Read Eochaidh - Legend of the Horsemen (Book One) for Free Online Page A

them.”
    Grimacing with a moue of distaste and shuddering delicately,
she glanced at him.   “I cannot, for the
life of me, determine how he came to have such weakness,” she confessed. “I,
for one, have never encouraged familial intimacy with their family. I suppose
he must have gotten that weakness from his father.”
    The man stood, his bulk dwarfing the delicate woman, but she
was not intimidated in the least. “Do not allow this to cause you distress, my lady,” he said. “Stratagems are already in place, and things
have been set in motion. The time is not too far gone that your son will be the
rightful lord.”
    Pulling a lace handkerchief from her dress pocket, she lightly
dabbed her forehead and neck and then smiled at the man. “You do give me such
hope,” she said, delicately lowering her eyes for a moment. “I do get so
overset when I think things are not going the way they should.”
    He moved closer to her, emboldened by her perceived
fragility. Heart racing, he inhaled her scent and felt himself being slowly
drawn under her spell.   Like a moth to
candlelight, he was unable to resist.   His hand rose of its own accord and lifted a lock of her blue-black hair
that had curled against her collarbone.   He caressed it between his fingers and felt his desire increase. She
turned to him, and her green eyes widened as she met his gaze. Her smile was
soft and seductive, and she gazed at him boldly for a moment and then slowly,
sensually, lowered her eyelids. He felt the punch of attraction rush through
his body, settling in his loins. The desire was overpowering; his reasoning was
gone.   All he knew was that he must have
her.
    Wrapping one arm around her tiny waist, he pulled her tightly
against him, feeling her body melt against his own. He released the lock of
hair held in his other hand and slowly traced the line of her collarbone,
stopping to feel her rapid pulse. “You want me,” he whispered. “Do not deny
it.”
    She merely smiled up at him, rolling her head back slightly
to allow him greater access to the sensitive areas of her neck and exposing
more of her décolletage to his eyes. He inhaled sharply and lowered his head,
brushing his lips against her jawline. “Milady,” he murmured.
    He kissed her flesh and tasted her scent on his own lips,
intoxicating and spicy. All he knew was that he needed more. Sliding his other
arm around her waist, he pulled her even closer and tilted her back, exploring
her silky skin. He growled with satisfaction as he continued to savor her soft,
scented flesh, slowly working his way down to the low-cut neckline of her gown.
    Suddenly he gasped, loosened his hold from around her waist
and fell to his knees in front of her, grasping his neck in his hands.
    “Something wrong, Aloysius?” she asked sweetly, her left
eyebrow raised delicately over her eye.
    His face had already started to turn from red to purple and
spittle was forming on his lips.   His
eyes, a combination of horror and beseeching, met hers.
    “Ah, you would like to be able to breathe again, would you?”
she asked calmly. “But have you learned your lesson?”
    He nodded, even as he began to fall forward.
    “Very well,” she said with an impatient sigh, and she
lightly touched his neck with her fingers.
    He gasped unsteadily and then gulped in air, his skin
returning to its normal pallor.
    “It would do you well to remember this,” she said coldly. “I
am not some helpless woman you can toy with, Aloysius.”
    He nodded, his throat too raw to speak, and crawled away from
her.
    She smiled sweetly again. “I see we understand each other
now. Good.   Now get out of my chamber and
my home, and do the job I paid you for.”
    His limbs shaking with fear and weakness, he used a chair to
pull himself into an upright position. Finally standing, he bowed deferentially
in her direction. “Milady,” he croaked and hurried out of the room.
    She nodded back, pleased with his decorum. “Well