knights on white chargers, you’ll find something a seventeen-year-old girl could never even imagine. Chargers areoutdated, you know—white or otherwise. And modern knights tend to be unsung heroes. They do quiet, dangerous things sometimes. They love and hurt and bleed. They even make mistakes.”
“I know.” And she did. For the first time she did.
Raven got to her feet and stood for a moment, looking down at Kyle. Softly she said, “Idols that fall off pedestals don’t always break. Sometimes they get up and brush all that glittering dust away—and you find out they’re just as tall without something to stand on.”
Kyle looked at her and smiled. “Thank you.”
Smiling in return, Raven said, “I have a good memory for mazes. I’ll go meet Josh and Luc and tell him where you are.”
“I
hate
mazes!” Josh said with considerable feeling, batting at a protruding arm of greenery. “How long have we been lost in this one?”
“Hours.” Lucas was equally disgusted andquite definitely edgy. “What is Raven telling her?”
Josh paused to contemplate a dead end, muttered a curse as they retraced their steps, then looked at his friend. “How should I know?”
“Well, she’s yours, after all.”
“Be that as it may,” Josh said, “I can hardly read her mind. Especially not with four acres of bushes between us. Just thank your luck she’s not with Serena.”
Mentally Lucas did. Fate had at least been kind to spare him the intervention of Josh’s sister. Serena had a heart of gold, with an unnerving subtlety and the force of a Sherman tank.
They came to an intersection and stood staring at three possible avenues of progress.
“Which way did we come?”
“That way. No—that way. Hell, I don’t know.”
“We could sink our pride and start yelling,” Josh suggested.
“I will if you will.”
“This way,” Josh decided firmly, heading down the middle path.
Minutes later, exiting again, Lucas said, “Buy this maze so we can burn it.”
“It’s not worth the match. Got any bread crumbs?”
“Not on me, no.”
“Pity.”
F IVE
O VERHEARING THIS CONVERSATION from three feet away on the other side of the hedge, Raven enjoyed it so much that she retraced her own steps back to the center and told Kyle about it. And Kyle, feeling more lighthearted than she had in years, went back with the other woman to eavesdrop shamelessly on the men. Both women enlarged their respective vocabularies of colorful curses, even Raven widening her eyes at some of her husband’s phrases.
“And you think you know a man after living with him for a while,” she murmured.
Soft as her voice was, it caught her husband’s attention.
“It’s Raven. She’s over there.”
“The whole world’s over there,” Lucas said irritably. And, a moment later, “There isn’t any way to
get
over there. Kyle? Are you with Raven?”
“Of course I am, Luc,” she called back.
“At the center?”
Raven laughed. “Sorry, guys, you aren’t even halfway there. We got bored and came to find you.”
“Well, find us!” her husband commanded.
Raven murmured something to Kyle, who nodded and vanished back into the greenery. Then Raven walked four steps right, turned left, and walked two more steps. She smiled. “Hello.”
“You enjoyed that,” Josh accused.
“Immensely. Luc, if you want Kyle, I can tellyou how to find her. You
do
want her, don’t you?”
Lucas stared into limpid violet eyes. “Yes, Raven,” he said with strained patience. “I want Kyle. Where is she?”
“In the center.” Raven gave him precise directions, then watched him turn a corner and disappear.
“If you weren’t my dear and only love,” Josh told her thoughtfully, “it’s quite likely I would strangle you.”
With a sultry look perfected back when such things had been needed in her various roles, Raven murmured, “Wouldn’t you rather chase me naked through the bushes?”
“Only if you run slowly and leave a trail of
“I know.” And she did. For the first time she did.
Raven got to her feet and stood for a moment, looking down at Kyle. Softly she said, “Idols that fall off pedestals don’t always break. Sometimes they get up and brush all that glittering dust away—and you find out they’re just as tall without something to stand on.”
Kyle looked at her and smiled. “Thank you.”
Smiling in return, Raven said, “I have a good memory for mazes. I’ll go meet Josh and Luc and tell him where you are.”
“I
hate
mazes!” Josh said with considerable feeling, batting at a protruding arm of greenery. “How long have we been lost in this one?”
“Hours.” Lucas was equally disgusted andquite definitely edgy. “What is Raven telling her?”
Josh paused to contemplate a dead end, muttered a curse as they retraced their steps, then looked at his friend. “How should I know?”
“Well, she’s yours, after all.”
“Be that as it may,” Josh said, “I can hardly read her mind. Especially not with four acres of bushes between us. Just thank your luck she’s not with Serena.”
Mentally Lucas did. Fate had at least been kind to spare him the intervention of Josh’s sister. Serena had a heart of gold, with an unnerving subtlety and the force of a Sherman tank.
They came to an intersection and stood staring at three possible avenues of progress.
“Which way did we come?”
“That way. No—that way. Hell, I don’t know.”
“We could sink our pride and start yelling,” Josh suggested.
“I will if you will.”
“This way,” Josh decided firmly, heading down the middle path.
Minutes later, exiting again, Lucas said, “Buy this maze so we can burn it.”
“It’s not worth the match. Got any bread crumbs?”
“Not on me, no.”
“Pity.”
F IVE
O VERHEARING THIS CONVERSATION from three feet away on the other side of the hedge, Raven enjoyed it so much that she retraced her own steps back to the center and told Kyle about it. And Kyle, feeling more lighthearted than she had in years, went back with the other woman to eavesdrop shamelessly on the men. Both women enlarged their respective vocabularies of colorful curses, even Raven widening her eyes at some of her husband’s phrases.
“And you think you know a man after living with him for a while,” she murmured.
Soft as her voice was, it caught her husband’s attention.
“It’s Raven. She’s over there.”
“The whole world’s over there,” Lucas said irritably. And, a moment later, “There isn’t any way to
get
over there. Kyle? Are you with Raven?”
“Of course I am, Luc,” she called back.
“At the center?”
Raven laughed. “Sorry, guys, you aren’t even halfway there. We got bored and came to find you.”
“Well, find us!” her husband commanded.
Raven murmured something to Kyle, who nodded and vanished back into the greenery. Then Raven walked four steps right, turned left, and walked two more steps. She smiled. “Hello.”
“You enjoyed that,” Josh accused.
“Immensely. Luc, if you want Kyle, I can tellyou how to find her. You
do
want her, don’t you?”
Lucas stared into limpid violet eyes. “Yes, Raven,” he said with strained patience. “I want Kyle. Where is she?”
“In the center.” Raven gave him precise directions, then watched him turn a corner and disappear.
“If you weren’t my dear and only love,” Josh told her thoughtfully, “it’s quite likely I would strangle you.”
With a sultry look perfected back when such things had been needed in her various roles, Raven murmured, “Wouldn’t you rather chase me naked through the bushes?”
“Only if you run slowly and leave a trail of
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