Shield's Lady by Jayne Ann Krentz Page B

happening. It had all taken place on a very subtle level. An untuned mind such as Sariana's would not have understood the tendrils of awareness that had pulled him out of his drugged haze.
        The powerful emotions that had been incited in that moment had been steadily gaining strength since then. Kissing Sariana two mornings ago had done nothing to alleviate the growing need within Gryph. It had only fed it, making it more powerful and demanding.
        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