Shield's Lady

found the cutter, we will need to invent another cover story. Or find another Shield.”
    “Lady Sariana, we have to talk,” Gryph said heavily.
    She whirled to face him. “I do hope that in the matter of secrecy you can be trusted.”
    He stared at her as if she had gone crazy. “I’m a Shield. Don’t you know what that means? My word is better than prisma.”
    “One hopes that, while you may not have a decent set of manners, you do have some business ethics. You do, after all, belong to some sort of accepted social class, even if that class does choose to reside on the frontier for the most part. You are not a complete outlaw. Now, I have work to do. Please leave.”
    “Lady, if you think you can just casually toss me out of your office like this, I’ve got news for you.”
    Whatever Gryph would have said next was lost as the door to Sariana’s office opened again to admit Indina Avylyn. She came into the room like a ship in full sail, her towering hairdo barely clearing the door.
    “Oh, here you are, Sariana,” she said in tones of tremendous relief. “I’ve been looking for you. I have the menus for the food we will be serving for the costume ball. Now I know I have specified some rather expensive items, but I’ve already explained that this is one area in which the Avylyns must not stint. The Clan has been giving this ball for nearly seventy years. People expect the best from us. If we cut corners this year they will suspect that all is not well with us. We mustn’t allow that to happen.” She stopped short as she realized someone else was in the room. Mild alarm dashed some of the enthusiasm from her eyes. “Lord Chassyn. The luck of the day to you, sir. Please pardon me if I’m intruding on a business conference, but this is terribly important. I must have Sariana’s approval of these expenses.”
    “Luck to you, Lady Avylyn,” Gryph said. He inclined his head with a graceful degree of polish that belied the accusations Sariana had just made concerning his manners. “I understand the importance of your situation. Sariana and I can continue our discussion after she’s looked at your menus.”
    Sariana stabbed at the mechanism that opened a complete section of the black stone desk. “I’m afraid Sariana is going to be unavailable for any further discussions of any sort this morning. I have a business appointment. Lady Avylyn, I will be happy to approve your menus this afternoon. Lord Chassyn,” she added with a mocking emphasis on the title, “I’m sure you’ll understand if I dash off. Pressing business I’m afraid.”
    Sariana practically fled from the room.
    Gryph gazed thoughtfully at the empty doorway. “Pressing business?”
    “Oh, she probably has an appointment with her friend at the bank,” Indina Avylyn explained.
    “She has a friend in banking? A male friend?”
    “Etion Rakken,” Indina said hurriedly as she gathered up her menus. “He’s also from Rendezvous. Came over a number of years ago and never went back. I think he and Sariana feel they must cling to each other while they reside here in the west. There are so few people from the eastern continent who actually live here, you know. Perfectly natural that Sariana and Etion should stick together. Sariana is so lonely. She hides it well, of course. You know how those easterners are about showing emotion. But we all know she’s homesick. Etion always has a cheering effect on her, though. She’ll be fine this afternoon after she’s had lunch with him. You’ll see.”
    Gryph could still taste Sariana’s mouth. His body was still pulsing painfully with the instant response he had experienced when he’d caught hold of her and kissed her. For a moment during the embrace he had known without a doubt that he had touched her in ways that were not just physical in nature. And she had responded.
    Shieldmate.
    He was certain of that now. He had found a potential Shieldmate. A woman he could make his true wife. A woman who could give him a son. The knowledge dazed him. The thought of her going off to spend the warm, lazy morning with another man sent a rush of frustrated heat and rage through his veins.
    The realization that the other male was undoubtedly far more socially acceptable to Sariana than Gryph would ever be was enough to ruin the rest of the day for him.

Chapter
    3

    TWO days later, Sariana left for another engagement with Etion Rakken. This time she was meeting him for late morning tea. Such outings