Free Savage Possession (Temple of Luna #1) by Moira Rogers Page B

trouble,
sweetheart. I promise.”
    Her head bobbed in a jerky nod that sent her
wavy blonde hair tumbling over her face. The hand she lifted to
push it back trembled, but she smiled at him. “Good night,
Rais.”
    He gave her a curt nod, then turned on his
heel and stalked back toward the heart of the Temple.
     

     
    Celine was the kind of woman warriors
challenged just to see if they could win. Many men had tried to
claim her during the years before her ascension to the coveted
position of high priestess of the Temple of Luna. Rumor had it only
one man had succeeded in the winning the devotion of Luna’s most
dangerous servant.
    The high priestess of the Temple of Luna
gave her obedience to her Goddess and King alone. Anyone else was
as likely to get the sharp side of her tongue and a firm set-down
if they stepped out of line.
    Even the King’s heir.
    Rais found her in her usual chair, deep
within the Temple. Sharp brown eyes tracked his approach and. By
the time he’d reached her, she’d set aside her computer tablet in
favor of leaning back and crossing her legs. “That look in your
eyes makes me nervous.”
    He didn’t waste time. “Dhaval’s niece,
Avani. She’s still in gold bands, but I want her.”
    Celine actually blinked. “Are you out of
your mind?”
    “ Do I look crazy to you?
Wait, don’t answer that.” Rais drew his hands through his hair and
straightened his loose linen shirt. “I hope we can speak frankly
about this. Does Avani have any hope of advancing here?”
    “ Why do you...?” The
woman’s nostrils flared and she narrowed her eyes. “You have her
scent on you. How far did it go?”
    “ I kissed her, that’s all.
It was stupid, and entirely my fault.”
    Celine closed her eyes and sighed. “No. She
has no real hope of advancing. I thought... She’s a strong woman.
She’s got the fire and temper of the formidable warriors in her
father’s family. But she’s too gentle. Trusting. If I can’t find a
way to fix it without breaking her then she’s done on her
twenty-fourth birthday. Five months from now.”
    “ Some women just need time
to grow into their power.” Avani’s words
came back to him. She’d be devastated to be turned out of the
Temple. “I won’t let that happen.”
    “ You can’t stop it, puppy.
Not unless you want to come back here in six months or a year and
find she’s been traumatized by a warrior who took what she offers
too readily.”
    Rais had to unclench his jaw to speak. “No
one’s pride is worth what could happen. I understand that, which is
why I need tonight. Give her to me.”
    Celine spoke with her usual
bluntness. “To do what? Even if you can control yourself enough to keep
from hurting her, what do you hope to accomplish?”
    The words were ridiculous. Insane. “I want
to be sure and claim her before I go out on my last
deployment.”
    “ Claim her.” Flat words,
spoken without a hint of emotion. “That must have been quite a
kiss.”
    He met her stare with a stony one of his
own. “I’ll need a mate before the year’s out. Avani’s lineage is
impeccable.”
    “ Which is why she doesn’t
need to be rescued. She could leave here tomorrow on the arm of any
of a dozen men, were she not stubbornly determined to serve Luna.
You won’t be doing her any favors by snatching her up in a moment
of foolish chivalry only to tire of her.”
    It was an insult, not only to his pride but
to his honor. “I don’t easily give my word, Celine, and when I do I
keep it.”
    “ That’s what worries me.”
Celine sat back in her chair and watched him with those hard brown
eyes. “I suppose the future is your choice and hers. But the
present is my responsibility. Can you control yourself with her?
You’re overdue a visit.”
    He owed her the truth. “I may frighten her,”
he allowed reluctantly, “but I have my control. I won’t harm
her.”
    “ Fear can be worse than
pain, Rais. If you terrorize her, her uncle will thrash you and
your