Warrior Rising - By Pamela Palmer Page 0,16

under the circumstances, I agree. You did not start this war. I do not blame you for doing what you must to protect yourselves."

Harrison watched her, trying to decide if she was telling the truth or simply telling them what they wanted to hear. His gut said the former. Then again, he wasn't sure why he should be surprised. King Rith and his goons had killed her mother and imprisoned Ilaria for three hundred years. She deserved a little revenge.

Jack continued. "Kade believes King Rith will go after Princess Ilaria if he realizes she's here. He'll try to eliminate the competition for the throne. Harrison, since you're the only one without a bull's-eye on your forehead, you'll need to get her out of harm's way until we catch him."

As he'd expected. He glanced at Ilaria as a knowing little light flickered to life in her eyes and a seductive shadow of a smile slowly lifted the corners of her mouth. Once more, the thought of her straddling him intimately roared through his head, sending his blood pressure soaring. Any hope of getting his libido back under control crashed to the ground.

From the moment he'd met her, he'd anticipated a battle. What he hadn't expected was for the battle to be sensual, or that his own body would become his worst enemy.
Chapter 5

"Would you cease with that?" Ilaria snapped, hating the quaver in her voice, but unable to control it. Beside her, as he ushered her and Tarrys through the busy Reagan National Airport, Harrison flicked the small lighter at his side on and off, on and off. A constant reminder - a threat - of what he'd do to her if she so much as breathed on the Marceil.

"I said I'll not touch her, and I won't." She tore her gaze from him and that awful lighter, trying to focus instead on her incredible surroundings. Above, the soaring, gilded ceiling of the airport curved sharply downward like a beautiful flower too heavy for its stem.

At least Harrison had untied her, though she was well aware that he'd done it not as a concession to her, and certainly not because he trusted her, but to avoid the attention they'd otherwise draw in this very public place.

Even such a tiny fire had raven wings fluttering in her chest as she struggled against full panic.

The moment the plane had landed, Charlie had left, afraid his death mark would draw King Rith to them. The other two Sitheen who'd accompanied Harrison to Iceland remained, and now followed close behind.

She was frustratingly tired of being treated as a prisoner. But until she got those stones, she wouldn't escape. Even if she could.

Trying to ignore Harrison and the flame that threatened to strip her composure one flicker at a time, she studied the humans passing by. Most glanced at her, then away, as if by noticing her they might offend. In the old days, before she'd sealed the gates, humans often gaped at her, their faces either filling with terror, or awe and wonder.

She much preferred the latter, though it appeared that receiving homage from the humans was a thing of the past. Indeed, from what she'd been able to glean, the humans as a race did not remember the Esri.

A situation that was certain to change if Rith had his way.

As Harrison led them through the wide glass doors to the outside, he took hold of her upper arm, a firm grip she'd find impossible to escape, she was certain. Once more, the feel of his fingers sank through the fabric of her sleeve and into her skin, sending tendrils of warmth burrowing into her blood. Not a sweet warmth, for there was nothing kind about his touch that sought only to ensure Tarrys's safety. No, despite her frustration and wariness with the man, this heat lifted her pulse in a way that was all too pleasant. All too carnal.

Without a doubt, she desired him. As he did her. Sooner or later, she'd enjoy acting on that desire, if she could ever get him to unbend that far. A very big if. He wasn't a man given to impulsive action, not unless that action was in defense of his brother. Interesting that she should be so sure about that, given that she'd known him only a matter of hours. But she didn't doubt her own assessment. In a way she couldn't quite explain, she felt as if she'd known him far longer than just the