Druid Surrender (A Druid Quest Novel Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

touching.
    A hard chest.
    Brighid froze for a second, then twisted to meet Wyatt’s dark gray-green eyes, the hunger in them making her nearly swallow her tongue.
    “Damnu ort!” The curse slipped unbidden from her lips.
    His smile turned puzzled. “What?”
    Brighid snatched her hand back, curling her fingers into a fist, swearing she could still feel the touch tingle against her skin. Her face burned to what must be an unattractive shade of red that clashed with her hair.
    Damn him, she cursed again, silently this time at having her escape foiled. She ignored his question to ask one of her own. “Why are you lying on the floor?”
    His smile turned roguish. “Waiting for you.”
    Brighid rolled her eyes, her own plans turning to ash. “Am I a prisoner?” Her breathing stuttered in her chest, then halted altogether while she waited for his reply.
    “Of course not.”
    Lips pursed, Brighid studied her nails while the terrible tightness in her throat eased.
    “But you’re not allowed to leave until we can be sure the danger has passed.”
    Brighid leaned back, affronted by his attitude. “You have no right to dictate my actions.”
    When he rose to his feet, he towered over her, and she tipped her head back to keep him in view, biting back a wince when her neck protested the angle. With his hands on his hips, the smile gone, he transformed into an imposing figure who demanded obedience. Flickering shadows from the fire cast him in an almost sinister light, and his words only enforced that image.
    “Actually, I do. Mysterious accidents have plagued my factory for the past few months, a number of my people have died, and a whole village tried to murder you before my eyes. I refuse to release you while you’re still in danger.” There was a calculated pause. “Unless you would like me to contact the police and let them handle the matter?”
    Her spine straightened.
    She couldn’t risk involving the law. They would dig into her past and endanger those who had fled with her and guaranteed that she’d be handed over to the powerful men were after her.
    She couldn’t allow that to happen.
    He gestured to a chair, silently inviting her to sit, and more precisely, obey him. He leaned against the door with casual grace, effectively blocking the exit and held out a hand to assist her to stand.
    She composed her face to reveal none of her unease. If she defied him, she had no doubt he’d turn her over to the law without an ounce of remorse.
    Impotent rage thickened the air around her.
    She’d thought better of him, though couldn’t explain why.
    A stab of disappointment pierced her, and Brighid glared at his proffered hand, still able to feel his too-intimate touch linger around her ankle. It would be unwise to risk repeating the experience even if curiosity urged her to give into temptation and touch him one last time to see if the spark between them had been a fluke or something far more dangerous…attraction.
    She needed to resist his charms. His nearness was enough to fluster her, and any attraction would only be a distraction and endanger her mission to rescue her cousins. She couldn’t risk being compromised by something as frivolous as desire.
    But there was no sense in tempting fate.
    She gathered up her skirts and rose rather inelegantly to her feet. The top of her head barely reached his shoulders, and she estimated he stood a little less than six feet tall, though he seemed much more imposing. With as much grace as she could muster, Brighid sat in the high-back chair he’d indicated. The temptation to use her powers was appealing, but she resisted. Her powers couldn’t be trusted. If she let them loose, she’d likely find herself in more trouble.
    She would bide her time. He had yet to harm her, had actually saved her life, though she refused to be grateful for his interference. With a little more time, she would have evaded death on her own. The rain would have extinguished the flames long before they