Defending Destiny (The Warrior Chronicles) by Leigh Morgan Read Free Book Online Page A

that probably wasn’t the most plausible thing she could have come up with, but in her defense, there were surprisingly few sheep out and about. She hit her forehead on the window, hoping Magnus would just let it go.
    “You can’t lie worth a damn. You shouldn’t try.”
    He was right, of course. She didn’t lie often enough to get good at it. Her sister, Taryn, had come back from her trip to Glastonbury unable to lie. She’d swallowed water from a well blessed by the Celtic goddess, Cerdwin, and from that moment on Taryn said exactly what she thought. Her sister was getting better about not blurting out every outrageous thing that came to her mind, but her basic honesty had worn off on Daisy. Funny that Magnus didn’t realize she’d been lying when she said she didn’t love him anymore. Apparently he wasn’t infallible when it came to reading her. That was a very good thing considering the thoughts his physical nearness was giving her. She thought about sex as much as the next woman, she supposed, but she’d been seeing flashes of what she’d like to do to Magnus since she first saw his boots from the pool.
    Four hours locked in a car with the man, smelling his shampoo, being forced to feel every glance he sent her way, was making her itch. She was beginning to picture him naked every time she closed her eyes.
    She couldn’t shut it down fast enough to avoid the rush of memories from before The Incident . Memories of the days she spent with Magnus at Potters Woods led everywhere good and nowhere productive if she wanted to keep disliking him. Magnus had been patient and kind then. Daisy spared him a quick glance as he rested one large hand on the shifter, just like she remembered. Jesse, her brother, tried to teach her how to drive a stick shift. She’d taken out three mailboxes before he gave up. Jordon, her father, didn’t have the patience to teach her how to drive. When he yelled at her after a narrow miss with a UPS truck, she’d gotten out of the car after forcefully engaging the parking break, and walked the remaining five miles home.
    Magnus taught her how to drive. Unbeknownst to her parents or her adult siblings, who were chokingly overprotective, Magnus also taught her how to ride a motorcycle. He’d done it all in one long, but productive weekend. Without yelling at her. She’d loved him for that. She caught herself smiling at his profile and abruptly jerked her head away.
    Why did sex have to change everything?
    Because it does. Always. Every time.
    “What did you say?” Magnus asked, not looking at her.
    I’d like to see you naked. Sex has already screwed us up, might as well get some satisfaction out of it. How badly could one more time hurt?
    He sounded irritated. Good. She was plenty hot and bothered, and there was no reason he should be comfortable in the small space they were forced to share. “You’re still pissed that I called up the private jet to fly us to Glasgow, aren’t you?” Daisy smiled at his profile, knowing when she saw his jaw muscle tighten that she’d hit a nerve. “Being a rich bitch has its perks.”
    Daisy settled more fully into the leather seat, satisfied with the grunt Magnus gave in response. He obviously didn’t like having his words thrown back at him. She had no problem flying commercial, in fact most of the time she did, against Jordon’s wishes. She’d provided for herself since she left home to make her way in the world. Magnus didn’t need to know that. Let him think what he would. If he chose to believe she was now what he called her then, so be it. She wouldn’t apologize for where she came from, who she was now, or where she was going.
    She was going to be the best ancient artifact Finder the Council had ever seen. Why? Because she was good at it. She was also a true believer. Daisy believed that the artifacts she found needed to be shared with the world, not just with those who could afford to have them in their private collections. That was