My Dangerous Duke by Gaelen Foley Read Free Book Online

the silent halls of the castle by moonlight, yearning for revenge on the current duke, for whatever bloody fate had befallen them at the hands of their Warrington husbands.
    All he knew was that he would be glad to leave this eerie place as soon as possible.
    Good God, he was comfortable anywhere on earth except for here, could sleep soundly in a desert wilderness, indifferent to scorpions and snakes, or doze on a ship’s hammock with perfect tranquility in the midst of a tempest. He feared nothing and was damned proud of it.
    But here in the seat of his hallowed ancestors, he knew what it was to be haunted, if not by murdered duchesses, then certainly by the thought of what he had willingly become for the sake of the Order.
    The Beast.
    He never doubted that he fought on the side of good, and no one could ever say he had flinched at his duty, but killing was killing, and with his superstitious nature, he could not help but think that someday, he would have to face some sort of divine retribution for the blood he had shed.
    Of course, the targets he hunted were dangerous players in the Promethean hierarchy, corrupt men in positions of power who had to be eliminated.
    But some of those men he had finished in Naples had had wives and families. Sometimes he woke up in a sweat with the screams of the children he had orphaned ringing in his ears.
    Indeed, he might as well be cursed, for a man such as he, an assassin, a Beast, was not fit for love, in any case.
    Fortunately, he had made up his mind a long time ago that he would never allow their family curse to befall him. Especially not after seeing firsthand as a boy how love had nearly destroyed his father.
    His own solution was simple: Love no one. Do not get attached. Avoiding entanglements was easy if a man channeled his energies toward women he could neither trust nor respect. The world was full of lecherous widows, vain adulteresses, assorted conniving whores.
    Like the one waiting for him now.
    Yes. Such women served their purpose. Refusing to let his dark thoughts spoil the night’s much-needed release, he shrugged them off like a heavy cloak as he reached the upper hallway.
    All the while, the bitter wind moaned through the castle’s ancient stones like an anguished spirit.
    Striding down the dark corridor, he came to the door to the solar and took out his key. Many of the castle’s medieval drop-bar doors had been replaced ages ago with modern ones with keyed locks. His men had locked his chamber door to keep the girl from wandering off into certain regions of the castle not meant for prying eyes.
    He unlocked the door with a quiet click. Time to have some fun.
    But even as he turned the handle, he was already on his guard. Given his life in the Order, he was accustomed to people trying to kill him unexpectedly for no apparent reason. He stepped into his bedchamber, ready for anything.
    Where is she? Sweeping the room with a glance, he spotted a dainty white elbow poking out over the arm of the leather wing chair facing the fire.
    Tallyho. The quarry had been spotted.
    “Kate?” he greeted her softly, not wishing to startle her. He closed the door behind him and locked it again with a sly gleam in his eyes. “I believe you and I have not yet been properly introduced.”
    He slipped his key back into his waistcoat pocket. Still getting no answer, he stayed on his guard as he crossed the room, approaching her slowly.
    In the next moment he saw why she had failed to respond. The girl was curled up in the armchair before the fire, and to his wary dismay, she was passed out cold.
    Or was she? He raised an eyebrow. In the world as he knew it, things were not always what they appeared. She could be faking. She could be armed, for all he knew. No way in hell was he about to trust her, given her criminal associations.
    “Kate,” he said more firmly.
    As he lowered himself to the ottoman across from her, staring at her intensely, what he saw before him was the very sketch