Claiming the East Wind Read Free Page A

there.”
    He frowned. “Why not?”
    “Soren! That’s not…” she straightened her shoulders. “Because I said so.”
    He smiled. “Ah, the little rabbit has teeth.”
    “Stop calling me that.”
    He gestured to the corner behind her. “You can change over there.”
    She glanced over her shoulder and spied the folding screen. It partitioned off one corner of the room and was covered in a lovely design that showed the lake and a villa on its edge, covered in ivy and flowers.
    She moved behind the panel and started to pull off her wet clothes. Soren leaned back against the wall with a smile playing about his lips. He refrained from telling her the screen was translucent. He couldn’t see any details but her lovely figure left a wonderful, tempting silhouette.
    His body tightened, and for the first time he felt a rush of something that wasn’t pure greed.
    His smile flickered. At least he hoped the desire burning inside was clean and pure, not just another need twisted by greed.
    Whatever it was that was driving him, all he knew was that he wanted Skye.

Chapter Three
    Skye fingered the beautiful fabric of the dress as she walked into the sumptuous living area. The garment was so silky. And far tighter than her usual clothes.
    The color was gorgeous. A bright blue that had a slight shimmer. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the large mirror on the wall. With her damp hair pulled back, her face was on full display, as were all her curves, courtesy of the dress.
    She looked pretty.
    The scrape of metal on stone made her look away. She watched Soren stoke the fire he’d lit in the large marble fireplace. He stood, but his shoulders stayed stooped. He started to pace, his fingertips massaging his temples.
    Power emanated off him, but she could feel the suffering entwined with it. Greed was wrapping its grasping hands around him again.
    She knew that back in the bedroom had been the perfect opportunity to seduce him. Her belly fluttered at the memory. He’d wanted to watch her change…but she just hadn’t been able to do it. Hadn’t wanted to trick him.
    “Are you hungry?” she asked.
    A quick shake of his head. “No.” The hand by his side clenched, released, clenched.
    “I can sing for you again.”
    He paused, his head slowly rising. “Yes. I want you to sing.”
    Skye sank into a large armchair and curled her feet up under her. She sang an old Aurae song in Italian. A song about the WindKeepers and the gentle seasonal breezes that soothed and lightened their burden.
    She kept her gaze on Soren. One of his hands gripped the back of the sofa, but as she sang, he relaxed his hold, his eyes closing. Soon, he moved closer and sat on the armchair beside hers.
    When the song was over, gentle silence fell over the room, punctuated only by the occasional pop and crackle of the flames from the fireplace.
    Soren’s gaze was locked on her. “That song…”
    “It’s about the WindKeepers.”
    A line scored his brow. “I’m a WindKeeper.”
    “Yes. You obviously know you control the wind, the East Wind. You’re one of four brothers born to a long line who have protected the world from the Venti Tempesta .”
    His brow furrowed more. “When you were singing, the greed backed away. I could almost remember who I was.” His shoulders slumped. “Now it’s gone.”
    “It’ll come back. We’ll keep trying.”
    “Maybe I don’t want my memory back. What if I discover I’m always greedy, always wanting more and more?” He stood and strode to the window. “I want to believe I’m not always like this.”
    Skye smiled sadly. “Sometimes we just have to accept ourselves, flaws and all. I’m always scared, timid, too shy to tell anyone what I want.”
    He spun around. “Someone hurt you.”
    She looked away. “I don’t want to talk about that.”
    “Okay.”
    She looked back, thankful he wasn’t going to push. Memory or no, she had a suspicion that Soren Venti liked getting his own way.
    “Would