Caller of Light Read Online Free Page B

When she tried to remove her hand, he clasped it tighter.
    “The pleasure was all mine, Lady Carina.” His baritone voice seeped into her pores. “I’ll see you at dinner?”
    Startled, she gazed into his eyes. Did he really want to see her again? She searched his face for any hint of sarcasm, but saw only sincerity and warmth.
    “I doubt she’ll be able to wash the Criton smell off her by then,” Marissa trilled.
    Carina stiffened, trying again to pull free. Marek’s grip tightened. With deliberate slowness, he raised her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips across it. “Lady Carina, would you please join me for dinner?”
    The ground spun beneath her feet. She struggled to maintain her balance as an energy ripped through her, awakening her body with an acute, almost painful attraction for the man standing before her. She didn’t know if the sensations zinging around inside her were ignited by the gentle press of his lips against her hand or the deep timbre of his voice, but they fascinated her. Tongue-tied by her body’s inner turmoil, she could only stand there, speechless, staring at the massive chest of the man in front of her.
    “Carina!” Marissa’s voice held an unmistakable edge. “Don’t act like a dolt. Let go of his majesty’s hand.”
    Marek refused to let her go when she tried to withdraw from his grasp. His vivid, grey-flecked eyes pierced her with such intensity, her breath caught in the back of her throat.
    “You haven’t answered me,” he whispered, his eyes sparkling.
    “Oh, of course she’ll be there,” Regin huffed. “But only if she finishes her chores.”
    She remained silent. If Father knew she’d already finished her chores, he would’ve found another reason to keep her from attending the formal dinner.
    Marek released her hand, straightened to his full height on an over six foot muscular frame, and stared into her eyes. “Very good, I’ll see you at dinner.” With a slight pause, as if reluctant to dismiss her, he turned away. “King McKay, you wished to show me your estate?”
    “Oh, yes,” Marissa exclaimed.
    “Then carry on.”
    Carina stayed behind, listening to the fading drone of her father’s voice as he bragged about the castle and grounds. Her eyes followed as Marek’s broad back, with Marissa attached to his arm, disappeared around the corner of the medical barn.
    The thought of seeing Marek again filled her with excitement as a dormant part of her stirred to life. But her more realistic side dreaded the idea of attending dinner. She’d have to find something to wear, which always caused heartache. But Milly, a household servant who also happened to be an excellent seamstress, could help locate a suitable gown.
    With growing anxiety, she stomped toward the main house. Though she’d embarrassed herself with King Duncan, she anticipated that her appearance at dinner would cause Father and Marissa greater distress.

4 – GETTING READY
    Perched on an old rickety chair, Carina stared into her dressing table mirror. Milly had surreptitiously acquired a gown Marissa no longer wore, and in a flurry of ripping, cutting, and sewing, altered it in time for dinner. Milly had boasted about how she changed it to fit Carina’s style—Carina didn’t even know she had a style—by making the bottom half stream out in flowing layers instead of billowing out in a hoop skirt. Although Milly had kept the long, snug fitting sleeves, she had cut a large scoop out of the neckline so the gown rested just off Carina’s shoulders, accentuating her mother’s necklace.
    Carina preferred to wear her hair down, but somehow Milly had convinced her to arrange it differently. After much griping about Carina’s unruly golden-brown locks, Milly had wrangled it into an elegant affair on her head, but left a few long curls to drape around the swooping neckline in a graceful display.
    At last, alone in her small bedroom, Carina studied herself in the mirror. The sweet scent of jasmine