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with one hand while he twirled the translator
    between his fingers in the other.
    Kai had seen enough, and as he watched the female struggle against
    the guards, a burning rage began to swell in his chest. Jerking the cords
    around his neck to untie them, he shrugged his cloak off, dropping it at
    his feet as he stomped into the room.
    “Enough!” he snarled. “Release her and leave us!”
    The guards stared back as if they believed him to be mentally
    unstable, but they didn’t dare disobey. As one, they released the female
    and hurried out into the hallway, likely to receive further instructions
    from their captain.
    “Lorcan.” Kai held his hand out to the side, palm turned toward the
    sky. “The translator.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Now,” he added, when the attendant dropped the small slip of
    metal into his hand, “instruct the kitchen to prepare meals and send them
    up at once.”

    With a quiet sigh of relief, Lorcan bobbed his head. “I’ll see to it right
    away.”
    Once they were alone, Kai turned to the female, watching as she
    jumped to her feet and positioned herself behind the overstuffed chair.
    The black clothing she wore clung to her creamy skin, accentuating every
    luscious curve of her tight body. Her breasts heaved with each panted
    breath, but she held her spine straight and her shoulders squared. Fear
    coursed through her—he could see it in her wide, green eyes—but she
    would fight if necessary. She was fierce, brave, and if possible, even more
    beautiful in person.
    Kai was mesmerized, completely enchanted by this lovely creature,
    and for several passing heartbeats, he found it difficult to form thoughts,
    let alone words.
    “Who are you?” she demanded. “Why are you here?”
    Knowing she couldn’t understand him, Kai pointed to his chest. “Kai
    Blackthorn.” He pointed to her and tilted his head to the side, then
    moved his fingers back to his own chest. “Kai.” Once more, he motioned
    toward the female.
    Thankfully, she understood and nodded. “Commander Ivy Dalton.”
    “Ivy,” he repeated, rolling the name around on his tongue. It suited
    her.
    Still playing the strange game of charades, he held the linguistic
    translator up for her to see, pointed to the one on his earlobe, then finally
    tapped his fingertips against his lips. When she glared at him and shook

    her head, he went through the motions again, adding another tap to his
    earlobe at the end.
    Her hostile stance eased marginally, and her mouth softened at the
    corners. “That,” she said, pointed to the translator, “is a language
    converter? It’ll allow me to understand you?”
    Pleased, Kai smiled as he offered her the blinking strip of gold-plated
    metal. At the same time, he carefully removed his own translator,
    paused, and slid it back onto his earlobe, demonstrating to her how to
    wear it.
    After a long, tense hesitation, Ivy shuffled around the chair with her
    arm outstretched, allowing Kai to drop the translator into her waiting
    hand. She didn’t affix it immediately, but studied the device for several
    long seconds.
    “It looks like a staple,” she murmured. “Are you sure it works?”
    Kai couldn’t help but laugh as he nodded his affirmation.
    “Okay, here goes nothing.” Brushing a stray lock of golden hair back
    from face, she slid the translator onto her lobe, just as he’d shown her.
    “Well,” she said after a moment, “say something.”
    “What would you have me say, my lady?”
    “Oh.” Her full lips parted with a silent gasp, and her emerald eyes
    sparkled like the waters of the ocean. “Say something else.”
    “Welcome, Commander Ivy Dalton, to the high city of Sommervail.”
    “Incredible,” she whispered.

    A sharp pain rippled through his chest and down his abdomen,
    stealing his breath with its intensity. His legs began to shake, his pulse
    raced dangerously, and heat swept over his skin. All at once, he felt
    dizzy, unsteady on his feet, and shadows blotted the