Blood Lust Read Online Free PDF

moment he just stood there. Then the echo of a gunshot ended what he might have said, the deafening blast filling the room, the lead ball hitting him square in the chest.
    The duchess stifled a scream, and William gasped in horror at the scarlet blood flowing from his father’s waistcoat. The old man gasped, the spreading stain spilling out and pitched forward, both knees buckling beneath him.
    “Father!” The word exploded from William’s throat. He spun toward his father’s assailant and stared in horror into the familiar face of his brother, Benjamin, who had climbed the outside stairs and fired through an open window. William felt an agonizing pain burst in his head. The room began to spin and his legs went out from under him. His vision darkened.
    “Father. . .” he whispered, fighting the black swirling circles that rose in front of his eyes. With a groan, he slumped forward, landing unconscious a few feet away from the duke’s lifeless body.
    The duchess stepped over the shards of glass from the broken pitcher that lay scattered on the floor, opened the door, and the fashionably dressed man walked in.
    “Very good darling,” Benjamin Spencer said. “You’ve always had a quick wit about you.” Ignoring the pounding that began on the door leading into the inn, he knelt and pressed the still smoking pistol into William’s limp hand.
    The duchess smiled, “One should always be prepared when opportunity presents itself.”
    Benjamin nodded, “I hoped you’d be smart enough to realize the old man would never allow you to marry his son.”
    “I knew it, even if William did not.”
    “Well, now your problem is solved.” He surveyed the bodies on the floor. “I had no idea the old man would make it so easy.”
    “Open the door!” The innkeeper’s husky voice rang from the hallway. His heavy fists banged on the thick oak planks of the door.
    “Let me handle this,” he said.
    Jane arched a sleek brow, “Oh, I shall.”
    “And remember, a bit of scandal is a small price to pay for your share of a considerable fortune.”
    Her mouth curved up into a smile, “Never fear, I will remember, your grace.”
     
    William tossed and turned, sweat pouring off his brow. Finally he awoke, bolting upright in a sitting position. He would have his revenge on his brother in more ways than one he vowed.

Chapter Three
     
     
    William dumped the last heavy pail of hot water into the wooden tub he had set before the fire. Already that morning he had cleansed himself in the icy water outside, trying to shake off the horrible dream that had plagued him. But it was no dream. He figured that after her muddy attempt to escape last night, the girl might appreciate a chance for some cleanliness too.
    Secretly, he wanted to see what she looked like. She’d been lovely when he had first seen her. How would she look with her pretty face scrubbed, instead of smudged with dirt?
    It was dangerous, he knew. He only had so much will and the lady tested it sorely. Last night, even muddy and bedraggled, he had wanted her. In the light of the fire, he had ached to caress her smooth skin, to bare her lush breasts and fill his palms with their pale, heavy weight.
    It sickened him to think that his brother might have touched her, kissed her, perhaps even made love to her. His jaw clamped shut at the image even as he heard the sound of the door being opened at the top of the stairs.
    Her head popped out. She surveyed the situation and him before speaking. “Good morning, my lord.”
    “Good morning. I trust you slept well finally.”
    “As good as could be expected, considering the circumstances.”
    William ignored the twang of guilt he felt. “I brought you some clean clothes. I thought you might like to take a bath before you put them on.” The young stable boy had provided them, since the lady’s trunk had been too large to carry on the back of his horse, an oversight both he and Damien had made when planning the abduction.