No, they have dreams of a better future and hope for the safety of their families. What I offer them is beautiful and pure.
Pure, he said, the word thick with sarcasm. He sounded Englishnot the typical Pendray blend of Scots and Norsebut certainly refined and exotic to her ears. Im sure the Sun burns away all sin and all thoughts of flesh and desire.
Kavya yanked her head back, but he only pulled her hair taut and dug hard fingers into her hip. He scraped his teeth along her throat. She bit back a cry of indignation.
I like how you taste, goddess. I even like these twists and fights. Those are real. Youre giving me quite a lot. Im owed more, but this is a start.
Kavya closed her eyes. His mouths caress was wrong and ghastlyand yet intriguing. What she knew about sex was . . . vicarious. Being a telepath meant catching scraps of feeling and unbidden images. The first touch of skin to skin, the moment of penetration, the ravage of climax. By comparison, those impressions were ephemeral and distant as Tallis licked her throat.
Yes, he was keeping her mind occupied. He was watching her as if examining the progression of a sick experiment: tempt the untouched with sex and see how she reacts.
The results were obvious. Shed reacted with surprise, a hint of revulsion, and greed. Shed had no idea she could be so untrustworthy. That realization was shocking. Shed always thought herself above .
Then he kissed her full on the mouth.
His body bowed over hers. She felt surrounded. Overwhelmed. Firm lips. Spicy taste. His heavy breathing remained tightly controlled. Her breathing and pulse, however, were panicky. More struggles. More casual restraint on his part. He used his arms to engulf her more completely. His strength made her struggles seem as fragile as cobwebs.
I could do that all night. He broke the kiss and threw her to the ground. Maybe I will. But Id just as soon kill you as assault you. I said I dont want you martyred. I want no place for you in this world. When Im through with you, no one will remember you with anything other than bitterness. If they remember you at all.
CHAPTER 
THREE
Should I kiss you again? He only touched her from the waist down, where he used the weight of his pelvis and thighs as more threat than seduction. Arms straight, he braced his hands on either side of her head. Id learn secrets about the Sun youre too arrogant to admit possessing.
More of the so-called justice you seek? Ive done nothing to you!
You know my weaknesses better than I do. Every fantasyeven
those I cant arrange into thought.
What are you talking about?
Youve used that knowledge against me for years, he said, his voice deepening with anger. If I resisted, you invaded dream after dream like a monster. Youd raid another locked closet in my head to find more secrets. You even profaned the Dragon to legitimize your crimes. He was still aroused. Kissing her had been calculated, but hed been swept into the vortex where fantasy swirled with reality. I have the power now. Is it any surprise that I desire to use it against you?
A clamor of voices came from beyond the tents dingy white canvas. For a moment Tallis thought shed managed to telepathically call for help, but she wore no expression of triumph. Then came more voices, more chaos.
He edged away and grabbed the deadly Norse seaxes hed kept out of her reach. Tallis parted the canvas and peered through.
His sense of hearing gave away her attack from behind, as Kavya swung a cooking pot. The determination and, frankly, the vehemence in her glittering brown eyes were pure surprise. Ropes around her ankles meant she had one chance before losing her balance, but she made the most of it. The bulk of the pot hit his shoulder. One seax with its etched blade and honed edge skidded along the bare rock floor.
She rolled onto her back and grabbed the hilt in both bound hands. A quick slice parted the ropes at her ankles. She spun so that she knelt again, bloodying her knees. Shins braced against the ground gave her more stability. The split skirt of her sari bared the sleek skin of her thigh.
He rubbed the slight ache in his shoulder. Id hoped there was more to you than words and specters.
Why would you think that of an opponent you profess to hate?
Her eyes were bright and widely spaced, wedded to the high, rounded apples of her cheeks. She had a tiny nose and a chin that, for all her defiance, was softly shaped. Tallis shivered. This was her, really her , not the witch whod infected his dreams for two decades. The real Sun, this woman Kavya, was the perfect compromise between truth and fantasy, virgin and whorea bound innocent holding his blade.
Although she remained still, ready for the attack he would surely make, she vibrated with near-visible energy. Tallis could practically smell the heady cologne of her fear and focus. He wouldve bet the rest of his life that she hadnt smelled that way on the altar. There, shed been focused but unafraid. Her telepathic invasions were vile, even though the surprising resilience of her fighting spirit made him smile deeper.