The Hawk and the Jewel (Kensington Chronicles 1) Read Online Free PDF

from someone's throat. It would be morning before Shani would understand the sobs were her own, and that Brandon had caught her just before she hit the floor.
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    &unny gallagher
    39sunny opened her eyes but did not immediately move. Her temples ached, and her eyes felt gritty when she blinked. It was a relief to let her eyes slide shut again, but as soon as she did, yesterday-all of yesterday -came sharply to mind.

    The faces of Ali and Rashad swam before her mind's eye, and the pain Sunny felt was like a knife in the side. I have a family in England, and rather than tell me the truth, I am drugged and taken away by a stranger.
    Her mind ran through the events of the last weeks. The distance Ahmad had placed between them and the clinging way Indira had acted at the oddest times washed over her with fresh understanding. And Rashad, always kind to her, had begun to treat her as a rare bird. Calla had not only sewn her clothing, but in ways most subtle told her of England, what she would see and how she must act.
    Sunny had taken all of Calla's words to heart, so no one aboard this English ship-would be offended by her behavior, but never did she imagine she would need such knowledge for other reasons. Sunny suddenly remembered her age. While sleeping, her robe and gown had twisted around her, so she rose slowly from the bed and adjusted the heavy fabric.
    Almost reverently she let her hands slide over her flat breasts and stomach. / am just 13, the words sounded with wonder inside her mind. For so long, lam different, but now, now I am just young, and in this there is no sin. Sunny allowed herself a brief time of joy over this truth, and indeed it was brief. All too soon she remembered that
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    this was the only thing she had to be happy about.
    Her eyes cast about the room, little more than a closet. In doing so, she caught sight of her two trunks, which now sat opposite her bed. She approached them with a heavy feeling of grief settling around the region of her heart.
    They plotted against me well* she told herself as she approached the trunks quietly. Kneeling, she lifted the lid of the first one and felt tears sting her eyes. It was filled with clothing similar to the outfit she had worn on board. She'd been so upset by the day's events that she hadn't even stopped to wonder why the captain had night raiment to fit her. Calla must have made her an entire wardrobe.
    "Sunny?"
    The calling of her name brought her to her feet. By the time Brandon opened the door, she had backed up until her legs hit her bunk.
    Brandon stopped as soon as he saw her. The morning light was dim, but not so low that he missed the single tear and the wet trail it left on her cheek.
    "I suppose by now you'd hoped to wake up and find that all of this was a bad dream.**
    His deep, gentle voice was almost her undoing. The tight rein she had on her emotions nearly crumbled in the face of his kindness.
    "When you're ready, I'll send for breakfast." Brandon waited for her nod, shut her door, and left her alone. As soon as he had exited, Sunny began to wonder where he had come from. She followed him to the door, opened it, and found herself on the threshold of his cabin.
    Sunny was surprised at herself. On the tour yesterday, she had completely missed this door and the small room off his cabin. Sunny glanced back to her own room, searching for yet another door. She found none and realized that the only way out was through the captain's cabin.
    Brandon had gone to his desk, but noticed Sunny the moment he was seated. He watched her take in the cabin with new eyes, but couldn't quite tell what she was thinking. His neatly made bed was the last place she looked before turning her direct gaze on him.
    "Are you a eunuch?"
    Brandon's thoughts had wandered far in an attempt to guess her thoughts, but never in his wildest dreams would this question have
    entered his mind. He swiftly reminded himself where she had spent the last 12 years of her