lust could be? She had lived all her days on the fringe of life as

punishment for her mother’s yielding to that siren call. But she

was stronger than her mother; she’d had to fight to prevent

herself being crushed by the contempt of both Apache and

white. She could close her ears to that siren call even when

sung by a golden warlock.

Good Lord, the man was actually a danger to Dominic. A

Russian prince could not be Durbin’s pawn as she had first

assumed, but Dominic had made many enemies during his

years on the run. It was entirely possible Savron could be one

of them. He wanted to use her only for his body’s pleasure and

to get the information he wanted from her. She had no

intention of letting him reach either goal.

No, under no circumstances would she ever see Prince

Nicholas Savron again.

3

„My word, what have we here?“ Lee Bassinger straightened

away from the rail, his pale green eyes avid with curiosity as

he watched Mikhail Kuzdief stride up the gangplank. The

blanket-wrapped burden slung over the Cossack’s broad

shoulder was squirming and kicking vigorously, and a swath

of long, silky dark hair suddenly became visible as the blanket

loosened. „What, or should I say who, have you brought for

our friend Nicholas? I would have thought he’d have enough

feminine companions to choose from without importing

more.“ His thin lips curved in an empty smile. „I suppose it

could be that he prefers unwilling women occasionally. Well,

so do I. Perhaps we could share her.“

Mikhail did not answer, and his glance brushed Bassinger

as if he didn’t exist when he strode past him down the deck

and then up the wide staircase toward the staterooms.

Bassinger’s gaze followed him, the smile on his face never

wavering until Mikhail disappeared from view. Then he turned

back to look at the gleaming lights of the city. Interesting, He

knew very well that Savron did not force his bed partners. All

the bastard had to do was smile at a woman and she would

perform acts Bassinger had to use a whip to persuade the little

pullets to do for him. Why, then, had he sent that huge bull to

bring this woman to him against her will?

A flicker of excitement touched him and his hands

tightened on the rail. A weapon at last? He wasn’t a patient

man, and having to smile and be civil to Savron and his coterie

had caused the hatred to fester within him until it almost

choked him. Yet he had learned a long time ago that deceit was

a quality that must be fostered if a man was to have everything

he wanted in life.

And he would have everything. He may have been born

dirt poor but he had fought his way this far and he wasn’t

about to let a fop like Savron take anything from him. He

would have the Mississippi Rose again, and his highness

would be punished for humbling him.

He consciously relaxed his grip on the rail and

straightened, the smile returning to his face. There was always

a key to be found to bring a man to his knees, and his instincts

told him that Mikhail had carried that key on board the Rose

tonight. It was only for him to wait and watch until he had the

opportunity to use that key.

Mikhail threw open the door to Nicholas’s cabin and strode

into the stateroom. Nicholas rose easily to his feet, his gaze on

the bundle over the Cossack’s shoulder. „Good, God, Mikhail,

did you have to use two blankets? She must be smothering

under there.“

„I should have used ten,“ Mikhail muttered as he strode

across the room and dropped his burden on the bed. „And I

should have let you come with me. I should have let an army

come with me.“ He unwrapped the blankets with two quick

jerks and Silver tumbled free, rolling over to the opposite side

of the bed. Her wrists were tied behind her back and a

handkerchief gagged her mouth, but her eyes blazed up at

them as she continued to struggle to free herself. Mikhail

tossed the blankets on the floor and reached over to pull the

gag from Silver’s mouth, quickly jerking his hand away as her

strong white teeth snapped at him. „She is a wild animal.“

There was a curious note of pride in his expression as he gazed

down at Silver’s face. „If I had not taken her by surprise, I do

not think I would have been able to overpower her. She is a

fine, strong warrior.“ He carefully brushed a strand of hair

from Silver’s eyes, his expression gentle. „It is all right now.

No one is going to hurt you.“

„But / will hurt you.“ Silver glared up at him fiercely, still

struggling desperately against her bonds. „You can’t do this.“

„It appears that he can because he has.“ Nicholas strode

forward to stand over her. Her long hair was lying in wild

silken disarray against the peach-colored velvet of the spread

and he felt a sudden thrust of desire tighten his groin. He had

been sitting there imagining how she would look lying on his

bed, and the reality was even more erotic than his vision.

„Though not without some effort.“

„You!“ Her light eyes were glittering with rage as she

began to curse him with venom and amazing proficiency.

He lifted a brow. „My, my, she’s quite talented isn’t she,

Mikhail? The last time I heard a vocabulary so explicit was

from my groom at the estate on Crystal Island. Should we

release her, do you think?“

„Only if you wish to relieve yourself of a few fistfuls of

excess hair,“ Mikhail said dryly, gingerly touching his own

tousled red mop. „Before I got her hands tied I was sure she

would strip me bald. Best wait until you have talked reason to

her.“

„Reason?“ Silver struggled to a sitting position. „There is

no reason connected with this outrage. It’s madness, as I’ll

soon show you.“

„I’m sure you’ll try.“ Nicholas smiled. „And it will be

fascinating to watch your attempts. I may even be sorry to see

you depart after you tell me where your uncle has disappeared

to.“

„You’ll be sorrier to see me stay,“ Silver hissed. „Do you

think I’ll let myself be trussed up and served to you like a

turkey for Christmas dinner?“

„The trussing is only temporary. I’ll untie you as soon as

we get far enough away for it to be safe.“ He tilted his head,

listening. „Hear the paddles? Since I gave orders to cast off as

soon as Mikhail came aboard, that should be very soon. I have

no liking for bondage of any kind.“

„You lie! And my presence here is proof of it.“

A flicker of anger crossed his face. „I believe you’re

beginning to annoy me. So far you’ve cursed like a sailor,

threatened me, and called me a liar.“

„Let me loose and I’ll do more than that to you. I’ll stick

my knife in you as I did your friend.“

Nicholas stiffened. „Knife?“ His gaze flew to Mikhail.

„She stabbed you?“ His attention had been so absorbed with

the girl, he had scarcely glanced at Mikhail. Now he saw that

the Cossack’s tunic was torn and a rivulet of blood stained the

whiteness of the left sleeve.

Mikhail shrugged depreciatingly. „A pinprick.“ He bent

down and pulled a small dagger out of his boot and tossed it to

Nicholas. „Yet it might be wise to remember she is not without

fangs.“

„Like all vipers.“ Nicholas looked down at the dagger, his

beautifully molded features hard as the marble of a tombstone.

„She could have killed you. I should have gone myself, my

friend.“

A touch of anxiety clouded Mikhail’s features. „A