Free King's Man and Thief by Christie Golden Page A

He also blushed at his own guilt. That had, of course, been exactly what he had thought.
    While all the gods were honored in Byrn, Love was perhaps the favorite. Depicted as a naked little girl playing with a fawn, Love was the gentlest and most forgiving of the divinities. Her Blesser had a unique, and powerful, role. When young men reached the age of thirteen, they were sometimes called to Love's Blesser. She would be their instructor in the art of physical loving; to be selected by her was an honor. Like all the priests, Love's Blesser had attendants, known as Tenders. These children were selected from the better families to serve for twelve years. When they reached the age of twenty, a Tender would either be chosen to replace the Blesser as the new Blesser of the temple, or else her time of servitude had ended and she returned home. Pedric had assumed that a child used to being around so much sexual activity would have matured into a woman with "loose morals."
    "Just because the act is familiar to me doesn't mean I have no reverence for it. The Tenders, you know, don't participate in the Rite of Initiation, just the Blesser. And it makes me furious that people would think ... !" Lorinda's tanned face flushed with anger and embarrassment. "It's— it's very difficult to come back to the world outside of the temple when you've been sheltered there so long, that's all. And I've probably offended you and I'll get a lecture from my father tonight."
    Pedric shook his dark head. "No, you've not offended me," he said softly. "Far from it." He held up a finger, shook it, and in a lighter voice, he added, "Let me try this again."
     
    He mockingly cleared his throat. "Welcome back to Braedon, milady Lorinda. My name is Pedric Dunsan. How may I help you enjoy your evening?"
    Lorinda laughed, then matched Pedric's playful artifice with her own. "Ah, sirrah, I am quite parched. Might I have a sip of your wine?" She dropped the pretense and added innocently, "Papa said it was awfully good, but I haven't been able to get the server's attention."
    'That I find hard to believe," said Pedric as he handed her the glass. She placed her lips where his had been and took a drink. In another woman, such a gesture would have been deliberate flirtation. Lorinda merely wanted a sip of wine.
    The gesture was highly erotic, despite —no, because of— its lack of contrivance. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that this woman was, in her own innocent fashion, far more dangerous than a thief with his knife, but he was utterly captivated. He had a dreadful suspicion that he was halfway in love with her already, and when she smiled and handed the goblet back, he surrendered utterly, and willingly fell the rest of the way.
    In Deveren's library, Damir quietly pulled the heavy oak door closed behind him and turned to face Vandaris. A single lamp glowed on the small circular table. The table and two chairs, simply carved but functional and sturdy, were the only pieces of furniture, if one didn't include the massive bookcases that covered nearly every inch of bare wall. Deveren loved the smell and feel of books, but Damir wondered how much time his brother actually spent reading the books in his extensive library.
    Vandaris seated himself and looked up expectantly. "Well?"
    Damir put a thin finger to his lips. He went to the window and cursed silently. Deveren hadn't had time to replace the window he had damaged when Damir had shown up a few nights ago, and the small hole in the pane let in the sweet scent of the blooming Garden. It also would make it easy for an eavesdropper to have perfect access to the conversation. Well, it couldn't be helped. Damir glanced left and right into the darkness, trying to sense the thoughts of anyone present. He saw, and sensed, nobody and turned back to face the head councilman of Braedon.
    "How much has Deveren told you about me?" he asked. He walked back to the other end of the room, so that in order to watch him