Dawn Of Desire Read Online Free

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    “Aye,” he rasped. “That will do for a start.”
    “I should have made you promise not to become as furious with me as Duncan is if the truth is not to your liking.”

    “I’m already expecting the worst, so you needn’t worry that you’ll disappoint me.”
    Egan’s thighs were pressed along the length of Oriana’s, and he was grateful the thick folds of her cloak separated the inviting roundness of her buttocks from the uncomfortable fullness in his groin. He drew a ragged breath and wished he had simply let her ride while he led Raven. Seeking to distract himself from the taunting physical need he knew she would regard with disdain rather than satisfaction, he sought to allay his curiosity about her.
    “For now, I want to hear how Lugh came to choose your mother for his wife. It has to be a fascinating tale.”
    Caught off guard, Oriana dipped her head momentarily. She leaned forward on her lumpy travel bag and ran her fingers through Raven’s mane. She wasn’t in the least bit ashamed of her heritage but still hesitated to share such a personal story.
    “What’s wrong?” Egan persisted. “You’re trusting me to protect your life. Surely you can trust me with a romantic story.” He raised his right hand from her waist to make a solemn vow. “I promise never to repeat it.”
    Oriana licked her lips nervously, for in truth, she had never been called upon to trust anyone. The only time she was with strangers was when she told fortunes, and then people placed their trust in her, not she in them. With the gift of the knowing , she trusted in herself, and that was all that truly mattered. A long moment passed before she straightened to rest against Egan’s chest.
    “Egan, when you mentioned your need for a clear view of the future, I should have asked if you didn’t trust your own instincts,” she mused aloud.
    “Oh, yes, indeed I do,” Egan assured her. “But I still need confirmation I’m correct in my judgments before I act on them. Now stop attempting to distract me. Tell me about your mother and Lugh.”
    “I’m not certain I can do their story justice,” Oriana murmured softly, “but because you insist, I will try.”

    “Please do, and you will earn my undying gratitude, dear lady,” Egan responded, with more sarcasm than he had intended.
    Even with her decision made, Oriana needed a long moment to gather her thoughts, and she completely missed Egan’s rudeness. “People sometimes describe me as pretty, but my mother was the embodiment of beauty itself. She was the daughter of a wealthy farmer, and was greatly admired. She had many fine suitors, but regarded the whole lot as unbearably tedious and at every opportunity escaped into the forest to be alone.”
    Oriana paused to look up at Egan, and he responded with an encouraging nod. “One afternoon she chose a new path, and came upon a lake of such crystal purity that she tarried far longer than she should have merely contemplating the reflection of the clouds overhead. When she finally started for home, darkness overtook her, and wandering lost, her steps circled back to the beautiful lake. That was where Lugh appeared, and he took her hand in a clasp of exquisite tenderness and guided her home.
    “Unlike her suitors, who talked of nothing but themselves, Lugh spoke not a single word that night. As you might expect, my mother was very favorably impressed, and the next day, she returned to the lake where they had met. No,” Oriana corrected herself. “What she always said was that she was drawn back, as though pulled by an invisible tether. It was a lure so powerful, she swore she could not have resisted its force. She found Lugh pacing the shore of the lake, anxiously awaiting her arrival. When he drew her into his arms, the whole forest came alive with a hauntingly beautiful melody.”
    Egan believed that gods and spirits inhabited every rock, tree, river, and hill, but that did not mean he believed a single word of