Crystal Fire by Kathleen Morgan Read Free Book Online

face when he'd admitted his self-doubts.
    He regretted telling her that. It wasn't just the foolish revelation of his shameful weakness. What if she decided he wasn't worth further time and effort? What if she left him here? He couldn't survive without herat least not yet.
    Even more troubling was the knowledge that he didn't want the parting until he was ready for it. But why? Was it just instinctive male possessiveness for a female, slipping past his newly constructed determination to think only of himself?
    Brace chuckled grimly. Old habits die hard, but die they must. From now on he'd have to guard more closely against the pretty little Sodalitas. And separate from her as quickly as possible. He watched the fire while yet another unsettling thought eased into his mind. Marissa had said she'd chosen him for his warrior's abilities. Warriors, in times such as these, were easily had. There were a lot simpler and safer ways to acquire an accompliceand Marissa was not a fool.
    No, Marissa was not a fool and neither was he. For some mysterious reason, she needed him above all others. Marissa indeed had a plan. And that plan entailed a lot more than she was yet willing to reveal . . .
    The fire was blazing by the time Marissa returned. Her glance moved to Brace's before skittering away.
    "You need to undress," she announced as she once more hung the pot over the flames.
    "Well, I can't do it by myself."
    Marissa's eyes swung back to his.
    Calmly Brace returned her gaze. "I haven't the strength to get my boots off, and I'm not sure about my breeches, either."
    Her eyes narrowed. "No games then. I'm not in the mood."
    "No games, Marissa. I promise."
    With a deep sigh, she moved to his feet and grasped his right boot. After a prolonged struggle, it slipped free. She laid it aside and proceeded to remove the other. When it was free, Marissa eyed him. "Cover yourself with the blanket and pull your breeches down as far as you can. I'll help the rest of the way."
    Brace managed to get his clothing down to mid-thigh before his protesting muscles rebelled. He fell back.
    "That's it," he gasped. "That's all I can do."
    Gingerly Marissa reached beneath the blanket until her fingers brushed his bare leg. She jerked reflexively at the touch of his hair-roughened skin, then forced herself to grasp the bunched-up cloth. With a quick tug she pulled his breeches down to below his knees, then grasped the bottoms and had them off.
    The realization that he was naked beneath the blanket filled her with a strange excitement. She had never been so close to an unclothed male before. Yet, why should it matter?
    Her imagination was working overtime. Raina, leader of the Sodalitas and Marissa's mentor, had frequently chided her about her inclination to dream. "Life is hard, people even harder," Raina had once told Marissa. "Expect little and you'll never be disappointed." Yet here she was, alone in a cave with a naked male, unaccountably stirred and confused by his presence. Hoping, dreamingfor what?
    For degradation and domination, that was what! Self-disgust filled Marissa. Fool! Stupid, loin-crazed fool! That was all it wasthe mating urge. Despite all attempts to forestall it, it was bound to strike her sooner or later. Moracan females were a hot-blooded lot, driven ultimately by the same primal instincts as were the males. It was also the reason they were so easily controlled. But that would never happen to her. Never!
    She climbed to her feet and strode to the fire. For a long moment Marissa battled with her roiling emotions. Her gaze lowered to the hungry flames devouring the little pile of wood. Red-gold and hot, the fire rose and fell in erratic bursts.
    Sparks scattered in the air to flicker and die in the thin tongue of smoke that wafted gently upward. Her eyes followed the sooty trail. It wound its slow, sinuous way toward a large opening, the smoke curving as it slipped past a ledge jutting high in the cave.
    Stars twinkled brightly through