'Til the End of Time Read Online Free

warning.”
    Karpathan nodded as he took a step closer. “We haven’t much time, so I’ll be as brief as possible. Naldona is planning to murder you and lay the crime at my door. He thinks the desire for revengewill push Bruner into giving him the arms he needs.”
    She inhaled sharply. She was shocked, though she had no reason to be. She had known what Naldona was from the instant she met him. “When?”
    There was a flicker of admiration in Karpathan’s face. “You’re taking this very calmly. No shocked exclamations, no arguments. Aren’t you afraid?”
    She made an impatient gesture with one hand. “Of course I’m afraid. Why shouldn’t I be? But being afraid won’t keep me from getting murdered. There’s a chance that knowledge might. When?”
    “We’re not sure. Tonight sometime. I doubt if it will be before you’ve retired for the evening, but I can’t be sure. Fontaine will keep an eye on you at the dinner party. I’ll come to your suite later tonight and take you out of the palace.” He paused before adding with a touch of sarcasm, “Do you think you can discourage Bruner from occupying your bed for one night? It’s going to be difficult enough for me to get you out of here without worrying about stumbling over your aging lover.”
    “You won’t have to worry about stumbling over anyone.” Her eyes were fixed on the formal rose garden beyond the stone balustrade. “Thank you for the warning, but I won’t need your help. I’ll take care of it.”
    “The hell you will!” He was staring at her in stunned disbelief. “We’re talking about a skilled assassin. Do you think Bruner is capable of saving you from Naldona?”
    She lifted her chin. “I wouldn’t ask him to. It would be stupid to tell James about this. He’d feelhe’d have to protect me, and probably get himself killed. James doesn’t know how to handle violence.”
    His eyes narrowed on her face. “And you do?”
    “I hate violence, but I know how to deal with it.” She started to turn away. “I’d better go back inside.”
    “Wait just a minute.”
    His hands were on her bare shoulders. Heat. His hands were only mildly warm, yet she felt a throbbing hotness flowing, spreading, from the flesh beneath his hands to every part of her body.
    His face was taut, his eyes blazing, as he gazed down at her. “I’m not about to be dismissed. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m involved in Naldona’s plot. If you die, this war may go on for another six months. I’ll be damned if I’ll let you send me away with a polite thank you.”
    “James and I will be leaving the day after tomorrow.” To her surprise she found herself trying to placate him. “Now that I’ve been warned, I’ll surely be able to avoid any danger until then.”
    “Will you?” He gave her a shake that wasn’t exactly gentle. “And how do you think you’ll do that? Do you know how many ways there are to kill a person? Well, I do. I’ve become an expert on the subject in the last few years.”
    The fresh scent of soap and a woodsy fragrance reminding her vaguely of burning leaves clung to his body. She shook her head as much to rid herself of this new sensual impact as in rejection. “Let me go. We’re talking about my life. No one tells me what to do with it.” Their eyes were almost level as she glared at him. “Damn you, take your hands off me.”
    He glared back at her for a moment before his hands reluctantly released her. He muttered a shocking expletive before he stepped back. “This isn’t the end of it. Until Bruner leaves Tamrovia, your continued good health is very much my concern. There’s no way I’m going to let Naldona murder you because you’re too stubborn to accept help.”
    She turned away. “Go back to your war, Karpathan. I refuse to involve myself in the games you and Naldona play with other people’s lives.”
    “Games!” She could hear the roughened sound of his breathing behind her, and it sent an involuntary thrill