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An Excerpt From: WOVEN DREAMS
Copyright © N.J. WALTERS, 2007
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing,
Inc.
Jarmon
held up his arm, his hand fisted. Garrik stopped
dead in his tracks and listened. If his brother thought there was someone
or something up ahead, then Garrik believed him.
They were all good trackers, but there was no one as adept at it as Jarmon. He was pure magic. His brother could follow
either man or beast across any terrain, easily reading the signs where
others saw nothing.
As
hard as he listened, he could hear nothing. Jarmon
crept back toward him and leaned close. “By the river.” His voice was a
toneless whisper. “I’m going to scout around to the back. Don’t show
yourself until I give the signal.”
Before
he could protest, Jarmon was gone. Swallowed up
by the woods. Not even a branch swayed to reveal his passing. If he hadn’t
watched his brother steal away, he’d never have known which direction he’d
gone in.
There
was nothing else for him to do but to get into position and wait. Silently
drawing his sword, he moved stealthily toward the river, staying within the
protection of the trees. He could hear something now that he was closer.
Crouching down, he eased the foliage apart and almost swallowed his tongue.
Kneeling
down on the side of the bank was a woman. A half-naked woman. She’d stripped
the bodice of her dress down her arms and it hung around her waist. As he
watched, she leaned over, cupped some of the cool water in her hands and
sluiced it over her torso.
Her
nipples hardened and she shivered as the cool water hit her. Garrik’s hands flexed at his sides. He wanted to cover
her breasts with his hands to warm them, to feel the hard tips pushing
against the center of his palms.
Swearing
under his breath, he tore his gaze away and glanced up and down the
riverbank. She seemed to be alone, but that didn’t make any sense at all.
He didn’t recognize her, so she didn’t belong to Bakra
land. If she was traveling, she should be surrounded by her husband,
brothers or father. Anyone. She shouldn’t be out here alone. She was a
woman and, as such, should be protected at all costs.
He
frowned as she continued to wash her arms, unaware she was being watched.
It was dangerous for her to be alone in the forest. There were all manner
of beasts about. They would have to take her back to Bakra Castle until her family could be
found. Maybe she was lost?
Garrik
dismissed that thought immediately. She didn’t act lost. In fact, if he
weren’t mistaken, she was humming a tune beneath her breath as she washed.
She was a complete mystery, but a beautiful one.
The
sun chose that moment to break though the clouds. Garrik
sucked in a breath, finding it suddenly difficult to breathe. He’d thought
her hair a plain brown. He was mistaken. When the light struck it, he could
see it contained threads of mahogany, oak, chestnut and every other
conceivable shade of brown. He’d never seen anything like it in his life.
As she leaned forward, her long braid fell over her shoulder. Absently, she
flicked it back. His fingers itched to release her hair from its
confinement and spread it in a wide cape over his chest.
His
cock swelled instantly, making his pants painfully uncomfortable. Grunting,
he shifted, using his free hand to try to adjust himself. It offered some
relief, but not much. A thin sheen of sweat covered his chest and face, and
not all of it was brought on by the heat of the sun.
He
licked his lips as he continued to stare at her, learning her features. Her
skin was pale and appeared smooth. Her cheekbones were high, her chin
strong. He wondered what her lips would taste like. The bottom lip was
fuller than the top and appeared to be a rosy color, but he couldn’t be
sure from this distance. He wondered what color her eyes were.
Her
torso was slender, almost too much so, but her arms were strong, rippling
with long, lithe muscles as she washed. His eyes narrowed as he noticed a
slight discoloration on her torso. It could be dirt or possibly a fading
bruise. She had the appearance of someone who’d been ill or injured.
Garrik
wanted to strip off her dress and see the rest of her. Would her belly have
a slight curve or would it be flat? Would the hair covering her sex be the
same wondrous color as the hair on her head or would it be darker?
As
still as a stone, he stayed crouched behind the bushes. She was just
sitting there now, soaking in the sun’s rays as they poured down on her.
Tipping her head back, she closed her eyes and smiled. He found himself
smiling in return, captivated by the sheer innocent joy on her face.
Finally
she seemed to gather herself and open her eyes. Reaching down by her side,
she picked up what appeared to be a piece of cloth. Dipping it in the
river, she reached over her shoulder, trying to wash her back. He growled
low in his throat. He’d love to wash her back for her—and any other part of
her, for that matter.
He was
so caught up with the mysterious water nymph across from him, he almost
missed Jarmon’s signal. The song of the lark rang
clearly through the woods. The woman paid no heed to the sound at all, but
frowned as she tried to reach her lower back with her cloth. It was time to
offer his assistance.
Rising,
he stepped out from behind the bushes. Her head shot up and she froze. Garrik held his hand out in front of him and offered a
smile as he sheathed his weapon.
The
piece of cloth slipped from her fingers to land with a plop on some rocks
at the edge of the river. Jerking her dress to her waist, she jumped to her
feet. He could see her hands trembling as she clasped the fabric to her
chest.
“I do
not mean you any harm.” He kept his voice low as he stepped into the river.
It wasn’t deep and he could dry his boots later. Her eyes shot to the bulge
in his pants. He couldn’t do anything about that, but he stopped halfway
across the river. The water rushed by his knees, but he didn’t move any further
toward her.
“Stay
away.” She backed away, almost stumbling as her foot hit a rock.
He
kept his voice as nonthreatening as possible. “You shouldn’t be out here by
yourself. It’s not safe.”
Her
chin tilted upward. “I’m not on my own. My family is close by. If you leave
now, I won’t scream.”
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