Guardian of Werewolf Keep (Werewolf Keep Trilogy) Read Online Free Page A

Her senses were beguiled by the heavenly smell. Her long plat of auburn hair pleaded to be untied and washed in the water too. But that was a bigger job than a wash bowl could provide. Instead, she wound her hair up and out of her way, so she could sponge her shoulders and underarms. Heaven! She luxuriated in the feel of the water, as it dribbled down her naked flesh and onto the mat beneath her feet.
    A loud bang, as the door swept back on its hinges, brought Phil from her sensual trance. She turned to stare , as a young woman stormed into the room, quickly followed by Byron Carstairs. The woman grabbed the sponge from Phil's astonished grip, and threw it into the bowl.
    'Oh no you don't. That's my sponge and my water, and this is my room! I don't care who you say you are, you will not have my place!' The woman was screaming at her, face flushed with fury. Phil took a step backward, expecting to be hit at any moment.
    As the woman raised her fist, Byron reached her. His size and strength disabled the woman in moments, but her venom was not as easily contained.
    'Get out, you bitch! You aren't wanted here,' she screamed.
    Phil could tell that she was probably a very pretty girl, but at the moment, her dark features were twisted with such malignancy that she appeared a monster.
    'Charlotte, this is uncalled for. Get out. I told you I would make other arrangements for you!' Byron manhandled the girl to the door , and pushed her out. Then he turned the lock, and rested his back against the door.
    From the other side of the door , Phil could hear Charlotte banging and screaming. It was almost as terrifying as the howling from the night just passed.
    Slowly , she became aware of Byron's gaze. Flushed from exertion, dishevelled from a sleepless night, he stared at her as if the sky had opened, and something magical had come to rest before him. His sensitive mouth opened with a soundless, 'Ohhh'.
    The realisation that she stood before him naked , and that it was she who was the magical being, made her want to laugh. It was a totally inappropriate reaction. She should have been cowering from his gaze, her virginal modesty compromised. But all she could think of was that she had finally stopped the indomitable Byron Carstairs in his tracks.
    'Is there anyone in this place who wants me here?' she asked impudently, sweeping up a fluffy towel that lay across the unmade bed, and wrapping it around herself.
    When Byron made no reply , she smiled. The banging on the other side of the door had stopped, and the blissful silence made it feel as if they were the only two people in the world. She took a step toward him.
    'Who is she, that harridan? Your wife? Your beloved? Surely you have not given me her room? '
    What made her walk toward him , clothed only in a towel? Maybe it was the nightmare of the past few hours. Maybe it was the whole surreal situation that left her feeling like someone else completely. Not the respectable, impoverished governess she had been, over the last few years, not even the new heiress of the last week – but a strange new being – the unwelcome mistress of a madhouse.
    When Byron finally found his voice, it was harsh. 'Charlotte is no wife, beloved, or anything else to me. Your father made her a resident of the Keep many years ago, as he gave many others a home.’
    'Resident s? There are other people staying here, besides you and I? Last night it seemed as if we were the only ones here.' She moved even closer, her gaze locked on his. For the first time, she noticed how deep and soulful his light brown eyes were. They were heavy lidded with thick, dark lashes that any woman would have envied. When they met hers, they seemed to look deep into her soul. What he saw there left him deeply bemused.
    'L ast night, except for young Jamey, the gardener’s son, we were the only people here. Today the house is full. You should...' His eyes dropped to the towel, and it was clear he thought it gentlemanly to get her