Number of the Beast (Paladin Cycle, Book One) Read Online Free PDF Page A

mid-air,
wavering like a taunting finger, before it fell to the hay-strewn
floor.
    Venora wasn’t just a self-trained
assassin. She possessed a spark of the arcane. Indeed, one day
she’d make a formidable foe. And perhaps an even more formidable
wife for some unfortunate man.
    She sat onto the haystack,
her legs draped over the side, heels kicking at the dried needles.
“I want to leave the compound.”
    Atticus climbed and sat
beside her. His gaze moved over her smooth, tan skin where only
strips of crisscrossed leather covered her breasts and nether
regions.
    “ I’m sure many of us do,”
Atticus said.
    “ I want to someday be a
member of the Circle of the Ark so that I can see the sea. Instead
of miles and miles of desert sand there will be miles and miles of
refreshing water...out on the exotic briny like the dashing pirates
of yore!”
    Smiling, he gave a quick
peck to her sweaty cheek. “Perhaps you will get the chance someday.
But isn’t piracy a sinful thing?”
    “ Only if you’re a bad
pirate,” she said. “I’ll be the Robin Hood of the seven
seas.”
    “ Then perhaps that would
be all right,” Atticus said.
    Venora sprawled on her
back across the hay and stared dreamily up at the dark wooden
rafters. Beads of sweat full of temptation rolled away from her
bare shoulder and arms. “The Order of Grey Griffins in Romania
train women Paladins to be lethal assassins. Their women wear the
shadows like second skins; they can strike a man dead in a flash of
smoke without ever being detected.”
    “ There
are duties for you here. Things you could be doing now to better
serve our Order.”
    “ I do not have any desire
to be a wet nurse or a pastry chef. I have abilities like you and
Rourn. Someday, soon I hope, to be valued by the Paladins for more
than my aptness at working dough.” She squirmed a bit and turned
toward him. “And aren’t you one to speak about better serving the
Order. Shouldn’t you be spending every waking moment training for
the arrival of the Beast?”
    Atticus chuckled. “You and
I both know that the prophecy is only lore.”
    “ I don’t know any such
thing,” Venora replied. “What if it shall come to be and you are
not prepared?”
    Atticus turned to his
side, their faces breaths apart. “It is not as though it will
happen anytime soon. And even if it did occur, I am prepared as
adequately as Rourn to deal with the foul little Beast.”
    “ I pray to God that you
know yourself as well as you believe so. And believe me when I say
that the Order of Abel oppresses my desires. One day soon, Atticus,
I will break the cage and soar away from here. Soar far, far away.”
She spread her arms like a valiant hawk.
    An ache twisted in
Atticus’ gut. The compound without Nora? “But I intend to come to
you one night and wisp you to the chapel where I will make you my
wife. We’ll get drunk on brandy and make love beneath the desert
sky.” Winking, he elbowed her. “You will give your maidenhood to
that of a mighty, powerful and deadly Twin warrior.” Atticus jumped
to his feet. He struck a pose, flexing his arm muscles.
    Venora laughed, the sound
bringing a smile to his face and a twitch to his erect manhood. He
sat back down. “You will be revered as royalty. Will you stay
then?”
    Venora scowled. “Has the
Order stopped teaching the art of chivalry? You’re a barbaric man,
Atticus.” She got to her feet, stretching her arms above her. “But
alas, I cannot promise you my hand in marriage since I aim to leave
soon.”
    Venora’s dreams sometimes
frightened him. She could not accept her lot as a woman who was
expected to do womanly tasks. She needed a warrior like him to tame
that wild spirit and seal her wicked tongue with a righteous
kiss.
    “ Your dreams reach farther
than the coyote’s howl,” he said. “But someday I know you will
desire my husbandry.”
    The smile she cast was
forced. “In my heart of hearts I know that someday you shall come
to understand my