Unspoken by Kerrigan Byrne Read Free Book Online Page B

while she lay in the darkness.  What if, just this once, things could
end differently?  What if, she could save him, as he saved her this night? 
    ‘ Dangerous thoughts.’   She told herself,
squeezing her eyes against futile desperate frustration.  ‘Dangerous desires.’   
     
     

Chapter
Nine
     
    Instead of shivering awake in the arid, dusty attic
as she did every day, Evelyn drifted into awareness on a sumptuous shaft of silver
light, which gained strength as the morning began to peak over the crests of
the sea. 
    The creak of leather and the click of metal armor
dumped her into full consciousness and to the comprehension that she lay naked
in the bed of a Berserker. 
    Roderick mysteriously remained cloaked in shadows,
his ebony hair pulled into a tight queue at his nape.  He fastened a fearsome
spiked bracer about a wide wrist, his brutish features set in a grim mask.
    “Don’t fight near the Mackay.”  The whisper
escaped her, knowing that his exceptional hearing would pick up the trembling
uncertainty in her voice.  “Please, be careful.  There’s… someone out there. 
Someone dangerous.” 
    His eyes lit upon her and softened, yet a dark
brow lifted almost scornfully.  No doubt, he assumed she feared for his safety
after his insult on her behalf the night before.  Even heavier now, dressed in
his black armor, he sank to the bed, causing her to lean towards him.  An
armored hand reached for her, then hesitated when he glanced at the stained
glove and scarred bracer dangerously close to her skin.  Instead, he dropped
his arm and worried the leather at his cuff.
    “Just…”  Should she tell him?  Would it change the
outcome or be the cause of it?  “Angus and his clan have already betrayed the lot
of you.  I- I overheard them speaking of it last night.”  Squeezing her eyes
shut, she called herself every form of coward. “Hundreds more horsemen are even
now hidden to the north and west waiting to flank you if the battle turns in
favor of the Stewart.” 
     Roderick kissed her, hard.  Not the gentle
brushes or passionate tending of lips from last night, but a possessive
branding of flesh.  As he plundered the depths of her mouth with his tongue,
heat bloomed between them, heedless of the battle gear that separated their
flesh. 
    He didn’t touch her, not once allowing his armor
to come into contact with her skin as he thoroughly devoured her.  Slick
moisture pooled between Evelyn’s aching thighs in understanding that, no matter
how sore she was, he would be welcome inside her. 
    Abruptly ending the kiss, he glanced at the grey
light of dawn turning more golden with each passing moment. 
    Stunning her with sudden movement, he leapt from
the bed and swiped his sword from where it leaned against the wall next to the
headboard.  Strapping it to his lean hips faster than she thought possible, a
look of dangerous anticipation played across his features. 
    The sounds of other men preparing for battle
permeated the silence between them.  Horses whinnied and stamped the ground,
carts of weaponry clamored up the rough hewn roads and camp fires sizzled as
they were doused. 
    Roderick paused at the door.  Their eyes locked. 
    Thousands of questions burned behind her lips,
holding her tongue heavy with fear.  She dare not open her mouth for fear they
would come tumbling out, humiliating them both. 
    What was he going to do?  Would he heed her request?
Would he live through the day?  Would he come back for her if he did?  Would
she ever see him again?
    Did she mean anything to him now? 
    A torturous agony coursed through her with a
strength she’d never before encountered.  This must be the crippling horror
every woman experienced when she sent her warrior off to battle.  
    Her heart in her throat, she watched, paralyzed,
as he bowed to her, his right hand grasped over his heart.  Still, she kept
quiet as he turned on his boot and quit the room.  The door closed with