Jayne Castle [Jayne Ann Krentz] by Crystal Flame Read Free Book Online

tell what they were thinking, even
    more difficult to tell what motivated them. But could a man be expected to understand that which sprang
    from the Light end of the Spectrum? He could only do his best to control it.
    He watched Kalena for a moment, aware that he found her pleasing to look at in the moonlight. Her hair
    was a tumbled mass of red tinted curls, her light colored tunic an odd shade of gold beneath Symmetra's
    glare. She moved with the grace he had noted earlier and it made him wonder how she would move
    beneath him in bed. Something within him suddenly ached to find out. He was considering his
    unexpectedly fierce physical reaction when he realized she was heading for the portico that ran along
    Quintel's side of the large house.

    Kalena didn't realize anyone else was in the garden until Ridge spoke quietly from directly behind her. At
    the sound of his voice, she whirled around, startled.
    "Those are the trade baron's apartments," Ridge said quietly, his eyes unreadable in the red moonlight.
    "No one goes into that portion of the house without an invitation from Quintel himself."
    Kalena struggled to regain her poise. "I'm sorry. I did not realize I was on the verge of intruding. This
    house is so large, it's easy to become confused." That last bit was true. The house, with its two stories of
    spacious rooms and its endless gardens, was far larger than any home she had ever seen, even the
    half-remembered Great House of her early childhood. The mansion was made up of a sequence of
    rooms and gardens perfectly designed to present contrast after contrast. Circles and ovals were
    separated by squares, rectangles and oblongs, each room carefully proportioned to compliment the
    adjoining chambers and gardens.
    But Kalena's reference to the elaborateness of the house was only a ruse, and she hoped Ridge would
    not realize that she wasn't as lost as she claimed to be. She had known very well that she wasnearing
    Quintel's apartments, having casually asked a servant to explain the layout of the house. An assassin
    needed to make plans, and to do that she needed to know Quintel's evening routine. Olara's instructions
    were certainly detailed, but Kalena knew she would feel more confident of herself if she checked matters
    out firsthand. She had been attempting to discover more about Quintel's evening habits just when Ridge
    startled her.
    In the red moonlight Ridge's expression was austere, almost cruel. Standing in the shadows, he seemed
    very large and intimidating. She was far too conscious of his size and strength—and of something else.
    With a shock, Kalena suddenly realized that something in this man compelled her on a deep, primitive
    level. The realization frightened her for an instant, because she knew this man was not for her. There
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    would doubtless be men in her free future, but she didn't see how Ridge could be among them. He was
    tied to Quintel, and when her mission was over, Kalena would start down a new and different path. Her
    very safety would depend on her never seeing Ridge again. Quintel would appear to have died of natural
    causes, but Kalena wouldn't want to stick around to take chances on anyone getting suspicious. More
    importantly, Olara had forbidden her niece to explore the most dangerous of temptations: sexual
    freedom. Kalena knew Olara's injunction did not stem from her aunt's notions of proper female behavior,
    but from a firm belief that the discovery of her own sensuality would spell disaster for Kalena's mission.
    "Never mind," Ridge said, taking firm hold of her arm.
    "I'll guide you back to your quarters. I wish to speak to you, anyway."
    Kalena glanced at him uneasily. "Of course, Trade Master."
    "I think you had better drop the title and start calling me Ridge."
    "Very well. As you wish."
    He said nothing for a moment, walking in silence while he gathered his thoughts. Kalena