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."