Read Online Dark of the Moon by Karen Robards - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Karen Robards
Ads: Link
what is it? I warn you, I've had a bloody long day, and I'm getting a wee bit tired of your high jinks."
"Connor." But Rory couldn't seem to say any more than his brother's name. Connor frowned as he looked Rory over closely.
"What ails you, Rory? Can't you speak?"
"Connor, he's a bloody lass!" Cormac blurted, looking accusingly at Caitlyn.
VII
'"What?" Those devil's eyes swiveled to stare at Cormac.
"He's a lass, I tell you. O'Malley. He—she's a lass."
"What nonsense are you spouting now, Cormac?"
"It's no nonsense." Rory got to his feet, his eyes still fastened on Caitlyn with a kind of horror. "That's a lass."
Connor's eyes turned back to rake Caitlyn, who lay huddled on the grass in a state of what almost amounted to shock, her eyes huge on Connor's face. "He looks like no lass I ever saw.
Your brain's getting soft, the pair of you."
Drawing a quick, shaky breath, Caitlyn mustered all her courage and scrambled to her feet.
Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance the younger d'Arcys wouldn't be able to convince their brother. Maybe she could even make them doubt what they'd seen. Desperate, she realized that a bluff was her only chance.
" 'Tis naught but a pack of lies! I'm as much a man as any of you! Aye, and more than you, Cormac d'Arcy. I bloodied your nose right proper, did I not?"
The three d'Arcys stared at her. None seemed about to rise to the bait. Connor's eyes in particular unsettled her as he ran them slowly from the very top of her head down the length of her body to her wet shoes and back up again, stopping to frown at strategic spots in between.
"We were sporting around and Cormac yanked his— her breeches to his knees. He—she was as bare as a babe,
Connor. And she's a lass. There's no doubt at all, Connor." Rory's voice was hoarsely earnest.
"A lass!" Connor looked as dumbfounded as the others.
"Nay!" Caitlyn yelled, backing away as Connor took a step toward her. Flight was her objective. She would not stay to be abused by men who knew her true sex. Her mother's fate flashed like a horrible warning before her. Although her body had never been used by a man, she was no innocent. She knew the violence that men for their own pleasure perpetrated on helpless females. Her mother had dressed her in male attire to prevent just such a thing from happening to her. She would run, hide in the countryside, make her way back to Dublin . . .
"Catch him—her—oh, hell, just do it, Rory!" Connor gave the clipped instruction just as Caitlyn turned to flee. Rory was already behind her. His hands closed over her upper arms, stopping her in mid-step with her back to him.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Terror gave her strength as she struggled wildly. Her first crazed thought was that she would be thrown on the ground and used by the three of them there and then. Men were beasts about their pleasure. Rory's grip on her arms was unbreakable, so she picked up her foot and kicked backward as hard as she could, catching him in the kneecap.
"Arghh! Sweet Brian, she's a little hellcat! Here, give me a hand, Cormac, quick!"
Caitlyn screamed as Cormac grabbed her around the waist, lifting her clear off the ground with one arm tight around her knees to try to still her kicking while Rory held her flailing fists.
Writhing in desperate fear and anger, she shrieked curses at the top of her lungs.
"Watch her feet! Hold 'em, Cormac!"
"Hell, you hold her hands! She nigh tore off my privates earlier! She's vicious as a trapped badger!"
Rory and Cormac barely managed to hold her in a position in which she could do relatively little damage to either of them. They eyed their older brother desperately, but he was watching Caitlyn's frantic struggles, a frown on his face.
"Here, now. No one's going to hurt you. So just give over, lass, do." Connor was speaking to her, his voice gentle, soothing. Caitlyn called him a name that would have made a whore blush and spat in his direction. She had the satisfaction of watching him
"Connor." But Rory couldn't seem to say any more than his brother's name. Connor frowned as he looked Rory over closely.
"What ails you, Rory? Can't you speak?"
"Connor, he's a bloody lass!" Cormac blurted, looking accusingly at Caitlyn.
VII
'"What?" Those devil's eyes swiveled to stare at Cormac.
"He's a lass, I tell you. O'Malley. He—she's a lass."
"What nonsense are you spouting now, Cormac?"
"It's no nonsense." Rory got to his feet, his eyes still fastened on Caitlyn with a kind of horror. "That's a lass."
Connor's eyes turned back to rake Caitlyn, who lay huddled on the grass in a state of what almost amounted to shock, her eyes huge on Connor's face. "He looks like no lass I ever saw.
Your brain's getting soft, the pair of you."
Drawing a quick, shaky breath, Caitlyn mustered all her courage and scrambled to her feet.
Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance the younger d'Arcys wouldn't be able to convince their brother. Maybe she could even make them doubt what they'd seen. Desperate, she realized that a bluff was her only chance.
" 'Tis naught but a pack of lies! I'm as much a man as any of you! Aye, and more than you, Cormac d'Arcy. I bloodied your nose right proper, did I not?"
The three d'Arcys stared at her. None seemed about to rise to the bait. Connor's eyes in particular unsettled her as he ran them slowly from the very top of her head down the length of her body to her wet shoes and back up again, stopping to frown at strategic spots in between.
"We were sporting around and Cormac yanked his— her breeches to his knees. He—she was as bare as a babe,
Connor. And she's a lass. There's no doubt at all, Connor." Rory's voice was hoarsely earnest.
"A lass!" Connor looked as dumbfounded as the others.
"Nay!" Caitlyn yelled, backing away as Connor took a step toward her. Flight was her objective. She would not stay to be abused by men who knew her true sex. Her mother's fate flashed like a horrible warning before her. Although her body had never been used by a man, she was no innocent. She knew the violence that men for their own pleasure perpetrated on helpless females. Her mother had dressed her in male attire to prevent just such a thing from happening to her. She would run, hide in the countryside, make her way back to Dublin . . .
"Catch him—her—oh, hell, just do it, Rory!" Connor gave the clipped instruction just as Caitlyn turned to flee. Rory was already behind her. His hands closed over her upper arms, stopping her in mid-step with her back to him.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Terror gave her strength as she struggled wildly. Her first crazed thought was that she would be thrown on the ground and used by the three of them there and then. Men were beasts about their pleasure. Rory's grip on her arms was unbreakable, so she picked up her foot and kicked backward as hard as she could, catching him in the kneecap.
"Arghh! Sweet Brian, she's a little hellcat! Here, give me a hand, Cormac, quick!"
Caitlyn screamed as Cormac grabbed her around the waist, lifting her clear off the ground with one arm tight around her knees to try to still her kicking while Rory held her flailing fists.
Writhing in desperate fear and anger, she shrieked curses at the top of her lungs.
"Watch her feet! Hold 'em, Cormac!"
"Hell, you hold her hands! She nigh tore off my privates earlier! She's vicious as a trapped badger!"
Rory and Cormac barely managed to hold her in a position in which she could do relatively little damage to either of them. They eyed their older brother desperately, but he was watching Caitlyn's frantic struggles, a frown on his face.
"Here, now. No one's going to hurt you. So just give over, lass, do." Connor was speaking to her, his voice gentle, soothing. Caitlyn called him a name that would have made a whore blush and spat in his direction. She had the satisfaction of watching him
Similar Books
