Druidess Found (Druidess Trilogy Book 1) by Machelle Hanleigh (interesting novels to read txt) 📕

their encounter in the forest that morning. Then again, she didn't know what to expect. She didn't know him. They didn't converse about anything of import, no real conversation between them. She shook her head and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes to her surroundings to gain clarity. She needed something. She ignored the heat of her body. She knew there would be no way she would get what her aroused body needed, not from her dark warrior. He wouldn't have ignored her if he wanted her in the same way she wanted him. Despite Sari's words to the contrary. He did not want her. She took another deep breath to calm her nerves and agitation.

She opened her eyes and turned in a slow circle as she tried to decide where she wanted to go. After the third rotation she realized that she didn't know where she wanted to go. She cleared her mind and began walking. It was too early for anyone else to be awake. That suited her. She wandered without a destination in mind and found herself at the center of the village in the clearing where the repast took place. She noticed the Queen's hut was void of guards. She realized she never seen anyone that would be considered a guard of any sort, other than the four Chosen and to a point, they appeared more ceremonial than anything despite Shimani's explanation. She imagined it was a sign of just how peaceful a life the Kahoali people enjoyed.

She walked around the clearing, moving ever closer to the area the Queen and Shanees sat. Perhaps it was a bit childish on her part, but she took pleasure in having the area to herself. She didn't have to worry about anyone chiding her or telling her that she was an outsider or that she wasn't allowed to be that close. Not that anyone said that or anything like it to her. She felt the unspoken words. Not from all, but enough of them. She took pleasure in sitting on the same bench the Queen sat. She did, of course, make certain no one else was around to see her do it.

As she sat there her attention drifted to the sound of water behind the Queen's hut. Frowning, she stood and made her way towards the sound. Although, she never walked behind the Queen's hut, she never once saw rivers or bodies of water on her tour with Shimani. She didn't recall hearing any the evening before either. She half expected to see some kind of water source when she rounded the back of the Queen's hut, but there was only forest. She could still hear the distinct soft sound of water, almost like the sound of a waterfall. She could distinguish a slight increase in volume as she moved closer to where she thought it originated. She listened and followed the soft trickling of water. Kaily didn't walk far when she felt a slight shifting of the ground and a momentary dizziness. Both sensations passed so fast that she thought she imagined it, and then she looked up. Imagined or not, something happened.

There before her eyes stood the place of her dreams. The dreams about her dark warrior. The lake, the waterfall, the meadow, the surrounding forest. All of it, there right before her eyes. She drew the familiar scent deep into her lungs. The smell was the same. She started walking towards the lake when someone lying by the water's edge caught her attention. She didn't have to look too closely to know it was her dark warrior. There was a part of her inside that recognized him even before her mind did, and it bothered and excited her at the same time. She didn't understand any of it, and she didn't want to, she just wanted to feel it. There were some moments in life best left unexamined. This was one. The moment felt surreal. She wondered if she still slept and merely dreamt. She shook her head to clear the disturbing thought. It had to be real. She needed it to be real.

As she stared at her dark warrior, she realized he was lying on his back and naked for the entire world to see, for her to see. He lay far closer to her than when she first noticed him. Somehow her feet kept moving forward when her mind became mesmerized by finding him there. In the exact location she dreamt so many times since the dreams began. She stopped walking and stood still. She watched him looking for any sign he might not be as asleep as he appeared to be. When he didn't move, she thought he must be asleep, she hoped he slept. She looked over her shoulder back the way she came. For a brief moment, she considered leaving before her dark warrior realized she was there. She felt a wrenching in her heart and chided herself. She wanted to see him, after all. Now was not the time to be a coward. Be courageous. She told herself. She forced herself to turn back around to face him. He lay in the same position. She took a few steps forward, stopped and watched him for any sign of movement. She convinced herself she was being cautious, not cowardice.

She took a few more steps closer and stopped again. Still there was no movement. She took several deep breathes and repeated the process until she reached her destination. She found herself standing over her dark warrior far sooner than she expected to. The throbbing between her legs thrummed a rhythm as if it possessed a heartbeat of its own. She closed her eyes and took a deep, silent breath. She opened her eyes and when she was convinced, he slept. She knelt beside him. Careful not to touch him or disturb the ground in his proximity for fear of waking him. His unconscious state made her braver than she might