Poke her, his wolf encouraged.
I won’t. He continued to peer at her. The woman didn’t move with the exception of her shallow breathing.
Kiss her, the wolf said instead.
Need slammed through Sebastian’s chest. She was certainly pretty enough and had curves to tempt a saint—and blast if every contour and shadow she possessed wasn’t on display through the sheer fabric of her gown. But he refused to accost a woman who lay unconscious. That I won’t do either.
She’s ripe for the plucking, and we haven’t had a woman in forever, his wolf was quick to remind him.
A sigh shuddered from him and he glanced away to the darkened trees even as his groin stiffened. I am aware, but I enjoy my bedmates livelier when I make love to them.
Which brought him back to his original problem. What to do about the woman who obviously required assistance or perhaps even medical help? Yet, she wasn’t his business. He didn’t know her, and if someone had accompanied her, no doubt they’d arrive on the scene soon, probably taking exception to his looming over her. And he didn’t need a bout of fisticuffs and bruises.
Yet…
I cannot, in good conscience, leave her here.
Inside his mind, his wolf howled with laughter. You have no conscience, good or otherwise.
Be that as it may, I must render my assistance.
His wolf snorted. Are you playing at being a hero now? That’s not your usual mien.
Consternation and self-loathing knotted his gut. No, I can never claim that title, but I do have a bit of compassion and mean to use it now.
So saying, Sebastian knelt in the snow beside her. “Miss?” He touched her shoulder, which was warm; she hadn’t been exposed to the elements long. “Miss, can you hear me?” Giving her a little shake, he waited for a reaction.
She stirred, uttered a tiny sigh and then opened her eyes, which were gray, almost silver really, and seemed to hold a thousand secrets swirling in those depths. Then confusion filled them and she started upon focusing on his face. A shiver racked her body.
“Gentle, now. Easy,” he said in a soothing manner he’d used with skittish horses at his country estate. “No sudden movements until I can ascertain if you are unwell.” Again, he touched her shoulder and she gasped.
The woman shook her head. She stared up into the sky and put a hand to her ivory throat. The shimmering fabric of her gown showed off more of her body than it concealed, and Sebastian was hard-pressed not to stare that the hardened outlines of her nipples. “Where…? How…?” Her voice, melodious but scratchy as if from misuse, danced through the air before the wind snatched it.
Sebastian tried to quiet her as best he could. “You’ve apparently been in an accident of some sort,” he said in hushed tones with another look about the area. “Are you hurt?”
“Hurt?” she repeated slowly. Her delicate eyebrows scrunched together. “What is hurt?”
“I’m quite sure I don’t know unless you tell me.” Was the woman daft or had she injured her head in the accident? He swept his attention over her brow and temples, but there was no blood to indicate a blow. “Do you require assistance?”
“Assistance,” she again repeated with the same slow utterance as before, like she mulled over the words because they were unfamiliar.
“Do you speak English?” he asked instead. Perhaps she wasn’t from London at all and had difficulty with the language.
“Ah.” Her eyes brightened for a second before the concern, and was that pain, clouded them. “I think so, but I’ll require a few minutes to find out.”
Hellfire and damnation. What did that mean? Sebastian sat back on his heels. “I would caution you not to wait too long, for it is cold out here and you are not dressed for the elements.” He frowned, watching her face for signs of distress.
Where had she come from and who the devil was she? A shiver of something zipped down his spine. If she was lost and abandoned, what would happen to her?
Take her under your protection. She’s fine enough to become your mistress, his wolf suggested with a very beastly grin in his mind.
No. Sebastian shook his head. She doesn’t have that look. Did she? And he wasn’t in the habit of abducting random women to warm his bed. “Miss? I require some answers.”
Once he had her settled, he would continue on his own personal task of begging his own.
CHAPTER TWO
Miss Estelle Forbes stared up at the man bending over her.
Vague aches and pains accosted her, but why? And how did she know that’s what they were called? Slowly, she blinked as she tried to bring the man’s face into focus. What had happened? One moment she’d been attending to court duties, and the next there’d been a horrible, rushing darkness along with the sensation of falling, tumbling, hurtling toward the earth. The frigid coldness of the air around her had stung her skin, and then there was the gripping pain of impact when she’d made contact with the ground.
Good heavens, am I truly on Earth now?
It was somewhat disconcerting the Council had such great power that they could take her from the heavenly court and thrust her among the humans without so much as a snap of their fingers.
She lay there, silent, while she attempted to absorb as much knowledge of the humans as she could. At least the Council had granted her that boon else she’d make a fool of herself before her temporary asylum had started.
It was dark here, and cold, almost threatening in its harsh reception. Where was here anyway? Then her attention jogged once more to the male human still bending over her.
“Miss?” With a hand on her shoulder, he gave her a tiny shake, but it might as well have been a shove for all the tingling sensation that exploded through her arm to her fingertips. His face swam into a clearer view, and it was the most handsome visage she’d ever seen. “Do you require assistance?” he asked again, and there was emotion in his voice, concern in his brown, almost amber-colored eyes.
How extraordinary. Males in the heavens didn’t host such eyes. Estelle—why had she chosen that word as a name? —blinked and kept her focus on him, her rescuer. Was she in need of such a service? But she couldn’t put a voice to the thoughts moving through her head like clotted cream. Merciful heavens, what was such a thing? She needed time to absorb more knowledge of the humans she’d move among, yet his eyes were compelling and she couldn’t tear her attention away. To see a human this close after years of watching them from afar was amazing and somewhat disconcerting.
Did he mean her harm? Would her presence her bring him the same?
“Damnation, woman, won’t you please give me the honor of an answer?” he asked, and his expression shifted into that of impatience. The closer he leaned, the more she discerned the dark stubble that clung to his chin and cheeks. How… lovely. Men where she was from had blond or silvery white hair. And there were golden flecks in his amber irises.
Even she, with the tiny bit of knowledge that she did have regarding this planet and its inhabitants, knew he deserved a reply. She forced moisture into her dry throat—how odd the workings of a human body were—and nodded. Facts and figures, poetry and prose danced through her mind as the Council infused her with a scarce bit of information. For the time being, the mind connection between her and the celestial leader remained intact. “I... I am not certain.” Her words were halting, the sound of her voice rusty as she scrambled through the fog in her mind on how to properly conduct herself as a human—speech, mannerisms, facts regarding the immediate area, yet even those were sketchy.
How much more would the Supreme Celestial Ruler, like a king in the humans’ hierarchy system, give to her before her head ached?
The lines on the man’s face softened slightly. “Have you been in an accident?” His voice wrenched her from her distracted musings and she once again studied him.
How was it possible his eyes, so predatory and primal, held secrets in those intriguing depths? What did he know that no one else did, and why was he hiding… r
unning? She acknowledged that look, for she was running too. Estelle moistened his lips, and when he flicked his regard to her mouth, more tingles invaded, this time washing through her lower belly and leaving a delicious feeling behind. Why? “An accident?”
“Yes, have you encountered footpads or some other thugs while in the park? Perhaps they dumped you here?” Another trace of impatience threaded through his tone, which made her feel that curious sensation again.
“Since I don’t know what it is you speak of, I can honestly say that such a thing did not happen to me.” She frowned—how exceedingly odd that a human could express so many things by merely moving the muscles in one’s mouth—as she concentrated on how exactly she would explain her presence to him. “No, it wasn’t an accident that brought me here.” Neither was it fate. Humans had a tricky set of values, and she didn’t understand many of them yet, but she would strive to be as honest as she could. Such a thing would surely be prized here, for she had lived her life in the celestial court with the same.
Until that horrible dark star asked for hand and she’d told him nay. Then her troubles had truly begun.
“It wasn’t an accident?” The man’s brow furrowed. Doubt infused his voice as he stared at her. “Then you’ve come here intentionally?”
“I didn’t ask to be sent here. It merely… happened, to give me time.” At least that was the truth. Why would she have the Supreme Celestial Ruler drop her into such a cold environment when she was ill-equipped to survive it?
“Ask whom?”
She ignored him in favor of continuing her explanation. “I think the fall was quite intentional. How else would I have arrived? It was much longer a trip that I’d anticipated, but he won’t find me here.”
“He?”
“Yes.” This man didn’t need the sordid explanation. When she looked past his broad shoulders from her prone position on the ground, she sighed. “Such a long journey and I cannot help but wonder how I shall ever return.” No one had given her that information before she’d fled the court. Would anything have changed once she did?
“Return where?” the man asked with an even deeper frown that pulled the features of his face downward and completely mussed his classic beauty.
“It matters not at the moment. I am here now.” And she had best enjoy the temporary reprieve, for what awaited her upon her return was too horrible to contemplate.
Concern shadowed the sculpted planes of his face, while confusion and a dark hunger roiled in the backs of his eyes. That both gave her pause and sent a tremble dancing down her spine. Why did she feel both a kinship with him and a tiny bit of fearful anticipation? She knew him not at all, but she couldn’t look away, and her mouth went dry.
Who was this man?
“You have suffered from a fall? Perhaps you are inebriated and found yourself lost here?” With a snort, he sat back on his heels and glanced about the area with that frown still tugging at his lips. For as fierce as he was, that gesture made him all the more approachable, for she well understood his confusion. It bloomed behind her own ribs. “There is no conveyance close by. Surely you didn’t fall from a tree.” Speculation ran rampant in his tone as he looked to the nearest tree with its winter-bare branches stretching up to the heavens, dotted with fluffy bits of snow. Once more he peered at her. “Yet you said you’d fallen.” One of his brown eyebrows rose.
Her chest tightened with unfamiliar disappointment. He didn’t believe her. Of course, she hadn’t truly explained herself that well, for her thoughts were still in a jumble. Estelle levered herself onto her elbows, winced, and once more, the man’s regard slipped to her bosom. She shivered, for she knew what that look signified. Hadn’t she run from the same when the dark star had attempted to court her? So why, then, did that heat in this man’s eyes not fill her with revulsion?
Living as a human was complicated and beyond her ken at the moment.
“I didn’t fall from a tree.” She chewed her bottom lip, and idly wondered what her human appearance looked like to him. “Does that happen often, people tumbling from vegetation?” If so, how extraordinary and somewhat dangerous.
“Not often. Er, that is to say, hardly ever.” He didn’t lose his frown.
She rather preferred when he smiled. The angles of his face, the sharp cheekbones, the cut jaw all practically begged for him to either come away with an expression of wicked intent or happiness... and she had the feeling this man hadn’t known much joy. Why? Could she help with that? Oh, but how she wished she had the courage to touch the shock of brown hair that fell over his forehead, but she hadn’t the strength to lift her arm. Not yet. Traveling such a distance had exhausted her, especially in such a frail body.
The man narrowed his eyes, and she didn’t enjoy the way this new expression made her feel wary. “If you didn’t suffer an accident or a tragedy, you must be in the park at such a time because you’re a Cyprian.” He sent a slow glance of perusal down her body and back up again. “It’s so obvious. You are here to work your trade.” The frown turned into a full-blown scowl, and that made her shiver in sudden fear. “For once, I’d hoped reality wouldn’t disappoint me.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” The term wasn’t in the knowledge she’d received from the Council. Perhaps the Ruler hadn’t given her everything she needed after all, which meant she’d have no choice but to muddle through alone. Chill bumps raised on her bare arms. Surely he hadn’t left her to flounder? “Will you explain?” Her companion’s words and his regard didn’t denote anything good.
“Your scandalous clothing, your disheveled looks.” He gestured at her as she drew a hand over a portion of her shimmering gown. Was this what the Council assumed humans wore?
“What is wrong with my gown? Is it not pretty and becoming?” She slid her hands over her chest, and he followed the movement with his gaze. “I rather like the spangles and glitter.” With each movement, the fabric caught the moonlight and winked as if she wore a thousand diamonds.
“What’s wrong?” He scoffed. “What’s wrong?” The man waved a hand wildly at her. “It’s… more revealing than is proper, even for the boudoir.”
Now there was an interesting word. “What is a boudoir?”
“You’re having me on, aren’t you? Surely you’re not that thick.” When she cocked an eyebrow, he continued. “It is a suite of rooms where sleeping is done as well as… not sleeping,” he finished with a flush creeping up his neck.
“Then this gown isn’t what humans wear every day?”
“Good God, of course not.” The man sneered. “Are you hoping to entertain men here in the basest of ways? Rather cold for all that, don’t you think?”
“Wh… what?” Estelle gasped as his slight became clear. He thinks I am, I am… Well I’m not! Heat of shame and indignation burned in her cheeks. “Men everywhere are the same.” Cold disappointment sank in her belly. “I am not what you say.”
“Then why the devil are you here?” His voice rose, reflecting his ire.
Why indeed? She couldn’t very well tell him, for he would think her quite mad. Yet she did require assistance, and thinking while he was so close was becoming a challenge. Helpless and weak for the moment, she merely shrugged, and unaccountably, moisture sprang to her eyes.
The man sighed when a tear fell to her cheek. “My name is Sebastian. Sir Wimsley, rather, but I dislike the title. What should I call you?” His tone was decidedly tamer than before, and she liked the warmth it imparted inside her chest.
She wiped at the wetness on her skin. How extraordinary were tears and their effect on the male mindset. If a female cried in any circumstance, would they rush to make things right? More study was needed. Then his question sank into her mind. Name? Oh yes, the monikers humans used to refer to each other. What had she taken as her own? She cleared her throat. “Estelle.” When he lifted an eyebrow, she huffed. There must be another name. “Uh…” She cast about her mind for the information. “Forbes.”
“Ah. Are
you married or promised to anyone, Miss Forbes?”
“No. Thank goodness.” The heavens boomed with laughter through her mind. The heat in her cheeks intensified. How much she resented the collective minds of the court. She might be a human—temporarily—but she was still very much a star, and that’s how it always was with them. Connected over a mind network, for that is how they knew when to sparkle, wink, or even fall.
It was a delicate ballet.
What will it be like to think for myself and hear only me?
The man—Sebastian, she liked the sound of his name and couldn’t wait to employ it—stood. He extended a hand to her. “May I escort you home, Miss Forbes?”
Home.
She glanced up into the velvety night sky as snowflakes fell onto her face. What an oddly wonderful sensation it was to experience that tiny cold kiss on her skin. In her entire existence as a star, she’d never felt anything quite like it. A shiver tormented her shoulders. Feeling everything as a human would take some time to acclimate. How could she make the seeping cold stop? When a glance about the area provided nothing helpful, she sighed. Finally, she said, “I cannot return home. Not yet.”
“Why?” His arm fell to his side. “Are you in danger?”
“Not at the moment.” In fact, in this man’s presence, she suddenly knew what it was like to enjoy a bit of safety. How strange. “At least, I hope that’s true.”
“Then you are only visiting London?” Once more he offered his hand.
This time she slipped her fingers into his palm. The heat that raced up her arm from the point of contact both surprised her and stole her breath, and she uttered a squeak of surprise when he assisted her upright with little effort. “I suppose that’s as good an explanation as any.” She frowned and wobbled on her feet. Her head spun, whether from the sudden movement or his touch, she couldn’t say. Having a human body required so much… effort. “Truth be told, I am not in any rush to go back.”
Transformed By A Christmas Star: A Lords of the Night novella Page 2
