Lorkana by Emily Zimmerman. (good books to read txt) 📖

broad shoulders, and obviously chiseled chest. He looked at me and grinned “what?” he asked, uh-oh, I was admiring. I looked away, blushing “nothing” I said.
In the corner of my eye I saw his grin widen and he chuckled silently, looking ahead of him. I clasped my hands in front of me and looked at the ground, staring intently at the ground beneath my feet.
“Why did you give the boy Faolan?” he asked suddenly.
I smiled “he has a connection with the dog, I have a feeling they have a bond that goes deep somehow, they are meant to be united” I murmured.
“How do you know?” he asked.
“My father always used to tell me, that when someone belongs with someone else, you can see it in their eyes, in their very souls, the boy had been completely entranced by Faolan, and Faolan seemed interested in the boy, I was meant to find Aileen, just as he was meant to find Faolan” I explained, patting Aileens head affectionately.
“What of the other pups?” he asked.
“Train them, they would be powerful guard dogs when they grow older, Aileen is already protective of me, she may seem calm, but she saves her energy for when danger comes” I said.
He nodded, studying Aileen with intense silver eyes. He looked up and met my eyes, his silver eyes melting my heart. They were so scorching that I could almost feel the heat of them on my skin; it sent shivers down my spine as he stared at me. Then, suddenly, without warning, he changed into a wolf looked pointedly at his back. I climbed onto it, running my fingers through his soft, silky hair. Did I imagine the small shivers that seemed to have just gone through him? He was off, dashing through the town square, and down the cavern towards the castle, His feet making a small thumping sound as he ran.
I smiled in exhilaration, for my father was not in danger, and Logan was not angry, this was simply for me to enjoy. As he ran through the castle’s town square, I noticed more people were moving about, it must not have been time for sleep just yet. The sun was setting low on the horizon, this had been a long, yet short in a way, day. The wind generated from us running so fast was flowing through my hair, and cooling me down, it was quite nice to be able to enjoy the wind in my face.
We ran through the gates of the castle, and up to the guards, who had assumed their posts once again, they bowed on their knees as we approached and opened the doors for us.
“Your majesty” they greeted in unison, looking at me.
I smiled and nodded once in greeting “gentlemen” I greeted in reply.
As we walked through the foyer, he made a turn for the winding staircase “is this going to be like the fairytales? I am the damsel in distress, in the tallest tower, upon the highest hill, awaiting my prince charming to rescue me” I recited, smiling softly as I remember my little sister loving that story.
Logan seemed to chuckle as he trotted his way up the stairs. I watched as his long snout stretched into a menacing looking grin, his long, pearly white, sharp teeth showing.
As he reached the top of the staircase, he slowed to a walk, walking down the hall he stopped in front of a grand looking double door room, with two guards standing in front of it. They bowed their heads in greeting and opened the door, closing it behind us as we walked in. I looked around my room, and then looked at Logan with a smile, I turned so I was facing him and ran my hand through the fur on his head “thank you for bringing me here” I said quietly.
Suddenly, he was human again, and we were face to face, my elbow was on his broad shoulder, my hand tangled in his hair. The closeness stunned me into silence as I stared into his eyes. He grinned and wrapped a strong, muscled arm around my waist, pulling me into him, he was a head taller than me, so I had to look up to see him, but he had his head leaned down, so close to mine. “W-what are you doing?” I stammered, nervousness making me speak.
He leaned his face closer to mine, our lips impossibly close, yet still not touching “what does it look like?” he asked huskily, making me shiver.
I couldn’t answer, I was too caught up in his sweet breath on my face, his musky smell invading my senses, making it hard to think, his body, so warm against mine, and it was like a wildfire where his hands touched my skin.
Passion, that is immediately what my mind registered this feeling as, I was on fire, but not in a bad way, in a very, very good way. He didn’t say anything as he leaned closer and his lips touched mine, and that is when the fire exploded, like dynamite in a dark cave, I was a live wire, everywhere his hands touched, an electric shock washed through me. I ran the hand that wasn’t tangled in his hair up his shirt, feeling his stomach, and as I suspected, it was chiseled like stone. He moaned against my mouth, sending chills up my spine. His arm unwrapped around my waist and slid down passed my behind, down to my thighs, he grabbed them and lifted me up, I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist, and before I knew it, we were lying on the bed, he was on top of me, and I felt the soft blankets on my back. I broke away to breathe, he stared into my eyes, his dark with desire “you are beautiful” he breathed, taking my cheek in his hand. The desire faded from his eyes, that strange look taking its place. I still could not place this look, I had never seen it before, except for…my father…looking at my mother that way. I shook my head of those thoughts, he could not see me the way father saw mother, father loved mother. I was blushing from that comment that he made, looking away from his face.
“Don’t” he whispered, moving his hand under my chin and forcing me to look at him, I stared into his eyes as he hovered over me “why did you kiss me?” I asked softly.
He looked a little unsure as he answered “because I think you are beautiful” he said, I could hear the slight honesty in his voice, but he seemed to have been wanting to add something else but thought better of it.
I lowered my eyebrows, unhappy with this “you only kissed me because you find me beautiful?” I whispered, a little hurt by that fact.
“Well…yes” he winced slightly.
I pushed him off of me, usually that would be challenging, since he is stronger than I am, but he got up without protesting.
“I’d like to freshen up now, so I would appreciate it if you would leave” I said, keeping the hurt from my voice.
Men, all they think about is bedding a woman, I should have known better. He opened his mouth to speak, but seemed to think better of it and closed it again, walking out of my room. I walked into the bathroom, where a set of clothes sat folded neatly on the floor beside a large tub, filled almost to the brim with lukewarm water. The bathroom door opened again, and in came Aileen with her four pups scurrying behind her. I looked in the large floor length mirror that hung on the stone wall, I was still in my night clothes, my white shirt was dingy and covered in dirt, and my white trousers were the same, I did not look well. I looked thinner, and my stomach was growling. I looked pale, and my hair was dingy and sweaty. I slipped my old night clothes off, grabbing the herbal soup from the stone counter, I got in the bath, dunking my head and enjoying the slight coolness of the bath tub. I pulled myself into a sitting position and lifted my leg above the water, running the mint smelling lumpy bar of soap along the length of it. I couldn’t help but remember the way Logan’s hands felt on my thighs, the way his hands slid sensually down my body, I shook my mind of those thoughts, scolding myself for even thinking them. I lifted my other leg, setting my ankle on the lip of the tub and rubbing the soap along it, getting all the dirt and grime off my body. I then scrubbed the soap through my hair, getting all the dirt out of it. I sat on the edge of the tub, rubbing the soap along my body as well.
After thoroughly washing myself, I got out, grabbing the clothes from the floor and drying off with the hand woven, yet very soft, towel. I slipped the clothes on, obviously royal clothing; they gave me a dress that was velvet red, along with red shoes. The dress was woven of the finest silk, black lacing down the skirt, I had never worn clothing like this; it felt overwhelming, going from the poor farm girl, to the royal princess. I looked at myself in the mirror, I looked like the evil queen from the fairytale “snow white” or, at least, this is how I imagined her to look. The red dress showed off all my curves, the sleeves going halfway down my arm, the shoes were flat on the souls, red and shiny. Someone knocked on the door; I opened it to find a petite woman with bright red hair and very bright green eyes. She bowed her head and greeted me, also explaining why she was here “your majesty, I have been sent to ready you for dinner, I am sorry I am late, but I had been delayed in my coming here” she explained.
I smiled and opened the door wider, gesturing for her to come in. She bowed her head once more and came in, turning to me; she gently took my hand and led me into the bathroom. She set me down in front of a vanity and picked up a container of something. She picked up a big puffy thing and started patting it lightly against my face. I coughed lightly as I inhaled the powder coming off of it. She smiled slightly, concentrating on her work “you probably shouldn’t breathe until I’m done, majesty” she informed.
So I held my breath, she patted my face a few more times and then put the puffy thing back into the container. I finally inhaled a breath and looked at her, she had a long tube of something, she leaned down and smeared it on my lips, making them feel weird.
“Do this for me please, majesty” she said, making a popping sound with her lips.
I did, and felt a little silly “what are these things?” I asked, taking the tube from her hands.
“This is what we call makeup, my lady, it is used for royalty, your mother absolutely loved it, she would refuse to let us put it on her, always doing her own makeup” she babbled, and then seemed to focus on reality again, she looked at me and immediately shut her mouth, looking down “forgive me, majesty, I do not know what got into me” she said quietly.
I stared at her in surprise “no, please, tell me more about her, and please call me Johanna, or Jo-Jo, I do not like all this “my lady” and “your majesty” business, I want