Free Paradise Island by Charmaine Ross Page A

didn’t want to hear anymore. Perhaps it was because of the sympathy she heard in his quietly spoken voice, the way it laced through her mind and made her throat close up with a hot lump. She didn’t want his pity. She didn’t want to feel sorry for herself. She had picked herself up from that dark night years ago and had scratched a life for herself, created her own family of other lost women, carved an entire island into her own safe haven.
    â€œIt created me. I am the sum of my experiences. I could still be that quiet girl, silent at my father’s side, or I could be the master of my own destiny. I made my choice. I am happy with it. And I have had enough of this conversation. You need to sleep,” Estelle said.
    â€œI am not tired and I will not be sleeping until you free me.”
    Estelle locked his gaze and begun her song. The notes started deep in her throat, the melody slow and enthralling. It was the whisper of an angel that would build to a choir. The melody, calming and soothing filled the small cave in harmony with the crackling fire.
    His eyelids drooped. Estelle sensed him fight to stay conscious. The melody flowed strongly. She became intensely aware of him, was drawn to his fight to keep his eyes open. A connection began between them, the first tremulous threads that brought her close to him. Her consciousness flowed along the sound of her voice so that his awareness surrounded her.
    She was aware of the multitude of questions that filled his mind. Her curiosity stirred. He fought, taking her with him into her own consciousness. His will slipped past her defenses, probing, finding, comprehending. Panic fluttered through her veins. This had never happened before and it took a moment before the panic subsided enough for her to react. Her mind was her private sanctuary and there was no room in it for him. She concentrated, imagined him from her mind, pushed him away and withdrew him from her mind.
    She had never experienced any sort of connection when she had used her song. He fought against the intoxicating threads of her voice in a way that had never happened before. She intensified her song, increasing their connection, overrunning his resolve. She used the sultry notes to weave a path into his mind. She reached out, felt his will pull her to him then she plummeted into the innate power within him.
    She was intensely aware of the power of his will, his intelligence and sheer determination of his spirit. She stopped struggling, fascinated by the feelings that stirred to life within herself. She dwelled there, absorbing his energy, learning about him, touching his mind and tasting his thoughts. She allowed herself to filter gently into every corner of his consciousness, bombarding his fortitude with her own tenacity.
    Her song was working, dampening his alertness. Even as his awareness blended with the realm of sleep, he fought for release, fighting the somnolent layers as they pounded him into the shadowy depths of unconsciousness.
    Estelle felt him slip beneath the last layer through to the world of dreams and inner thoughts. She felt the urge to stay where she was and watch his thoughts as they would eventually tumble through his mind. She could learn a lot about a man like him, but she knew to stay meant that she was still connected to him. It was a connection she needed to break.
    Estelle severed the link between them, her heart pounding in her ears. She raised a shaking hand and rubbed her eyes, clearing her vision. It had never been that way, there had never been a connection between herself and the person she used her voice on. He had fought her, used her gift to enter her mind before she recovered enough to push him out.
    Their connection was strong. He had suddenly become more of a threat than she’d first imagined. At least now she could watch him without the fear of him knowing. Although his face was relaxed in sleep, his brows slashed a thick dark horizontal line over his