Black Lion's Bride
Page 35
It felt as wrong as stolen goods in her hand. The pendant did not belong to her, and while she had not taken it intentionally, she could not keep it. She had to bring it back to him, regardless of in what woeful state she might find the man down on the beach.
And she had to admit there was a part of her that wanted to know--needed to know--if there might be some slim chance that she could still help the stranger, regardless of her mother's adamant refusal.
Very carefully, mindful to make not even the slightest noise, Serena withdrew from her pallet bed. Her chemise floated about her feet, ghostly white, as silent as her footsteps on the crude floor of the cottage. Less than ten paces and she reached for the latch on the abode's oiled wood door. The rough-hewn panel gave only the faintest creak of protest as she slipped past it.
Serena paused at the threshold, waiting just long enough to see that the sound of her leaving had not disrupted her mother's sleep. Then, with the pendant caught fast in her hand, she stepped out into the moonlit night and headed for the narrow forest track that would lead her to the shore.
The surf rolled in on whitecapped waves, high tide nearly at its fullest. The water stretched almost halfway up the beach, receding from the sand as a glistening blanket of wetness. Serena looked at once down the line of the shore, walking quickly toward the place she had been that day, but she saw nothing. All that remained was sand and surf.
The debris and seaweed--the injured man--all of it was gone.
As if her unexpected discovery that morning had been naught but a troubling dream.
She stood at the edge of the shoreline, her toes immersed in saltwater and foam as another wave skated up the beach. Guilt welled bitterly in her throat when she thought of the stranger and how she had denied his plea for help. Was he out there somewhere, drifting lifelessly in the black vastness of the ocean beyond?
If so, then she was an accomplice to his death, as responsible as the storm he had barely survived, and the sea that likely claimed him after all. The knowledge squeezed her heart, useless remorse pressing down upon her as she gazed out at the emptiness of the horizon.
"I'm so sorry," she murmured, the pendant chain dangling limp from her fingertips.
Something knocked lightly against her foot as the wave that surged about her ankles now slid back from shore. It was her errant glove, the one she had dropped in her fright. Serena stooped down to pick it up, her ears ringing with the liquid roar of the sea. Waterlogged, likely ruined from its salty bath, the leather glove dripped a steady patter around her feet. She wrung it out, then turned to go back home.
Something tall and shadowed blocked her path.
"What did you do with it, wench?"
Serena tilted her head up...and up some more...until she was staring into a night-dark expression of seething rage.
Animosity radiated like fire from the man she had unwillingly left to die on the beach that morning. Serena took a step back in reflex.
"You stole something from me," the stranger growled, his voice a raw, throaty scrape of sound that skittered along her spine. "Damn it, woman! Tell me what you've done with it."
"H-here," she stammered, holding the pendant out before her in her ungloved fingers. "I didn't mean to take it."
A large hand jutted toward her to grab for the necklace. Serena drew her arm back the instant his fingers closed around the chain, relieved that she could command her wits enough to avoid contact with him. His coarse chuckle held no humor.
"So, you're a petty thief as well." The pendant disappeared in his curled fist. "No more games now. Give me the other item you took while I lay bleeding and unconscious at your feet."
"I-I don't know what you mean. I took nothing else from you, I swear it."
He took a step forward, a menacing step that put him much too close to her. Serena retreated a couple of paces, wading backward into the water. Wet sand sucked at her heels as the tide swelled with the incoming rush of another wave, the dark water catching the hem of her long chemise. The fabric twisted about her ankles, nearly tripping her.
"What did you take from this satchel?" he demanded, flinging an empty leather bag at her.
Serena caught it in her arms, confusion swamping her as quickly as the coming tide. "I took nothing out of this. You had the bag when I found you today, but I know naught of what it contained. For all I know, it was empty even at that time."
"Lies!" he bellowed.
His fists were held rigidly at his sides, and in the scant light of the partial moon and scattered stars, something wild flared in his eyes.
It was all the warning she had. In a flash of movement, the stranger lunged for her. Serena cried out, narrowly escaping his swinging grasp. She threw the satchel at his face, hearing the wet leather slap his skin as she pivoted on her heel and dodged his long reach.
All of Calandra's warnings came back to her now, a thousand cautions about the brutal, unfeeling nature of men. What a fool she had been to doubt her mother, even for a moment.
Serena ran out of the water and up onto the beach, but the man was right behind her. His steps were weak, faltering from his exhaustion and the lack of traction in the sand. But still he gained on her, each long-legged stride outpacing two of hers. Suddenly he was on her. A firm, heavy hand landed on her shoulder, throwing her off balance. He spun her around to face him, teeth bared bright white in the darkness, his breath hissing out from between his clenched jaw.
"Why run if you have nothing to hide, eh, girl?"
"Let me go!"
Serena struggled against him, but it was futile. He locked her shoulders in his iron grasp, glaring down at her. Before she could think better of it, she brought up her hands and slapped them against the muscular planes of his chest.
Mother Mary.
She touched him.
Touched him without the protective barrier of her gloves.
Sensation hit her at once, a gale force wave of emotion. Her palms felt white-hot where they pushed against him, enlivened with the awakening hum of insight. Too stricken to break away, too awash in the power of her gift, Serena could only stand there, frozen, gaping up at his furious countenance while her touch read all the anger and hatred that filled his heart--indeed, his very soul.
Rage.
Destruction.
Bloodshed.
Anguish.
Emptiness.
Vengeance.
Too much pain to bear. Serena's breath went shallow and panting as the blackness of his feelings engulfed her. It ate all of her strength, devouring her like a pestilence, swiftly, thoroughly. Serena felt her legs go weak beneath her. She could not stop the flood of hurt and violence that assailed her in that moment, a chaotic tempest of seething emotion pouring out of him and into her as if it were her own. . . .
HEART OF THE DOVE is available now, wherever ebooks are sold.
~*~
Read on for more about
LARA ADRIAN’s
award-winning historical romances!
~ Reissues Available Now! ~
THE WARRIOR TRILOGY
(Passionate medieval romance with strong, battle-hardened alpha heroes)
WHITE LION’S LADY
Booksellers Best Award Winner
Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award Nominee
Romance Writers of America RITA Finalist
“Has everything I look for in a good medieval romance: a strong hero, an intelligent and caring heroine, a really unpleasant villain, and plenty of atmosphere. It also has a few unexpected twists and turns, which complement an excellent plot . . . the romance is pure gold.”
–All About Romance (Grade A / Desert Isle Keeper)
In this captivating tale of forbidden love and star-crossed destiny, a dangerous knight on a rogue’s mission is reunited with the virtuous young lady who once adored him . . . .
Abducted on the way to her wedding, heiress Isabel de Lamere is unaware that the scoundrel planning to use her for his own gain is the cherished champion o
n her childhood: Griffin, the White Lion. Yet even as she discovers his treachery, Isabel cannot deny that Griffin lingers in her dreams, awakening the passion in her steadfast heart.
Then a twist of fate puts a price on both their heads, embroiling them in a life-and-death chase that will force Griffin to choose between his own freedom and his fierce desire for the woman who would redeem his noble spirit. But to reclaim his lost honor, the White Lion could lose Isabel forever. . .
~*~
BLACK LION’S BRIDE
Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award Nominee
“A passionate adventure romance . . . an action-packed love story with a strong conflict, well-detailed historical backdrop and memorable characters.”
–RT Book Reviews (Romantic Times Magazine)
Daughter of the King of the Assassins, Zahirah was trained to be as deadly as she is beautiful. When she steals into the desert camp of the English army, she has one goal: to banish the crusaders from her homeland by murdering King Richard the Lionheart. Her deceptive strategy delivers her into the hands of the enemy--and puts her at the mercy of the dashing Black Lion, Sebastian of Montborne.
Fighting for peace in a dangerous, exotic land, Sebastian never dreamed that the tides of war would bring him a mysterious beauty in need of his protection. Nor could he guess that the lady who ignites his heart is the very enemy he has sworn to destroy on behalf of his king. Caught in a deadly game of passion and deception, their unbidden love could cost them their lives. . . .
~*~
LADY OF VALOR (available now!)
National Readers Choice Award Winner
HOLT Medallion Finalist
“Cabal is a tortured hero, and if you like those, you’ll love him - he is a good man who thinks he has lost what makes him a human being. As for Emmalyn, she's spunky without being annoying, strong and independent. It was a joy to watch these two fall in love. If you are looking for a great medieval, look no further than Lady of Valor.”
–All About Romance (Grade A / Desert Isle Keeper)
Left a widow by her cruel husband’s death, Lady Emmalyn of Fallonmour is determined to control her own destiny, until her hard-won vows of independence are threatened by the mysterious warrior sent to protect her castle on order of the king. Emmalyn is now at the mercy of Sir Cabal, a feared knight known as Blackheart.
Skilled at war and hiding a tormented past, Cabal swears allegiance to no one but himself and his country. But once he meets Emmalyn, he finds his strength tested by this proud beauty who stirs his blood with desire, tempting him to defy his king and surrender his heart. . . .