“I’ll do as you ask,” Sidonia said. “But be careful. You can’t allow your heart to rule your head.”
She left Mercy alone. But she didn’t go to her room. Instead, she checked on Eve. The little princess lay in her antique canopy bed, her golden curls shimmering against the white embroidered pillowcase, highlighted by moonbeams streaming through the windows. Asleep, Eve was all innocence. Awake, she was a delightful little imp.
Mischievousness is not evil, Sidonia reminded herself.
My precious darling. You must be protected. Your mother would die to keep you safe. And so would I. We have safeguarded the secret of your paternity since you were born, praying that neither you nor your father would ever learn the truth. But now that both of you know, now that Judah Ansara has come to claim you, I fear not only for your safety, but for the safety of our people. And your mother seems to have a peculiar weakness for this Ansara man that makes her vulnerable to him.
Sidonia touched the sleeping child’s cheek as she recalled the night Eve was born. Mercy had requested that no one other than Sidonia be present, acquiring a pledge of complete secrecy from Sidonia before she went into labor.
Eve had come into the world howling, as if proclaiming loud and clear, “I’m here!” Round and fat and pink, with puffs of white-blond hair and the hereditary green eyes, Eve was a perfect little Raintree. Except for the birthmark on her head, just above the uppermost tip of her spine. An indigo blue crescent moon. The mark of the Ansara.
Mercy had grasped Sidonia’s hand that night and looked at her pleadingly. “You must never tell anyone. No one can know that my baby’s father is Ansara.”
“How is this possible? You wouldn’t knowingly give yourself to one of those demons.”
“I didn’t know Judah was Ansara until…not until I had conceived.”
“You called for him when you were in labor. Even knowing what he is, you still long for him.”
Mercy had glanced away, tears in her eyes.
It was then that Sidonia knew Mercy loved her child’s father.
God help her.
Mercy sensed Judah ’s presence. Not near her, but close. Outside.
She crossed the room, drew back the lace curtain on her window and stared down at the courtyard below. Judah stood there on the stone terrace, in the moonlight, rigid as a statue, his face and body in shadowed silhouette. He had released his hair, letting it fall about his shoulders, as free and wild as the man himself. He was savagely handsome, and exuded an aura of strength and masculinity that no woman could resist.
Once she had been unable to resist. And for the brief span of a day and a night, she had believed his lies, had surrendered to his charm, had given herself freely and completely.
For Eve’s sake, she had hoped she would never see Judah again. And for her own sake, also. As much as she despised him, she didn’t hate him. Hating him would be like hating a part of Eve.
Even though she realized that he still possessed some kind of sexual hold over her, she knew Judah was her enemy. And even though he was Eve’s father, he was Eve’s enemy, too. Hadn’t the Ansara been the ones to issue a decree that any child born of a Raintree/Ansara union would be put to death? No half-breeds allowed.
Had Judah actually come here to kill Eve?
No, that wasn’t possible, was it? He had been genuinely shocked to learn of Eve’s existence.
But now that he knew…
It didn’t matter what he knew. He was only one Ansara, albeit a seemingly powerful wizard. But Mercy possessed equal power, didn’t she? And Sidonia was not without powers, as were several Raintree now visiting the home place and staying in the surrounding cottages. There was no need to call in Dante or Gideon. If necessary, she could enlist Sidonia and the others to help her vanquish Judah…if he truly posed a threat to Eve.
If?
Was there really any doubt that Judah was a major problem? He would either claim Eve or kill her. Neither was acceptable.
As she stared outside at Judah ’s dark back, at his wide shoulders and flowing black hair, Mercy asked herself aloud, “How could I ever have loved you?”
It hadn’t been love, she told herself. It had been infatuation. She’d been young, a novice in the ways of the world and, in the matter of sexual attraction, a true virgin. She now knew that Judah had deliberately seduced her because he had recognized her as Raintree, and not just any Raintree, but a Raintree princess. His ability to have shielded himself from her empathic probing-something that was as natural to her as breathing-meant that either he was extremely powerful or he had been gifted with a potent spell by a mighty wizard. Instinct told her it was the former. And that led her to ask other questions.
Just who are you, Judah Ansara? Why did you come to the sanctuary? Why did you save my life? And just how many Ansara are out there in the world now?
The Raintree had given the Ansara clan little thought for the past two hundred years. Occasionally a Raintree would encounter a lone Ansara, but it was a rare event, leading them to believe that the Ansara had not flourished since The Battle, that the Ansara would never again pose a threat to the Raintree.
And there was no reason for Mercy to think otherwise. Despite Judah ’s tremendous power, only he posed a threat to Mercy and Eve. Whatever his reasons for coming to North Carolina, he had come alone. If he helped her protect Eve and did not betray the secret of their child’s paternity…
Suddenly Judah turned around and looked up at her window-at her. Mercy gasped but did not shrink, did not turn away from his intense stare.
Mercy.
She heard him speak her name. Telepathically.
Shut him out, she told herself. Don’t listen.
And then she heard his laughter. Deep, throaty. He was amused at her reaction.
Damn you, Judah Ansara!
Without warning, a sensation of fingertips caressing her skin enveloped Mercy. For a moment the seductive touch mesmerized her.
Remember.
Hearing him utter that one word broke the spell, allowing her to put up a protective barrier against temptation.
Judah turned around so that he couldn’t see Mercy and walked away, farther into the backyard behind the home of the Raintree royal family. It wasn’t as if the Ansara hadn’t known for at least a hundred years where the Raintree sanctuary was or that it was the home of the royal family; but until Judah ’s generation came into power, the Ansara had not dared provoke their arch rivals. As a boy, his father had told Judah that when he became the Dranir, it was his destiny to lead his people into battle against the Raintree.
His destiny, not Cael’s.
But the time was not right. It would be at least another five years before the Ansara were ready to go up against their enemy and win. If they did as Cael wanted and rushed into battle too soon, the odds were against them. And if the Ansara were defeated again, the Raintree would not be merciful. He knew this because he knew who their Dranir was-Dante Raintree, a man not unlike Judah in many ways. A fitting opponent, one who could be as savagely brutal as Judah could.
And he was Mercy’s elder brother.
Judah had claimed them both as his kill. Dante because it was his right as the Ansara Dranir to do battle with the Raintree Dranir. And he had claimed Mercy because…
Because she was his, and no one else had the right to take her life.
And what of Eve?
How could he have impregnated Mercy that night? Since they had reached puberty, he and Claude had periodically gifted each other with protection. Sexual protection. If his own father had used such protection, Cael would not exist. And think how much easier life would be for all the Ansara without Cael.