Impulse by Vanessa Garden Read Free Book Online

across my arms.
    Jordon avoided my eyes and stared down the length of the corridor. ‘Not since Damir’s arrest. But it’s best to take precautions.’ He tapped his foot against the ground and alternately beat the dagger hilts like he was playing the drums, but in an agitated way. I watched him for a moment before he stopped and smiled shyly. ‘Henrietta hates it when I do that.’
    â€˜I don’t mind.’ I rubbed at my arms. ‘How is Henrietta?’ I asked, grateful that he’d mentioned her. It was obvious I’d made him uncomfortable asking about enemies and I didn’t want him to put any walls up between us so soon—like I’d already made Marko do.
    He shrugged, but his face seemed to redden within a second and his hands balled into fists.
    â€˜She’s engaged.’
    â€˜Engaged?’ I smiled. ‘So who’s the lucky guy?’
    â€˜He’s a guard, like me. Well, if you can call him a guard. He works at the Colosseum.’ The hilt tapping started again. It was clear he didn’t think much of this guard his sister was marrying. After about a minute of jiggling around, he stopped.
    â€˜Can I get you anything, Miranda? The new chef, Maria, is a good woman. She doesn’t mind us sneaking in for a late-night bite.’
    I thought of Dina, the chef who’d helped the horrible, treasonous guard William to kill Pat, a kitchen-hand who had been so kind to me and had ended up saving my life.I still had nightmares about the sickening crack of the death-blow William had delivered to Pat’s skull.
    â€˜Are you all right? You look pale,’ Jordon asked, getting to his feet.
    â€˜Oh.’ I rubbed at my eyes and yawned. ‘I think I’ll get back to sleep. It feels late. Do you know what time it is?’
    â€˜After midnight,’ he said, before stretching his bulging arms out and folding them behind his head. ‘Only five hours to go and I get to sleep in a soft bed.’ He winked at me and grinned. ‘Sweet dreams, Miranda.’
    â€˜Say hi to Henrietta for me,’ I whispered, before slipping back into my room.
    I closed the door but, instead of going to bed, headed straight for the dining table. There was no need for me to ask the kitchens for a midnight snack. A delicious assortment of food awaited me, and my empty stomach groaned with excitement. Though the big table was only set for one, which kind of made me feel even lonelier than I already did, it gave me the licence to pig out big-time, without an audience.
    There was a plate of cold prawns, already peeled and coated in a parsley dressing, a salad of cherry tomatoes and delicate slices of cucumber. There was a fresh round loaf of bread, which I immediately ripped into, tearing off a chunk and then topping it with a marinated prawn before shoving it into my mouth.
    I washed it all down with a long gulp of cool water. After I’d demolished all of the prawns and had my fill of the deliciously crunchy salad, I sipped on another glass of water and took in my surroundings with a little more appreciation than I had done when I’d first woken.
    There was an ensuite, and to its side there was a bookshelf crammed full of books. Setting the water down,I hurriedly wiped my hands with a white cloth and ran over to the shelf to study each and every spine, caressing them with my fingers, feeling every crease and indentation. I wondered if Marko had brought the books in especially for me, or if they’d once belonged to Robbie.
    A sense of unease washed over me, to be looking at Robbie’s things without his permission or knowledge. But surely Marko would have wanted to rid the room of all things Robbie before he had put me in here?
    I closed my eyes and tried to push Robbie from my mind. It was hard to imagine him living another life outside of the castle. Did he live by himself? Or had he now settled down with somebody like Lily, his childhood friend? A