Healing Eden Read Online Free Page B

hot and a strangled cough bubbled up. She’d just wanted to gauge his intentions at the battlefield. To see if he’d meant her harm. Boy had she ended up with a surprise. Her image. Front and center in the bulk of all his last memories.
    Did he really see her that way? That sexy? Voluptuous?
    The wind coiled around her neck, teasing the damp stands. The barely lightening skies fell out of focus. What would it feel like to have Reese touch her there? To feel his hands in her hair? His breath at her neck?
    She pushed away from the window and stomped toward her closet. Nursing those ideas wasn’t healthy. Or realistic. Dawn was close, so she’d been out what? Twelve? Thirteen hours? Plenty of time for her to bounce back. The Great One knew, she had enough to catch up on.
    With a tiny mental push, she set the candles in her room to light. Bold colors and soft fabrics lined her closet. Some elegant gowns, but mostly tunics and comfortable leggings. Other women stuck to the old ways of formal attire, but those outfits didn’t serve well for her line of work.
    She tugged on an emerald set and brushed her hair in quick, efficient strokes. What in histus was wrong with Ramsay anyway? Out of everyone in her family, Ramsay was the happy one. The playboy who wrestled panties from women with a wink and a smile. Even in battle, he’d find something to joke about. So, why was he angry? Yes, Reese had served the rebellion. Yes, Reese was hiding something. But this level of anger? It didn’t add up.
    She tossed her hairbrush aside. The wood clattered against the marble countertop and muffled her frustrated huff. Was she being shortsighted? Siding with the enemy? Ramsay and Eryx were the only two living relatives she could call her own. How could she betray them by even thinking about someone who served the rebellion? Let alone fantasize about them.
    She shoved the thought away and grabbed her toothbrush. She needed to check on Brenna, not piddle around in her room sulking. Eryx healing the brave human who’d saved Lexi during the battle was a gutsy move. No one knew what the impact on a human would be, and the intervention put Eryx in a tenuous place. Malran or not, violating the Myren law prohibiting intercession in human destiny was a death sentence.
    A few guards nodded at her on her way to the kitchen, but most kept their gaze locked straight ahead.
    So many warriors. Maxis might have gotten to their family once, but Eryx clearly wasn’t taking chances for a second bout. She’d bet there were guards stationed at her cottage too.
    The scent of freshly baked bread and something sweet tempted her nose before she reached the kitchen. As she turned the corner, the warmth from the fire ovens wrapped her in a fierce hug.
    “What on Earth are you doing up?”
    Galena shrieked and spun. “Orla.” Galena rubbed her palm over her agitated heart and glared at the silver-haired woman. “You scared the hell out of me.”
    Orla flicked her hand in Galena’s direction.
    A snap of electricity shot across the room and zapped Galena in the butt. She jerked her hip to one side, more in reflex than in pain.
    “Manners, Galena. Human slang from your brothers is one thing. It’s not nearly as appealing on a young lady.” She shut the pantry door with her hip and bustled to the island countertop with a fresh box of yeast. Her long hair swished free behind her, and she grinned far too brightly for this early in the morning.
    Galena rubbed the sting Orla’s shock left behind. “You don’t correct Lexi and she curses more than most of the men.”
    “Of course, I don’t correct her. She’s the malress. Besides, she needs to speak in a way they can relate to if she’s going to keep their attention.” She stepped around the counter and tapped Galena’s cheek. “On you, however, it’s like graffiti on a fine piece of art.”
    Galena let out a sigh and leaned into the island.
    Orla bustled to a cabinet for a bowl.
    So much for being hungry.