Ronal didn’t believe he had ever seen a more
reluctant guide in all his life.
Not that she wasn’t…delicious, he couldn’t
help but notice that.
She was. Lovely, lithe, with a luminous beauty only
seen among the elfkind. Her skin fair glowed, and the flaxen length
of her hair was the color of sunbeams and moonlight, all tumbled
together.
She met his eyes levelly, and he had to admire that,
for he could see her cheeks flushing under his stare. Those purple
eyes were the color of gems and they reflected her dislike of him
quite clearly.
He wondered…what would they look like fogged by
passion?
“My daughter, Caetria. She will be your guide while
you visit within the realm,” Matiro was saying to them all.
Well, the Elf King’s daughter. There goes that
idea…even if he ever could persuade her to let go of that damned
bloody distrust. For a moment, that was all he could think of, as
the rest of the king’s words circled meaninglessly in his head.
Finally, the Esri’s word penetrated Ronal’s
thoughts. Ronal nodded slowly.
Oftentimes, a leader had their
offspring act as a guide. It was a symbol of trust. But then the Elf
King’s eyes slid to Ronal’s and he inclined his head, beckoning
Ronal over.
Oh, hell. He couldn’t
stop the devilish glint that lit his eyes, although he did manage to
keep from smiling. Surely he wouldn’t give his daughter to Ronal for
a vessel, would he?
He would.
“Caet is to be your companion, as well, Ronal,”
Matiro said quietly, lowering his voice, even though all knew what
was being discussed. Ronal was, after all, a vampire. And he had
left without a retinue, which meant if he wanted to feed, which he
did, he had to find a vessel, or feed from animal prey.
“I had planned to hunt the wood, Esri,” Ronal
said, shaking his head. Although he’d love a chance to sip from that
lovely pale neck, he wasn’t about to take an unwilling female in his
arms. Not even for a simple feeding.
“No. I refuse to allow an honored guest to chase
after game,” Matiro said flatly, his eyes commanding.
Ronal lifted his chin and replied in a cool, calm
voice, “And I refuse to take my sustenance from one who is
clearly…unwilling. I’d no more rape a woman than I would feed from a
woman who didn’t wish it.”
“Why would any woman wish such a thing?”
The words seemed to come from her before she could
stop them, and Ronal couldn’t help but laugh inside as she flushed a
lovely shade of red.
Her father cocked a brow and smiled slowly. “Please,
tell us, Ronal. Why would any woman wish such?”
A bark of laughter erupted from him, and before he
knew it, he was bent double with peals of laughter. “No…no,” he
muttered, shaking his head once he could breath. “I will not discuss
that in front of a woman and her father.”
Buy
