Pursuing Paige Read Free Page B

hunters. I am gone often, though I plan to spend the
next two weeks here with you.”
    “Magica hunters.”
    “Ah, yes. A topic for
tomorrow, perhaps.”
    “This is the most I’ve
heard you talk since I arrived.”
    “Well, I am able to
speak, after all. Jarek was right, however, I have spent far too
much time alone in my life.”
    They stopped in the
doorway of what would be her bedroom. The chamber was pitch
black.
    “So you’re a hunter and
protector from the...Magica. You’ll have to explain those to me a
bit more. What does Jarek do?”
    “He is one of the
leaders of our community.”
    “What do you mean, like
a politician?”
    “No.” His lips twisted
as he tried to find a way to explain. “He’s more like a policeman,
a peacekeeper, judge, jury. He passes judgment and punishment on
those who have transgressed.”
    “Yikes.”
    “He’s fair and a good
man.” He flipped on the light.
    Paige’s eyes widened
and she took a few steps into the room. “It’s beautiful.”
    He walked into the
room. “We had a lot of time to prepare for your arrival and we
wanted your room to reflect just how much we cherished you from
afar.”
    Silently, she stepped
around the room with a dancer’s grace, running her fingers over the
hand carved pedestals of the enormous bed and the sheer curtains
that hung from the canopy. A huge, heavy wardrobe dominated one
corner of the room. She opened it and gasped at all the clothes
within. She cast a look over her shoulder and raised her
eyebrows.
    “Hand crafted for you
alone by the village seamstresses. I hope you like them. We judged
your style from watching you through the veil. All the fabrics are
soft and loose. They will let you breathe and move freely.”
    “Thank you.”
    “Of course. There are
shoes, too. We found out your size from your sister. Toiletries are
in the bathroom.” He pointed at the darkened doorway to their left,
then at the large fireplace. “We will be happy to start a fire for
you anytime you wish. Our power comes not from magick, like the
Magica, but from wind and solar. It’s mostly reliable, but we still
often use fire to supplement the home’s heat.”
    “Wonderful, thank you.
I wondered how you had electricity way out here in the middle of
the woods.”
    She’d walked over to
stand near him. That was not a good idea. He could scent the faint
perfume on her skin and imagine the way her hair would feel between
his fingers. Standing this close to him was as dangerous as a
gazelle standing close to a hungry lion.
    He diverted his
attention to the door. If he didn’t look away, he would pounce on
her. “The lock is here.”
    She looked at the door
and smiled. “That silly lock would never keep you out, would
it?”
    He grinned. “You have
nothing to fear here, Paige. Feel free to take a bath before bed,
if you wish. We’ll see you in the morning.” He had to get out of
there before he did something he’d regret, something that would
make what he’d just said a lie.
    She reached out and
laid a hand on his arm. He stiffened and went still. She had no
idea the danger she was courting with even such an innocent move.
“I don’t understand why or how I’m here, even though you’ve told
me, but thank you for being so caring, Kaiden.”
    His name coming from
her lips was the last straw. He couldn’t take it anymore, so he did
the thing he’d been dreading. He hoped he could limit this, control
himself, but he needed a taste. He reached out, caught her in his
arms and pulled her up against his chest, lowering his mouth to
hers.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Paige gave a little
yelp when Kaiden grabbed her and pulled her close. A ravenous
expression had clouded his face and she suddenly realized just how
hard he’d been fighting to hold himself back from her. His arms
were like tree trunks with muscles. There was no way she could pull
away from him. Although after her initial surprise, she wasn’t all
that sure she wanted to pull away.
    He dragged