Scoundrel's Kiss by Carrie Lofty Read Free Book Online Page A

half-filled flask of young ale. She drank with greedy gulps, then
poured some on her hands to wash away what she had done. To no avail. Fingers,
palms, forearms—all remained inked in sticky red.
    "Would you like to make
confession?"
    She yelped. "Do you sneak up on
people at the monastery? Or are you too busy maintaining vows of silence?"
    "I'm under no such
obligation."
    "Are there other vows I should
know about?"
    "Chastity," he said, his
voice thick. "I've sworn chastity as well."
    "I'm not surprised."
    A tremor of cold shook through her
limbs, suddenly stealing her attention. A quick glance at the sky revealed no
change in the weather. Only more sun, more wind. The shiver had been on the
inside. And again. Her hands jerked and the flask landed on the ground,
spilling the ale.
    Oh, please. No.
    Gavriel held fast to his patience.
Barely. The moment of prayer had done wonders while he was still kneeling. But
standing before her undid all of his calm, especially because her gown hung
loosely around her shoulders, open at the back. He had resolved to be strong
and of use to his new charge, this peevish woman, but her every gesture was a
threat: You'll break your vows.
    Unacceptable.
    He retrieved another flask from his own
saddle. "Put out your hands. Let me help."
    "Gramercy, I'll do it
myself."
    "Do you think because I've taken
vows to obey and abstain from violence that I cannot be strong?"
    A smile pulled the corners of her lips,
dimpling one cheek. The left one. "You cannot fight or lose your temper or
lie with a woman? However do you find a release?"
    "Prayer and contemplation."
    She reached between their bodies and
touched his forearm. Her fingers became snakes slithering up to his bicep.
"Does that work?"
    "Better than opium."
    Her twisted smile widened. "Have
you tried it?"
    "No," he said, shrugging free
of her distracting touch. "But I can see that it brings you only a false
peace."
    "It's not false. Not if I..."
She shivered once and dropped her head.
    "What?"
    She inhaled, the breath hunching her
shoulders. "Tis not false as long as I have more."
    Gavriel tipped up her chin. "That
took quite some courage to admit"
    She jerked away. "That was no
admission, you simpleton— merely the truth. If you men of merit wouldn't
keep it from me, I would feel better. I would be better."
    She balled the cloth in her trembling
hands. Ball, clench, release. Ever more trembling. Her eyes had clouded. They
rolled and jumped, skittering.
    "Inglesa, are
you well?"
    "Of course not! This is your
fault. You and your mission, dragging me away from the world!"
    "Away from the nearest apothecary,
you mean."
    "Yes! You could've left me be. I
would've been fine." She sneered and spat at his feet. "Better than
being here with you."
    Energy pulsed from her body in steady
waves. Her eyes moved in ever-faster skips and jumps, refusing to rest. The
long night, during which he would have to keep her from harming herself or
anyone else, stretched ahead like a never-ending journey.
    "We should ride back to the
others," he said quietly. "We'll go to the archbishop's villa in
Yepes. You can change clothes."
    "I want to go home."
    "Home is Ucles—for one
month. I've told you that."
    "Madness. You're a fool and a
hypocrite and a bore and'—"
    "I thought I might be of
assistance to you, but I was wrong. I cannot even get you to wash your
hands!" He dropped the corked flask to her feet. "Godspeed, inglesa?
    "No! Don't leave. I'll do whatever
you want."
    "And what would you do?"
    Ada threaded her fingers into her hair,
down to the scalp. When she raised her eyes, she flung her hands away and
laughed, her mood a shifting wind.
    "I'll do anything," she said,
a stranger's smile warping her mouth. "Name your price, novice. Out this
far from the others, we could do a great deal."
    Gavriel scowled first, glad to know his
initial reaction to such a brazen proposal was outrage. But the fear and the
shock of desire followed closely behind. He wrestled both into