Now a restless, driving energy pervaded his bloodstream. Soon the demand for release would become much more fierce. Gryph knew deep in his guts that there was only one way to satisfy the hunger within himself. He needed Sariana Dayne in a way that was unique to his kind.

He had never felt these volatile sensations before in his life. He had known there was a chance he might escape coming under the sway of their compelling power. Not every Shield was lucky enough to find a true Shieldmate.

But he was prepared for the violent sensations. At least, he decided wryly, he was as prepared as a man could be for such an onslaught. His father, like his father before him, had tried to explain the uniqueness of a Shield's hunger when he found a woman with whom he could link and mate. A Shield could satisfy the appetites of the body with any woman who appealed on a physical basis. But finding a Shieldmate was another matter altogether.

It wasn't a matter of love or even of passion. It was a matter of survival. Only a true Shieldmate could give a Shield a son.

Shield marriages were different in some fundamental ways from the normal alliances of men and women. The people of the western provinces knew that. The special laws, social structures and customs that pertained only to the Shield clans respected that difference.

Gryph wondered how far he'd get if he tried to explain all that to Sariana. He had the distinct impression she would not take pity on him and offer herself in total surrender.

Gryph stood very still in the deep shadows of the palm and went over his options. At this point he only had two. The first was to leave the Avylyn household at once. Preferably tonight. There was still time to get away and put an end to this whole business. He suspected that, once out of sight of Sariana, the powerful forces simmering in him would eventually fade. They had to be channeled and focused before they could grow much stronger. They were not completely ungovernable, at least not if he halted things at this stage. A strong, willful man could handle them.

The second option was to complete the channeling and focusing of the fierce desire within him. To do that he would have to take Sariana Dayne to bed. There he could forge the bond between them in the

ancient way of the Shields. Once the link was established, she would be married to him by Shield law. Then she could give him a son.

Two options and two options only.

There was no middle ground. A brief affair was out of the question. A man didn't have affairs with potential Shieldmates. When he was lucky enough to find a mate, he grabbed her and held on with all his strength. When the future of a clan was at stake, a man did not fool around with one night stands.

Sariana was almost within reach. She still hadn't seen him. The golden light of Windarra's summer moon bathed her in a pale glow, turning her into a creature of magic.

He still had the option of leaving, Gryph reminded himself. He could step farther back into the shadows and she would pass by without seeing him. Then he could leave this household forever. He nearly smiled at the ludicrous notion. As if he could walk now.

Gryph made his choice. He took a deep breath and sealed his own destiny by staying where he was. Then she saw him. Her soft mouth parted in startled surprise and her eyes drank in the sight of him as if he were something more than a man.

"The luck of the evening to you, Sariana," he said quietly. "And to me. I think we're both going to need it."

She recovered herself quickly. "You startled me. What are you doing here, Gryph?" "My job. I'm in charge of security around here, member?"

She frowned. "You're in charge of finding that damn prisma cutter. The business of protecting the jewels the night of the ball is simply your cover story, an excuse to explain your presence in the house. What do you think you're doing strolling around in the middle of the night?"

He smiled, understanding the defensiveness in her voice. "I have as much right to be here as you do." "I suppose you know you have a way of making people extremely nervous." He shrugged. "I can't help the way others react." "Ha. You deliberately provoke uneasy reactions.

You like making people nervous."

"At the moment I'm not trying to make you nervous, Sariana. Don't be afraid of me." Her chin came up proudly and her eyes were deep pools of feminine mystery in the golden moonlight.

"I am not afraid of you."

"Excellent." Gryph took her arm in a proper, gentlemanly grip and urged her along the conservatory path. "Then let's continue our midnight stroll together."

"I was just about to go back to my room."

She tried to politely disengage herself from his grasp as they walked down the path. Gryph pretended not to notice. It was good to touch her like this; good to be close. She was warm and soft and very feminine. Her hair was streaming down her back, falling around her shoulders in inviting waves. Gryph inhaled deeply, bathing his senses in the sweet herbal scent of it. He shuddered slightly in reaction.

There was another scent mingled with the sweet herbs. It was the subtle fragrance of Sariana herself, and it disturbed Gryph's senses on every level. His body was responding to it, growing hard and tense and ready. He willed himself to relax. He had made his decision. Now he could afford to bide his time. He wanted to do this properly. After all, he was the son of a Prime Family, and Sariana deserved a proper courtship. He sought for words with which to soothe and calm her. The ones he found surprised him. f "It's all right, Sariana, you're not the only one who occasionally gets lonely."

She flashed him a surprised glance, her lashes concealing the expression almost immediately. "What makes you think I'm lonely? This household is filled with noise and activity all day long."

"But it's not home," he pointed out.

Some of the wary tension faded within her. Gryph could feel it dissolving and hoped it was because Sariana was finally relaxing.

"No, it's not home," Sariana said quietly.

"Why are you in Serendipity?" Gryph asked curiously. "Very few people from the eastern provinces come to the west to live."

"I'm here because I failed to make the cut at the Academy of Business," she told him. "When I failed to do that, I automatically failed to accomplish a lot of other important things."

"Such as?" Gryph prompted.

She hesitated. "Why do you want to hear about me?"

He considered telling her the truth; that he wanted to know all there was to know about her because soon he would be taking her as his Shieldmate. She would be linked to him with bonds neither of them had ever experienced before in their lives. She would belong to him completely. She would be the mother of his son, if his luck held.