“‘What are you doing?’ he asked, shocked.
‘Just what it looks like. Hold still.’ After a few moments, I began to use my teeth, pressing progressively harder until he drew in his breath with a sharp hiss. I stopped.
‘Did I hurt you?’ I asked.
‘Yes. A little.’ He sounded half-strangled.
‘Do you want me to stop?’
‘No!’
I went on, being deliberately rough, until he suddenly convulsed, with a groan that sounded as though I had torn his heart out by the roots. He lay back, quivering and breathing heavily. He muttered something in Gaelic, eyes closed.
‘What did you say?’
‘I said,’ he answered, opening his eyes, ‘I thought my heart was going to burst.’
I grinned, pleased with myself. ‘Oh, Murtagh and company didn’t tell you about that, either?’
‘Aye, they did. That was one of the things I didn’t believe.’”