"Oh, Kieron! Can't you forget the Empire for the space of an hour?" Alys demanded angrily.
The Warlord of Valkyr looked at his Empress in perplexity. There were times when women were hard to fathom.
"Forget it, I say!" the girl cried, her eyes suddenly flaming.
"If Your Majesty wishes, I'll not speak of it again," said Kieron stiffly.
Alys took a step toward him. "There was a time when you looked at me as a woman. When you thought of me as a woman! Am I so different now?"
Kieron studied her slim body and sensuously patrician face. "There was a time when I thought of you as a child, too. Those times pass. You are now my Empress. your vassal. Command me. I'll fight for you. Die for you, if need be. Anything. But by the Seven Hells, Alys, don't torture me with favors I can't claim!"
"So I must command then?" She stamped her foot angrily. "Very well, I command you, Valkyr!"
"Lady, I'll never be a Consort!"
The girl's face flushed. "Did I ask it? I know I can't make a lapdog out of you, Kieron."
"Stop it, Alys," Kieron muttered heavily.