Read Online Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker - Free Book Online

hadn’t left the west tower for a ride or gone out checking on the guards.
    Natasha was in trouble! Lucine had to get help, and his was the only name that came to mind for this kind of business.
    Dinner service the night before had been an interesting enough affair, as many of Mother’s were, with Natasha ogling Alek, and Kesia doing nothing to temper her. They had all laughed too much between bold statements.
    They’d retired to the card room and played quadrille while Toma sat in a chair playing his role as guardian wolf. Evidently he’d given Alek the night off, because the man showed no concern in the world about what assassin might climb through the window to kill them all. Indeed, he had eyes only for Natasha, who was clearly over her loss of the dead Russian.
    Toma had excused himself soon after, and with him gone, Lucine’s motivation for staying up late was also gone, so she retired early as well.
    Toma. She couldn’t keep her mind off him, because she couldn’t shake the feeling that perhaps Natasha had been right. Perhaps this stallion did have eyes for her and was only keeping them averted to be proper.
    If so, she might be flattered, but it wouldn’t mean she would fall for him, certainly not the way Natasha fell for her men.
    Lucine, whose bedroom was just down the hall from Natasha’s, had been awakened by something in the dead of night and had sat up in bed. But all was still, so she had assured herself the noise was only in her dream, and she’d dropped back to her pillow and fallen asleep.
    But she’d been wrong.
    â€œToma!”
    She ran down the hall that led to the second guest room, hesitated only a moment with her hand on the door handle, then pushed it wide without knocking.
    He was on the balcony, facing the meadow beyond. Hands on hips, dark hair loose and tangled around his neck.
    Black pants only. No shirt. No shoes or socks.
    Toma was tall, even without boots, but she wouldn’t have guessed the strength of the man before her. The muscles on his back wrapped around either side, divided by the channel that was his spine. His shoulders were bunched like a horse’s in full gallop; his long arms, though loose now, could surely wrestle that same horse to the ground. She’d seen naked men, but none with such definition.
    Nor any with such a pronounced scar as his across their lower backs.
    Lucine saw it all in the space of her gasp as Toma twisted back. Their eyes locked. Then he spun around, facing her with concern.
    â€œWhat is it?”
    His chest was as well defined as his back, and his belly rippled like a pond disturbed by a stone.
    â€œWhat is it?” he asked again, crossing to her.
    â€œIt’s Natasha.” Lucine was breathing hard from her run.
    â€œWhat about her?”
    â€œI don’t know! There’s blood and—”
    He was moving already, grabbing his pistol, snatching up her hand, pulling her toward the hall.
    â€œWhere? Show me!”
    â€œHer bedroom. She’s still there.”
    Toma released her hand, shouting as he rounded his doorway. “Alek, now!” He spun back to her. “Sorry. Can you grab my shirt there?”
    â€œYes. Yes, of course.” She grabbed the white tunic that hung on the bedpost and hurried into the hall with him.
    â€œNow tell me what you saw.”
    She heard the door to Alek’s room open behind them.
    â€œI told you, I don’t know.”
    â€œYou’ve forgotten? Don’t tell me what it was , tell me what you saw . Is she alive? Is she alone?”
    They ran, rounded two corners, then continued down a third hall.
    â€œLucine!” he snapped. “Is she alive?”
    â€œYes. I think so. And as far as I could see she was alone.”
    They were several paces from the white door that led to Natasha’s room before Toma pulled up.
    â€œSo, no danger that you saw?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    He took her shoulders in both