Page 69 of Wolf's Keep

“Oh. It’s different.”

In place of the inscription, a large, dark red stone gleamed.

To bloodstone shall they return, so no man of their secret learns.

“This is the bloodstone.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Gaharet remained silent as Erin studied the amulet, those two little lines of concentration appearing between her eyebrows.

“Ask.”

When she looked up, he saw all her doubts, her fears, reflected in her eyes.

“Ask your questions and I will answer them.”

She considered him for a moment. Would she confront her suspicions? Demand to know his secret? Or would she shy away from it? Reject Renaud’s words as superstitious nonsense?

She worried her bottom lip with her teeth and his cock, still inside her, twitched. She gasped—her perfect, rosy nipples stiffening. He swallowed a groan, resisting the urge to rise up and take one in his mouth.

“This is not like the amulet I found at the dig site.”

He gave a slow shake of his head. “No.”

He held himself still, all too aware of their nakedness and the way she lay straddled across him, the twin globes of her breasts brushing against his chest. This conversation would end right now if he could not get his body under control.

She tapped the amulet against her palm, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“That means it can’t be your bones I found in that cell. They belong to someone else.”

“Yes.”

She fingered the gold disc with a light touch, almost a caress. He gritted his teeth, imagining her fingers on him, caressing him.Mon Dieu.She tempted him beyond all measure.

“Ulrik had an amulet like the one I found. He showed it to me in the hall so I would trust him.”

Her pink tongue flicked out, licking her lip and all he could do was stare and nod, words eluding him.

“Who else has them? You said only family had these, but Ulrik is not a d’Louncrais, is he?”

“No.”

He growled, whether at the thought of Ulrik being family or at the way she kept touching his amulet, he could not be sure, but it felt good releasing it, seeing her cheeks turn a dusky pink in response.

“Ulrik is not a d’Louncrais, but he is one of my vassals. He is family of a kind.”

“Uh-huh. And who else is in this ‘family of a kind’?”

Hands itching to touch her, he clenched them together behind his head, claws biting into his palms.

“Ulrik, Aimon, Godfrey, Lance, Edmond and Aubert—all my men, my vassals.”

“So the amulet that brought me here belongs to one of your men?”

“Yes.”

She pursed her lips, dropping the amulet on his chest. “You knew. All along you knew, and you didn’t tell me. Even when I told you I’d a theory that you’d died in that cell.” She frowned. “What else did you lie to me about, Gaharet?”

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