Savage Possession (Temple of Luna #1) by Moira Rogers Read Free Book Online Page A

to summon the slightest bit of interest
in him.
    “ Come, Avani.” He offered
her one goblet and leaned his shoulder against the wall. “If it
were as bad as all that, you’d have jumped out the window
already.”
    Her mouth twitched up in spite of herself as
she accepted the wine. “You’re assuming I could get it open before
my aunt descended on me.”
    “ I could distract her with
my dazzling wit and charm, but then your uncle would challenge me.
A mess from start to finish, you know.”
    “ A pity.” She sipped her
wine and found a small smile for him. “I’m sorry, Karim. It’s been
a trying month with many changes. I’m afraid I’m not excellent
company.”
    “ Trying is putting it mildly if you had to deal with my
cousin.” His grin was mischievous. “You wouldn’t believe the
rumors. I don’t believe them, and I believe damn near
everything.”
    Avani felt warmth rise in her cheeks as she
stared down at the wine in her goblet. “I can imagine. Women don’t
often leave the Savage Temple at my age without a mate.”
    Karim’s light eyes were sharp. “No, they do
not. So why did you, little one?”
    As if she’d had a choice. Oh, Celine had
been very solicitous. Eager to make arrangements that would dispel
any rumor that Avani was being sent away from the Temple in
disgrace.
    Even if she was.
    Not in the mood to discuss her shortcomings,
Avani sidestepped the question completely. “I’m more interested in
hearing the rumors. I imagine they’re a great deal more amusing
than truth could ever be.”
    “ They’re stranger, at any
rate.” There was something almost too casual in his demeanor. “The
most oft-repeated rumor is that you rejected him. That he wanted
you for his mate and you refused.”
    Her chest hurt. Her stomach
felt tied in knots. It took all the training she’d been given in
the art of control to show no reaction but mild amusement. “What
kind of foolish girl would reject the king’s own heir?” What kind, indeed?
    But Karim didn’t laugh. He didn’t say
anything at first, just stared at her as he straightened off the
wall. “By the Goddess. It’s true, isn’t it?”
    She refused to let herself react. “Are you
saying you find me foolish?”
    “ Of course not.” He studied
her face, his brows drawn together in a puzzled frown. “But you
loved him when you were younger. Everyone but Rais knew it. What
changed?”
    She felt another twisting stab of pain, and
this time she doubted any amount of practice could keep it from her
eyes. She looked away from him and found the queen, a beautiful,
regal woman who suffered her own pain with graceful elegance.
“Nothing,” she whispered. “Everyone but Rais knows.”
    Karim made a soft noise of sympathy and laid
his hand on her shoulder. “Your aunt and mine have conspired to
throw us together. It isn’t the best of circumstances, but... Well,
a man would be lucky, Avani. Me, or anyone else. Just remember
that.”
    His hand was warm and comforting. He was
older than Rais, almost twice her own age. Old enough to have
served his time in the war and come home to enjoy the pleasures
wealth and beauty could bring. Gossip linked Karim to an endless
string of women and no small number of scandals.
    An experienced man and a dangerous one, but
at least he seemed willing to be patient with her. She lifted her
gaze to his and wet her lips nervously. “My uncle has many
daughters who gained wealth and power with their matings, but he
encouraged them to wait for a man who would cherish them. I’ll tell
you what I told Rais, and you might find it equally naive. But I
want a man who loves me.”
    He smiled faintly and brushed a stray curl
from her cheek. “That’s unfortunate for me, since my heart is long
since dead. These days, it’s merely waiting for the rest of me to
catch up.”
    His pain pulled at her, perhaps because
she’d been trained to use the magic inside her to ease a man’s
agony. She touched his arm, and there was