Free Kiss of the Dragon by Nicola Claire

He was looking at our hands, at our fingers intertwined, at the new Sigillum on his wedding finger. He looked ecstatic.
    I tried to contain my own elation and returned my attention to the previous conversation.
    "OK, explain," I demanded softly, he squeezed me quickly against his side.
    "We are in a little commune , ah... parish, outside of Lyon, a few kilometres from my birthplace." Oh wow. "Kathleen and Matthew found it for us. I think they did quite well." He lifted his head and glanced around the room we were in. I agreed, it was lovely. Homely and familiar, but quite clearly grand. I would hazard a guess it was a couple of hundred years old, but nicely refurbished.
    "You called it a castle. Is it really that big?" I asked, getting a little excited despite myself.
    "It will take you several days to explore. There are over twenty bedrooms, fifteen bathrooms, a full scale industrial kitchen, various utility rooms, a library, office and several entertaining parlours for various requirements. There are also several outbuildings, some refurbished, some not. Oh, and a moat and drawbridge, so yes, castle would be an apt description."
    Holy hell. Kathleen had bought us a castle. Somehow not quite on the same level as our last holiday home.
    "This is not just a holiday home," Michel said. "It is our sanctuary, our haven outside of our political obligations in Paris. We will be here as often as we can. As often as our business allows. For the immediate future."
    I nodded my head slowly. So much information vying for attention in my mind, making it difficult to focus on the individual words he said. "How long does it take you to get back to Paris?" I asked, the first question to make it to my lips, my mind stuck on the thought that Lyon was not exactly next door to the City of Lights.
    "Just over two hours by helicopter. We have one housed on the premises, ready at a moment's notice if need be, and can fly directly to the Palais ."
    They'd thought of everything, including my need to have a home away from the machinations of the Iunctio . Tears welled up in my eyes, burning and threatening to spill. Michel's hand came up and the pad of his thumb wiped beneath each eye in a pre-emptive gesture that seemed to work. None of the threatening tears spilled over. I reached up and held his hand in place, not wanting the contact to be broken. For several moments we just stared at each other.
    "I should say hi to everyone," I said, for some reason it sounded a little breathless.
    " Non ," Michel said, his French accent in full force. "Tonight you are mine only. I will not share."
    I could handle that. He'd said they were all OK, reacquainting myself with the family could wait, I wanted to reacquaint myself with my kindred first.
    "That's more like it," he murmured, a small twitch at the corner of his lips. I couldn't pull my gaze away. Then the smile widened and stole my breath completely. "I think we both need this," he said softly, pulling me down on top of his body, the mohair throw falling silently to the side.
    For the next few hours Michel showed me how much I meant to him and I returned the favour. He managed to surpass his earlier efforts, which considering how good they had been, surprised us both I think. I fell asleep, tired but happy - a completely different exhaustion from when I was in Álfheimr - in a sumptuous bed, in the middle of an equally sumptuous room, wrapped up in the beautiful arms of my kindred again.
    Finally.

Chapter 6
All Mine
    Kathleen found me in the enormous herb garden behind the Château the next day. The building was impressive, only two stories high but the footprint was huge. Four different wings off what had to have been the original 18th Century structure, made of a pale sandstone type brick, the corner stones and window trims in a contrasting white brick, the roof tiled in terracotta. It looked slightly Italian, not French, but I loved it anyway. The herb garden, part of a greater vegetable garden -