—
Hours after Biancaleaves me alone in my locked room, the rattling of my balcony doors wakes me.
I’d been dreaming about Callum. Again. Finding solace in the warmth of his embrace, even if that embrace only existed in the depths of my mind.
I know it is likely I will never see him again, that the only version of Callum I will get to hold and kiss and touch is the one that lives in my dreams.
Callum Reid has no reason to come back to me now, now that he doesn’t have to suffer the guilt from killing his father.
The rattle sounds again, and I climb out of bed and creep over to investigate, my hand reaching for the dagger at my thigh. But it’s not there, of course; it’s been missing since before the guards trapped me here. It’s silly, but without the familiar warmth and weight of it at my side, it feels like a piece of me is missing.
Clearly no one is guarding the balcony, however.
The rattle persists, and I yank the curtains to the side, fists poised at the ready as though they could actually hurt someone trying to break down the door.
There’s a man standing on my balcony. I start to back away, ready to call for help. But then the man steps into the light, silver beams of moonlight dancing through his copper curls.
I drop my fists.
A second later, I unlatch the doors.
He doesn’t come in, both of us keeping several feet of space between us. A treacherous river separates us, and yet I want nothing more than to dive right into the dangerous waters and cross it.
My eyes flit over every inch of him, drinking him in. Hoveringover the bruises coloring his face, noting the way he seems to be favoring his left leg, watching the breaths wheeze in and out of his lungs. “There are guards. Outside the door to my room. The doors are thick, but…”
Callum’s brow furrows. “Guards? What for, Caterine?”
“Probably to keep me from going to find you.” The truth flies from my mouth before I have the chance to stop it.
He sucks in a breath and the sudden move causes him to grimace.
“I guess they didn’t consider you might come to me.” I cross over to him, taking his hand and leading him into the room, knowing he won’t enter my personal space without my permission. I guide him into one of the chairs around the dining table, pouring him a glass of whisky before I head into my bathing chamber. I grab one of the bottles of tonic Bianca made for me to ease the aches that come with my job, along with a soft, clean towel.
Callum is sipping from his glass when I return, wincing as the alcohol stings the cut on his lip.
I unscrew the lid from the bottle, dampening the cloth. Placing myself square between Callum’s legs, I take his chin in my hand, tilting his face so I can examine the damage.
“They’re a couple of days old already. They’ve been treated.” His voice is hoarse, like he has been talking either too much or not at all.
“I figured.” I press the cloth to the cut on his lip first. “This will help more than any of your remedies can.” Pulling the cloth away, I watch as the cut starts to heal and make a mental note to thank Bianca. “It doesn’t do as much for bruises, but it should still provide some relief.”
Callum’s fingers drift to his lip, tracing over where the cut used to be. “Thank you.”
I finish tending to the most obvious of his wounds before sitting in the chair across from him. “Should I bother asking how you are doing?”
He drains the remainder of his drink. “I think you can probably guess the answer to that, my lady.” The term holds no teasing lilt, no longer ringing of endearment. Now it feels meant to keep the distance between us.
I fist my hands in the silk of my robe to keep from reaching for him. But he’s here, and that has to mean something. “I’m so sorry, Callum.”
“I didn’t kill him. MacVeigh, I mean. I could have killed him, and I didn’t. Even though…”
“Why didn’t you?” I whisper when he fails to complete his thought.
His eyes meet mine, and they are blazing with an unfamiliar emotion, something hard and guarded, so unlike the open man I’ve grown to know. “Why do you think?”
I blink back the wetness that springs to my eyes. “I never wanted for any of this to happen.”
“I know.”
