Tethered (The Avenlore Series) Read Online Free Page A

Ever. 
    “There is a village not far from here.  We should be able to find something suitable for you there.  Are you ready, milady?”  He said as he extended a hand.  It was obvious that I was expected to get on this giant creature’s back and that wasn’t really in my plans.  I did not do horses.
    “You want me to get on that thing?”  I asked pointing to black beast in front of me.
    He looked at me questioningly, then to the horse and in its general vicinity.  “You mean the horse?  He’s not a thing, he’s a horse.  He won’t hurt you.”  He stated as his hand dropped to his side.  His tone reminded me of debate class.  But then he looked into my eyes.  I couldn’t look away this time; I was like a deer in the headlights.    His tone softened and when he spoke it was just above a whisper.  “I told you that I would protect you, that was a promise.”
    I was reduced to putty and would’ve climbed into the mouth of a dragon for him if he’d only asked it of me.  But he didn’t need to know that.  So I just said, “Okay.”
    I walked toward him and he took me by the elbow and gently turned my body so that my back was to him.  Then he placed his hands at my waist and lifted me effortlessly, as though I was filled with air.  He placed me in the saddle then hoisted himself up behind me, one arm on either side of me. 
    Liam made a clicking sound and the horse responded by working up to an easy speed.  He smelled like sandalwood and sea mist, clean and masculine.  His chest grazing my back slightly felt nothing more than necessary, but my body responded to his proximity with a fierceness. 
    My pulse pounded in my ears and my mind took inventory of every place in contact with him.  Our thighs were pressed together in the limited space provided, my back only just touched his chest, and his arms grazed my own sporadically with the movement of the horse.  But, what really set me reeling was his breath at the nap of my neck, slightly more to my left side.  Even through my thick hair that fell loosely down my back it was discernible.  It was simultaneously intimate and innocent and I struggled to form a coherent thought.
    I broke the silence that had fallen on us since we’d be gun the ride.  “Where are we?”
    “Milady, you have the pleasure of being in The Emerald Wood, one of the most beautiful places to behold in all Avenlore.”
    “Avenlore ?”  I asked.
    He halted the horse and leaned forward to look at my face.  “Milady, it is what these lands are called.  Did you not know?”
    Of course I did not know.  “Yes, yeah.  I’m still a little off balance I think from all the startling.”  I answered quickly, unable to hold his gaze.  He looked completely unconvinced, but didn’t press me.  “And it’s Dani, remember?”  I added steeling a peak at him over my shoulder.
    His answering smile lit his face.  “Dani.”  
    At the sound of my name from his lips, my world titled on its axis.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 5
    Not far from here turned out to be much farther than it sounded.  By the time we neared the village, the sun was descending fast b ehind the trees.  By my questionable calculations, less than an hour of daylight remained. 
    The village was small, but cozy, surrounded by golden fields and the deep green wood.   
    Liam stopped short of the hustle and bustle of the town to dismount and help me careful ly down from the saddle.  He unfastened his cloak and placed it around my shoulders, his fingers softly grazing my shoulders. 
    Even through the layers of fabric, my body practically purred from the contact. 
    “Just a precaution.” He told me as he fastened the fabric at the base of my throat.  “I shouldn’t be long.  I want you to remain here until I return and try to stay out of sight.  Can you do that?”  He asked quietly as he stood with me in a thicket on the fringe of the village. 
    My head bobbed quickly in