Warden (Elemental Paladins Book 1) by Montana Ash Read Free Book Online Page A

way up the left side of his face and disappearing under his hair line. It was like someone had attempted to hack his face in half. But the imperfection by no means detracted from that fallen angel face. In fact, it made Max want to trace its jagged lines with her tongue – that was her thing for scars talking. She let her eyes roam south and, no – it couldn’t be! Was that what she thought it was? Please don’t let it be , she begged privately ... Fuck, it was! Her very own Achilles heel … nipple rings! She could just detect the outlines of the metal under the white cotton where his nipples were situated. Lord have mercy, she was a sucker for a good nipple ring. Were they hoops or were they bars? She could work with either but she was a little partial to bars.
    “Are you done staring?”
    Max managed to refrain from jolting at the snarled words. Shit! She had obviously been staring at the inmate too long. He was glaring at her from across the room with those too-good-to-be-true deep brown eyes. They were the colour of her favourite chocolate … dammit. He was like her own personal, life-size walking wet dream. She had to be cool.
    “Not really.” She answered, deadpan. “I was planning to take a picture. I hear they last longer.”
    ****
    The snickers were briskly smothered under Ryker’s glare, he noted with grim satisfaction. Much to his consternation, Ryker had been appointed the unofficial leader of their ragtag little group of rejects. It wasn’t a title or a responsibility he willingly accepted but it was something he was glad for given their current situation. He planned on getting to the bottom of the long lost warden … and getting her the hell out of his kitchen. He had made a vow to himself over fifty years ago that he would never be drawn into another Order again. Paladins were duty bound and honour bound to serve the wardens of the world. But he’d be fucked if he would bind himself to another one – not ever again. It then followed, he was under no obligation to have one in his home. When Darius, Axel and Lark had strolled in, a half-size warden in between them, Ryker’s immediate thought was to kick their collective arses! They knew the rules of the camp – no impromptu guests. Certainly not warden guests. Darius had stalled his objections when he started talking however; bar fights, chade attacks, short swords and decapitation. At first he had scoffed, there was no way a warden would ever take up arms in such a way. Besides, the woman was a freaking midget. What could she do really, besides kick potential assailants in the shins? But then he had looked at her, like really looked at her and he had known. She was going to be trouble. And wasn’t it just his luck? He absolutely loved trouble!
    She was short at around five foot three, with dark cerise hair and a body with curves in all the right places. She was pale with dark circles under her eyes, and although she was clean and tidy, her clothes were well worn. She clutched a short samurai sword in one hand and a battered back pack in the other and she was leaking energy all over the place like a sieve. She also seemed completely ignorant to that fact, which should have been impossible. Wardens were trained from the cradle how to control their vitality, just as paladins were trained how to protect. Even if by some miracle she truly didn’t know who or what she was, there was no way she could have survived seeping vitality like that for any length of time. And with no paladin to replenish her? No. Fucking. Way. So he had side-lined himself and let the discussion ebb and flow around him.
    He had watched the delighted wonder on her face as she had taken in the kitchen, the stark disbelief when Darius had told her she was a warden, the disgust when Cali had explained the energy exchange, and the barely contained fury from his blatant accusations. Her face hid nothing; all her thoughts and emotions were plain to see in those expressive eyes of