Read In the Beginning... for Free Online

his trust,
then try to escape?
    What about Josey and Mickey? Mal? Would it be
easier for only one of them to escape and find help? Get home, to
Rand and Uncle Jason?
    Those two men would not stop until they were
found. If someone were to meet them halfway, rescue for the others
would come twice as fast.
    Did she have much choice?
    Josey would not be able to get away from the
monster holding her. Of all these creatures, the one called Cormac
frightened Emily the most. Mickey was too timid to even attempt an
escape. That left either Emily or Mallory. 
    The first opportunity Emily found, she’d
formulate a stronger plan with Mallory—and between the two of them,
they’d seize the first chance to escape they could find.
    And just pray they pulled it off and could
return with help before the creatures hurt Josey or Mickey
further.
     
     

Chapter Nine
     
    Emily slipped the small knife she'd taken at
dinner under the thick mattress she knew she'd be sharing with the
king for the fifth night.
    "Are you awake, Rajni ?" He whispered the
words as he pulled off his clothes. She knew now what that strong
chest, muscled arms, and tanned body looked like. Knew exactly what
it felt like pressed against her. The night before had been long,
with him holding her tight against that chest through the
hours.
    She should hate him, but last night she’d
been filled with the urge to touch him. Even to taste him.
    What had he done to her? With every minute
that passed her desire to escape him waned. If she stayed with him
much longer, would she ever want to leave? Did she have some sort
of Stockholm syndrome? Was she falling in love with her captor? Her
breath caught, backed up in her throat.
    The bed dipped beneath him, his large body
slid beneath the blankets and rubbed against her much smaller one.
Emily shifted, turning more onto her stomach. Within reach of the
knife. Could she do it? She let her hand fall casually between the
mattress and the wall. Her fingers closed around the hilt. If she
was going to act, she'd have to do it quickly, without hesitating.
She would have to make it work.
    Strong hands slid around her waist and pulled
her to him. His scent surrounded her as he buried his mouth in her
hair, as one hand traced her thigh. Emily closed her eyes and took
a deep breath, then flipped over quickly. It was now or never.
     
    ****
     
    Rydere stilled when he felt the press of a
blade against his neck. Green eyes stared at him in the low
moonlight, determination and fear in their depths.
    "Don't move." Her voice trembled but the hand
that held the knife was steady.
    "I'm not." He kept himself
still, curious to see how far she'd be able to take her threat. He
knew she wouldn't be able to kill him; as his Rajni , her heart would not let her
harm him permanently. "You know this won't work."
    "Maybe not. But did you honestly expect me to
just fall in line with your plans?" The blade slipped a bit until
she firmed her grip.
    It would take him seconds to disarm her, but
he ran the risk of hurting her. "I expect you to put the knife down
and go to sleep."
    "I'm an adult and I have rights—rights you
seem to think you can just take away because of some insane idea
that we're mates. We're not. I don't believe in that."
    "We are mates."
    "What we are is hostage and kidnapper.
Period. No matter what that book said." She took a deep breath,
causing her chest to press against his. It distracted him for a
moment. "And I'm tired of playing that game."
    "It's not a game, Emily. Nor
is our mating insanity. I've waited six hundred years for my Rajni . I'm not going to
mistake her when I find her." Rydere grabbed the arm holding the
knife and pushed it down, away from his neck. "Give me the
knife."
    "No." Her left knee slid between his knees in
a sudden move women had used as defense for centuries.
    Rydere cursed as he tried to catch his
breath. Damn her.
    She still held the knife and was climbing
over him to run. He stopped her with a hard jerk to