Read Online Dream of Me/Believe in Me by Josie Litton - Free Book Online

only a few yards from where she sat.
    Unfortunately, she couldn't shut off her hearing as easily as she averted her eyes. She was vividly aware of every splash of water, every sound of movement, imagining Wolf running the soap over himself, washing that magnificent body, rising from the pond, imagining—
    It was fortunate that the air was cooling so rapidly, otherwise she would have been unbearably hot in the ermine cloak.
    “Ready to go?” She looked up. He was standing right beside her, dressed again in his tunic and trousers.
    Droplets of water clung to his thick, ebony hair. He looked very aloof and stern, very watchful.
    Piqued by his ability to hide his emotions when hers felt rubbed raw, Cymbra took the hand he offered with a calm she did not feel. Lean, hard fingers closed around hers, evoking a deep shiver of pleasure. She ignored it stalwartly, stood, and, with a nod as regal as any queen's, tried to pull her hand free. Instinctively, his hold tightened. He looked surprised by his reaction and released her immediately. But he still wasn't above having the last word.
    “Don't get too far ahead,” he said pleasantly. “These woods are full of wolves.”
    Wolves, sharks, Vikings, what difference did it make? She was tempted to ask but thought better of it. Still, she didn't precisely go racing off without him. They returned to the beach together.
    The men were already asleep around the fire, or discreetly pretending to be. Wolf lay down and pointed to the place next to him. When Cymbra didn't spring to obey, he merely shrugged and rolled over. Soon he, too, appeared to sleep.
    She hesitated, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with fatigue and just slightly ridiculous. Her captor had made it absolutely clear how he felt about her. Whatever he intended, he was hardly likely to be overcome with lust at this late date.
    Telling herself that the sting she felt wasn't from her battered pride, Cymbra finally stretched out on the still-warm sand. Her last thought was of the phantom motion of the dragon ship gently rocking her to sleep.
    T WO MORE DAYS THEY SAILED, FIRST EAST INTO THE rising sun, then north. The land changed as craggy hills appeared and pressed in close to the shore. A fewfarms were scattered along the narrow band of flat ground beside the water, their fields stretching up the hillsides.
    Once, Cymbra saw a gaggle of children come running through a field of golden barley, waving to them, their brown legs churning over the rich, black earth. The men waved back and the children's happy shouts were heard far out across the water. After that, it seemed as though the mood on board was at once lighter and more tense as the men counted down the hours to home.
    Cymbra slept poorly that night, and the next day anxiety gripped her. She sat in the bow, watching the passing shore for any sign of their destination. Toward midday, they approached a cluster of islands and shoals that at first glance appeared to be impenetrable. Wolf took the rudder and the men rowed more slowly as they carefully made their way through a narrow channel strewn with huge boulders on either side.
    The channel opened up suddenly into a large bay of deep blue water perfectly reflecting the sheltering hills that rose above it. At the far end of the bay, protected by both land and sea, was a sizable settlement.
    Several hundred small and medium-sized buildings were clustered close together, smoke rising from the peaks of their thatched roofs. In between were lanes filled with carts, people, and animals. Within the town, several large, open areas apparently served as marketplaces. Farther out, three large stone piers reached into the bay. From the one closest to the town, the shore had been faced in stones so as to create a continuous dockage for shallow-draft vessels. Above the town, commanding a sweeping view out over the bay, was a hill fort surrounded by an earthen berm dotted with watchtowers. The whole created the impression of a bustling,