The Serpent in the Stone (The Gifted Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

continue working on his sketches, and Thomas made off with the grill and dishes.
    Faith started toward her tent, then hesitated. “ Sara? ”
    “ I ’ m fine, ” she assured her sister. No, I ’ m not. “ Go on. ” Stay, stay, for God ’ s sake, stay.
    Her sister nodded and walked away.
    Sara watched her go. If Faith sensed her agitation, she ignored it skillfully...and willfully. With a grimace of resignation, Sara picked up a last few maps scattered about the ground, then put the fire out. The wind whistled around the tents, and she smelled rain on the air. She had mountains of research waiting, including whatever she could find on the amulet, but frowned at the thought of Ian walking back up to his camp in the rain. She hesitated, hardly believing what she was about to say. “ The storm may not last long, if you want to stick around. ”
    He looked up. The gathering clouds had obliterated all traces of the stars. Thunder rumbled again, louder this time. “ Yeah, I guess I ’ ll wait it out. ”
    They headed toward Sara ’ s tent as the first drops splattered down. From there, the rain increased tenfold, drenching them both and rushing them along. They made it to shelter just as the first flash of lighting arced across the sky. The wind surged. She wondered if her tent wouldn ’ t be blown flat by morning.
    Inside, she lit the lantern on her bedside table. She grabbed a towel to dry her sopping ponytail. “ I ’ m sure I could have used a bath, but not like this. ” Her sweater stuck like a wet sponge to her skin. She peeled it away with a disgusted sneer.
    Ian turned his back to her. “ Go ahead and get changed. ”
    She caught her breath at the view of him thus presented. His rain-soaked jeans and jacket were plastered to his body. She followed the lines of his broad shoulders down to a narrow waist and stopped on a very nice ass. Oh, my God... Quit looking!
    So not a teacher ’ s body. She did an about-face and snatched a T-shirt from her trunk, shucking out of her sweater as fast as possible. She threw the T-shirt on, only to discover it was inside out and backward. She cursed under her breath, and ripped it off to turn it right side out.
    ****
    Ian knew he shouldn ’ t, but he looked over his shoulder. His mouth went dry as he fixed on her near-naked back. Lantern light glistened on her damp skin. As she wrestled with the shirt, her shoulder blades arched above a bra gone transparent with water.
    Heat blazed up his spine. From where he stood, he could have reached her in three steps. Pained, he closed his eyes. Don ’ t. Fucking. Move. Already, his body had formed other ideas.
    All of which sounded way too good.
    For whatever she was.
    For a minute, all he heard was the sound of shuffling cloth. Then she asked, “ Are you okay? ”
    He chanced another glimpse back over his shoulder. Dressed now, she frowned at him in an expression of concern. He frowned, too. He couldn ’ t call it relief, but it was sure as hell easier to say something when she had her shirt on. “ Yeah. ”
    She picked up the towel and offered it to him. He took it to dry his own dripping hair. It smelled like her: earthy, with an undertone of something spicy that made him want to act on his earlier impulses. He tried not to breathe it in, feeling suddenly trapped in her tent while the storm howled outside.
    “ Do you want something dry to wear? I could ask one of the guys for a set of clothes. ”
    “ I ’ m fine. ”
    “ At least something for a dry sling. Do you need any ice? We have an icebox hooked up to a generator. ”
    “ No. Sara, the sling is fine. My arm is fine. Don ’ t worry about it. ” He dropped the towel on her trunk, took a few steps away, then sat in an empty camp chair. She stayed where she was, crossing her arms over her body as if she were cold. He warred with the confusion etched like a neon sign into her posture. “ I ’ m sorry. It just hurts, so I ’ m punchy. I didn ’ t take any