered. She wanted to ask if they could just goback to kissing but didn’t have the confidence.
Sylph gave her a sympathetic look that became a blush, and Thanawondered if they were of the same mind, kissing-wise. She grinned.
“All we can do is keep going,” Sylph said.
True. If the travelers had pursued them into the forest, theywould be slowed by the trees, too, and could be outpaced.
“Can you feel any pyramids?” Thana asked. She brought the detectorout but sensed nothing. Then again, she’d never been a skilled hand with it.Her inadequacy struck again.
“No,” Sylph said faintly. Then, “Wait.”
It was good to know that even her skill had limits. Thana handedthe detector over. “This should help.”
Sylph stared at it for a moment before she turned away. “No,thank you.” Her cheeks were crimson, but by her arch tone, Thana knew it wasn’tfrom passion.
“I know you’re worried about setting them off—”
“About being forcedto do so.”
Thana took a deep breath, now guilty as well as irritated. “Ididn’t intend to make you feel forced. They were trying to…” She didn’t knowexactly what they’d intended. Kill or capture, she was sure of that. Or had she been the only oneat risk? With the comment about the queen, the enemy pyradistés might have onlybeen after Thana. At the time, it hadn’t
