Read Online Shalador's Lady by Anne Bishop - Free Book Online

you.”
    Cassidy leaned back against the headboard and took the mug.
    “You’ll have the remainder of today to rest and recover. After that, darling, you face your family and court. And Lucivar.”
    Cassidy took a sip of the tonic and fought the desire to gulp it down. Her body craved whatever was in this brew. Craved it as much as the land had craved the connection with her.
    She took another sip, then remembered the last thing she’d seen before the world had gone dark. “Gray. Is he all right? He must have been upset when I . . . fell.”
    A strange look came into Karla’s eyes. “You woke up more than the land, Cassidy. Much more.”

    Ranon cautiously approached the vegetable garden. He didn’t want to deal with Lucivar’s thunderous temper or Prince Aaron’s snarling restraint—or the worry he saw in Lord Burle’s eyes. And even though the boardinghouse’s grounds gave him plenty of room to maneuver, he didn’t want to be caught alone with the witch who had brought Cassidy’s family to Eyota. The Gray-Jeweled Queen was intimidating enough, but she had stayed inside with Cassidy. Surreal SaDiablo was a long step past scary as far as he and all the other men were concerned, and she had been prowling the house and grounds—and the village.
    Going down on one knee, he reached out to brush a fingertip over the leaves of one little plant. A strong, healthy plant growing vigorously now. All the plants in the garden were growing vigorously now—had started growing within hours of Cassidy’s collapse.
    Gray had noticed the blood soaked into the ground, but the cuts on Cassidy’s palms hadn’t looked that deep, and Shira hadn’t thought Cassidy had lost enough blood to account for losing consciousness. And nothing Shira or the Queens knew could explain what had drained Cassidy’s Rose Jewel to such a dangerous level so quickly.
    If there had been some kind of attack, why hadn’t she called for help? And how could she have been attacked when he and the others had been standing right there? Gray was the first to realize something was wrong, had snatched her up and run into the boardinghouse. But they still didn’t know what had happened—or why.
    Shira wouldn’t talk about the vision she’d seen, wouldn’t confirm if this was the danger that might have cost them the first Queen to give them hope since Lia.
    Was this his fault somehow? Had he failed in his duties? How? How?
    Ranon felt the other presence, picked up the psychic scent, and knew who was about to join him.
    Theran gave them all cold silence, which was understandable since Daemon Sadi was holding him personally responsible for Cassidy’s well-being and Grayhaven hadn’t wanted her to come to Eyota in the first place. But Gray’s anger and distress was a hot, pulsing, living thing. Until they knew what was wrong with Cassidy, Gray was an unsheathed weapon, and no one knew the sharpness of that blade or how deeply it could cut.
    He waited until Gray knelt beside him. Neither of them could resist coming out to this spot several times a day.
    “They grew even more overnight,” Ranon said, keeping his voice quiet. “We’ll actually get a decent crop from this garden.”
    “She can’t do it again,” Gray snarled. “This almost killed her.”
    “I know that.” And he did. He also knew the Queens had looked upon this garden in shock initially, then almost understood how this had happened. Almost.
    “Company,” Gray said, not turning his attention away from the plants.
    Ranon looked over his shoulder and sighed. Reyhana and Janos. The young Queen had been out to look at this garden as much as he and Gray, and Janos had assigned himself as Reyhana’s escort whenever she left the boardinghouse.
    Then he stiffened and tapped Gray’s arm before rising to his feet. “More company.”
    Gray sprang to his feet. Ranon grabbed one arm to keep Gray from rushing toward Lady Karla—especially because Aaron stepped out of the house and leaned