The Kingdom of Eternal Sorrow (The Golden Mage Book 1) by C.G. Garcia Read Free Book Online Page B

invisible
hand was squeezing her throat to prevent the words from emerging.
    She mentally braced herself for the expected blow, half-suppressed
memories trying to push to the forefront of past times she had found herself in
this same position as a child, the same terror of the threat of violence. Instead,
he squatted down, and a couple of tense seconds later, Allison felt him gather
her into his arms, bridal-style. He then carried her back to the bed. It was then
that she got a good look at the bed and noticed that the tips of a few large,
white feathers peeked out along the edges from beneath the coverlet and the
thick top sheet. Was that the mattress ? A bunch of huge feathers piled
high on what appeared to be a regular bed frame? Except this bedframe was as
ornate as a king’s might be.
    The frame was of a dark, almost black wood, constructed from what she
suspected was the wood of those strange, monstrous trees she had seen. The
headboard rose approximately five feet from the bed. Many different murals of
various nature scenes were skillfully carved along it as well as the sides of
the frame, some of the animals alien to her. What appeared to be solid gold was
also plated along the edges of both the frame and headboard.
    Allison was shocked when the strange man carefully laid her down onto
the coverlet and draped the thick blanket she had thrown off earlier over her
body up to her neck. She lay there enveloped in the warmth of soft feathers and
blankets, unable to even blink, helplessly gazing up at his strange, but
exotically beautiful, face as he looked down at her with an unreadable
expression. She was scared, waiting for blows with the surety of past
experiences and confused that they hadn’t come. She could feel the tears
leaking out of her eyes, but like everything but her breathing, she had no
control over them.
    Standing over her, looking tall, regal, dangerous, and unearthly
beautiful, he was the most intimidating creature she had ever seen.
    He looks like an angel of death…
    And still, the expected blows didn’t come.
    Instead, he sighed dramatically, a stricken look on his face, as he
pointed his finger at a sheathed dagger that hung from a belt she had not
spotted earlier and shook his head firmly.
    Her confusion deepened. What is he trying to tell me? He hadn’t
tried to speak to her again after she had bolted, so he must have figured out
that she couldn’t understand him. She considered the dagger. It being a weapon,
was his gesture meant to tell her that he wouldn’t hurt her?
    —or was it wishful thinking?
    Abruptly, he extended a hand over her forehead. Allison eyed it
suspiciously, half-expecting him to strike her with it. Had she been capable of
it, she would have flinched. However, he merely waved it across her face in a
fluid pattern that didn’t once touch her.
    To her astonishment, she felt her limbs instantly begin to tingle with
a strange sensation, and the hair on her arms stood on end. A few seconds
later, they came alive again, no longer feeling like dead weights attached to
her body. She moved both her arms and legs cautiously, not ready to believe
that he had cured her paralysis with literally just a wave of his hand, but
they moved freely at her will, showing no signs of resistance. Inexplicably,
her overwhelming fear also left with her paralysis, leaving only a deep sense
of curiosity.
    Allison timidly chanced a look at her strange companion and saw that he
wasn’t even looking at her. He seemed to be deep in thought, his pale eyes
staring out at nothing in particular. As he stood there, motionless, he
suddenly reminded her of a statue of a Greek god she had once seen.
    God, he really is beautiful…
    He seemed to sense that Allison was looking at him because he immediately
turned to lock eyes with her until the heat of his gaze was too much for her to
bear, and she quickly looked down at the coverlet, her heartbeat speeding up.
    In the next second, she felt him place his hand on