Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
“Edmond has been a good regional lord.”
“So, he is old and no longer capable of serving the king as he should.” Kaelan lowered the tankard to the table. “Your men should make sure to keep weapons close, though I doubt a creature as large as you claim would enter the village.”
“Why?” she asked, wondering how he might know that.
“Fear. The creature is probably just as fearful of humans as they are of him. He may have stumbled out of Driochmor and seeks to find its way home.”
She offered a counter opinion. “That seems unlikely after all these years of nothing escaping Driochmor.”
“Do you know that for sure?” he asked, taking slow steps toward her with each word.
Heat drifted off him as he got nearer to her, along with a scent that was quite pleasing, yet unfamiliar to her. It wasn’t a sweet scent or like the forest, filled with pine and fresh earth. Though it was earthy and unique and she found herself attracted to it.
Kaelan stopped in front of her. “There are no gates, nor fences, nothing to stop anyone or anything from leaving Driochmor.”
He moved closer, though he warned himself not to, so close their garments brushed. He watched as his scent consumed her, taking hold and not letting go. A soft gasp escaped her lips and she reached out, resting her hand on his chest to steady herself.
It was instant. Her touch delivered a jolt racing through him and leaving no doubt as to what he felt.
Her mind, not quite clear, had her speaking without thinking. “You should not be wearing your vest.”
Again, he warned himself to be cautious, but it did little good. He spoke low and soft, but it carried like a command. “Help me remove it.”
Bria tilted her head, staring at him for a moment.
“Your touch soothes and my shoulder aches,” he said as if sensing she needed an explanation. Or was he the one who needed it?
She nodded and undid the ties on either side, then lifted his vest, his hand coming to rest on hers to help her.
A jolt shot through her, swirled around, and almost swept her breath from her.
“In time, you will come to understand,” he said, having felt it himself.
“Understand what?” she asked and forced herself to step away from him.
“Distance will make no difference,” he cautioned.
“You are making no sense.”
“It will take time for you to grasp, to accept.”
Bria shook her head. “If you explained, I might just grasp it, though whether I accept it or not remains to be determined.”
“You have no choice. Fate has decreed it,” Kaelan said.
“I believe I will take my leave now and when you decide to explain it—whatever it may be—you can let me know,” Bria said, the heat in the cottage too much even though the hearth’s flames had nearly died.
“It is too soon—in time.”
She shook her head again, her brow puckering. “A fever might explain your odd behavior.”
She reached out to touch his brow.
He stepped back out of reach, his dark eyes flashing with concern. “I do not think you should do that. Not right now.”
“You may have a fever,” she said, worried.
“I have no fever,” he insisted.
“Why refuse my touch now when only moments ago you asked for help in removing your vest?”
“I wanted to confirm what I knew was so, even if the time wasn’t right.”
“There you go making no sense again.” She stopped him when he went to speak. “And do not say—in time I will understand.”
“Those words hold truth—”
She interrupted him. “That does not presently serve me well.”
“But will, eventually.”
Bria sighed. “I am leaving. Drink the brew and tomorrow you will make more sense.”
She stepped around him and almost reached the door.
“Bria.”
His voice drifted over her like a gentle whisper but with the strength of a shout that wrapped around her and wouldn’t let go.
She turned and he was there, right behind her. His arm slipped around her, drawing her up against him. His lips settled on hers in a warm, tender kiss that promised so much more, and the sensation surged too strong through her, darkness swallowing her whole.
Chapter Five
Driochmor
The Forbidden Land
Bria woke slowly. The quiet of her cottage settled around her before her thoughts could fully take hold. For a moment, she did not move.
The faint light of morning filtered through the narrow window, soft and familiar, resting across the table near the hearth and the small things she had left there the night before. Nothing appeared disturbed. Nothing out of place.
And yet…
She lay still beneath the covers, her brow faintly drawn as something refused to settle.
The last thing she remembered… her breath caught lightly.
Kaelan.
The warmth of him. The closeness. The way his arm had drawn her near and the feel of his lips against hers, gentle yet carrying a depth that had stolen her breath before she had even thought to pull away.