How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days (The Embraced #1)

“Got it!” She jumped back into the sea just as the waves receded. The undertow whisked her off her feet and she went under. She struggled to get back onto her feet, but it was difficult with her skirt in the way.

Finally, she managed to stand. The wind was chilly against her wet hair and clothes. Taking deep breaths, she thanked the goddesses that she’d grown up on the Isle of Moon where she’d learned to swim at a young age. The water was only waist-high, but the undertow was strong. She glanced at the bottle held tightly in her fist. It was sealed with a tight cork, and inside was a rolled-up note.

She let the next wave push her closer ashore. Pirate grabbed her skirt with his teeth and pulled her toward the beach. She splashed through ankle-high water till she reached the dry, warm sand.

“My lady!” Jensen ran toward her. “What are you doing?”

“I’m fine.” She waved at him with one hand while holding the bottle behind her back with the other. “I felt like having an early-morning swim. So invigorating!”

“Are you all right?” He stepped toward her, but jumped back when Pirate shook himself, sending droplets of water in all directions.

“I’m perfectly fine.” She motioned for him to turn around. “Could I have some privacy, please? I need to wring out my skirt.”

“Aye, my lady.” He turned his back.

She plopped down on the sand, wrenched the cork out of the bottle, then fished out the note. Pirate made a whimpering noise as he sat next to her, his head cocked with an inquisitive look.

She put a finger to her lips to signal silence, then unfolded the note. It was signed at the bottom by her sisters. With a grin, she hugged the paper to her chest, then held it up where she could read it.

Our dear sister, Luciana,

We pray every day that you are safe and doing well. We miss you something terrible. Our room seems empty without you. Our meals seem lonely without you.

We tried playing the Telling Stones last night, but no one gives predictions as good as yours. We were talking about your last prediction, and we wondered if it had come true. You said in two weeks you would meet a tall and handsome stranger who had red hair and a black horse. Did it happen? Did you meet him?

To bring you good luck, we have put your Telling Stones in the bottle.

Luciana peered at the bottle, and sure enough, there were three pebbles in the bottom. The number two, red, and black. With a sigh, she pressed the bottle against her chest. She had indeed met a tall and handsome stranger with red hair and a black horse.

“Are you done, my lady?” Jensen asked.

“Not quite,” she replied, then went back to the letter.

We cannot wait to hear from you! Maeve says on the third day after today at dawn, you are to place a note in this bottle and put it in the same place that you found it.

Please write! And know that you always have our love.

Brigitta. Sorcha. Gwennore. Maeve.

Luciana wiped a tear from her cheek. “I love you, too.”

Jensen stiffened. “My lady?”

“I was talking to the dog.”

Pirate snorted and flopped onto his belly, a forlorn look on his face.

Quickly, she inserted the note back into the bottle and corked it. Then she squeezed some water from her skirts, deposited the bottle in a deep pocket, and slipped on her shoes. “I’m ready to go.”

Back in her bedchamber, she built up the fire in the hearth, then quickly removed her wet clothes and put on a robe. It was dangerous to keep the correspondence from her sisters, but she couldn’t bring herself to burn it. The bottle and pebbles were harmless, she figured, since they wouldn’t mean anything to anyone but her. After inspecting the room, she found a slight opening in the upholstery of one of the chairs and slipped the note inside.

When Gabriella came in with her breakfast tray, she gasped at the sight of wet clothes in front of the hearth. Luciana was equally shocked, for her maid had come in through the dressing room.

“How did you do that?” Luciana wandered toward the dressing room door, which was still open.

“There’s a servants’ door,” Gabriella replied as she set the tray on the table. “My room is on the other side. I thought you knew that.”

“Oh, of course.” Luciana waved a dismissive hand. Now that she was looking for it, she could make out the lines of a door hidden in the wooden paneling. “And your room has another way out?”

“Yes, a servants’ corridor.” Gabriella gathered up the wet clothes. “I’ll take these to the laundry room, then come back to help you dress for mass.”

“Thank you.” Luciana watched as Gabriella pushed a hidden latch in the paneling and a door swung open. As the maid left, she smiled to herself. This was a way she could leave without being followed by her guard.

Mass wasn’t as bad as she had feared. A new guard escorted her to the chapel and back, since Jensen was finally getting some rest. Afterward, she did as her father had requested and spent the rest of the day in her bedchamber.

That afternoon, a new guard from the Lord Protector’s army arrived. Unfortunately, he knew about the second exit through Gabriella’s room. He spent his time marching from one exit to the other.

Dinner in the Great Hall was uneventful. Luciana kept glancing at the musicians’ gallery, hoping to see her dream man, but he never put in an appearance. Disappointed, she retired to her room early.

As Gabriella helped her change into her nightgown, she told her, “I won’t need you for the rest of the evening.”

“Really?” Gabriella’s eyes lit up. “The servants are having a party tonight with all the food and wine that was left over from last night’s banquet.”

“Then you must go and enjoy yourself.”

“Thank you!” Gabriella rushed through her small room and out the door.