Surprised when nothing but kisses came of the interlude, Varian frowned. They were an odd couple and no mistake. If he had been days away from his only concubine and had not eased himself with any other bitch during that time, he certainly would have ridden her within moments of returning to her. Merlin's control, though admirable, seemed somewhat excessive.

And where were they off to now? The northern mountain was inhabited by a number of male wizards, though it belonged chiefly to Justin, Sinclair, and Linus-none of whom was observant enough to take note of strangers on their property unless a red flag was waved in their faces. Varian didn't doubt the wizard of Seattle and his concubine would be able to spend the night undisturbed on the mountain.

Varian looked toward the setting sun and calculated that the Curtain was no more than a couple of hours away. So that was why Merlin had postponed a more lustful reunion with his bitch; he wanted to get above the Curtain, where a full night of passion was possible. The logic was clear, and Merlin's deferral of sex was much more understandable to Varian once he reached that conclusion.

He didn't follow the couple, but leaned against the remains of what had once been a fine balustrade and stared after them broodingly. A redhead. Even more, a beautiful redhead with spirit, her body as strong as it was ripe and her green eyes full of life and intelligence. Her coloring and striking beauty were certainly rare enough to invite comment, but that vibrancy was even more singular, and it had ignited a smoldering fire in his loins. He wanted her.

Merlin said she wasn't for sale, and he'd made it plain he meant it, so Varian didn't even consider the possibility of changing the other wizard's mind. No, he would have to deal with the matter a little less directly and simply take what he wanted by trickery-or thievery. It wouldn't be the first time Varian had stolen a desired concubine from under the very nose of her Lord.

But his wariness of Merlin had, if anything, increased after their brief and civilized skirmish over ownership of the redheaded bitch. There was iron in the younger wizard, and Varian sensed that Merlin's reserve of power was for greater than he was willing to reveal. So he would have to be very careful and clever if he was to be successful in carrying the redhead off to his own mountain and the stronghold of his palace-where Merlin would not dare to come after her, not if he valued his life.

There were many benefits to having sired so many sons, not the least of which was the protection they provided. Varian had lost several sons over the years when they had stepped between their father and his enemies just as dutiful sons should-and if Merlin was rash enough to come after his redhead, he would have to fight his way through as many of Varian's sons as were required to destroy him.

Varian glanced at the setting sun and briefly debated. When he began moving through the ruins, it wasn't toward the south and his own mountain, but toward the north.

"So it was a bordello," Serena said.

"I didn't say that."

"Oh, no?" Serena leaned against the log that provided a backrest for her and gazed across their small fire at Merlin. "Maybe you have another word for it. You described a house where carefully selected women- barren, powerless, and apparently a little dense, since they never ask awkward questions-are kept in comparative luxury and paid a generous fee for the sole purpose of servicing the men who occasionally visit the house."

After a long silence Merlin sighed. "All right, it's a bordello. But that isn't how I thought of it."

Shrewdly Serena said, "I get the feeling you didn't think very much about it at all."

"I didn't." He shrugged, gazing into the fire. "It was simply part of being a wizard, Serena, a practice as traditional and matter-of-fact in my life as spell-casting or conjuring. It simply wasn't one of the things in my life that required thought."

Keeping her voice neutral with some difficulty, Serena said, "So your ancestors didn't demand celibacy as a law despite their fear of women of power and their wariness of powerless women. They simply arranged matters so that you all could have sex when you wanted it with the least threatening women they could find."

"Males have rarely accepted celibacy as a way of life. You know that. Only religion seems a historically acceptable reason to forgo sex, and the jury's still out on just how successful that's been." Merlin shrugged. "My ancestors were afraid, but dearly not so terrified that they elected to go without one of life's pleasures. So, as you say, they arranged matters to provide reasonable access to 'safe' women. The practice is virtually the same now as it was in ancient times. There are… houses scattered all over the world."

"Where's the one you go to?"

He raised his eyes to meet hers across the flames. "Northern California."

"So far from Seattle? I'm surprised you haven't made more convenient arrangements."

"Serena, I'm sorry this upsets you, but you did ask. I'm trying to be honest about it."

He was right, and Serena knew it. She got a grip on the painful emotions and struggled to keep the hurt and dismay out of her voice. "Yes, I know. Forgive me, it's just… it sounds so damned cold-blooded."

Evenly Merlin said, "Knowing what I do now, I agree, but until we came here, I had no idea where or why the practice had originated among wizards because I never questioned it. Try to understand how I was raised, please. I was taught to always be in control, to waste as little energy as possible on unnecessary emotions and needless complications. To take care of my physical needs as efficiently as possible in the way that had always been accomplished.'"

It was chilling to hear him explain what sounded like a horrible upbringing, and Serena had to remind herself that there were prices, as well as rewards, for being a wizard. "So it seemed normal to you to travel to northern California whenever you needed sex and spend a few hours with some woman you knew only in the biblical sense."

"So normal I never thought twice about it. At least…" He hesitated, then continued quietly. "These last years my visits to the house became less and less… satisfying even as they became more frequent. Sex had always been no more than a physical release, never touching my emotions and hardly causing a ripple in my life, but lately even that was a fleeting pleasure that did little to drain the tension I felt."

"Why was that?" Serena was trying hard to match his dispassionate tone.

"I didn't know why, not then. Not until that night, when your consciousness slipped into mine. I felt your shock and your pain, and it forced me to think about what I was doing."

"I'm glad something positive came out of it," she muttered almost to herself. "I practically wrecked my room when I came back to myself."

"You always were very… intense in your emotions, Serena. Maybe that was why your feelings affected me so profoundly that night. You made me realize the wrongness of what I was doing. Not the act itself, but the fact that I was having sex with another woman… when you were the one I really wanted."

"You hid it very well," she managed. "Before then- and when you came home after that night."

"I had to. Everything inside me insisted it was wrong for me to feel anything for you, especially desire."

Serena pulled her gaze from his intent one and looked out over the valley. The Curtain was a glimmering blanket lying heavily over the dark valley below, and she gratefully drew a deep breath of the clear, crisp air. It was a relief to escape the smothering nightly exhaustion she had endured in Sanctuary.

"Have I answered all your questions, Serena?"