Lila's Wolf (Out of Time Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

Hilde’s tone was sharp. “I wanted mead as well as bread. Get to it, boy.” When she shoved at his thrall ring this time, he didn’t care that it scraped over open sores. Hope flared, as common sense finally woke up. Lila was there. She’d have at least one ghardian with her, and they would be actively searching for him. He felt dizzy with excitement. It would be dark soon, which meant she’d be staying the night and Jared had at least until morning to contact her.
    Dear God, he might be free in a few days.
     

Chapter Ten
    Lila
    All through dinner, I had the strangest feeling: a tingle at the back of my neck and an uneasiness that didn’t feel like anything to do with our hosts. Marc accepted my claim of tiredness and escorted me back to our guest room, waiting for me as I lingered in the dining hall. “I can’t explain,” I murmured to him. “It’s as though somebody is watching me. I must be more tired than I thought.” I let my gaze drift over the assembled household. The faint hope of seeing Jared or Flavius, or anyone I might know, remained. Apart from the slave at the main table, nobody paid me any attention.
    Something nagged at me, digging at my subconscious but staying elusive and just out of reach. No matter, it would come back to me later.
    Uncomfortable in my clothes and more so at the thought of being without them, I compromised and removed the linen headdress and the woolen outer gown. I sighed in relief to have the weight gone from my shoulders and lay down on the bed.
    The lamplight wavered, clothing rustled, and the bed creaked heavily as Marc sat beside me. I turned my head to him.
    “Don’t worry,” he whispered. “I’ll not try to take advantage of you.”
    I gave a small, relieved puff of laughter. “Okay.” He’d been kind and strong so far, gentle and calming. I could trust him, as far as I trusted anyone these days. His presence reassured me and I’d found I liked his company. He’d held me in his arms, wiped my tears, stroked my back, and massaged my shoulders. He’d been attentive at dinner, feeding me the tastiest morsels and sweeping me along on a tide of light, frivolous conversation. The perfect, genial partner. Then he’d taken my arm and gazed at me, as though seeing me for the first time, raw pleasure flashing across his eyes and a smile tugging at his lips.
    There was too much in my head to allow me to sleep at the moment. Thoughts of Jared. Memories of last time. I rolled onto my side and peered at Marc sitting up in bed. “Why did you train to be a ghardian ?”
    His eyebrows lifted and he ran a hand through his hair. “I believe in justice, which is why I became a soldier. But I trained as a ghardian because I wanted to specialize in time jumping.” His hand strayed down to tug at his beard in a brief, uncomfortable gesture. “I grew up when the jump process was being developed and, right from my earliest memories, I wanted to try it. I learned all about the runaways and how their selfish actions can jeopardize the timelines. I like fixing mistakes, I guess.” Dark eyes smiled down at me. “So, why did you become a historian? And why this period?”
    “The official answer is that my family group were all trained as historians. Between them, they manage and administer archives around the world. But like you,” I found an answering smile of my own, “I was hooked on the idea of jumping.”
    “And this period?”
    “This period, the Dark Ages, is one of the least-known eras in our Archive. If I’m going to be a historian, I want to have a specialty, to make a name for myself.”
    “Ambitious.”
    My cheeks warmed. “A little.”
    His hand shifted away from his beard and dropped to rest on the pile of fine wool blankets. I wondered how it would feel to slip my hand in his, as I’d done with Jared. Would he be shocked? Annoyed? Or just plain embarrassed? I cast around for something useful to say. “What do you suggest we do next?”
    “After a good