Scoundrel's Kiss Read Free

to choose one,"
Pacheco said upon his return. "Each of you."
    Gavriel turned to him. Questions stuck
in his mouth. But Fernan found no difficulty bridging the silence. "I have
dearly missed the luxury of personal slaves since leaving my parents' estate.
Very thoughtful, Master"
    "This is your trial, Fernan, just
as you are mine." Pacheco's black eyes narrowed and swiveled between his
aspirants. "These souls are in desperate need of redemption. You will work
with one to provide spiritual guidance. Turn them toward the Church. Help
redeem them of their wicked ways and you will pass your final test."
    A year spent within the confines of the
Order and living by its doctrines had taught Gavriel not to disagree with
Pacheco's commands. His word determined if and when men passed their
novitiates, the period of penance and trials before being accepted into the
brotherhood.
    But how Gavriel wanted to disagree.
    The lines on either side of Pacheco's
mouth deepened into trenches. "You fear this challenge, Gavriel.
Why?"
    Because I am not ready.
    For once, he wished Fernan would
intervene with some inane drivel, but the man was busy assessing the next slave
standing at auction. Gavriel exhaled through his nose and forced tense muscles
to relax. He toughened his lies until they became the truth.
    "I have no fear, Master."
    "Then choose one," Pacheco
said quietly. "It's quite intimidating, I know, to look upon a sea of
depraved faces and know that you can give such a gift to only one. How do you
choose?"
    Fernan rocked back on his heels, that
idiot grin stretching his lips. "I, for one, will choose some terrible
good-for-nothing. No sense busting my hopes on a near miss."
    Pacheco scowled. "You will regard
this challenge with great sincerity, or you will not be returning to
Ucles."
    "And how is this a threat?"
    "Your father has indicated that
you are no longer welcome at your family estate. As of last week, the retreat
at Ucles is your one and only home. Treat it with the respect it
deserves."
    Fernan's features drained of their
scant color. He used a wide sleeve to mop the sheen of sweat from his forehead.
"Well, then, that changes my standards considerably." He turned
toward the bulk of the room and addressed its seedy occupants. "Are there
any virgins here? Virgins with an inclination toward study and prayer? And
perhaps rudimentary husbandry skills?"
    Gavriel tugged on Fernan's arm.
"Stop it, you fool."
    "This isn't working. Should I try
speaking in Mozarabic?"
    "You should try behaving as if you
wear the Cross of St. James," Pacheco said with unmistakable menace.
    "Master," Gavriel said.
"What if the one I choose does not wish to accompany us?"
    "This is a slave auction. What
choice will they have?"
    "You intend that the Order will
own them?"
    "Of course," Pacheco said
with a shrug. "Gavriel, you of all people should know this is no ordinary
brothel. Make your selection and let us have done with this place. Now that our
business in Toledo is concluded, we will return to Ucles tomorrow."
    Fernan nodded toward another Moor on
the platform. "I'll take him then. One's as useless as another."
    Pacheco placed the appropriate bids and
purchased the slave. The stooping auctioneer led his most recent sale down the
steps. Fernan looked the young man up and down, his expression twisted in a
distasteful sneer. "I wonder if he even speaks Castilian."
    "You could ask him," Pacheco
said.
    "Oh, the hassle this will
be."
    A woman with fair skin followed the
auctioneer to the center of the platform—a woman to stop the breath in
Gavriel's lungs. The muddied sounds of the brothel faded. Fashionably dressed
in a deep blue linen gown decorated with fine embroidery, she surveyed the
crowd of buyers with a placid look. No fear tainted her shadowed eyes. No
tension contorted the muscles of her body. No bitterness ruined the smile on
her mouth. For all the world; she embodied the peace Gavriel had yet to find,
this woman on the verge of bondage.
    She rolled