A scant distance into the corridor, Ellie jarred to a halt. She held up a finger to a startled Miss Breckenridge. “Wait.”
There was no way she could return to her guest quarters. Mama would be waiting in her chamber. She would wish to finish their discussion. She would wish to explain. Perhaps to apologize, and perhaps not. But without question, she’d insist on running. Immediately.
Ellie could scarce deny the wisdom behind putting as much distance as possible between her outlaw mother and the clan hunter who sought them, but she was not ready to pack her bags.
She had told Cain she would meet him tonight, and she meant to. Yearned to. Needed to.
He truly cared for her, and she him, star-crossed though they might be. He had answers her mother had not shared. He also had expressive eyes, strong arms, and kisses that set her half-blood heart spinning.
That she would not see him again went without saying.
After coming so close to capture, they could never again risk so much as a nodding acquaintance with their new neighbors, wherever they landed next... much less house parties or dancing or a beau who stole kisses amongst the flowers.
But they hadn’t left yet.
“What’s wrong?” Miss Breckenridge cocked her head quizzically. “Have you the headache?”
Lifting her brows, Ellie nodded slowly. She had more than enough to make her head ache. The last thing she needed was another confrontation with her mother.
“I think I’d like to be alone for a little while.” She gave her hostess a determined smile. “Don’t worry about me. Why don’t you attend the other guests, or take the evening for yourself? Find something diverting and enjoy yourself. I’ll be fine.”
Miss Breckenridge’s eyes unfocused. Then she nodded once, turned, and wandered off without a word.
Ellie stared after her for a moment, feeling more than a little guilty. Either she’d inadvertently offended her hostess... or once again, she’d circumvented her free will with accidental Compulsion. Ellie was definitely going to have to wrest that skill under control before—No. Mastery over Compulsion wouldn’t matter one jot, once she and her mother were confined to some shadowy hovel in the middle of nowhere.
Sighing, Ellie retraced her steps and headed for the opposite wing. Cain had mentioned the conservatory. Granted, she’d said she wouldn’t meet him until tonight, but given her own guest chamber was no longer a viable retreat, the conservatory would be as peaceful a place to wait as any.
When she arrived, she found herself alone amongst the many blooms. The spicy scent of exotic flowers enveloped her. She wandered up and down the lush walkways, ducking low-hanging vines and pausing now and again to run a fingertip along the satin petals of a particularly breathtaking bloom. She was thus engaged when she sensed, rather than heard, a presence behind her.
“You’re early,” he said softly.
Smiling, she spun to face him. “As are you.”
“I couldn’t wait.”
She glanced behind him. “No Mac Eric this time?”
Cain shook his head, his eyes crinkled with laughter. “I tried. But we weren’t five paces from my door when we chanced upon an unaccountably effusive Miss Breckenridge. Quite a departure from her reception in the music room.”
Ellie coughed guiltily. “Amicable, was she?”
“She hugged me,” her vampire warrior replied as if he’d never suffered a worse indignity. “I asked her if she’d like to pet the puppy, and she said she’d like to keep Moch-éirigh forever.”
“So you’re letting her watch Mac Eric for the day?”
He shook his head. “She’s hers now.”
“But you love that puppy!”
“Trust me,” he said with a long-suffering sigh. “I have no difficulty stumbling across loveable puppies. I’ll probably find another before we leave the conservatory.”
“Are we leaving the conservatory?” Ellie tried for an arch look, but couldn’t help grinning up at him.
His sea-green eyes were nothing short of smoldering. “Aren’t we?”
She accepted his arm without hesitation. A delicious shiver slid up her spine. Her shoulders rolled backward in response, causing her breasts to rise and her bosom to tighten. She was acutely aware of every inch of her body. The thin fabric of her chemise brushed against her flushed skin. She felt oddly naked beneath the oppressive layers of lawn and linen and silk. As if Cain’s heated gaze could see right through the lace and flounces and corset to the woman trembling beneath.
Her fingers clutched his arm tighter. Even voluminous shirtsleeves tucked into a well-tailored jacket could not disguise the strength contained within, the toned muscle of his body. Hard. Strong. Hers.
