Enchanted Lover Read Online Free

Asilinn sank to the ground.
He knelt, grabbed her slim ankle, and snatched the bejeweled dirk from her
garter. Her small hands closed around his in recognition of his purpose.
    "Mother Mary, protect me from the dragon."
She released her grip and crossed herself as if she thought he would strike her
dead for her effort.
    With a low growl, Jared stripped off the wet hose and
gave them a toss. "Dragon? Think you I am a dragon set upon purifying you
with fire for your deceit?"
    "'Tis nigh deceit. You did not ask if I was
armed."
    "Silence," he snorted through his rage. Her
seemingly innocent beauty had seduced him into carelessness. It would not
happen again. Satisfied his scowl made her sufficiently uneasy he turned back
to the task.
    Slipping the dirk in his belt, he grabbed her ankle,
wrapped it in a layer of soft wool, and slipped on the over-sized boot. The
wool filled in the extra space around her foot. Satisfied she would at least be
able to walk and stay dry; Jared gave the other leg equal treatment. Pulling
her to her feet Jared took her plaid and wrapped it around her shoulders in a
cape arrangement. It covered her head and kept most of her body in a snug
cocoon. Stepping back, he appraised her appearance.
    "'Tis the best we can do for now." Turning
from her, he loaded his meager supplies on the horse and slid her jeweled
dagger into his pack.
    The impression of her naked form still lingered to
send fire through his veins. Perhaps this was the punishment for all his sins,
to have his body scalded by an enemy wife. It wouldn't be the first time—he
fought down the bile rising in his throat. At least this enemy was known for
what she was.
    He returned to Asilinn's side. His torture was just
beginning. Now he must ride for hours with her pressed close to him, scorching
his man root until it throbbed to possess her yet ever wary of when she might
betray him. He lifted her onto Ailleagian and climbed up behind her, feeling
the soft press of her hip against his hardness. Slinging the weighty leather
cape over both of them, he guided the horse out into the rain that now fell in
sheets.
    They rode through the foggy night moving ever west
towards Dunbocan. The heavy leather blocked most of the rain from Asilinn, who
leaned back against him when he pushed the horse forward. Asilinn dozed
occasionally in their seemingly endless ride. Her whole body ached from her
cramped side saddle position in front of him and still they pressed on.
    Eventually Asilinn felt the horse slow. The rain had
eased a bit and she poked her head out of her leather cover. It was near dawn
and they were riding through a narrow pass. The towering, gray-green giants of
the Grampian Mountains rose above them tapering the trail to a tiny notch by
their overwhelming size.
    The MacLean turned his full attention to her.
    "I just wanted a breath of air." Asilinn
tried hard to ignore his penetrating stare as she looked around. "A secret
pass through the Grampians?"
    "Hardly secret," he said. "Here we are
most vulnerable to thieves who choose to prey on innocent travelers. It is a
well-traveled trail."
    "How long are we in the pass?"
    "Are you planning another escape?"
    "I dinna think ‘tis safe here without some
additional men. Father says a lone traveler is asking to be robbed."
    "True enough under most circumstances, I
suppose," he replied with an amused grin. "Is milady afraid someone
will steal her from me before we can complete our wedding plans?"
    "Blackguard beast!"
    "Put your head back under. The storm is far from
over." As if to verify his statement, the heavens let loose with a
drenching torrent of rain and the wind whipped wildly at Asilinn's hair. Her
captor pushed her head under the cape and shoved it back against his chest.
    The foul weather had foiled Jared's attempt to get
them through the pass before morning. They were moving much slower than he
would have liked. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and searched
for some sign of danger in