Free Echoes of Magic by Donna Grant

she
continued to live with a smile and kindness. There was no hate or
revenge in her heart. Whereas with him, that is all that filled his
heart. They had spoken of love, but he knew nothing of it except
for what he remembered of his mother. And there was no room for it
in his heart, either.
    Vengeance is what had kept him going, and
revenge would be how he died.
    “ Everything all right?” she
asked when he walked to her.
    He gave a nod before bringing a bucket of
water to the cows so they could drink. Once they’d gotten their
fill, he left them to graze and found Adrianna holding food for
him.
    “ Thank you.”
    She smiled and leaned against the cart.
“What did Milosh speak to you about?”
    Grayson stopped chewing and glanced at her.
“Frank aren’t you?”
    “ Aye,” she said with a
laugh. “I know it was about me. I think I have a right to know what
the conversation was.”
    He slowly lowered his hand, debating on just
how much to tell her. In the end, he realized there was no use
keeping it from her. “Milosh wanted to know if I was interested in
stopping near a village this evening.”
    Her brows drew together as she faced him.
“You cannot possibly be considering it. What if those men are
there?”
    “ Exactly,” Grayson said. “I
need to be prepared. I cannot do that without a weapon.”
    “ How will you get a weapon?
Are you planning to steal one?”
    He shrugged. “If I have to, though only as a
last resort. I may not have any coin, but I have ways,” he said
with a grin, eager to reach the town.
    “ I’ve coin,” she said.
“It’s yours if you need it.”
    “ I won’t need
it.”
    She turned away with a sigh. “Regardless,
the offer stands.”
    He finished eating, the silence growing
between them. Grayson was used to meek women, women who did what
was expected of them and asked no questions.
    Then Serena had come to
Wolfglynn. Serena was an anomaly, but then there was Adrianna. He
was beginning to think it had to do with their magic that made them
strong, out ‐ spoken and independent.
    Whatever the reason,
Adrianna was a woman who knew her own mind and dared anything to
stand in her way. She had more courage than most men, and he
admired her for that. She would have been a great warrior, had she
been a man.
    “ Take me with you,” she
suddenly said.
    Grayson shifted his gaze to her face once
again. He looked into her pale blue eyes and saw excitement. “Take
you where?”
    She chuckled. “The village tonight. Take me
with you.”
    Grayson clenched his jaw
and shook his head. He wouldn’t be able to relieve the ache in his
cock if Adrianna was with him. “Absolutely not. There could be
danger, and I’d rather you stay behind with the gypsies where it’s
safe.”
    “ I’ll go on my own after
you leave.”
    He cursed, not caring that she heard. “I
could tell Milosh and let him tie you to the cart to keep you
here.”
    “ You could,” she said and
raised her chin as if daring him. “But you won’t.”
    “ Why do you want to
come?”
    “ I normally stay away from
the villages, but I could prove helpful in a tight
situation.”
    “ I don’t plan on being in a
tight situation,” he said between clenched teeth. All he’d thought
about was finding a willing woman so maybe he wouldn’t desire
Adrianna so desperately.
    She laughed. “Come, Grayson. What could
prevent me from accompanying you?”
    “ The fact I plan on
spending a few hours with a woman.”
    “ A wom...” Her voice
trailed off as she realized what he meant. “Oh. I see.”
    And damn it all if he
didn’t feel bad at her crestfallen expression. What was a few more
days with a aching cock?
    Are you forgetting you’ll be alone with her
soon?
    He certainly hadn’t forgotten it. He would
love to spend an entire day seducing her until she gave into the
desire he’d seen in her beautiful eyes. Then he’d spend another day
learning her, tasting her...pleasuring her.
    “ All right,” he reluctantly
agreed.