that doesn’t mean I’ll go easy with you.”
Rudely jarred awake, Oriana sat up slowly and swung her bare feet off the high bed. She brushed her curls out of her eyes, and stared up at him with what she hoped would pass for sincere sympathy rather than abject pity.
“I’m sorry I fell asleep,” she replied. “I tried to wait up for you.”
Egan tossed his cloak over a nearby chest, then ripped his tunic off over his head and threw it atop the cloak. “Why? Did you really believe I’d listen to your apologies?”
Oriana’s eyes widened, and she hoped Egan would not continue tearing off his clothes to confront her naked when she was already all too aware of his size and strength. “Why would I apologize to you, my lord? You were the one who not only doubted me, but abandoned me at the edge of the sea.”
Considering Oriana worse than insolent, Egan’s face filled with rage. He bent to yank her off his bed, to shake her, to punish her for the unbearable pain of his father’sloss, but the word fool again rang in his head so loudly that he released her as though her pale skin had scorched his hands.
“How do you do that?” he demanded.
Oriana was trapped between the broad wall of Egan’s chest and the foot of his bed, but with a great force of will remained calm. “Just what is it that you believe I’m doing?”
“The voice. It’s calling me a fool just as it did at the gate, and I’ll not tolerate it another moment.”
He looked ready to rip her head from her shoulders, and yet Oriana was more intrigued than frightened. “You heard someone call you a fool just now?”
Egan swiped his hand through his hair as he turned away and began to pace in front of her. “Aye. I’ll not have you running through my head, Oriana.”
He had not reached for the knife at his belt, but bare-chested with his hands rolled into fists, he looked as though that might be his next move. Oriana extended her hand to graze his arm in a tentative caress, and he spun toward her, his light eyes aflame.
He was a terrifying sight, and yet as wildly handsome as she had ever seen him. That stunning awareness came at such an inappropriate time that her cheeks flushed with shame. “I possess no magical powers, Egan. None at all,” she stressed. “If the gods are speaking to you, please listen. They’ve never lied to me.”
“Do you think me a fool as well?” he asked accusingly.
“No. Of course not,” she assured him. “You’re heartbroken over your father’s death. I wish I’d been better able to make you heed my warning, but even if you had, it wouldn’t have softened this terrible blow. Now please tell me what Ula said.”
Egan’s eyes narrowed menacingly. “You’re simply trying to distract me,” he swore darkly.
Oriana held her breath a moment and willed herself to look deeply. She was disappointed when, as before, her gift failed to provide clear insight into Egan’s future, butshe was convinced she would never come to any harm at his hands. He hated her, she could see that without relying upon the knowing , and though it saddened her, she wasn’t afraid.
“No,” she confided in a hushed whisper. “That would be devious, and I merely wish to learn what she revealed.”
Taking that for a blatant lie, Egan cursed under his breath and resumed pacing. He would never forgive himself for failing his father in his time of desperate need, and as the guilt raged within him, he spoke to unburden himself rather than out of any desire to confide in the beauty whose honeyed voice had always warned of doom.
“Ula swears she fell ill and suffered such violent pains she begged to die. Father summoned her Druids to cast their spells, but though they succeeded in curing her, when he fell victim to the same torment, their incantations failed to save him. Several others fell ill and died, an ancient Druid among them, but apparently my half brother, Kieran, felt no more than a slight twinge and recovered
Rudely jarred awake, Oriana sat up slowly and swung her bare feet off the high bed. She brushed her curls out of her eyes, and stared up at him with what she hoped would pass for sincere sympathy rather than abject pity.
“I’m sorry I fell asleep,” she replied. “I tried to wait up for you.”
Egan tossed his cloak over a nearby chest, then ripped his tunic off over his head and threw it atop the cloak. “Why? Did you really believe I’d listen to your apologies?”
Oriana’s eyes widened, and she hoped Egan would not continue tearing off his clothes to confront her naked when she was already all too aware of his size and strength. “Why would I apologize to you, my lord? You were the one who not only doubted me, but abandoned me at the edge of the sea.”
Considering Oriana worse than insolent, Egan’s face filled with rage. He bent to yank her off his bed, to shake her, to punish her for the unbearable pain of his father’sloss, but the word fool again rang in his head so loudly that he released her as though her pale skin had scorched his hands.
“How do you do that?” he demanded.
Oriana was trapped between the broad wall of Egan’s chest and the foot of his bed, but with a great force of will remained calm. “Just what is it that you believe I’m doing?”
“The voice. It’s calling me a fool just as it did at the gate, and I’ll not tolerate it another moment.”
He looked ready to rip her head from her shoulders, and yet Oriana was more intrigued than frightened. “You heard someone call you a fool just now?”
Egan swiped his hand through his hair as he turned away and began to pace in front of her. “Aye. I’ll not have you running through my head, Oriana.”
He had not reached for the knife at his belt, but bare-chested with his hands rolled into fists, he looked as though that might be his next move. Oriana extended her hand to graze his arm in a tentative caress, and he spun toward her, his light eyes aflame.
He was a terrifying sight, and yet as wildly handsome as she had ever seen him. That stunning awareness came at such an inappropriate time that her cheeks flushed with shame. “I possess no magical powers, Egan. None at all,” she stressed. “If the gods are speaking to you, please listen. They’ve never lied to me.”
“Do you think me a fool as well?” he asked accusingly.
“No. Of course not,” she assured him. “You’re heartbroken over your father’s death. I wish I’d been better able to make you heed my warning, but even if you had, it wouldn’t have softened this terrible blow. Now please tell me what Ula said.”
Egan’s eyes narrowed menacingly. “You’re simply trying to distract me,” he swore darkly.
Oriana held her breath a moment and willed herself to look deeply. She was disappointed when, as before, her gift failed to provide clear insight into Egan’s future, butshe was convinced she would never come to any harm at his hands. He hated her, she could see that without relying upon the knowing , and though it saddened her, she wasn’t afraid.
“No,” she confided in a hushed whisper. “That would be devious, and I merely wish to learn what she revealed.”
Taking that for a blatant lie, Egan cursed under his breath and resumed pacing. He would never forgive himself for failing his father in his time of desperate need, and as the guilt raged within him, he spoke to unburden himself rather than out of any desire to confide in the beauty whose honeyed voice had always warned of doom.
“Ula swears she fell ill and suffered such violent pains she begged to die. Father summoned her Druids to cast their spells, but though they succeeded in curing her, when he fell victim to the same torment, their incantations failed to save him. Several others fell ill and died, an ancient Druid among them, but apparently my half brother, Kieran, felt no more than a slight twinge and recovered
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