Carina looked away and stepped out of his arms, as if his words had struck a nerve. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that without permission."

"When you healed with Tris and Car-roway—was it like that, too?" The words tumbled out before Jonmarc could stop himself and he felt instantly chagrinned, knowing how petty and jealous he sounded, yet desperate to know.

"No," she said, and Jonmarc was surprised at how deeply he felt relieved. "I just thought it only fair that you know."

"Know what?"

"Know what it really means to be close to a healer." Jonmarc heard sadness and fear in her voice. "Some men are afraid to take a healer as a lover. They say we steal souls."

Jonmarc stepped up behind Carina and gently turned her to face him. "I'm not afraid," he said. "You can't steal something that's already been given to you." He kissed her hard, surprised at the fervor with which she returned it. He let his hand slip down from her shoulder to cup her breast, and she did not pull away. Emboldened, he moved to the lacing of her bodice, and was surprised and pleased to feel her fingers working at the lacing of his trews.

The thick Noorish carpet was soft and warm in front of the fire as he drew her down with him. He had thought to move slowly, that she might be inexperienced, but he found that her hunger, her need, matched his own. Jonmarc knew her touch well as a healer. Now her hands moved across his skin as a lover, and he discovered how her gift could be used in much more pleasant ways. She met his eyes, and in that instant he felt the brush of her mind against his in an embrace as intimate as the twining of their bodies. If this is soul-stealing, then let it last forever.

Later, when they lay together by the warmth of the fire, Carina giggled and lifted her head from his shoulder. "I guess now you'll have to keep your word to Donelan and make an honest woman of me!"

"Don't you remember what I told you about what it's like out in the villages, away from court? An offer of marriage made and publicly accepted—"

"Can't get much more public than at the wedding of a king."

"—a token gift and an oath," he said, touching the shevir that glistened on her wrist. "And then, to act on the commitment..."

"So you're telling me that we're married?"

"Handfasted. As married as most folks get out in the real world. We can make a ritual wedding when we get to Dark Haven. I suspect Gabriel's got it all planned." He let his finger trace the silver strands of the shevir. "Lady Vahanian."

Carina smiled. "I like that."

He gave a wicked grin and let his hand slide down to her belly. "Perhaps we shouldn't wait long for that wedding. You might be racing Kiara for a baby."

Carina blushed and looked down. "Healers can control those things," she murmured. "I wasn't sure if you'd want—"

"A family?" he finished for her. "I'm thirty years old, Carina. Time to settle down. I want a family. Our family. More than I've ever wanted anything in my life."

Carina's grin was mischievous. "There's no hurry."

Jonmarc pulled her close, losing himself in the warmth of her embrace, the dusky scent of her hair, and the magical nearness that slipped inside his thoughts, making everything whole.

Jonmarc, Carina, and Gabriel left Shekerishet for Dark Haven the next evening. Gabriel's carriage took them as far as Ghorbal, where the snows grew deep and the best roads ended. From Ghorbal, they made the mountain crossing on horseback. On the far side of the mountains, an elaborate sleigh awaited them, and vayash moru stood ready to take the horses to shelter. Carina was grateful for the relative comfort of the sleigh. She huddled in the heavy furs, pulling her thick cloak tightly around herself. Even sitting close to Jonmarc, she could not get warm despite the box of hot rocks at their feet. Only Gabriel and their vayash moru driver seemed unconcerned by the bitter cold.

"I swear it's colder than it was this time last year, when we made the crossing to Principality," Carina said, shivering.

"We were lucky. The snows held off until we were at Westmarch. They're early this year." Jonmarc shifted in his seat to draw her closer.

Carina watched the forest slip by around them. "Between Gabriel and the ghosts, I feel safer than the last time we passed this way." Since Tris had regained the throne, the bandits and highwaymen were gone, halted as much by the restless guardian spirits as by the king's troops.

"Tris said that once Jared was gone, some of the ghosts still wanted to stay on and guard the roads," Carina added. "I swear they're watching us." She shivered. "Have you seen those wolves? They've been keeping pace with us, just inside the trees. I'm surprised the horses haven't spooked!"

"The horses are used to vayasb morn and ghosts," Gabriel replied. "As for the 'wolves' they're friends of ours. Vyrkin."

Carina wasn't convinced, but she didn't argue. "Once we get to Dark Haven, you'll warm up fast," Jonmarc promised. "The vayasb mom might not have much use for the big fireplaces, but once we got them repaired, they definitely heat up a room!"

Gabriel smiled dryly. "That's one of the few things I still miss about being mortal—how pleasant the warmth from the hearth felt on my hands. The cold doesn't chill us, but neither does the fire warm us. One of the trade-offs of immortality."

They found the inns along the way more crowded and prosperous than during their journey to take back Margolan's throne. If the innkeepers wondered at their two guests who slept during the day and left at sundown, they said nothing, happy for the coin. Gabriel chose their accommodations, and Carina guessed from his manner with the innkeepers that their companion was well-known along this route. Where Gabriel spent the days she did not know, but she was sure that the vayash morru had his own secret places.

"It's hard to shake the feeling that we're running from someone." Carina's voice was nearly lost under the scarf that kept the chill from her face. "Don't get me wrong—I'm glad we're not sleeping in cellars and crypts! But compared to the last time we came this way, it seems odd to travel so openly."

"Personally, I'm enjoying the chance for a warm fire and a real bed, and a room we don't have to share with half a dozen other people." Jonmarc chuckled. "Nice to be able to pay for it, too, instead of having Carroway barter for food or having to muck out stables."

They reached Dark Haven twenty-one days after leaving Shekerishet. Given the deep snows, they had made excellent time. The forest was long behind them though the vyrkin remained, loping at the same speed as the sleigh along the edge of the road. In the moonlight, it was difficult to tell whether the same pair of Vyrkin always accompanied them or whether many shared the duty, but each night when Carina and the others reached a stopping point, the vyrkin howled, as if searching for their fellows.

"There it is. Dark Haven." Jonmarc pointed to the manor as they reached the top of the hill. Carina leaned forward to get a better look at her new home. In the bright moonlight, she could make out the main rectangular shape of the great house, surrounded by smaller dependencies. Two square towers rose a storey higher on each of the front corners. Light shone from the windows in the front of the manor house. Even in the moonlight, the dark stone building seemed commanding and ominous.

A cheer went up as their sleigh glided into the main courtyard, and Carina was surprised to see dozens of people waiting by torchlight for their arrival. Jonmarc grinned and stepped from the sleigh, reaching up to give Carina a hand down. The small crowd clustered around them.

"May I present Lady Carina Vahanian," Jonmarc said with pride, and Carina felt her cheeks color at the round of cheers. There was nothing scripted or staged about their welcome, and from the casual banter between Jonmarc and the well-wishers, Carina was sure the gathering was as spontaneous as it was authentic. The crowd pressed forward to get a better look at their lord's new bride. Those closest to Carina shook her hand in greeting and murmured blessings. While Jonmarc was completely at ease, Carina struggled with her healer's magic that wavered between recognizing the mortals that glowed warm in her senses and the curious emptiness that marked the presence of the vayash moru. Carina had never been around so many vayash moru at one time, not even in Riqua's crypt, and the empty feeling was strange to the point of discomfort.