It was the cold that woke Silence and told her she was alone in her bed. Tienan always kept her nice and toasty. She lay there listening to the moan of the wind as it blew through the cracks and holes in the building. It was dark, but she wasn’t afraid. Tienan wouldn’t have left her here if she wasn’t safe.

  She knew where he’d gone. Silence didn’t want to think about it too deeply. Sandor deserved to die for betraying his people. He’d given them all up to the security police. There was no reason that could justify that.

  Still, she didn’t want to think about what Tienan would do to him before he killed him. Tienan would interrogate the traitor, finding out how deep his betrayal went.

  Shivering even more, she huddled beneath the blankets. She was hungry, but she didn’t have the energy to get up, light the candle and eat. She stayed awake for hours, staring into the darkness, finally falling asleep just before dawn.

  When she woke again, she was toasty warm. Tienan’s big body was curled around hers and his strong arms held her against his chest. This was home. This was safety. This was love.

  She turned in his arms until she was facing him and opened her eyes, tilting her head up so she could see his face. He was wide-awake, watching her out of bottomless green eyes.

  “You went out last night.”

  “You don’t need to worry about Sandor anymore.”

  She knew then that the traitor was dead, knew Tienan would tell her no more. “Adrian needs to know.”

  “Already done.”

  That meant that Tienan had found out something, some pertinent information that he’d felt Adrian needed to know immediately. Or maybe he just wanted to assure Adrian that the security breach had been taken care of. Either way, it was done. “Is he and the rest of the group safe?”

  Tienan nodded.

  She rested her cheek on his chest, absorbing as much of his heat as she could. A part of her felt sorry for Sandor. His death wouldn’t have been an easy one. Tienan the warrior was very different from Tienan the lover but she loved all of him. Both aspects made him the man he was.

  He caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger applying enough pressure to make her lift it until she could see him. Slowly, he lowered his mouth to hers. Her entire body clenched in anticipation.

  He hesitated just before their lips touched. “You’re mine.” The low, raspy tone sent goose bumps down her arms. Her nipples puckered into tight nubs. “I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”

  Knowing he needed the words as much as she did, she responded in kind. “And you’re mine. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”

  He smiled then. A full smile with nothing held back. It was breathtaking. Then he kissed her.

  They needed to talk. But that would come later.

  Much later.

  About the Author

  N.J. Walters worked at a bookstore for several years and one day had the idea that she would like to quit her job, sell everything she owned, leave her hometown and write romance novels in a place where no one knew her. And she did. Two years later, she went back to the same bookstore and settled in for another seven years.

  Although she was still fairly young, that was when the mid-life crisis set in. Happily married to the love of her life, with his encouragement (more like, “For God’s sake, quit the job and just write!”) she gave notice at her job on a Friday morning. On Sunday afternoon, she received a tentative acceptance for her first erotic romance novel, Annabelle Lee, and life would never be the same.

  N.J. has always been a voracious reader of romance novels, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks all vie for her attention. And she doesn’t mind a bit. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

  N.J. welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

  Tell Us What You Think

  We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at Comments@EllorasCave.com.

  Also by N.J. Walters

  Amethyst Dreams

  Amethyst Moon

  Anastasia’s Style

  Annabelle Lee

  Awakening Desires: Capturing Carly

  Awakening Desires: Craving Candy

  Awakening Desires: Erin’s Fancy

  Awakening Desires: Jackson’s Jewel

  Awakening Desires: Katie’s Art of Seduction

  Beyond Shadows

  Dalakis Passion 1: Harker’s Journey

  Dalakis Passion 2: Lucian’s Delight

  Dalakis Passion 3: Stefan’s Salvation

  Dalakis Passion 4: Eternal Brothers

  Dalakis Passion 5: Endless Chase

  Drakon’s Treasure

  Ellora’s Cavemen: Dreams of the Oasis IV anthology

  Ellora’s Cavemen: Jewels of the Nile IV anthology

  Ellora’s Cavemen: Legendary Tails IV anthology

  Ellora’s Cavemen: Seasons of Seduction III anthology

  Heat Wave

  Jessamyn’s Christmas Gift

  Lily Blossoms

  Tapestries 1: Christina’s Tapestry

  Tapestries 2: Bakra Bride

  Tapestries 3: Woven Dreams

  Tapestries 4: Threads of Destiny

  Tempting Tori

  Three Swords, One Heart

  Unmasking Kelly

  Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

  www.ellorascave.com

 

 

  N J Walters, Embracing Silence

 

 

  Thank you for reading books on GrayCity.Net
Share this book with friends