There was a horrible wrenching, and the scenery changed. There was a jolt, and Darius fell, and she fell on top of him.
Disoriented, Nona reacted in a manner that had become almost automatic. She put her head down and kissed him on the mouth.
Almost immediately, she realized her mistake. This was not Stave, this was a different man. They were not pretending to be lovers in case a despot familiar was watching, they were magically traveling to another spot on the planet. She felt the flush forging to her face.
Then perhaps you should stop kissing me, the man"s thought came. Oops! Nona jerked her head away, her embarrassment doubling.
But Darius laughed, outside and inside. "Don"t worry; I knew what you were thinking," he said. "You forgot who I was."
She felt his understanding. It had i
