Mystic Rider by Patricia Rice

Author:Patricia Rice [Rice, Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: psychic, superhero, international, deities, aristocrat, beach, paranormal
ISBN: 9781611383621
Publisher: Book View Cafe
Published: 2014-03-18T07:00:00+00:00

Nineteen

“I hope you are well rested. We must leave for the border at once.”

Bathing her father’s brow with cool water, Chantal stared at the disheveled man who barged into the room. The normally unflappable, arrogantly assured man she’d come to know had metamorphosed into the equivalent of unstable gunpowder. Ian’s boots were scorched and covered in dust. With his queue undone and his thick curls windblown, he looked as if he’d fought an army. Fear clawed her insides at the glitter of fury in his midnight eyes and the rigidity of his unshaven jaw.

“What happened?” she demanded.

That her father let her speak for him revealed the extent of his weakness.

“The king has lost his escort. It will take a miracle for him to escape now. Messengers bearing the news from Paris have already reached these outskirts. The bloody future I predicted is almost upon us.” For a moment, regret etched lines about his mouth.

She might feel sympathy for him if the words future I predicted had not lodged in her brain, preventing any immediate reply.

Instead, Pierre rose from his prayers beside the bed to intrude upon the conversation. “I’ll ride alone to the border. There is no sense in endangering everyone for my sake.”

Taller and broader than the younger man, Ian did not move from the doorway. “Your sister and her children require your presence. We stay together,” he ordered, as if he had a right to do so.

“I cannot go with you,” Chantal pointed out. “Papa is too ill to travel. The border is not that distant. The rest of you should go and leave us here.”

After the words she and Ian had exchanged earlier, she was more determined than ever to be rid of him. He assumed too much if he thought he had any claim on her, or that she would trail after him like a camp follower — no matter how much she inexplicably desired him. He and Pauline had endangered her entire world, and now it seemed they had brought it crashing down. She could not forgive him.

And insanely, she still wanted him, clear down to the marrow of her bones. She wanted to cleanse his sweat-caked face with her cloth, press kisses to his bristled jaw, and comfort him with caresses. And much more.

The heated look he bestowed on her said he felt the same, and she almost burst into flames. This adolescent lust was impossible.

“You do not understand,” Ian said patiently. “The roads will soon be crawling with National Guards preventing anyone from crossing the border. We must go now.” Tearing his gaze from Chantal, he turned to Pierre. “Fetch your sister and the children, have the carriage brought out. Chantal, help them gather their belongings. I will tend to your father.”

He stepped aside to allow Pierre to pass. Chantal had expected Pierre to protest again, but he abruptly clamped his lips closed and hurried to obey Ian’s wishes — just as everyone else did.

Despite the terror Ian’s appearance struck in her heart, and the authority of his commands, she would not be so easily ordered about.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.