The Sentinel Keeper (Forest Series) Read Online Free Page A

She dropped to one knee in front of Melchior and then quickly rose, as was their custom. Melchior tossed his sword at her and she caught it by the hilt. Shara was ready to lead the soldiers out for a night of duty. In Melchior’s army males and females were of equal standing as fighters but Shara had special skills. Not only was she so dazzling that most males were dumbstruck by her beauty, but she was born from the Keeper of Snakes and her skin was laced with lethal poison and she could wield it in a thousand different ways. She was a lethal killing machine and Melchior had found her centuries ago, trussed up in a cloth and tied to the Black Rocks as a blood sacrifice by the Dark Lord in an archaic custom of his people. He abhorred the custom and the dark, oily slick of earth that made up the Rocks.  He had brought her back to the forest and one of the healers had nursed her back to life. Now she was one of his fiercest warriors, and most loyal friends.
     
    Melchior stripped off and stepped under the steaming shower, knowing Shara would clean his equipment with a precision not even he could match. He groaned as the water hit his stinging eyes. He let it course over his body, feeling it wash away the blood in a swirl of pink. This was a ritual he had done a thousand times, after a thousand battles.
     
    He lifted his head to the jet as it coursed over his face. He felt the heat of it wash over his scars. They had not scared her at all. She had wanted him. Gods he could still smell her arousal on his skin. It was with a pang of regret that he soaped his hands.
     
    She had stirred something inside him, with her deep black eyes. She looked so fragile lying still beneath, but she was made of fire and steel. She was a fighter. She had stabbed him, tricked him and finally maced him. She had almost taken her pleasure from him. He groaned. Never before had he wanted a female like this
     
    As Aslan came through the door Melchior turned away and got busy with the soap and icing himself with a cold blast of freezing water. Aslan was pacing as he finally turned the water off and grabbed a towel.
     
    “Melchior, we’ve got a problem here,” Aslan stalked over. “This clip she took of us fighting, it seems she sent it off to someone. It didn’t send in the forest but it must have gone off a few minutes ago because I heard it beep.”
     
    Melchior scowled and grabbed the phone.
     
    He watched the footage of their sparring session in the forest training grounds. They were moving so fast they looked like little more than a blur. How had the human even seen them? He slowed the clip down and played it again.
     
    “Too vague to see our location” Melchior said, his face tight. “You think this is going to be a problem?”
     
    “I have a feeling it is,” Aslan said. “Seems she sent it to a human called Jackson. I ran a trace on the number and it seems it comes from the national newspaper.”
     
    Jackson. Melchior felt his blood pumping and a feeling of hot irrational rage come over him.
    Who was this Jackson?
     
    “I ran a quick search for her. Seems she is the star investigative reporter for the paper. So yeah, I reckon we have a problem on our hands.”
    “She’s a problem all right,” Melchior nodded.
     
    Aslan was watching him with a grin on his face. Just the sight of it annoyed Melchior. He moved towards him deliberately.
    “What you smiling?” he growled. He shoved his face in front of the smirking one. “You want me to wipe that smile off your pretty face?”
     
    Aslan wasn’t his oldest friend for being a pussy. Melchior felt a surge of relief as the male pulled himself up to his full height. He was the only person who would openly challenge him. In a flash his thoughts again went to short, cropped black hair and laughing eyes. Gods she had challenged him.
     
    “Back down,” Aslan hissed, blue eyes meeting Melchior’s green ones. If needs be they would settle this with their fists as they had a