"It's okay. You can keep both," she said, confused. "I won't need it where I'm going."

"Two, a kiss."

"That's ridiculous!" Kiera retorted even as her heart leapt at the prospect.

"You want to leave."

"Yes, but-- "

One moment she was protesting, the next his warm, soft lips covered hers. She froze, surprised by his action as well as the warm shock running through her. He plied her lips gently, testing and encouraging, and she felt herself respond despite her indignation. The kiss grew deep. She yielded to his prodding and parted her lips for him. His tongue slid between them. He licked and nipped her lips, explored her mouth, and pulled her deeper and deeper into a state of compliance. She groaned at tasting him; he was as sweetly spicy as he smelled.

Suddenly, he withdrew. Disoriented, she kept her eyes closed as she savored the kiss. Her breathing was erratic, her pulse flying, her lower belly ablaze with warmth. She leaned against him to steady her balance.

"Do you concur with my three conditions?" the warrior asked in a husky voice.

"Yes," she murmured.

"Good. We go."

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He moved away from her, nearly throwing off her balance. Her eyes snapped open. He was playing with her. Had the thought been able to gather support among her disjointed faculties, she would have walked away from him. The warrior opened the door and strode into the corridor without waiting. Kiera watched him go, startled. She'd expected him to go out the window to avoid detection.

"Do you have a plan for leaving?" she asked, trotting to reach him. The hum of the translator was gone. She tapped it and repeated the question.

"Yes."

"What is it?"

He said nothing but continued at a quick pace. She tapped her translator again despite the hum and determined he was ignoring her. As he neared the main house, she slowed.

The warrior had no intention of avoiding the people he meant to escape. She stopped in the doorway of the main house leading onto the crowded lawn, aghast. She rose on her tiptoes to follow him with her eyes but soon found she didn't need to. The raised tent where she had feasted earlier was still occupied by Romas's immediate family. The moment the prisoner crossed the third step, she saw him.

Disbelief made her look twice to ensure her eyes hadn't gone as crazy as her thoughts. The prisoner went straight to Romas's family, which meant she just made her mess bigger. He would tell Romas of her involvement in the plot to free an enemy and escape, and she would be locked in her bathroom for all of eternity. She felt faint and stepped back into the main house, near tears.




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