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a hefty bargain for my head? Or…mayhap trade me for support against this Lord Vaughn? Aye! That’s it, isn’t it?” He smiled coldly when her cheeks went whiter still.
    “Stop! I order you to stop!” she rasped.
    “Order?” he scoffed. “You’re in no position to order me. What have you to trade for my silence?”
    She frowned, her forehead glistening with light moisture in the moonlight. Seemingly vexed, she watched his lips—probably waiting for the first sign of his disobedience.
    But if one of his men lived, he needed to return and find him, and if the princess would not help, he must escape immediately. He might be able to bargain with the rebels below. Surely they would be more sensible than this stubborn woman.
    He opened his mouth to beckon the men, but Eleri moved like lightning. With her right arm restrained, she couldn’t cut him. However, her weapon of choice caught him completely off-guard.
    Her lips sealed to his, cutting off his voice in a hard kiss.
    The astonishing action nearly toppled him from their roost, bold as it was, but he still held her hand. Bracing his back against the gnarled tree branches, he relaxed for more, but the kiss ended as briskly as it had begun.
    The princess cupped her mouth with a trembling hand.
    Beneath their tree, horse hooves churned through the dry leaves as Lord Vaughn and his men followed Nest’s trail away from the camp, but Warren and Eleri remained frozen, their gazes locked.
    Blood surging through his body, Warren grinned and lowered his face over hers. “Not the price I had in mind, but…um, shall we see what else you have to offer?”

Chapter Four
    Sitting back on her heels, Eleri inhaled deeply from the breeze, letting the crisp, calming air soothe her warm skin. She pressed the back of her hand to her damp forehead, where the flush of mortification was still stamped on her flesh.
    Oh Goddess! If only she could be as one with the tree around her, blending into the cold gray bark, melding into the forest, as camouflaged from the eyes of other men as she had been from her former husband.
    More importantly, she wished to be hidden from the man looming inches above her with laughter in his gaze and a strong hand around hers.
    She had no one to blame but herself. Trusting he would behave, she’d led him up the tree to hide. Then to cease his mutterings, she’d meant to distract him with a false offer. A kiss for his silence. What was she thinking?
    Mayhap she’d thought that he would find a princess’s boon— along with saving his life —reward enough. But like Vaughn, the Norman wanted more than what she was willing to pay.
    Or…mayhap she’d thought she was strong enough to kiss him and retreat unscathed, but now her heart hammered against her ribs. His suggestive words and steamy gaze were no jests. This man was the enemy—not someone to play games with. Her lips still tingled from the scruff of his beard and the warmth of his mouth. A fool was what she was!
    That mouth—De Tracy’s mouth—softened as his mischievous smile melted and his gaze grew more determined. She felt his grip on her adjusting. He seemed to have forgotten his fear of the height. Not relinquishing his hold, his fingers curled around hers and his thumb swept the back of her hand, rough as a millstone yet light as a feather. “Your offer was not freely given, Princess?”
    “’Twas no offer,” she lied, lifting her chin. “Only a means to silence your tongue.”
    His eyes sparked with heat. “Only that and naught else? I think we should try and see what other sounds my tongue can produce. We’ll both find pleasure in less talking.”
    His head lowered, shrouding her in shadow, and a sense of panic mixed with excitement took over her body. She flattened her hand against his chest and felt the steady beat of his heart beneath his tunic and the healer’s bandaging.
    Eleri took in another deep breath but instead of air this time all she found was the scent of the forest