Sword of the Raven Read Online Free Page B
you what I don’t know, can I?” Rowan dispatched the lone survivor of the dozen muffins, not counting the one she’d taken but not eaten. He prowled to the stove, ladled generous scoops of the marionberry cobbler onto his empty plate and returned.
“Mmm…” His sensual moan rippled up her spine. If he was attempting to distract her, he was doing a bang-up job. “Bloody brilliant dessert. You’ve very clever hands, haven’t you, lass?”
“Cut the bull. What do you remember?”
He sighed. “My short-term memory is…compromised. ‘Tis like peering into a hazy mirror. Only random clear places appear.”
“All right, tell me everything you can see.”
“I don’t believe that’d be wise.” He frowned. “Because I’m fair certain someone tried to kill me.”
Queasy, she abandoned her fork. His admission wasn’t the shock it should have been. Deep down, she’d already sensed that darkness stalked him.
Delaney rubbed the vague ache nagging the back of her neck. And Rowan realized she knew, or he wouldn’t have come clean. She’d met this man mere hours ago, yet they shared a scary subliminal connection. Shared strange, unsettling feelings. “We’d better notify the police.”
“I’d rather not. Until my recall improves, I haven’t any answers.” He cleared his throat. “And I’ve found the authorities can be…less than helpful in certain circumstances.”
Tell me about it. Especially when you couldn’t—or wouldn’t—answer their questions. MacLachlan might be on the wrong side of the law. Or not. But she’d learned the hard way “innocent until proven guilty” was an ideal not upheld by everyone in law enforcement.
“You’re deep in alligators, pal.”
He smirked. “Up to my bollocks.”
“You seem pretty nonchalant about it.”
“I remember enough to know this isn’t my first trip to the bog.” He shrugged. “And won’t be the last.”
Maybe he was an undercover Fed. Or yet another casualty of corrupt Judge Zinter, who owned a house nearby. Delaney squelched the urge for details. Sometimes, ignorance was bliss. She didn’t want to further endanger Rowan, or herself, by mucking around in his business. She really didn’t want the authorities or Zinter to know she was in town.
She’d keep her gun close and MacLachlan at a distance until the storm passed, then they’d go their separate ways. “I empathize with you, honestly. But I can’t get dragged in. I have my own gators to wrestle.”
“That you do.” He studied her face. “What’s your profession?”
No harm in telling him. It was public knowledge, and a lie might make him curious enough to dig deeper. “I’m a victims’ advocate for the Portland District Attorney’s office, and working on my law degree.”
At least she had been. Until she’d flushed her hard-won career down the toilet last winter by spearheading an unsanctioned investigation into her brother’s case.
“Why did you come to this lonely place, Delaney?” Once again, jeweled green spilled into his irises. Warm waves of inquiry lapped against her skin. This time, the gentle probing was far more subtle. “What do you seek here?”
Pain squeezed her temples. She fought dizziness as Rowan’s essence drifted inside her mind. Sly, silver mist brushed her thoughts. Examined her feelings.
No! Her wordless scream quivered in the air between them. Get away from me!
Rowan jolted. Severed the contact.
His mental hit-and-run left her head throbbing. “Stop touching me against my will!” Her fingers crumpled her napkin. “Stop invading my private—” Humiliatingly close to tears, she inhaled a shaky breath. “Whatever the hell you’re doing, it’s too personal, and I don’t like it!”
Sadness weighted his big frame as his concerned gaze locked with hers—gray again. “What is it you think I’m doing to you?”
She was losing it. Turning into a genuine fruitcake. With nuts. A person’s eyes did not change color. Thought
“Mmm…” His sensual moan rippled up her spine. If he was attempting to distract her, he was doing a bang-up job. “Bloody brilliant dessert. You’ve very clever hands, haven’t you, lass?”
“Cut the bull. What do you remember?”
He sighed. “My short-term memory is…compromised. ‘Tis like peering into a hazy mirror. Only random clear places appear.”
“All right, tell me everything you can see.”
“I don’t believe that’d be wise.” He frowned. “Because I’m fair certain someone tried to kill me.”
Queasy, she abandoned her fork. His admission wasn’t the shock it should have been. Deep down, she’d already sensed that darkness stalked him.
Delaney rubbed the vague ache nagging the back of her neck. And Rowan realized she knew, or he wouldn’t have come clean. She’d met this man mere hours ago, yet they shared a scary subliminal connection. Shared strange, unsettling feelings. “We’d better notify the police.”
“I’d rather not. Until my recall improves, I haven’t any answers.” He cleared his throat. “And I’ve found the authorities can be…less than helpful in certain circumstances.”
Tell me about it. Especially when you couldn’t—or wouldn’t—answer their questions. MacLachlan might be on the wrong side of the law. Or not. But she’d learned the hard way “innocent until proven guilty” was an ideal not upheld by everyone in law enforcement.
“You’re deep in alligators, pal.”
He smirked. “Up to my bollocks.”
“You seem pretty nonchalant about it.”
“I remember enough to know this isn’t my first trip to the bog.” He shrugged. “And won’t be the last.”
Maybe he was an undercover Fed. Or yet another casualty of corrupt Judge Zinter, who owned a house nearby. Delaney squelched the urge for details. Sometimes, ignorance was bliss. She didn’t want to further endanger Rowan, or herself, by mucking around in his business. She really didn’t want the authorities or Zinter to know she was in town.
She’d keep her gun close and MacLachlan at a distance until the storm passed, then they’d go their separate ways. “I empathize with you, honestly. But I can’t get dragged in. I have my own gators to wrestle.”
“That you do.” He studied her face. “What’s your profession?”
No harm in telling him. It was public knowledge, and a lie might make him curious enough to dig deeper. “I’m a victims’ advocate for the Portland District Attorney’s office, and working on my law degree.”
At least she had been. Until she’d flushed her hard-won career down the toilet last winter by spearheading an unsanctioned investigation into her brother’s case.
“Why did you come to this lonely place, Delaney?” Once again, jeweled green spilled into his irises. Warm waves of inquiry lapped against her skin. This time, the gentle probing was far more subtle. “What do you seek here?”
Pain squeezed her temples. She fought dizziness as Rowan’s essence drifted inside her mind. Sly, silver mist brushed her thoughts. Examined her feelings.
No! Her wordless scream quivered in the air between them. Get away from me!
Rowan jolted. Severed the contact.
His mental hit-and-run left her head throbbing. “Stop touching me against my will!” Her fingers crumpled her napkin. “Stop invading my private—” Humiliatingly close to tears, she inhaled a shaky breath. “Whatever the hell you’re doing, it’s too personal, and I don’t like it!”
Sadness weighted his big frame as his concerned gaze locked with hers—gray again. “What is it you think I’m doing to you?”
She was losing it. Turning into a genuine fruitcake. With nuts. A person’s eyes did not change color. Thought