Pokrewne

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Chelsea Handler Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang (epub
Brit Brinson [Dia of the Dead Dia of the Dead (epub)
Cody Goodfellow [Radiant Dawn Radiant Dawn (epub)
Cate Tiernan [Immortal Belove Immortal Beloved (epub)
C J Busby [Deep Amber 01] Deep Amber (retail) (epub)
Carl Ashmore [Time Hunters 01 The Time Hunters (epub)
Drew Hayes [Super Powereds 02 Super Powereds Year 2 (epub) i
Beth Harbison [Shoe Addict 02 Secrets of a Shoe Addict (epub)
Cara Lynn Shultz [Dark World The Dark World (retail) (epub)
Colleen Vanderlinden [Hidden Hidden (epub)

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.“What little food we had is gone, and I am hungry.I’ll go find us something to eat.”“You’ll wear your cloak and stay hooded, Rory?”“Aye.”“And stay to the shadows?”Ruffling his blonde hair, she tucked a stray lock behind his ear.“Of course.Do not worry so.I will be back before you know I have gone.”As promised, Aurora stayed to the shadows.Drawing unwanted attention was never a good idea.Thugs and thieves lay in wait, waylaying any who looked like easy prey.Most towns were the same.Hexhem appeared no different.So aye.Nate was right.’Twas best to be wary—to stay away from the action and out of view.Descending a rolling hill, Aurora veered right and slid into the shadows.Her boots scraped over the compact earth of the dirt path.Eyes searching the road’s many enclaves, she picked her way around the outcrop of buildings in her path.Coming to the corner of a timber hut, she peeked around it and…Three men wove a precarious trail in her direction.Wonderful.Just what she didn’t need.A trio of drunken townsmen…headed right toward her.Her lips pursed, Aurora shook her head.“Of all the rotten luck.”Weighing her options, she pressed her back flat against the side of the wooden hut and listened.Mayhap the men would veer in another direction.Mayhap they intended to take the road to the square.Mayhap the trio would…No such luck.Their course held, bringing them closer to her by the moment.Her eyes narrowed on the cluster of beech trees across from her.Taking a fortifying breath, Aurora left her hidey-hole.Footfalls quiet, she sprinted across the pitted earth of the narrow alleyway.The gloom of the forest folded in around her and shadow slid along her spine.She shivered and, staying low, shuffled backward, her focus on the men staggering in a merry group mere feet from where she huddled beneath the foliage.She held her breath, stifling all sound.’Twas the soundest strategy.Men at the best of times were unpredictable.But drunkards? If the trio found her, her chances of escaping unscathed became slim to none.Fisting her hands in her skirt, Aurora swallowed her sudden fear.The last year had taught her well.Strange men equaled big risk.And honestly? Forgetting that fact would only land her in trouble.The kind she might not survive.Focus absolute, she returned her attention to the men.Wooden clogs rasping against the compact earth, the group swayed and broke into song.The vulgar ditty tweaked her already frayed nerves, pulling the muscles between her shoulder blades tight.Breath shallow, body still, heart thumping, she watched them pass, then with soundless precision, turned and hurried in the opposite direction.Able to breathe again, Aurora glanced over her shoulder to ensure she was safely away.Her boot caught wood.Her foot left the ground.As she stumbled, the tree root grabbed hold and yanked on her other foot.With a curse, Aurora landed belly down on the forest floor.The impact drove the air from her lungs.Wheezing, she curled her fingers into the leaf-strewn turf.Damp earth against her palms, the smell of wet vegetation a cloud around her, she struggled to draw a breath.After a moment of extreme concentration her chest expanded.Air rasped against the back of her throat.She twisted to glare at the gnarled foot of the offending oak.“Godforsaken, stupid, ill-begotten thing.What are you doing there?”“You do not expect it to answer, do you, little heart?”Aurora squeaked.Her gaze snapped to her left and…Lord help her.A horse with very large hooves, rustling fallen leaves with each step.But worse? The beast was walking straight toward her.As the realization struck, Aurora snapped her mouth closed.Her gaze traveled, following the horse’s delicate ankles up sturdy brown legs to the man seated on its back.Oh dear.Not good.Terrible in point of fact.Panic hit her full force.She scrambled backward only to become tangled in the hem of her cloak.She lost her footing and tumbled, landing on her bottom with a painful thump.“Ouch.”“Ouch, indeed.” The stranger chuckled and swung from the saddle, his large feet landing without making a sound.Aurora blinked.Amazing.Completely absurd.A man that big should not be able to move so well.Without so much as a rustle.So quiet and smooth others failed to detect him.Too bad for her the universe didn’t agree with the assessment.Frowning, she stared at his feet, wondering how he did it, then started at his sudden proximity.God help her, his long legs were eating the ground between them.And what was she doing? Sitting on her backside like some addle-pated ninny-hammer.Jumping to her feet, Aurora backed away.“Do not come any closer.”“Easy now.I will not hurt you.” Releasing the reins, he held his hands, palms up, and took another step toward her.“I’m no threat to you.”Aurora stifled a snort.Right.Sure.She didn’t believe him.Not for a moment.He was too confident—too strong, too masculine—to be anything other than a threat.“I want no trouble.”“You’ve not found any.I’m harmless,” he said, his mouth curving at the corners.Harmless? Ha! Another lie.One of the best she’d ever heard.He didn’t look harmless.Or the least bit tame.Taller than most, he stood well over six feet, with hair so dark it appeared jet black in the fading light.Matching brows arched over dark brown eyes and his cheekbones rose high over a square jaw covered with day-old whiskers.And his mouth….God give her strength.’Twas beyond tempting.So perfect she wondered if he was even human.Fallen angels, after all, were purported to put human men to shame on the handsome front.“Even so, pray forgive the intrusion,” she said, eyeing the fine cut of his tunic.She took another step back.And then another.Good plan.The best, really.The more distance she put between him and her, the safer she would be.“If you’ll excuse me, Sir, I must be on my way.”“No need to run away.” He looked past her as if in search of something.When he didn’t find it, his focus sharpened on her.Alarm bells rang inside her head.She shivered, not liking the glint in his gaze.“Where are your protectors?”Aurora swallowed.“Ah, I…well, you see…we became separated.I really must get back to them.”He considered her a moment, his eyes traveling over her well-worn clothing and faded cloak.“I see.’Twill be my pleasure to escort you safely to them then.”“Nay.” Aurora almost bit her tongue in two when he arched a brow in response.Ignoring the subtle twitch of his too beautiful mouth, she adjusted her tone [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]