Lair of the Lion

edge again, so that she tightened around him, rocking with heat and sensation.
    He lay over her, his arms tightly around her, kissing her face, her throat. His voice was tender, loving, whispering to her as she drifted to a place, half awake, half asleep. She dreamed of him, moving in her, his mouth and hands exploring every inch of her, over and over, his mouth drifting over her body so that her sleep was a sea filled with erotic images and waves of lust and love.

Chapter Sixteen
    Far in advance of the soldiers escorting Lucca Vernaducci toward the pass, word reached the castello that they were on their way. A party of guards was instantly dispatched to ride to meet them and see Don Rivellio's men safely into the valley. No hint, no whisper, not the slightest murmur of lions was to be heard. The palazzo was teaming with activity. Servants prepared food in the kitchens, and the visitors' barracks were cleaned and made ready for the outsiders.
    Understanding the way the household gossips worked, Nicolai knew Isabella would have been informed of these developments the moment she opened her eyes. He entered her bedchamber and found her already dressed to ride out to meet her brother. She flashed him a radiant smile, nearly knocking him over as she rushed into his arms. "I heard! I'm going to meet Lucca! I asked Betto to have my mare saddled."
    Nicolai's hands framed her face with exquisite gentleness.
    "Wait another hour or so. I know you're eager to see him, but it isn't safe. Those are Don Rivellio's men with him. If the soldiers were purely an escort, they would have turned back the moment they sighted the pass. I've word that a larger party of soldiers have been gathering a few miles outside the pass, and another is coming up along the entrance to the cliffs."
    Her eyes widened. "You knew Rivellio was using Lucca as a shield to gain entrance to the valley? And you let him?"
    "Of course. It was the only way to make certain tuo fratello was truly safe. If Rivellio had no further use for Lucca he would not likely trouble himself to keep him alive."
    "I thought you were letting in spies, not an entire army," she said in alarm.
    "An army could not enter the pass without my knowledge. And once it's in, it's trapped."
    "Are the cliffs safe? They can't invade us from that direction, can they?" She was wringing her hands with such agitation that he covered them with his own long fingers, stroking soothing caresses over her knuckles.
    "I'm assuming they have a spy in the valley already, or they wouldn't have tried that direction. There's an entrance, a tunnel that winds its way through the mountain. It's a maze deep beneath the earth, but if they have an ally, they may have a map of sorts."

    "If they have a spy, they know about the lions and have probably prepared for them, too,"
    Isabella pointed out anxiously.
    She was frowning, her face so apprehensive Nicolai rubbed at the line between her dark brows with the pad of his thumb. "One cannot prepare for the sight of a lion, and certainly not in the heat of battle." His voice was gentle. "Don Rivellio only imagines he can sneak into my domain." There was a predator's gleam in his eyes. "I'll worry about Don Rivellio and what he may be up to, and you concentrate on tuo fratello's homecoming. He is safe now, though very ill. I have been told to prepare you for a vast difference in his appearance, but he is alive and therein lies hope. I will take care of Don Rivellio and his intended invasion."
    Nicolai actually sounded as if he was looking forward to it, and Isabella gave him a quelling glance.
    He reached out casually and caught the nape of her neck. "I must require you to remain within the walls of the castello at all times. I insist on your word."
    She nodded immediately. "Of course, Nicolai. But I'd like to go up on the battlements and watch for Lucca's approach."
    "I can't be with you—I'm needed to control the lions in the presence of strangers—but don't venture too close to the edge." He bent his head and kissed her. Slowly. Gently.
    Leisurely. His kiss held heat and promise, his tongue sliding along her bottom lip, tasting, prompting, until she opened her mouth to him.
    She shivered with pleasure. It blossomed in her abdomen and spread, molten heat that began a slow burn. Nicolai lifted his head reluctantly and stared down with evident satisfaction at her half-closed eyes.
    "I mean what I say, cara. No more accidents. I must turn my attention now to the don and