Read Online Stormfire by Christine Monson - Free Book Online Page A

of being a child again, of running through a forest from some terru ble unseen beast, altered. The heat was as oppressive as that of a jungle and she was now a young woman, but still wearing a child's nightdress and crying for her mother. As always, Elise appeared, dressed for riding. She silently took her hand and led her from the forest into a misted meadow split by a crumbling stone wall. Usually the dream faded away at this point; but now, a black-hooded executioner waited by the wall, his bare chest covered with crimson slashes. Among the cuts gaped mortal wounds; sick with fear, she tried to run away, but no matter where she stumbled, her mother blocked her escape. The executioner seized her, threw her down on the wall, then ripped away her nightshift. She screkmed uselessly for Elise. Then it seemed her body was being torn apart, as if she were being stabbed by curving blades, and in her agony she saw eyes glitter green hellfire through the slits of the executioner's mask. Pleading, she caught at her mother's habit, but the habit was covered with blood, and Elise's beautiful face was cold. "Now, it is your turn. But you cannot die. You will never escape me. I will follow you always . . . always . . ."
    Ice touched her cheeks and forehead while someone held her down. She tried to fight free. "No, no. Lie quietly. You're beginning to feel better, are you not?" The voice was soothing. She began to relax until the aroma of hot chicken broth teased her nostrils. Her eyes flew open to see the gray-haired man from the dining room wave a spoon in front of her nose.
    His blue eyes crinkled. "Ah, I thought Peg's soup would bring results. Not too quickly now; it's hot."
    Obediently, she sipped. After several mouthfuls she lifted her attention from the spoon to scrutinize him.
    "I'm Doctor Flynn. We met at breakfast the other day."
    Flynn was brisk, but she sensed he was kind. It seemed she had caught a chill and spent a rough day and night. She sipped as he offered the spoon again, then asked wryly, "Won't the master of Shelan disapprove of my dining before I've done a day's work?"
    "I think not. Liam didn't condone your confinement without food."
    "Liam?" Now it was her turn to be startled. "Liam is master here?"
    He guessed the source of her error. "Lord Liam Culhane is the twelfth Culhane of Shelan. The man with whom you . . . disagreed is his younger brother, Sean." To forestall more questions, he settled the blankets higher about her shoulders. "You should sleep now."
    "That's all I've been doing for . . . how many hours now?" Despite her light tone, shadows crept into her eyes.
    "Breakfast was three days ago. It's Friday, near dusk."
    Slipping his fingers about her wrist, he took her pulse. "Don't you want to sleep?"
    "Not particularly." Her lashes shuttered. "Sometimes I have bad dreams; fortunately, I never remember them."
    He looked at her a long moment, released her wrist, then slipped the pillow from behind her and tucked her in. She had hardly been aware she was wearing one of Peg's roomy nightgowns.
    "I don't believe you'll be having any more bad dreams tonight. Just think of having a solid breakfast in the morning."
    Briefly, Flynn reported Catherine's recovery to Sean Culhane. His elbows on the desk, Culhane flicked a quill in his fingers. "When will she be up and about?"
    "Tomorrow morning if she doesn't overtax. Naturally, she has to eat to regain strength."
    "Naturally." Culhane's tone was dry. "Then there'll be no complications?"
    "She's resiliant and determined."
    A wolfish smile mocked him. "You admire the little wench's nerve for bearding the ogre in his den, don't you?" The smile grew grim. "She's a spoiled brat who has never been thwarted in her life. Her diamond-studded hairbrushes would feed an Irish family for life. Her French grandmother was a royal whore; her mother, an empty-headed doll who wasted her portion of one of the greatest fortunes in France. And like the rest of her lot, Miss Enderly has