Awakening Rielle Read Online Free Page B

her own so they were no further apart than a breath. Instead he was close enough to feel but not to touch, her body ripened and eager to feel more of him.
    In her mind's eye she saw herself: naked and exposed, arms trussed up above her head, a faceless, shapeless man who was nothing more than whispers and legend kissing her with such aching familiarity that she didn't mind all the rest.
    Realization dawned like the first rays of sunlight cresting above the mountains of Raving Thistle: she might enjoy having her virginity taken, even by the stranger known only to her as The Immortal.
    As she had the thought his intimate touch receded, his mouth as suddenly gone from hers as it had appeared. The snapping of electricity dissipated to a low rumbling before receding as though through the cracks of the room, leaving them in nothing but silence. Her arms were immediately released from their confinement, dropping with heaviness to her sides as blood trickled its way back into the dormant limbs.
    Rielle felt bereft of the absence of sensation that had nearly consumed her not a moment prior. Fueled by a reckless sense of anger she reached for the ribbons tied at the back of her head and yanked the blindfold off, her eyes immediately adjusting to the dim candlelight that cast soft shadows into the sharp features of The Immortal's face.
    " You ?" she breathed, momentarily distracted from her physical ache at the sight of the man from the library. His lips were still swollen from their embrace, and his eyes were so heavily lidded she could barely make out the molten brown. His chest inflated and deflated at the rapid succession of breaths as he panted before her, like an animal in heat or on the hunt.
    There was a desire in her that could not be so easily forgotten, even at the revelation that The Immortal and the man from the library were one and the same. Her instincts were divided, one longing to reach for him and feel the closeness of his body to hers, and the other to cover her exposed flesh before the not-so-anonymous immortal man before her. She chose modesty.
    "You may have what you came here for," he began, his eyes searching hers rather than her body. "You will have the resources you need to live well, to never again feel hungry or find yourself in need of shelter. In exchange for your virginity I will give you a taste of immortality. Do you agree?"
    "Yes," she answered quickly, breathlessly, and without any hesitation. The promise of never returning to her life in Raving Thistle was enough for her to say yes to anything, but the anticipation of enjoying the exchange made it all the sweeter. "Yes, I agree."
    It was then that she noticed they were in a bedroom similar to the one she'd slept in for three days, only far grander and larger in scale. Behind him was an immaculate bed so tall she'd need a ladder just to climb into it. It was wide enough to sleep half a dozen people. When her eyes returned to his face she was surprised to find him looking out past her shoulder. When she turned to follow his gaze she saw the old man in his equally old suit, nodding wordlessly, obediently.
    "He will escort you back to your room," The Immortal spoke quietly, the depth of his voice betraying his cool demeanor.
    "My room?" she echoed uncertainly. "But I thought-"
    "When I want you," he whispered forcefully, his eyes ablaze even in the dim room, "I'll come for you."
    Frustrated confusion simmered beneath the surface of her own incomprehension. "We made a deal!" she protested.
    "And that arrangement will be honored to the letter, Rielle." The Immortal took a step forward, the warmth of his body hitting her once more like a wall. "You will have everything you desire, but the guarantee of a life lived long and well does not extend beyond the barriers of this place."
    Everything inside her dropped, tumbling from their place of security into the unknown, her tears included. She resisted the urge to wipe away the moist droplets from her cheeks. "I