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and freed some of your employees who were being held hostage. Is that right?”
    He nodded. “But a war-torn country is a good deal easier to manipulate than a stable government like Tamrovia.”
    Her eyes were suddenly wide with fear. “Does that mean you won't—” She stopped. “She sent you a message. I have no idea what it means, but she said you would. She said to tell you it was the time of the
mondava
.”
    His heart skipped a beat and then started to pound so hard he felt a little dizzy. He had to struggle to keep his face expressionless.
“Mondava
is a Tamrovian word. I learned only a little Tamrovianthat summer. You should know better than I what it means.”
    “It means ‘the bonding.’ ”
    He shook his head. “Not quite. In Marna's dialect it means the ‘forever bonding’ or the ‘everlasting bonding.’”
    Her eyes lit with sudden interest. “You do know what she was trying to tell you.”
    “Yes, I know.”
    She waited eagerly. Then, when he failed to elaborate, she grimaced. “But you're not going to tell me either, are you?”
    “Perhaps if you wait a little longer, I won't have to tell you.”
    “Damn, now you're being as cryptic as Marna. I
hate
to wait.” She jumped to her feet, walked across the room, and stood restlessly beside the fireplace. “I can't bear double-talk. It drives me out of my mind. Are you going to help Marna or not?”
    “Just what are you asking of me? Do you want money?”
    “I don't know. I suppose it will take money. You should know better than I, considering yourexperience in Said Ababa.” Her hand closed tightly on the oak edge of the mantel. “I want her out of Tamrovia and safe, and I don't want this to happen ever again.”
    “How much do you really care?”
    Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I care more about her than about anything in the world. I love her so very much.”
    He was silent a moment, his gaze fixed on her face. “What did Marna say to you when she sent you to me?”
    “She said you were a
disek
, one of the exceptional ones.” She hesitated and then added slowly, “She said I should put myself in your hands, do whatever was necessary to bring you to Tamrovia.”
    “And just what do you intend to do?”
    “Exactly what she told me to do,” she said simply.
    His lips twisted. “You're very meek and obedient all of a sudden. And you're making a total commitment.”
    “Don't you think I know that? I'm scared todeath you're going to ask me to hijack a plane or something. You're a complete stranger to me.”
    “Yet you're willing to obey blindly a woman who hasn't set eyes on me for over fifteen years.”
    “I've trusted Marna all my life. She wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I've got to hang on to that certainty.”
    His gaze forthrightly met hers. “What you're asking will be very difficult. It will take money and time. I have quantities of the former and absolutely none of the latter. I'm in the middle of a merger. It just may go down the drain if I neglect it during this crucial period.”
    Her lips drooped with disappointment. “You're not going to help me.”
    “A faulty conclusion, Kira. I'm merely stressing the point that if I make certain sacrifices, I'll expect compensation.”
    She shook her head. “I told you I don't have any money.”
    “But you do have something else I want.”
    “The title? You want to marry me and have a princess to add to your status?” She felt a sudden jolt of disappointment. Somehow she hadn'texpected such a superficial response from Damon. “All right, but I—”
    “Not the damn title,” he said harshly. “Why the hell do you think that's all there is to you? I don't need to marry a princess to show the world I've made it. I know I've made it, and that's all that counts.”
    She should have realized. She would have realized it if she'd thought for a moment instead of reacting immediately. “I'm sorry.” She smiled shakily. “I seem to be apologizing a good deal tonight. I didn't