Forcing the dragon back into submission, he didn't speak to Channon while she ate. He allowed her the time to experience the life and beauty of this time without intruding on her.
Gods, how he ached to make her stay here. He could take her right now and bind her to him for the rest of his life. It was fully within his power.
But he couldn't do that to her. The man in him refused to claim her against her will. It had to be her choice. He would never accept anything less than that.
Channon frowned as she noted the seriousness in Sebastian's eyes. "Are you sure you're all right?" she asked.
"I'm fine. Really."
She still didn't buy that. The musicians paused and the crowd clapped for them. As she applauded the musicians and dancers, Channon became aware of something on her hand. Frowning, she studied her palm. "What in the world?"
Sebastian swallowed. Up until now he'd used his powers to shield her from the marking. But his powers were weakening...
She tried to rub it off. "What is this?"
He started to tell her the truth, but it wedged in his throat. She didn't need to know that. Not right now. He didn't want to destroy the fun she was having by interjecting such a serious topic. "It's from the time-jump," he lied. "It's nothing major."
"Oh," Channon said, dropping her hand. "Okay."
The musicians started up again. Sebastian excused himself from her.
Channon frowned. Something in his demeanor concerned her.
He walked too deliberately with his spine rigid and his shoulders back.
Following after him, she watched as he left the hall and went outside. He rounded the side of the hall and headed toward a small well.
Channon stayed back while he pulled water from the well, then removed his mask and splashed the water over his face.
"Sebastian?" she asked softly, moving to his side. 'Tell me what's wrong with you."
Sebastian raked his gloved hands through his hair, dampening it. "I'm okay, really."
"You keep saying that, but..."
She placed her hand on his arm. The sensation of her touch rocked him so fiercely that he wanted to growl from it. His body reacted viciously as desire tore through him.
The dragon snarled and circled, demanding her. Take her. Take her. Take her.
No! He would not cost her her life. He would not endanger her.
"I shouldn't have brought you here, Channon," he said as he turned his powers inward to harness the Drakos. "I'm sorry."
She smiled at him. "Don't be. It's not turning out so badly. It's actually kind of nice here."
He shut his eyes and turned away. He had to. The beast inside was snarling again. Salivating.
Claim her.
It wanted total possession.
And so did the man.
His groin tightened even more, and he wondered how much longer he could keep that part of him leashed.
Channon saw the feral look in his eyes as he raked a ravenous look over her. Her body reacted to it with a desire so powerful that it stunned and scared her. She wanted him to look at her like that. Forever.
His breathing ragged, he cupped her face in his hands and pulled her close for a fierce kiss. Channon moaned at the raw passion she tasted as she surrendered her weight to him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and felt his muscles bunch and flex. Images of last night tore through her. Again she could see his naked body moving in the moon-light and feel him deep and hard inside her.
Sebastian growled at the taste of her, at the feel of her tongue sweeping against his. Out of his mind with the passion, he pinned her against the wall of the gate.
He wanted her no matter the consequences, no matter the time or place.
Channon felt his erection as he held her between him and the wall. As if magnetized, her hips brushed against him. She wanted to feel him inside her again. She wanted nothing between them except bare skin.
"What is it you do to me?" she breathed.
Sebastian pulled back as her words penetrated the haziness of his mind. Still, all he could smell was Channon. Her scent spun around his head, making him even dizzier. He dipped his head for her lips, then barely caught himself.
Hissing, he forced himself to release her. If he kissed her again, he would take her here in the yard like an animal, without regard to her humanity, without regard for her choice.
Claiming was a special moment, and he refused to sully it like the Katagari. No, he wouldn't take her like this. Not out here where anyone could see them. He would not let the Drakos win.
"Channon," he whispered. "Please, go back inside."
Channon started to refuse, but the steeliness in his body kept her from it. "Okay," she said.
She paused at the corner of the hall and looked back at him. He was now leaning over the well with his head hung low. She didn't know what was wrong, but she was sure it wasn't good.
"Ha, take that!"
Channon turned at the sound of a child laughing. She saw the two boys with wooden swords who had been fighting Sebastian earlier. They ran across the yard.
"I will kill you, nasty dragon," one boy cried as they ran into a forge where the blacksmith cursed and chased them out, telling the tallest that he should be home eating. She shook her head. Some things never changed, no matter the time period. Curious about what else reminded her of home, she crossed the yard.
Sebastian breathed deeply, trying to summon his powers back to him. This was not good. If he stayed around Channon, by the time Friday arrived, he wouldn't be able to face the Katagaria trio.
He had to have his powers back, intact and strong, which meant that he would either have to claim her or find some place safe for her to stay so that he could get distance from her.
Because if he didn't, they would both die.
"Bas?"
Sebastian looked around the yard, trying to find the source of that whispered call. It was a nickname no one had used in centuries.
Gold flashed to his right. To his shock, Damos appeared, then collapsed on the ground. Like a wounded animal, his brother held himself on all fours with his head hung low.
Unable to believe his eyes, Sebastian went to him. "Damos?"
Damos lifted his head to look at him. Instead of the hatred and disgust he expected to see, Sebastian saw only pain and guilt. "Did you get the tapestry?"
Sebastian couldn't answer as he saw his brother's face again. The two of them were almost identical in build and looks. The only real difference was in their hair color. Sebastian's hair was black while Damos's was a dark reddish-brown.
And as Sebastian looked into those eyes that were the same color as his own, the past flashed through his mind.
"You're nothing but a cowardly traitor. You've never been worth anything. I wish it had been you they tore apart. If there were any justice, it would be you lying in the grave and not Antiphone." The cruel words echoed in his head, and even now he could feel the bite of the whip as they delivered the two hundred lashes to his back.
Battered and bloody, Sebastian had been dumped in a cesspit and left there to die or survive as he saw fit.
He'd crawled from the pit and somehow found his way into the woods, where he'd lain for days floating in and out of consciousness. To this day, he wasn't sure how he'd survived it.
"Bas!" Damos snapped, wincing from the effort as he pushed himself slowly to his feet. He staggered, and against his will, Sebastian found himself helping his brother to the well where he propped him.
Damos's long reddish-brown hair was lank and clotted with blood and snarls. His face was battered and his clothes torn. "You look like hell."
"Yeah, well, it's hard to look good when you're being tortured."
Sebastian knew that firsthand. "You escaped?"
He nodded. "Where's the tapestry?"