Unleash the Curse: An Imnada Brotherhood Novella Read Online Free Page A

or . . .
    “Only until the ladies realize they haven’t a chance while Sarah’s around. The poor devil can’t take his eyes off her.” Duncallan chuckled.
    Trapped, her heart drummed loud enough for the entire house to hear, her hands crushing the fabric of her gown. Did they have to have this discussion here of all places? Her knees were going numb and all the dust was making her nose itch.
    “Poor devil, my ass,” Deane growled. “The man probably has mistresses strung across the continent. I’d assumed Miss Haye had better sense, but I suppose when there are jewels like that bracelet on offer, no woman is immune. I only hope she’s not disappointed in her choice of protectors.”
    How on earth did he know about the bracelet? And how dare he insinuate she’d taken Christophe to bed as if she were a common trollop? She’d a good mind to leap from behind the couch and tell him of Christophe’s marriage proposal. That would wipe the condescending tone from his voice, now wouldn’t it?
    “I’m sure you misjudge the situation, Seb. Sarah’s not that kind of woman.”
    Her stomach clenched as she waited for Sebastian to dispute Duncallan’s assertion with every lascivious detail from their catastrophic interlude. Instead he gave a gruff snort of laughter. “I hadn’t thought so. Perhaps that’s what bothers me most. That I was wrong about her. You know tonight when I saw her, I almost . . .” He sighed.
    “You almost what?”
    “It doesn’t matter now, and dreams rarely stand the test of daylight. Probably a good thing.”
    She shimmied toward the end of the couch, peeking around one satinwood leg. Duncallan stood at the doors leading out to the terrace, peering through the glass into the night while Sebastian perched upon the arm of a nearby chair.
    Just then, a shape loomed up out of the night, throwing black across the moonlit floors of the drawing room. Duncallan leapt to the door, opening it on a blast of cold February air. “What the devil . . . ?”
    An enormous beast stumbled and fell into the room, turning its great shaggy head in Sarah’s direction. She froze as its nostrils flared wide, its great liquid black eyes focused on her hiding place. A scream died in her throat as her breath tangled in her lungs.
    She expected shouts, calls for help, for rifles, for rope. What she heard was, “Quick! Bring him in.”
    “Close the door. It’s cold as hell outside.”
    “He’s hurt. Light a damned candle. I can’t see a blasted thing.”
    “Lucan? Can you hear me? Who did this?”
    Deane knelt by the creature’s side, a hand resting in the fur of its back. “He’s bleeding, Seb. Someone’s driven a blade deep. More than once.”
    Terror battered Sarah’s insides as she gazed on the hulking, bearlike monster shuddering great heaving breaths from a mouth full of razored teeth. As if that sight weren’t enough to rivet her in place, a haze rose up around the animal, enveloping it in a red-gold shimmer like sun off sand. With each passing moment, the glow grew stronger until it lit the room and the heat became a hot, swirling wind. Sweat beaded on her forehead and trickled down her neck to mingle with the cold splash of fear shivering her shoulders.
    Sebastian and Duncallan backed away while within the rushing twist of color, light, and magic, muscles warped and bones twisted. Where once was fur appeared a broad chest of sun-bronzed skin. Instead of short clawed paws, she saw long muscled limbs. And in place of the stumpy snout and tearing teeth was a rough-hewn face, severe and beautiful and taut with pain.
    Startled, she sucked in a quick shocked breath, her head connecting with the edge of the couch.
    She blinked . . . and blinked again.
    But the vision remained the same.
    It was a man.
    A very perfect and very naked man.
    *   *   *
    Sebastian swung his gaze over the dark reaches of the room. He could have sworn he’d heard something . . . a gasp, a sigh. What the hell