Taming the Wolf by Deborah Simmons

Author:Deborah Simmons
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Tags: Historical
ISBN: 9780373288847
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1995-08-01T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Something woke him. Dunstan tensed and eased his eyes open, alert for danger, but nothing threatened. He was alone in an empty hut with a cold fire and the fading scent of woman lingering in the air. Marion! Jerking upright, Dunstan leaped from the cot, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Day of God, the wench had bolted again! Dunstan reached for his clothes, the bitter taste of betrayal in his mouth. The knowledge that she had fled, after all that had passed between them, came perilously close to hurting him.

Thrusting that odd ache firmly aside, Dunstan nurtured his anger instead.

This time, by faith, he would throttle her. He would beat her soundly. Nay, he would strangle her with his bare hands!

Dunstan had yanked on his braies and his tunic before he noticed that Marion's cloak still hung by the fire. Turning swiftly, he saw her pouch lying on the floor where she had left it, and unease traveled up his spine as he rushed toward it. He pulled out a soggy blanket and clothing, some .personal items and a small bag that held jewels. Surely, the wren would not leave without these?

His anxiety increasing, Dunstan surveyed the rest of the tiny space. The bucket, too, was missing, so he told himself she was probably only fetching some water. But no sounds came from outside and he could not shake the feeling that something was not right.

When he was mailed and armed, Dunstan slipped out of the hut into the golden glow of late-afternoon sun. The area outside was deserted, the well standing alone, and something akin to panic jerked at his insides. Fighting it, Dunstan forced himself to look carefully for any signs of Marion's passing.

He had nearly reached the old structure when he saw the hoof prints.

Feeling as though someone had just kicked him in the gut, Dunstan dropped to one knee to examine them closely. Horses, several of them, had been here.

Who? And why had they taken Marion? One answer came all too quickly as the memory of her stretched out between her two attackers struck him like a blow.

"No!" he growled. Fear for her, along with something else – something deep and vulnerable – assailed him for a moment before he could school himself. He had a job to do, a job entrusted to him by his sire, and by faith, he would not fail.

Pausing only to take up Marion's meager possessions and his own leather pouch, Dunstan did the only thing that he could do. He gave chase on foot, thankful for the soft, wet earth that gave him an easy trail to follow.

And he blamed himself. As he trotted along the road, Dunstan cursed under his breath, for if he had not been sleeping in the middle of the day, Marion would still be safe. What was the matter with him? Had his soldier's training deserted him completely because of a satisfying tumble or two?

On second thought, satisfying did not begin to describe what had gone on in the hut.

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.