Read Online By Vengeance Guided (The Lost Shrines Book 1) by Amberlyn Holland - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Amberlyn Holland
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Lia's lips on his, Lia's skin under his hands kept intruding. Leading him down a path of what ifs that ended in his body taut, fevered and wanting.
Scrubbing the heels of his hands into his eyes, he wished he could wipe away the memory. The want. It was ridiculous. She was the target. With every scrap and hint he'd picked up, more and more it looked like she was the enemy.
Still, he wanted her.
A bitter laugh escaped. It wouldn't be the first time he'd wanted to sleep with the enemy.
The sorceress Irana had had him wrapped around her finger. He'd gone off on a stupid, pointless quest, to prove his worthiness to her. Even taken the Hounds with him, like she'd suggested, truly believing she'd wanted him to succeed.
Instead, she’d wanted his parents’ fiercest protection out of the way. She may not have intended to kill them, that day, but she'd had no compunction about doing it when they stood in the way of what she wanted.
Pushing himself off the bed, Caer went to stare sightlessly out the window.
He'd returned in time to stop her from taking the Cauldron but not soon enough to save his parents.
So, no, his instincts when it came to women couldn't be trusted. In fact, the more he was attracted to one, the more he should insist on being suspicious of her.
Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to remember that when Lia was moaning and combusting under his hands.
Slowly, by ones and twos, small groups and large, the villagers took to the road while the sun set on the valley. As he watched from his window, the village quickly emptied until only a few stragglers remained.
For the second night in a row, Caerwyn snuck through the overgrown forest, thankful for the bright moon and the ancestry that gifted him with enhanced senses.
This time though, going was slower. He didn't dare stray too close to the road where the last few villagers made their way from the village to the manor. He circled around the same path he had the night before, wondering if whatever was going on in the herbarium would be part of the night's activities
To his surprise, no one went anywhere near the building. Instead, what looked like the entire population of the valley spread out on the front lawn surrounding four precisely spaced bonfires. Laughter and dancing and music filled the night. Wine and ale passed from person to person, along with plates and baskets and bowls of foods.
This wasn't the diabolical ritual he'd been expecting. There was no evidence of nefarious sorcery. Simply a party celebrated under the light of the full moon as many other rural communities did. An excuse to rest and regroup from the hard labor of the planting season.
Then what was it about this scene that Lia and her keepers did not want him to see? Or, was she just afraid of her own lowered inhibitions in such an environment? Afraid of where their mutual attraction might lead?
When he began to think his brooding self-flagellation from earlier had been a little harsh, however, Caerwyn noticed a cloaked figure moving away from the light of the fire. Doing his best, Caer kept to the shadows of the trees and followed quietly. When he got closer, he realized the figure carried a basket and a blanket.
There was always the possibility the secretive figure was sneaking off to meet someone but the single-minded focus and quick steps seemed out of character for a moonlit tryst. Besides, Caer was sure he recognized the sway of those hips. He'd been watching them every day for the past two weeks.
If Lia was indeed going for a secret romantic assignation, Caer was damn well going to find out with whom.
She slipped into the tree line a few yards ahead of him, and he froze. She never paused, didn't even notice she wasn't alone in the night. No wonder Keneally and Nel worried about her. She had no sense of self-preservation.
It took several steps deeper into the dark forest for Caer to realize she was following a path of sorts. Though one so indistinct it could not be a
Scrubbing the heels of his hands into his eyes, he wished he could wipe away the memory. The want. It was ridiculous. She was the target. With every scrap and hint he'd picked up, more and more it looked like she was the enemy.
Still, he wanted her.
A bitter laugh escaped. It wouldn't be the first time he'd wanted to sleep with the enemy.
The sorceress Irana had had him wrapped around her finger. He'd gone off on a stupid, pointless quest, to prove his worthiness to her. Even taken the Hounds with him, like she'd suggested, truly believing she'd wanted him to succeed.
Instead, she’d wanted his parents’ fiercest protection out of the way. She may not have intended to kill them, that day, but she'd had no compunction about doing it when they stood in the way of what she wanted.
Pushing himself off the bed, Caer went to stare sightlessly out the window.
He'd returned in time to stop her from taking the Cauldron but not soon enough to save his parents.
So, no, his instincts when it came to women couldn't be trusted. In fact, the more he was attracted to one, the more he should insist on being suspicious of her.
Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to remember that when Lia was moaning and combusting under his hands.
Slowly, by ones and twos, small groups and large, the villagers took to the road while the sun set on the valley. As he watched from his window, the village quickly emptied until only a few stragglers remained.
For the second night in a row, Caerwyn snuck through the overgrown forest, thankful for the bright moon and the ancestry that gifted him with enhanced senses.
This time though, going was slower. He didn't dare stray too close to the road where the last few villagers made their way from the village to the manor. He circled around the same path he had the night before, wondering if whatever was going on in the herbarium would be part of the night's activities
To his surprise, no one went anywhere near the building. Instead, what looked like the entire population of the valley spread out on the front lawn surrounding four precisely spaced bonfires. Laughter and dancing and music filled the night. Wine and ale passed from person to person, along with plates and baskets and bowls of foods.
This wasn't the diabolical ritual he'd been expecting. There was no evidence of nefarious sorcery. Simply a party celebrated under the light of the full moon as many other rural communities did. An excuse to rest and regroup from the hard labor of the planting season.
Then what was it about this scene that Lia and her keepers did not want him to see? Or, was she just afraid of her own lowered inhibitions in such an environment? Afraid of where their mutual attraction might lead?
When he began to think his brooding self-flagellation from earlier had been a little harsh, however, Caerwyn noticed a cloaked figure moving away from the light of the fire. Doing his best, Caer kept to the shadows of the trees and followed quietly. When he got closer, he realized the figure carried a basket and a blanket.
There was always the possibility the secretive figure was sneaking off to meet someone but the single-minded focus and quick steps seemed out of character for a moonlit tryst. Besides, Caer was sure he recognized the sway of those hips. He'd been watching them every day for the past two weeks.
If Lia was indeed going for a secret romantic assignation, Caer was damn well going to find out with whom.
She slipped into the tree line a few yards ahead of him, and he froze. She never paused, didn't even notice she wasn't alone in the night. No wonder Keneally and Nel worried about her. She had no sense of self-preservation.
It took several steps deeper into the dark forest for Caer to realize she was following a path of sorts. Though one so indistinct it could not be a
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