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

no hiding her sympathy.
“Perhaps you need a priestess who was good at her job instead of
one who failed in every way.”
    “ And perhaps you are a bit naive.” Karim
lifted her hand and kissed it with a gallant flourish. “How do you
think I wound up dead inside?”
    “ I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“I didn’t--”
    “ Cousin.” Rais’ deep voice
interrupted her words. “Do you do anything these days besides charm
the ladies?”
    She jerked her hand back as if she’d been
caught doing something illicit, which was absurd. But heat still
flooded her cheeks as she leaned back against the wall and stared
at Rais. Tall, powerful, a man with violence lurking close to the
surface. Not as handsome as Karim, perhaps, but harder and stronger
in ways that still warmed her body.
    Karim’s laughter was edged with warning.
“Charming the ladies is a full-time occupation, I assure you.”
    Avani found her voice. “You’re back from the
front so soon. It’s good to see you. I hope you’re well?” It
sounded polite and distant, but at least her voice didn’t tremble
as much as her hands.
    “ Depends on who you ask.”
He stared pointedly at Karim, who finally sighed and scooted half a
foot away. “How have you been, Avani?”
    “ I’m adjusting to life at
the court. Your mother was kind to invite me in time for the full
moon celebration tonight. I hear it’s quite an
experience.”
    “ It is.” Rais lifted the
glass of wine from Karim’s hand and finished it without taking his
eyes from Avani’s face.
    “ Thieving bastard.” But
Karim dropped a kiss to Avani’s cheek, then leaned in close to
Rais. “Make her cry, and I’ll show you a few painful old warrior’s
tricks, pup.”
    Avani watched Karim’s retreat before turning
her gaze back to Rais with a frown, unsettled by his rudeness.
“Perhaps I’m not going to enjoy court after all.”
    “ Why is that?”
    She narrowed her eyes. “Because you’re a
king here. Not the man I--” She caught the word before it escaped
only by digging her teeth into her lip. “Not the man I know.”
    Uncertainty flashed in his eyes, and he
fidgeted uncomfortably. “You say that as if I can’t possibly be
both.”
    “ Why were you so unpleasant
to your cousin?”
    “ I--” He snapped his mouth
shut and stared at her. Slowly, his expression hardened into a
cool, impassive mask. “Excuse me. I have duties to attend. I
implore you to enjoy the celebration.”
    He turned on his heel and stalked off
through the crowd, leaving Avani alone with a dozen gazes fixed on
her.
    She wasn’t that sheltered. Rais had
challenged his cousin. Over her. What she couldn’t fathom was why.
It could be nothing more meaningful than a long-standing rivalry,
or the remnants of possessiveness in a man who had so recently
claimed her body.
    Or he could want
more. A dangerous, giddy thought. And maybe
a second chance.
     

     
    Rais ran through the forest which grew thick
on the royal grounds. All around him, he heard rising howls as his
fellow wolves sounded the call of the hunt.
    Only they were soon to be his subjects, a
fact he reminded himself of sternly. He had responsibilities, a
calling that ran through his royal blood and demanded his service.
Tonight, he ran for the last time as a servant of the king. The
next time his mother held a celebration...
    “ You’re a king here. Not
the man I know.”
    Avani’s words had cut. He supposed there
would never be a time when he didn’t feel entitled to most of the
things he wanted; he hadn’t been raised to embrace the virtue of
self-denial, and it was difficult not to feel as if the world was
yours when it was true at least of everything you surveyed.
    But he was a good man, and he cared about
his people. His recent foul temper was entirely to blame for his
confrontation with Karim, not a generally poor disposition. His
cousin understood that, but Avani--
    Perhaps Avani just didn’t care.
    “ You’re a king here. Not
the man I