Captivated: 3 (Mating Ritual) by Ria Candro Read Free Book Online Page A

I’d be doing?
    Taking a deep breath, she tried again. “Adamon, we are going to be married. Why not indulge a littl—”
    “I’ve already explained why,” he growled. When she automatically flinched at the heat in his words, he evened his tone, his expression growing softer. “Cindra, you know I love you, but it’s important to me that we honor ourselves and remain pure for our wedding day.”
    Was he serious?
    “And when will that be?” she pressed.
    “I…” Looking like a startled owl, he shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe when the crop season is over?”
    “That’s months away,” she whispered, trying to keep her voice down.
    He shrugged again, averting his gaze. “We cannot shirk our duties on the farm. You know that, Cindra.”
    “Yes,” she murmured dully. She did know that, because this wasn’t the first time she’d heard it.
    If Adamon loved her, why did he seem so uneager to marry her? It simply didn’t make sense. She’d allowed it to pass before, because she hadn’t wanted to doubt him. Because this was her home. But with their arrival, the Spygians had awakened a slew of questions within her.
    She was beginning to see that maybe her life wasn’t as certain as she’d thought it to be.
    Rising from the bed, she forced herself to murmur, “I’d better get back to my room.”
    “Yes,” he said, relief evident in his voice. “That’s a good idea.”
    She started to turn, but he said, “Cindra.”
    Meeting his gaze, she said, “Yes?”
    A weak smile lit his face. “I love you.”
    Gods, she didn’t even know if she believed those words anymore.
    “Me too,” she choked out. Turning, she fled the room, moving as swiftly as she could while still maintaining her silence. But once she’d made it back into her bedroom, sleep was the last thing on her mind.
    What was going on with Adamon? What was she going to do about it?
    She paced her bedroom, going back and forth several times before finally pausing in front of the open window. The beladora tree partially obscured the moonlight, but a cool, refreshing breeze blew in.
    Making a sudden decision, she whirled back to face the room. She’d go for a walk, clear her head. Perhaps it would help her to see things better. But first, she’d put on her dress. Even she wouldn’t be caught dead walking through the town in the middle of the night wearing nothing more than her nightgown. She might be torn and confused, but she wasn’t insane.
    * * * * *
     
    From his perch on the wooden fence separating the animals from the farmhouse their mate slept in, Tempos caught the movement inside. He stood to attention.
    “Look,” he whispered to Stefon.
    When Stefon met his gaze, he pointed toward the open window. Their mate stood within, several feet from the window but still close enough they could see her moving about.
    To his utter shock, she suddenly drew her nightgown over her head. From this angle, they could make out no more than the upper curve of her bare back, but even that was enough to light a vicious fire within Tempos.
    She was truly and utterly stunning, her tawny skin glimmering in the light of the Keulot moon.
    “What’s she doing?” Stefon whispered.
    Tempos watched as she dragged another garment over her shoulders, this one a light blue, then moved her fingers to the front of the garment.
    “It appears she’s dressing,” he said.
    “But why?” was Stefon’s response. “Could she be planning on leaving the house now , at this time of night?”
    “I don’t know.” But he certainly wasn’t going to let her out of his sight.
    “Maybe, if we’re lucky,” Tempos said to Stefon, “the gods will smile on us and draw our mate in our direction.”
    He could only pray.

Chapter Five
     
    Cindra stepped down the stairs, making sure to tread carefully on the wooden floorboards. At least her boots were soft and quiet. That was good, because she had so many things to worry about without adding the fear of waking the others to the