Heart of Fire (47 page)

“They did.” She pursed her lips.
“Hmmm…perhaps you should listen to my heart.”

He knelt beside her. “Are you
ill?”

“Perhaps I am.”

With his senses fully aware, he did
as she asked. When the sound of her heartbeat came to him, he knew
immediately something was amiss. Concern twisted his mouth and he
listened again. The faint echo was all too familiar.

A chill shot through him. “Sryka,”
he whispered.

She shook her head. “Once more, my
love.”

Again, he concentrated, letting the
ebb and flow of her beating heart flow through him. Again, he heard
the second, subtle rhythm of another heart. He frowned. “I don’t
understand.”

She held her knitting up, trying to
suppress a laugh.

He stared at the tiny bootie
dangling from her needles. The realization struck him like a
thunderbolt. “Are you…are we…is that…” He sat back on his heels,
his mouth open.

A laugh of pure delight spilled out
of her. “Yes, my love.”

He swept her up into his arms. “A
babe! I am the most blessed man in all of Shaldar.” He shook his
head in disbelief. “How long have you known?”

“Not long. I am glad to see you so
happy.”

“Happy? I am overjoyed beyond words.
I cannot describe it.” He spun her around in his arms.

She put her hand on his chest to
stop him. “I am dizzy enough of late as it is, I do not need your
help.”

He stopped immediately. “Should I
put you down? Did I hurt you?”

“I am not some fragile flower that
needs coddling. I just don’t need any more spinning than what my
stomach does on its own.”

He sat gently on the bed, holding
her steady. “Does this mean I should find my own quarters to sleep
in?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you
look so happy and so sad in such a short span of time,” she teased.
“There is no reason for you to sleep elsewhere. But in time, sleep
is all you’ll be doing in this bed.”

“In time, you say?” A shameless
smile bent his mouth. “I’m sure you’ll agree we must use what’s
left as wisely as possible.” He nuzzled his lips her neck and her
laughter turned into a shriek of pleasure as his hands slid up her
gown.

She dropped her knitting off the
side of the bed and nibbled his lower lip. “Oh yes, we mustn’t
waste a moment. I’m sure there are still things you haven’t taught
me. And then there are all the lessons I’ve forgotten.”

He shook his head. He could not love
her more if he tried. “Are you always going to be such a saucy
wench?”

Love shone in her eyes like the
stars in the sky. “Kiss me, halfling, and see for
yourself.”

The End

About the author:

When the characters in Kristen
Painter’s head started to take over, she decided to exorcise them
onto paper and share them with the world. She writes paranormal
romance for Samhain Publishing and has the first of three books in
her gothic fantasy vampire series, Blood Rights, coming from Orbit
in fall 2011. She hopes to add a YA series to the mix as well and
has also been published in non-fiction, poetry and short stories.
The former college English teacher can often be found online at
Romance Divas, the award-winning writers’ forum she co-founded.
She’s represented by Elaine Spencer of The Knight
Agency.

Connect with Me Online:

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/Kristen_Painter

Smashwords:
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/KristenPainter

My blog:
http://www.kristenpainter.blogspot.com

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