Forest Whispers Read Free

demeanor became even more
unwelcoming. “I am master here. Naught happens here that I am
unaware of.”
    Lana frowned, but she hadn’t really expected
to gather any information. Finally, she nodded. “This man is fair,
as I am. He is a killer of women. Take care that your women are
guarded. They should not be left alone or allowed to go far from
the house without a man to escort them.”
    He grew angry then and made no attempt to
hide it. “The Confederation holds no sway here. I am master.”
    Lana’s lips tightened. The only thing she
hated worse than domineering men was stupid domineering men. “That
was not an order, only a warning for the sake of your women’s
safety. He is hunting. If the opportunity arises, make no mistake,
he will take one and you will not see her alive again—or in one
piece.”
    Nodding, she turned and strode from the
yard. She doubted seriously that any of the women were in danger.
She couldn’t see much possibility that the women were ever out of
sight of at least one male at all times.
    When she’d reached the track again, she
pulled the map from her pack and studied it in the dwindling light.
There was a stream roughly half way between this farm and the next.
It would be too dark soon to be stumbling about in the woods, but
she wasn’t willing to waste the time it would take to follow the
track back to the fork and take the track to the next farm. She
decided to cut through the forest and make camp by the stream for
the night and approach the next farm in the morning.
     

Chapter Two
    He approached from behind her so that the
light from her campfire threw his shadow away from her instead of
allowing it to fall across her. He advanced with stealth, with
hardly a whisper of sound. If she had been sleeping, she would have
been easy prey, but, as a hunter who knew she could become prey at
any moment, she had developed a sixth sense for the furtiveness
itself. The moment the woods around her went quiet, she woke to
full alertness, commanding her body to remain as it was so as not
to alert her stalker.
    He stood for long moments, staring down at
her when he’d come to a halt beside her. She breathed easily,
waiting until he squatted beside her. Before he could strike, she
burst into action. Jackknifing upright, she slammed into him. She
followed him as he pitched onto his back, straddling his middle,
her blade against his throat, slamming her knees against his arms
and pressing them into the dirt on either side of him.
    There was no tussle for dominance. He gave
up the fight without a struggle. As the adrenaline rush subsided,
Lana saw in the dim light that it was Captain Corin Thantos she had
pinned between her thighs. A mixture of amusement and irritation
surfaced as she watched the surprise in his eyes slowly supplanted
with chagrin. She lifted one arched brow, a feline smile curling
her lips. Very deliberately, she allowed her gaze to move down his
face to his chest. Removing her blade from his throat, she sheathed
it then placed her palms over his bulging pecs, testing the taut
muscles. “Nice.”
    Catching his gaze, she moved her hands to
the bulging biceps of his upper arms. “Very nice.” Still gripping
his arms, she leaned forward until they were almost nose to nose.
“I like to break my bulls before I ride them,” she murmured,
feeling a rush of desire replace the murderous impulse of before as
she plucked almost playfully at his lips.
    A rush of breath escaped him, as if he’d
been holding it. His taste and scent filled her, igniting the
glowing embers of desire and bringing a flush of sensitivity to her
skin.
    Sitting up, she reached behind her, skating
a hand over his hard, flat belly and burrowing her fingers beneath
his cod piece. “What sort of pretty are you hiding here, I wonder?
Something I would like to play with?”
    He sat bolt upright as her fingers curled
around his cock. She’d anticipated as much, however, and snatched
her hand free, gripping his arms once