Echoes of Magic by Donna Grant Read Free Book Online Page A

to
the water. The gypsies always tried to camp near water, though
sometimes it wasn’t possible. When they did, Adrianna took full
advantage of her opportunity, and she wasn’t about to let one pass
by.
    Her feet quickened as she heard the gurgle
of the brook. She had unbraided her hair by the time she reached
the water’s edge. It took her no time to remove her clothes and
step into the stream.
    She sighed and glided into deeper water. The
stream wasn’t large and could barely be called a river, but it was
deep enough for her to be able to enjoy a nice swim before she
bathed. The water was cool and the sun warm as Adrianna dove
beneath the surface. The water current pushed against her, making
her body strain as she swam.
    She broke the surface with a laugh. A swim
always managed to revive her and clear her head, much as walking
among trees did. Since she knew Milosh and Yoska would come and
check on her soon, Adrianna lathered the soap and began to
scrub.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Grayson managed to borrow a knife from Yoska
so he could shave off his irritating beard. He had taken off his
bandages since he planned to bathe, but he was sure Adrianna would
scold him for it.
    He shrugged out of his tunic and tossed it
on a low branch of a tree before he bent down to tug off his boots.
It wasn’t until he began to unfasten his pants that he glanced at
the water and saw her.
    His body stilled as every ounce of blood
rushed to his cock. Even breathing became difficult when Adrianna
lifted one slim arm from the water and watched the droplets trail
down her arm.
    Her wealth of golden hair was slick back to
her head and floating around her like gold in the dark blue water.
She dove under, giving him a view of her shapely bottom before the
water claimed her.
    Grayson turned and put his back to a tree,
his chest heaving as he struggled to calm his racing heart. If he
watched her any longer, he would join her and be damned the
consequences. He shifted his aching rod and vowed as soon as they
found a city he would relieve this need that had taken over his
thoughts—day and night.
    He didn’t move, not even when he heard her
leave the water and begin to dry off. With his eyes squeezed shut
and his hands fisted at his side, he remained still as stone,
afraid to even breathe lest he give in to the hunger. Only when her
footsteps faded as she walked back to the gypsies did he let out
the breath he’d been holding.
    With curses mumbled beneath his breath, he
jerked off his pants and walked to the water, calling himself ten
kinds of fool for not taking a peek at Adrianna when he’d been
able. It was likely the only glimpse he would ever get, and he had
let it slip through his fingers.
    Not even the continued pain of his wound
could drag his mind away from Adrianna and her elegant beauty. He
tried to clear his mind as he dunked his head. The cool rushing
water rejuvenated him and cooled his lust, but the need didn’t go
away.
    Grayson surfaced, sat near the edge of the
river, and raised his face to the sun as the water rushed around
him. Memories of his mother flooded his mind. As young as he’d been
when she was taken, he didn’t know if his memories were true or had
been distorted over the years.
    The thought of possibly finding her, of
seeing her again, would be worth his death. How he regretted not
being older and able to defend her against the men who had dared to
rip her out of his arms.
    Which was why he had trained with the finest
knights in England. He knew if he ever went after those men, he
would need to be one of the best. Drogan had seen to that. Grayson
wouldn’t be where he was if it hadn’t been for Drogan.
    Many times he’d wanted to confide his
secrets to his friend, but Drogan had his own demons to deal with.
And those demons had followed him to Wolfglynn.
    Drogan had assured him all would be fine,
but now Grayson wondered if he shouldn’t have stayed. Yet, if the
evil tracked him as Adrianna said, it took the danger