Rogue Belador: Belador book 7 by Dianna Love Read Free Book Online

with her.
    She swung her sword in a liquid movement so like his warrior princess back when they used to spar. Before she became the warrior queen and carried a world of responsibility on her narrow shoulders.
    Damn it. Her gaze still tracked something moving in the woods. The army she thought he’d brought here?
    Or could there be a real threat he had yet to see? He doubted it. Not in the dream world where she had far more control over her power than even he had here. But the muscles in her arms tensed, ready to fight something.
    He had to bring her back to him. There was no way to know how long Macha would hold off. He pushed power into his voice. “Look at me, Brina.”
    She jerked her head around, staring at him now.
    He asked, “Tell me what you see and I’ll help you fight it.”
    “You think I’m that easily swayed?”
    He had to be careful how he replied. “No, but they may be tricking you, and I might be your only ally here.”
    She swung her gaze back to the woods and her mouth opened. “Where did ...”
    Finally. Whatever she’d seen must have vanished. He said, “It wasn’t real.”
    Turning to him once more, she gave him a measured look. “But you are.”
    He didn’t like the suspicious sound of that. “You know me, Brina.”
    “You keep sayin’ that.” She studied him harder. “Your face and name are vaguely familiar, but ... I still don’t know if you be friend or foe.”
    His heart dropped to his feet.
    Until the past few days, he’d been able to talk his way past her dementia and disorientation, but the day before yesterday he’d spent a half hour just hunting her as she hid from him. They’d argued until he’d grabbed her arm when she tried to walk away. She’d turned back, swinging, but held up at the last second. With that touch, she began recalling bits and pieces until she’d finally walked into his arms.
    Yesterday, he’d come upon her arguing with unseen opponents, but she had not called up a sword as she had today.
    With a wave of her free hand, the gown she’d been wearing disappeared, replaced by jeans, a loose shirt, and lightweight boots.
    Her normal attire for sparring.
    Was this a positive change or not?
    Her waist-length red hair snatched light like polished copper as it wove itself into a braid down her back.
    She looked like the young woman who had stolen his heart in this glade. He smiled at the memory.
    “You find this amusin’?” she asked, clearly not happy.
    “I like your outfit,” he replied, tiptoeing around each word.
    “’Tis easier to battle without trippin’ on a blasted hem.”
    He held his hands up in surrender. “Like I said, I’m not here to fight you.”
    “You think to have me lowerin’ my guard until your army returns?”
    “Think for a minute, Brina. I’m here alone. You know me. You chose this place to visit in the dream world because it’s ours .”
    Confusion clouded her gaze. Her sword tip dipped an inch. She was at least considering his words.
    He pressed his case. “We’ve spent a lot of time in this very spot.”
    “Doin’ what?” she asked.
    Now that was a tricky question. If he told her they’d made love here, would it trigger her memories, or cause her to doubt him if she didn’t remember?
    He’d won more battles by going on the offensive.
    Tzader reached down and tapped the pommel of the sword stuck in the ground. “We sparred.” They’d do that back on the real Treoir Island for long periods, then end up tumbling into each other’s arms. He took a chance and added, “Sometimes we wore fewer clothes.”
    She smiled.
    His heart tilted, wanting to be happy at that sign, but he waited.
    Lifting a hand, she pointed at him and his T-shirt vanished. “Feel better now?” she asked.
    He grinned. Yep, a very positive sign. Now they were getting somewhere. “Actually, it was even better when we both—”
    Her gaze jerked back to the woods.
    No, please no.
    All humor fled her face, replaced by a fierce glare she