Captive of Sin Read Online Free PDF

away to fetch more folding stools, which he set up around the fire.She bent her head, knowing her unconcealed interest was unbecoming in a lady.
    Akash opened the bag and located a small ceramic pot. When he opened it, a pungent herbal smell filled the air. She jerked back, then made herself sit as he stroked the ointment onto her cheeks. Her face felt like it had been whipped with nettles. She couldn’t stifle a gasp of discomfort.
    “Damn it, man. You’re hurting her!” Gideon’s protest was sharp, and he took an urgent step in their direction. “Be careful!”
    Akash ignored his protective friend and spoke to Charis. “Where else are you hurt?”
    Her ribs ached, and she had grazes on her knees from where she’d fallen in the dark. But her arm and face were by far the worst of it. “Nowhere.”
    Akash’s stare was searching as he replaced the lid on the ointment. “Are you sure?”
    “I’m sure.” She wanted him to stop. She couldn’t bear much more. Already her vision grew hazy as endurance faded.
    “I’ll wrap your arm to reduce the swelling.” Akash opened another jar and smoothed the contents on her arm. It was as smelly as the first ointment, but when it touched her skin, she felt a spreading heat.
    Surely this torture must soon be over. The shawl and her flimsy dress offered little protection from the biting wind. She drooped with exhaustion by the time Akash wrapped a bandage around her arm.
    Gideon knelt and drew another length of linen from the bag that held their medical supplies. “A sling might be a good idea.”
    “Yes.” Akash rigged the linen around her neck. Immediately, the painful pressure on her arm eased. “Does that feel better?”
    “Yes, thank you.” She looked up with a shaky smile. “You’ve been very kind.”
    He gave another of those exotic shrugs. “My pleasure.I know you’re sore and sorry, but I can’t find any lasting damage. I’ll need to check in the daylight, but from what I can see, your injuries are superficial. You’ll be fighting fit in no time.”
    She was too tired to do much more than whisper another thank-you. Gideon fetched the greatcoat from the carriage and dropped it around her shoulders. As the heavy folds enveloped her, his already familiar scent teased her nostrils. The warmth was immediate and welcome. “Come and sit near the fire.”
    Already he’d moved out of reach. For a lost moment, she watched him stride away. Then crushing weariness hit, and she stumbled the short distance to the fire, where she collapsed onto a stool. Her frozen extremities tingled as restoring heat slowly seeped through her.
    Sir Gideon lifted a heavy wicker basket packed with food from the back of the carriage. To her embarrassment, her belly rumbled. Her stepbrothers had kept her on minimal rations, hoping hunger would sap her resistance.
    It was a silent meal. As the four of them sat around the merrily burning little fire, Charis prepared for more questions. Any questions. But her companions seemed astoundingly ready to accept her lies at face value. Guilt settled like a stone in her now-full belly, and she pushed away the pork pie she’d barely nibbled at.
    “Are you feeling better?” Sir Gideon asked, noticing her sudden stillness. Of course he noticed. Throughout the meal, he’d studied her across the flames. He sat directly opposite her, with Tulliver and Akash on either side.
    “Yes, thank you.”
    With surprise, she realized it was true. Her face didn’t sting so badly, and the pain in her arm was a distant throb rather than fiery agony.
    She sipped fine claret from the traveler’s cup Sir Gideon passed her. The men had made do with drinking from the bottle. It was oddly intimate to place her lips where Gideon’shad once been, however long ago. Almost like a kiss. The thought made her blush even while her lips tingled as though they indeed brushed his.
    After supper, Tulliver returned to the horses, and Akash and Sir Gideon cleared up. Charis