Read Online Hunger Untamed by Pamela Palmer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Pamela Palmer
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sliced through Ariana's voice, her skin turning suddenly, deathly pale. "The cuff." Her eyes clutched at him, wide and terrified. "I'll tell you everything. Just give me the cuff!"
Kougar stared at her, part of him wanting her to suffer as he was suffering. Another part of him, driven by the cat inside him, desperate to protect her from whatever was causing her such distress.
Even knowing what she was, the sight of her anguish was a blade twisting in his gut. With a frustrated burst of air, he went to retrieve the bracelet from the rug by the foot of the sofa.
Returning to her, he clasped it back around her wrist. At once, the tension left her on a shuddering sigh as she collapsed against the wall behind her, eyes closed. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," she murmured, the litany, a desperate mantra.
He kept hold of her wrist, suspecting the bracelet held the transport magic she'd used to escape him before, and he wasn't letting her go again. Not until he knew what the hell was going on.
Suddenly, she stiffened, her eyes flying open, eyes filled with shock and terror.
"Ariana." Though one manacle kept her chained to the wall, he grabbed her as her knees gave way beneath her. "Tell me."
Her gaze lifted to his, her eyes deep wells of horror. " He knows. " A tense quaking invaded her body.
Kougar felt like he'd walked into the middle of a movie he knew nothing about. He lifted his hand, cupping her face, his thumb brushing her cheek. "Who knows, Ariana?"
"I have to get to my maidens, Kougar. They're in danger." Her voice trembled, her eyes almost wild. "You have to let me go!"
"Tell me what's going on."
She struggled against his hold, thrashing wildly. "Let me go!"
Inside, his cat yowled with distress. His gut knotted at the anguish in her eyes. But if he let her go now, he might lose his only chance to save Hawke and Tighe. He couldn't be certain where she'd go. And if it wasn't the Crystal Realm, he wouldn't be able to follow.
He tightened his grip on her jaw, forcing her to look at him. A sheen of perspiration dampened her too-pale skin. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on, Ariana."
He waited as she struggled to pull herself together though her breaths remained ragged, and her lips pressed together with a faint tremble that told him she was close to tears. She blinked hard, pulled in a shuddering breath, and met his gaze.
"Who knows?" he prompted quietly.
"A Mage." She tried to look away. "The moonstones have kept him from finding me. He'll attack us."
Kougar frowned. "I didn't think anyone knew you were alive." Those who knew the truth had a way of dying beneath Melisande's sword. Or being dragged back to the Crystal Realm to die there.
"He didn't. Now he does."
Kougar stared at her, struggling to fill in the blanks. Since when did the Mage attack Ilinas?
"He's attacked you before?" He stilled. "When, Ariana?"
She glanced at him, but couldn't hold his gaze. "A hundred years ago."
"You're lying." Goose bumps erupted on his arms as understanding crashed over him. "Not a hundred years ago, but a thousand. Am I right?"
When she didn't answer, he squeezed her jaw harder. "Am I right?"
"Yes! Yes, it was a thousand years ago." She met his gaze, truth and anguish in her eyes. "He all but destroyed us. The moonstones were all that's kept us safe. I don't know why he couldn't sense me through them, but he couldn't." Tears began to roll down her cheeks. "But now he knows."
Kougar reeled at the implications. "It was never dark spirit that attacked you, but a Mage ?"
His breath lodged in his throat as his world flipped upside down, as Ariana rewrote thousand-year-old history in the space of seconds. Twenty-one years ago he'd learned the Ilinas weren't extinct. That Ariana still lived. Twenty-one years later, he was still reeling from that revelation. But this rocked him even more. Because if Ariana hadn't been attacked by dark spirit . . . she wasn't soulless . The woman he'd loved still
Kougar stared at her, part of him wanting her to suffer as he was suffering. Another part of him, driven by the cat inside him, desperate to protect her from whatever was causing her such distress.
Even knowing what she was, the sight of her anguish was a blade twisting in his gut. With a frustrated burst of air, he went to retrieve the bracelet from the rug by the foot of the sofa.
Returning to her, he clasped it back around her wrist. At once, the tension left her on a shuddering sigh as she collapsed against the wall behind her, eyes closed. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," she murmured, the litany, a desperate mantra.
He kept hold of her wrist, suspecting the bracelet held the transport magic she'd used to escape him before, and he wasn't letting her go again. Not until he knew what the hell was going on.
Suddenly, she stiffened, her eyes flying open, eyes filled with shock and terror.
"Ariana." Though one manacle kept her chained to the wall, he grabbed her as her knees gave way beneath her. "Tell me."
Her gaze lifted to his, her eyes deep wells of horror. " He knows. " A tense quaking invaded her body.
Kougar felt like he'd walked into the middle of a movie he knew nothing about. He lifted his hand, cupping her face, his thumb brushing her cheek. "Who knows, Ariana?"
"I have to get to my maidens, Kougar. They're in danger." Her voice trembled, her eyes almost wild. "You have to let me go!"
"Tell me what's going on."
She struggled against his hold, thrashing wildly. "Let me go!"
Inside, his cat yowled with distress. His gut knotted at the anguish in her eyes. But if he let her go now, he might lose his only chance to save Hawke and Tighe. He couldn't be certain where she'd go. And if it wasn't the Crystal Realm, he wouldn't be able to follow.
He tightened his grip on her jaw, forcing her to look at him. A sheen of perspiration dampened her too-pale skin. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on, Ariana."
He waited as she struggled to pull herself together though her breaths remained ragged, and her lips pressed together with a faint tremble that told him she was close to tears. She blinked hard, pulled in a shuddering breath, and met his gaze.
"Who knows?" he prompted quietly.
"A Mage." She tried to look away. "The moonstones have kept him from finding me. He'll attack us."
Kougar frowned. "I didn't think anyone knew you were alive." Those who knew the truth had a way of dying beneath Melisande's sword. Or being dragged back to the Crystal Realm to die there.
"He didn't. Now he does."
Kougar stared at her, struggling to fill in the blanks. Since when did the Mage attack Ilinas?
"He's attacked you before?" He stilled. "When, Ariana?"
She glanced at him, but couldn't hold his gaze. "A hundred years ago."
"You're lying." Goose bumps erupted on his arms as understanding crashed over him. "Not a hundred years ago, but a thousand. Am I right?"
When she didn't answer, he squeezed her jaw harder. "Am I right?"
"Yes! Yes, it was a thousand years ago." She met his gaze, truth and anguish in her eyes. "He all but destroyed us. The moonstones were all that's kept us safe. I don't know why he couldn't sense me through them, but he couldn't." Tears began to roll down her cheeks. "But now he knows."
Kougar reeled at the implications. "It was never dark spirit that attacked you, but a Mage ?"
His breath lodged in his throat as his world flipped upside down, as Ariana rewrote thousand-year-old history in the space of seconds. Twenty-one years ago he'd learned the Ilinas weren't extinct. That Ariana still lived. Twenty-one years later, he was still reeling from that revelation. But this rocked him even more. Because if Ariana hadn't been attacked by dark spirit . . . she wasn't soulless . The woman he'd loved still
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