They drew closerto her door, and once they stopped, his eyes remained fixed on her while she turned the lock. He waited for a beat, watching her intently. Deep down, he knew that if she asked, he would stay.
A moment of silence passed between them, and Jack wondered if she was thinking the same thing. Did she also have an insane urge to pull him close and drag him to her bed?
“Ye should rest, lass,” he eventually said, breaking the silence. “It has been a long night.”
“Aye.”
He lingered on the threshold and watched her step further inside. The pull to cross it was strong, but he resisted it. He wanted to put his mouth on hers, wanted the dark outside to keep its distance. However, one of those two felt moreimmediate than the other, and it wasn’t settling on the warm bed on top of her.
“Sleep tight, Emma,” he said. “There is something I need to check on.”
She nodded once, and he closed the door. The lock clicked into place, and the silence returned.
He turned toward the stairs and headed down to the courtyard, then stopped to listen when he got to the training grounds. The night wind whipped at his cloak, and the lanterns bent toward the castle, then straightened.
The sound he had heard earlier came again, this time louder and even more daring.
“Show yerself before I find ye,” he growled.
No answer.
His hand found the dagger at his belt, and he crept down the yard, his pace even and his breathing slow. The hedges ahead shifted, and for the briefest second, a shape moved behind the leaves and further into the darkness.
Jack sprang into action.
He jumped over the low fence, letting his boots take the soil without a slip. The intruder ran along the garden’s edge, and Jack saw the dagger in his hand, thanks to the quick flash of moonlight. The blade was short and held at the wrong angle, which meant the man was either new to this work or reckless, or both.
“Drop it,” Jack barked.
The man ran faster.
Jack lengthened his stride and closed the distance between them. The intruder tried to swerve and lost his balance for half a step, giving Jack all the leverage he needed. He drove through the gap and hit him hard.
They went down together, the roll ending with Jack on top, knee planted on the man’s chest and dagger pressed to his throat.
“Who sent ye?” he demanded. “Speak.”
The intruder’s breath rasped under him. The hood hid most of his face, but fear showed in the set of his mouth.
Jack punched the dirt beside the intruder’s ear, feeling the ground soften beneath his fist. “Daenae make me ask again.”
The intruder squeezed his eyes shut, words spilling through clenched teeth. “People were curious about yer bride.”
“What?”
“They wanted to ken if…” the intruder trailed off, his eyes opening again and looking around for something.
“If what?” Jack prompted harshly.
The intruder dragged a hard fist across Jack’s face. Jack felt the pain splinter across his jaw as the man reached for the fallen knife.
“Ye shouldnae have done that,” Jack spat, steadying himself.
Before the man could do anything else, Jack caught his wrist and turned it. Bone gave with a clean crack, and pain tore a hoarse shout from the intruder’s throat.
Jack kicked the blade away and rose, keeping hold of the man’s collar. “On yer feet.”
The intruder tried, but his knees gave out. Jack hauled him up and dragged him toward the fence. The cold night wind rose again and dried the sweat at the nape of his neck. He did not look into the trees for a second shadow. He knew if there was one, it would have already run by now.
