Dark Victory by Brenda Joyce Read Free Book Online

with the rising moon.
    He glanced warily around, straining to see in the twilight, but he no longer felt her presence. He knew she would come back. What he did not know was why. He did not care for her haunting. He preferred a flesh-and-blood woman to an elusive ghost or goddess. But one day he would detain her. One day he would find out what she wanted from him.
    He started toward the cliffs, where a path led up to Blayde. At least the boy was gone, too.
     
    H E COULDN’T SLEEP .
    The massacre was on his mind now. If he tried, he could relive that day. If he slept, he might dream about it. Instead, he slipped from his bed, clad only in his leine, leaving the woman sleeping there alone. Without thinking, he stepped into his boots, as the floors were icy cold, and picked up his belt and brat. As he stalked to the hearth he belted the tunic and pinned the plaid over one shoulder to ward off the chill. Outside the chamber window, an ebony sky was filled with stars and a waning moon. A wolf was howling.
    The woman he’d taken to his bed suddenly awoke. He knew it without looking at her—he felt her fear and nervousness.They all feared him, although he didn’t really know why. He never beat his dogs, much less a woman. He didn’t know her name—she was new in the household. Not looking at her, he said, “Bring wine and tend the fire.”
    She leaped naked from his bed, seized her clothes and fled.
    His head seemed to throb, almost hurting him. He stared grimly at the fire, wishing he hadn’t decided to hunt his enemies that day.
    Let me help you.
    She had returned. He was incredulous. His eyes wide, he glanced about quickly, expecting to see her in his bedchamber. She was close by, he was certain, and she was coming closer by the moment. He wanted to end this haunting—he was determined to end it, now, and learn what she wanted from him.
    But she did not manifest.
    He stared into the shadows of the chamber, waiting for her to show herself. She did not.
    “What do ye want?” he demanded of the empty room.
    There was no answer.
    He smiled without mirth. She’d never amused him, not even that first time.
    For one moment, he thought she was about to appear. But as he waited for the sensation to intensify, it vanished instead.
    She was toying with him. He did not like that. But suddenly he looked at the chest that was locked at the foot of his bed.
    He thought about Elasaid’s amulet. Uncertain why he wanted to suddenly look at it, he took a key from his belt and unlocked the chest at the foot of the bed. He took out the gold talisman and stared thoughtfully at it. The pendant had always had great magic for his mother. He almost felt expectant or uncertain—and he was never uncertain.
    The moonstone in the gold palm’s center winked brightly at him.
    The room seemed to shift.
    He knew he had not imagined the slight movement of the floor and bed. The sense of expectation intensified. It was as if a gale was about to blow in, but no storm was coming. The necklace burned in his palm.
    The maid skittered into the chamber, carefully avoiding looking at him as she set the tray with wine down on the chamber’s only table. Macleod waited while she lit the rushes in the room before hurrying out.
    He put the pendant back in the chest and was locking it when he felt her presence filling the bedchamber.
    This time, he was not mistaken.
    This time, he felt the holy power with her.
    Startled and wary, almost certain now that she was a goddess and not a ghost, he scanned every shadowy corner. He could feel her power, strong and white and so terribly bright, but he could not see her yet. “Show yourself,” he ordered. “I am tired of this haunting. What do ye want?”
    In answer, he felt the entire room shift.
    Come to me.
    Her soft words washed over him, through him. He was incredulous now and even more wary. Her message had changed.
    She was summoning him.
    “Show yourself,” he said again. Could he enchant a goddess with his