Read Online Ruby - Book 1 (Daughters of the Dagger Series) by Elizabeth Rose - Free Book Online Page A

idea until the
crowded room started chanting, “kiss, kiss, kiss.”
    “I can’t disappoint them,” he told her
softly.
    “You can’t disappoint me either,” she
said.
    He didn’t know what she meant by that, but
without waiting any longer and in order to calm the noisy room, he
reached his hand around the back of her head and pulled her toward
him, fastening his lips over hers tightly, not giving her the
opportunity to bite him again.
    Her fists came up and she pushed against his
chest, but when he deepened the kiss, her arms slowly lowered,
coming to rest against him. The crowd cheered and clapped and he
found himself enjoying kissing her when she wasn’t trying to bite
him. He felt an odd feeling in his chest and would have liked to
discover what it was, but instead he pulled away quickly.
    “All right,” he said. “Now that that is over
with, let’s start the feast. I’m starved.”
     
    Ruby never meant to let him kiss her, but it
all happened so fast that she barely had a chance to react. She’d
meant to push him away, but when his lips caressed hers and she
felt the warmth growing as she came to life under his touch, she’d
closed her eyes and threw back her head. Instead of the angry,
punishing kiss she’d thought he’d give her, his lips were soft and
sensuous and inviting. She was shocked at her own eager response to
his advance, and found herself wanting even more.
    Never had she thought a kiss from the Lord
of Death would feel so passionate and alive. It was dangerous in an
exciting sort of way, and had her wondering what other responses
he’d be able to coax from her.
    His lips had slowly pulled away, taking with
him the vibrations that were flowing freely through her and leaving
her mouth burning with desire. She opened her eyes only to find him
already half way up the dais, leaving her standing there as if
nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. Of course, for him,
this wasn’t out of the ordinary as he seemed to marry someone every
week or so.
    “My lady, let me help you to the dais,” said
Oralie.
    “I’m fine,” she told her handmaiden, her
eyes locked onto her new husband as she spoke. “I do not have a
long train on this gown, so I can make it on my own, but thank you
just the same.”
    She headed up the dais, and instead of
pulling out the chair for her, he sat himself down, holding out his
goblet to the cupbearer to be filled with wine. She settled herself
at the table next to him, then spoke, her eyes looking out to the
crowd rather than at him.
    “And you say I am the one who is crude and
not proper.”
    He nodded to the cupbearer who went on to
fill the drinking vessel of the chaplain sitting next to him. She
noticed that there was only one cup between them and realized they
would have to share. There was also only one trencher, hollowed-out
crust of brown bread, between them to hold their food.
    “Pardon me, Wife? What was that you said?”
His eyes searched her face as he brought the goblet to his mouth.
After taking a sip, he held it up for her to drink as well.
    “’Twas nothing,” she said, tilting the
goblet from the bottom of the stem rather than to touch his hand
holding the proffered cup. She drank where his lips had been just
seconds ago, only making her feel his essence running through her
once again as she remembered his kiss. She released the goblet and
leaned back in her chair and let out a sigh.
    “Oh,” he said, placing the drinking vessel
on the table. “I almost forgot.” He patted his surcoat as if he
were looking for something then pulled out an object from inside
his tunic and laid in on the table in front of him and pushed it
over halfway between them.
    “It’s yours if you want it.”
    She fastened her gaze onto a simple golden
ring. She felt disappointed that he wasn’t putting it on her finger
and also that he sounded so nonchalant as if it didn’t matter if
she took it or not.
    She picked up the ring gingerly in two
fingers, the