Sleeping With Danger. Wendy Rosnau

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СКАЧАТЬ knew which guard drank too much, who snuck off to the kitchen for a late-night snack and who couldn’t keep his eyes open past midnight.

      She’d planned her trips accordingly, and for several weeks she’d been able to slip away and return without anyone the wiser.

      Until tonight.

      “I’m not forbidden to take walks,” she challenged.

      “An extremely long walk tonight,” he offered.

      “Have you been following me?”

      “Of course. A man seeking an advantage does what he must. You are persistent. A commendable quality. But the villagers will not help you escape your life here.”

      “I have no life here.”

      “Perhaps I can make it more meaningful.”

      Spoken like a man who thought he had the miracle cure for what ailed every woman.

      “Do you know why I’m here?” she asked, wondering just how close a friend he was to her father, or if it was strictly business.

      “You’re being punished for bad judgment. I’m in agreement. Taking a common guard as your lover was in poor taste.”

      He relaxed his stance, his confidence overflowing. His open white shirt revealed that he shaved his chest, and the painfully tight fit of his jeans confirmed that his miracle cure for what ailed a woman, ailed him more. She was surprised that he could walk in such a state.

      “The villagers are too frightened of what will happen to them if they show you any mercy. As they should be. There would be no leniency for the fool who helped the Chameleon’s daughter escape him. But perhaps I know of a way you could regain your freedom.”

      He smiled, then reached out and stroked her cheek with the back of one of his disfigured hands.

      Even though his hands were an obvious handicap to him, she’d seen him out on the target range every day. He was still a superb marksman. Speed was perhaps the only flaw in his execution.

      When he began to trail his fingers down her neck she pulled away. “I believe your…way of helping me would only serve you. I suspect that’s why you haven’t told my father about my late-night walks?”

      “I see no reason to alarm him about something that isn’t going to happen. Well, at least not without my help.”

      “So if I share your bed, you’re prepared to forget you saw me this morning, is that it?”

      “I’m prepared to forget it, and give you a future elsewhere.”

      “My father would kill you if he knew what you’re suggesting.”

      “No doubt, he would. Your lover suffered an agonizing death. Did he scream much? I was told your father made you watch.”

      Melita refused to let his cruel words rattle her. She was used to her father using Nemo’s violent death as a tool to control her.

      “You’re wasting your time if you think you can blackmail me into your room after midnight.”

      “One night would never be enough.” He glanced at her bare feet. “I’m curious if this rebellious spirit follows you into the bedroom, or if last year you were the victim of a silver-tongued playboy when you surrendered and lifted your skirt for Nemo.”

      He was a bold bastard, and Melita met his boldness with a bit of her own. “Which are you hoping for? Do you like victims or rebellious bitches?”

      He laughed. “You are delightful, sweet Melita. What I hope for is a chance to find out. Do me a favor, and I will do you one.”

      “I think I’ll stay in my prison.” She tried to walk past him but he blocked her exit.

      “Don’t dismiss my offer too quickly. Your lover is dead. Your father owns every breath you take. Have you forgotten what freedom feels like?”

      “The question is would I be free?”

      “If I decide to talk to Cyrus, it won’t go well for you. You’ve been slipping out at night for weeks, trying to persuade a fisherman at the village to sail you off the island.”

      “Go to my father and tell him your tale. But before you do know that my story will be quite different. I didn’t go to the village tonight, nor have I ever.”

      She tried to go around him again, but this time he grabbed her arm, his grip so tight it would surely leave a bruise. He tossed his cigarette to the ground, pushed her against the stone face of the monastery and trapped her there.

      “Taming you will be my pleasure, and it will happen soon. I will have you. A little preview of what it will be like, hmm…”

      He smelled of tobacco and whiskey, and she thought perhaps it was the whiskey that had prompted such crazy talk. But it wasn’t just talk. Suddenly he tangled his fingers in her long black hair and jerked her head back. His free hand flattened out on her belly and he moved it slowly upward over her left breast. Squeezed.

      “Very nice. More than I expected.” A second later his hand was around her neck, squeezing until she couldn’t swallow. “Hear me, Melita, you and I will party soon, and I promise you that you will enjoy yourself. I know I will.”

      Melita closed her eyes as his lips crushed hers in a cruel kiss, and then he was grinding his body against her.

      He forced his tongue down her throat and he raped her mouth with a promise of what was to come later. He was disgusting and vile, and the taste of him made her want to gag, then it made her want to scream.

      Where was Hector? She was off schedule now. He should be checking his watch and starting to worry about her.

      Desperate, Melita slipped her hand into her pocket and closed her fingers around the little bell she carried with her to call the goats that roamed the island, and to signal Hector in case she ran into trouble. Pulling it from the folds of her skirt, she rang it.

      It was a gentle bell that could be missed in a windstorm, but tonight the breeze was but a whisper, the night as quiet as a graveyard. If Hector was nearby he would hear.

      Holic’s mouth slackened and he pulled back as the bell registered somewhere inside his lust-crazed head.

      When he let go of her neck, Melita sucked air into her lungs, the rush making her almost dizzy. She whispered this time when she spoke, her throat raw and bruised from his abuse. “Hector will be here within seconds. How do you want to die?”

      He stepped back from her. “You have him trained well. I wonder if your father knows that your bodyguard’s loyalty is in question. I think it’s time your watchdog learned who pays his salary.”

      He left her then, slipping into the darkness just as Hector appeared. Angry and scared, Melita rubbed her neck as she took her frustrations out on him. “Where have you been?”

      “Following your instructions.”

      “But I’m late.”

      “Does СКАЧАТЬ