Read Online Dying Wish: A Novel of the Sentinel Wars by Shannon K. Butcher - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Shannon K. Butcher
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he was thinking.
He had nice features—high cheekbones, a wide jaw and strong chin with a slight cleft. His beard had grown out just a bit, shadowing his jaw. There were a few paler spots where scars dotted his skin, and she wondered if he’d gotten them in the same attack that had scarred his hand, or if there had been others.
Jackie reached out to trace her finger over that scar before she realized what she was doing. She snatched her hand back and shoved it under her thigh to keep it where it belonged. Touching Iain was not an option. It made her feel strange, tingly and warm.
She remembered that warmth from the night he’d rescued her. She’d been so cold for so long. The heat of his skin felt like sunlight spreading through her. Shock and weakness had numbed her, but that heat had penetrated through the haze, giving her something to focus on so she could hold herself together for just a little longer—long enough to see that the children were all brought out safely.
It occurred to her that she didn’t think she’d ever thanked him for that. He’d gone after the kids alone, risking his life to save them. She owed him for that. But was her debt large enough to do what these people wanted and give up her life?
Iain’s seat was pushed all the way back to make room for his body, and despite the cool temperatures outside, his arms were bare beneath his short sleeves. Corded muscles wove their way up over his shoulders, and she could see just a bit of his tree tattoo peeking out from his sleeve and creeping up his neck. What branches she could see were all bare—not a good sign among his kind, according to Helen.
“How much time do you have left?” she asked him, before she thought better of it.
“As much as it takes,” he answered a bit too quickly.
“How many leaves?”
He turned and gave her a steady stare. “If you want to know that, you’ll have to count them.”
The idea of getting his shirt off sent a little trill of something shooting through her. Fear? Excitement? She couldn’t really tell. It had come and gone too fast for her to make any sense out of it.
“I think I’ll pass.”
He grunted. “That’s what I thought you’d say.”
The sun burned her eyes, and she’d just now realized how low it had gotten in the sky. She’d been staring at him for way too long. Sunset was only a few minutes away. “We need to find a safe place to stop.”
“I thought you wanted to see Samson.”
“I do, but I don’t want to go there at night. I can’t risk drawing any of the monsters to him.”
Iain accepted that without argument. “There’s a Gerai house not far from here.”
“No. That’s part of your world, not mine. We’ll find a hotel.”
“Suit yourself. But just so we’re clear, we’re sharing a room.”
“I don’t think so. I may have picked you, but that’s as far as it goes.”
“I’m not going to fuck you. I’m not even going to touch you. But if you think that I’m going to leave you unguarded so that you can be taken again, you’re wrong. One room, Jackie. I’m not negotiating with you on this.”
“Two beds,” she demanded.
“If that makes you feel better, but I won’t need one. I won’t be sleeping.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t trust you not to run off. That’s not happening on my watch, even if it means I invest in a nice pair of handcuffs.”
Jackie didn’t doubt for a second that he’d do it. While some of the other men might have hesitated to do anything to upset her, Iain didn’t seem to suffer from that same soft spot. For some reason, that was part of what she liked about him. He wasn’t pretending. This was who he was, and he wasn’t changing himself to try to entice her. As inconvenient as it was that he wasn’t bowing to her every wish, she had to respect that.
They pulled into the first hotel they found, just as the sun was setting. It was a bit dated and run-down, but as long as the beds were clean, she didn’t
He had nice features—high cheekbones, a wide jaw and strong chin with a slight cleft. His beard had grown out just a bit, shadowing his jaw. There were a few paler spots where scars dotted his skin, and she wondered if he’d gotten them in the same attack that had scarred his hand, or if there had been others.
Jackie reached out to trace her finger over that scar before she realized what she was doing. She snatched her hand back and shoved it under her thigh to keep it where it belonged. Touching Iain was not an option. It made her feel strange, tingly and warm.
She remembered that warmth from the night he’d rescued her. She’d been so cold for so long. The heat of his skin felt like sunlight spreading through her. Shock and weakness had numbed her, but that heat had penetrated through the haze, giving her something to focus on so she could hold herself together for just a little longer—long enough to see that the children were all brought out safely.
It occurred to her that she didn’t think she’d ever thanked him for that. He’d gone after the kids alone, risking his life to save them. She owed him for that. But was her debt large enough to do what these people wanted and give up her life?
Iain’s seat was pushed all the way back to make room for his body, and despite the cool temperatures outside, his arms were bare beneath his short sleeves. Corded muscles wove their way up over his shoulders, and she could see just a bit of his tree tattoo peeking out from his sleeve and creeping up his neck. What branches she could see were all bare—not a good sign among his kind, according to Helen.
“How much time do you have left?” she asked him, before she thought better of it.
“As much as it takes,” he answered a bit too quickly.
“How many leaves?”
He turned and gave her a steady stare. “If you want to know that, you’ll have to count them.”
The idea of getting his shirt off sent a little trill of something shooting through her. Fear? Excitement? She couldn’t really tell. It had come and gone too fast for her to make any sense out of it.
“I think I’ll pass.”
He grunted. “That’s what I thought you’d say.”
The sun burned her eyes, and she’d just now realized how low it had gotten in the sky. She’d been staring at him for way too long. Sunset was only a few minutes away. “We need to find a safe place to stop.”
“I thought you wanted to see Samson.”
“I do, but I don’t want to go there at night. I can’t risk drawing any of the monsters to him.”
Iain accepted that without argument. “There’s a Gerai house not far from here.”
“No. That’s part of your world, not mine. We’ll find a hotel.”
“Suit yourself. But just so we’re clear, we’re sharing a room.”
“I don’t think so. I may have picked you, but that’s as far as it goes.”
“I’m not going to fuck you. I’m not even going to touch you. But if you think that I’m going to leave you unguarded so that you can be taken again, you’re wrong. One room, Jackie. I’m not negotiating with you on this.”
“Two beds,” she demanded.
“If that makes you feel better, but I won’t need one. I won’t be sleeping.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t trust you not to run off. That’s not happening on my watch, even if it means I invest in a nice pair of handcuffs.”
Jackie didn’t doubt for a second that he’d do it. While some of the other men might have hesitated to do anything to upset her, Iain didn’t seem to suffer from that same soft spot. For some reason, that was part of what she liked about him. He wasn’t pretending. This was who he was, and he wasn’t changing himself to try to entice her. As inconvenient as it was that he wasn’t bowing to her every wish, she had to respect that.
They pulled into the first hotel they found, just as the sun was setting. It was a bit dated and run-down, but as long as the beds were clean, she didn’t
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