Druidess Found (Druidess Trilogy Book 1) Machelle Hanleigh (best ebook reader under 100 .TXT) 📖

might have something to do with just how tired she felt. That and the lack of restful sleep over the past week with the Agenors. That felt like a lifetime ago.

She changed for bed and took care of her needs for the night. She lay down on the mat with a sigh. It was not as thick as her mattress at home, but it was not too uncomfortable. She stifled a yawn and curled up in a blanket. She didn't feel cold and could easily sleep without covering. She liked the feel of the blanket wrapped around her.

Her mind drifted to her dark warrior and the evening repast. She thought about all the women soliciting his attention. She didn't know why, but it felt like something was going on. In truth, there were probably a great many things going on, and none of which she would be privy to. She was an outsider, despite the level of comfort and acceptance she felt from Shimani and Sari, she couldn't avoid that fact. There was much to learn about the Kahoali people and their way of life.

She took several deep cleansing breathes in and out. She would take the time to learn all she could about the Kahoali people and her dark warrior. She needed rest if she wanted to be coherent enough to find answers to her many questions. The affects of the brey she consumed, and she was fairly certain she didn't consume the entire mug, lingered. Tomorrow would be another day. Tomorrow she would learn more. She closed her eyes and let sleep take her. All in all, it had been a good day and better than she hoped.

Chapter Nine

 

Moto stood by the edge of Crystal Lake gazing out over the water. The soft glow of the night gleamed off the water's surface. A cool breeze blew the spicy-floral scent of the surrounding forest towards him. He closed his eyes, listened to the lapping at the water's edge, and let the calmness of Crystal Lake wash over him. It was a slow process but calm slowly replaced his frustrations of the evening repast and night's conversation with Sari. The choice he was to make weighed heavy on him. Not even the calm which seeped into his being could lift the weight from his core. He had to take a bonded mate. The Queen didn't give him a choice. Choosing a bonded mate was the price for bringing the girl to Center Village. It wasn't precisely how Queen Shakti said it, yet the results were the same. If he didn't bring her to his village, he would not now have to choose a bonded mate. He knew it to be true. He took in a deep breath.

Crystal Lake, the one place he could let down his guard. He could allow himself to feel, just feel without thought or concern how he might be judged by his people. He was emotional for a Kahoali male. That's to say, he revealed his emotions more than other Kahoali males did or should. There were times he wondered if he was the only one who felt emotions as deep. If other males did feel the emotions as deep, how could they contain them so much better than he? Moto shook his head and took another deep, calming breath. He refused to spoil his time. Here in this place he had no responsibilities, no duties. Here he had freedom, he had peace to be himself, for a time.

He took off his vest and folded it so he could use it as a pillow to lay his head on later. He took off his boots and dipped a foot into the water. It felt just cool enough to be refreshing. He took off his trousers, folded them, and placed them on his folded vest. The light breeze caressed his naked body, cooling him to the touch. The meadow surrounding Crystal Lake wasn't cold, but it was cooler than the villages. He often enjoyed relaxing by the water's edge. His time at Crystal Lake allowed him to cool off, both physically and emotionally. He could let the events of a particularly difficult day drift away on the breeze. He found no better medicine to bring peace to his core than the time he spent at Crystal Lake.

He recently enjoyed spending a fair amount of time there spying on a certain troublesome girl which he couldn't now. He cursed his temper. He brought the girl to his village to keep her close while he figured things out. In the very short time, the girl had been there, he found less time for her than when he observed her from afar. In reality, the time he knew her before she somehow transported to his world had been less complicated. No one except Shimani, and probably Sari, knew about her. He imaged Shimani might have mentioned the girl to Sari, even before he brought her to Center Village. Sari had been far too interested in the girl not to have foreknowledge of her. He ground his teeth. He didn't like how much time the girl spent with Sari at the evening repast. Sari stayed by the girl's side the entire time. Curse Shimani for bring the girl to the evening repast in the first place.

Moto stepped off the edge and sank into the depths of Crystal Lake. He swam to the surface only after the need for air became greater than the need to sink into the tranquility of the water. He took only a few strokes before breaking the surface. Crystal Lake was not a typical lake. There was a part of it that was a living entity of Ki in a way that few understood, even among his people. Most Kahoali never took to the water, and the others who did, only did so once in their lives. On the day they retrieved their talisman. The few who heard the call. Too many no