Read Online Crystal Moon by Elysa Hendricks - Free Book Online Page A

softly, but sleep evaded
     
    her long into the night as she coped with the aches and pains of
    an ill-planned healing and worry for her future.
    ***
    Last meal was long over before Kyne left Graham and
    made his way toward his room. Even the crowded main hall
    was quiet. Only the occasional murmur of a mother to a restless
    child broke the silence. The fire burnt low, casting flickering
    shadows over the people sleeping nearby, while the rest of the
    hall lay in darkness.
    The greasy, undercooked meat and soggy, overcooked
    vegetables arranged on the tray he carried looked less than
    appetizing and tasted worse. But it was all he could find in the
    chaos that reigned in the castle’s kitchen. Waste ran rampant.
    Something needed to be done, or they would deplete what stores
    they had long before winter set in.
    Tomorrow he would consider this problem along with the
    others facing him. For now, he wanted to return to the meager
    comfort of his chamber and find what rest he could. At the
    door he paused. Rest? As long as she remained, he would find
    little rest within. Did she even now sleep in his bed? The thought
    of her slim body lying where he had lain made him shift in
    sudden discomfort.
    Anger surged through him. He refused to allow her presence
    to disturb him—in any way. Uncaring of the lateness of the
    hour, he shoved open the door and stomped into the room. His
    gaze flew toward the bed. The empty bed. The empty room.
    She was gone.
    He slammed the tray on the table and started to turn back
    toward the door. The little fool! Alone on the mountain she
    didn’t stand a chance of survival. If the elements didn’t claim
    her, a wild animal or some renegade would. Despite the risk,
    when he found her he’d put her under lock and key, if only for
    her own safety.
    Warda’s low whine made him pause, and he saw her nestled
    against the beast.
    Relief replaced rage. Kyne refused to examine the fear he
    had felt when he thought her in danger.
    “Stay, Warda.” He knelt next to the hound and looked at
     
    the sleeping woman. Still wearing Graham’s coat, knees to her
    chest, she huddled there. How innocent she appeared.
    Over the odor of quinar and wood smoke coming from her
    clothing, Kyne caught a lighter scent, reminiscent of a field of
    wild flowers after a summer shower. Fresh and clean, the smell
    tugged at him, luring him closer.
    Moonlight streamed into the chamber, bathing her pale flesh
    in a blue-white glow. Dark shadows circled her closed eyes.
    Like a veil of tangled black silk, her hair lay around her shoulders
    and down her back.
    The heavy mass tempted him. Would it feel as soft as it
    looked?
    “Moon’s mercy,” he cursed and jerked backward at the
    thought.
    She moaned softly in her sleep, her body twitching. Of
    what did she dream? Of power and riches like her father? Or
    of fear and pain? Which did he wish for her?
    “Cold,” she murmured, burrowing deeper into Graham’s
    coat.
    No fire burned in the chamber’s hearth. Since his departure,
    a tenday and four ago, management of the castle had fallen
    into further disorder. Exhaustion and frustration dragged at
    Kyne. Another problem he must address on the morrow.
    Through an open window, damp, chilled air swirled across
    his skin. He rose and closed the window. A few minutes after
    he started a fire, warmth began to fill the room.
    Warda stretched and rose, driven from his spot near the
    hearth by the heat. His thick, heavy coat was made to withstand
    the harsh mountain elements not the comfort of fireside. When
    he padded away, the woman curled even tighter in on herself.
    The blaze didn’t seem to warm her.
    Kyne hesitated. Should he leave her? Even near the fire,
    the stone floor was cold and hard. Could he sleep knowing she
    lay shivering? As little as he wanted her in his bed, he couldn’t
    allow her to take sick. The decision made, he bent and picked
    her up. Surprise and guilty pleasure speared him when she
    nestled close and gave a