Read Enchanted Moon (Moon Magick Book II) for Free Online Page A

waves and ripples over
the inky, moonlit surface. Quinlan strode to the water’s edge. Over the
shoulder like a barbarian it was, then. He’d have to carry her kicking and
screaming. And newly wet.
    Ah,
but the fear she’d struck through him, and yet the relief, even now as she
kicked and tossed at the pool. He could throttle her.
    He
approached her as he would a wounded deer. “What is gone?”
    She
threw her hands out in despair. “She has to be here.”
    “If
she passed this way, we’ll find her.” His toes ached just looking at her in the
shining ripples. She must be numb through. “Come out of the water, Ailyn.”
    “Find
her?” she asked, coming forward a step. “How?”
    Aye,
that was it. Lure her to safety. Far better a pixie to deal with than a
banshee. “Whoever it is you were calling. You asked if had I seen another.”
    Her
eyebrows knit together. “You...would help me find her?”
    “Aye,
but only if you come out of the water.”
    An
odd look it was that she gave him, but she complied. Sloshing, she walked out
of the pool, sending more moonlit ripples. The distant thrum faded. Quinlan
took off his mantle, offering it to her. The odd look deepened. Mayhap not odd,
considering how harsh he’d been with her. In all his life he could not place a
single female, save his sister and mum, having looked at him so suspiciously.
Not merely of his intentions, which she doubted obviously enough. But also, she
questioned his skill.
    He
wasn’t out to prove himself. Just to protect her from herself. He pushed the
wool at her again. “We’ll not be searching far nor wide if you freeze to your
death, lass.”
    Her
eyes narrowed, but she took it slowly, carefully. The hem nearly dragged into
the water. Quinlan ducked to grab it lest it get wet. She jerked backward,
flinging the mantle out of reach, then hugging onto it.
    “What
is her name?”
    That
made her nostrils flare. She considered him a moment. “Maera.”
    “Was
she on foot or astride?”
    Again,
she considered him, her bearing distrustful. “On foot.” She nodded. “Aye, on
foot. Of course.” She wrapped the mantle around her shoulders and strode to the
shore. She began scanning the ground.
    For
signs of her missing friend? He supposed it mattered not. Let her look for
pixies for all he cared, so long as she didna force him into a midnight swim.
The cold night air penetrated his deerskin vest and wool tunic. Better to keep
moving than to stand about and freeze. He followed her, imitating her, looking
for evidence of trespassing.
    Why
Ailyn only looked along the shore couldn’t be accounted for, but once she tired
of the search, mayhap she would concede his escorting her to safety.
    Nigh
full around the small pond, Ailyn halted. “I can’t understand it. No sign of
her at all? Is there another pool near here? Another body of water to be had?”
    “There
is naught but the sea.” He drew a bit closer. “Pray tell, why do you only look
for her near the water?”
    She
liked that question not a bit. “I have to find her.”
    “Aye,
and I’d like to help but it seems deeper in the wood is a wiser bet. She can’t
have gotten far. If we each scan—”
    “Why
do you care?” she said, stepping forward so that the light of the moon showed
the green of her eyes, lighting her deep red hair.
    What
did she mean, why? What sort of man would he be to simply leave her? “It appears
I’ve a penchant for lasses in distress.”
    That
pricked her temper nicely. She set her mouth and put her hands on her hips. “I
thank you for stopping me from walking to that fire, but I’m fully capable of
fending on my own. I dinna want nor need your help.”
    “So
you keep insisting.” Better angry than frantic. “I beg to differ, lass.”
    She
took the mantle off, wadded it up, and tossed it to him. Quinlan caught it with
a low chuckle. The heat of her temper shone in her eyes, yet that wariness
remained. He scared her? Was that it? Still, afeared of him, she