She shook her head.
“Conquest, war, famine and death.”
Madelaine drew in a stunned breath.He was speaking of the Book of Revelation.’Twas one of his favorite books of the Bible to read from at dinner and Madelaine knew most of it by heart now.
Lucien grinned.“I see you know what I speak of.Thebook, my countess.The one with the seven seals.The Templars have it and I will retrieve it from them.”He leaned forward as if imparting a great secret.“I’ve been promised eternal life if I take it from them, and if I find a way to open the seals I will receive the power of the horsemen.”
He stepped closer, until nothing separated them but the clothes they wore, and shoved the full length of his body against hers, grinding his manhood into her until she cried out in pain.He leaned forward and kissed her so hard he smashed her lips against her teeth and she tasted her own blood.
She was accustomed to brutal kisses, was accustomed to her husband taking what he wanted without asking and had long ago resigned her fate to such a life, but this was different.This wasn’t her husband who had a right to her.This was a madman who believed he could become one of the horsemen of the Apocalypse.
She sank her teeth into Lucien’s lip.Like a dog with a rabbit, she didn’t let go when he jerked back.He backhanded her with a viciousness that made her stagger to the side and her ears ring and her vision dim.
“Is this how it will be, my countess?”He dabbed at his lip, glancing at the blood now on his fingers.He smiled, flicking his tongue out to lick the blood pooling in the corner.Madelaine turned away, sickened.
He grabbed her chin and yanked her head toward him, forcing her eyes to meet his.He hit her again, an openhanded slap on the opposite cheek that threw her head sideways, causing the rough tree bark to cut her temple.
“Submit to me and I will give you power that you can only imagine.We will have eternity, my countess.Forever.”
With a strangled cry, Giselle rushed forward, her face a mask of fury.“What is this?Iwas promised eternity and power.”
Lucien laughed.“Surely you don’t believe a whore such as yourself would be of service to someone as powerful as I plan to become.Not someone who was married to the castleblacksmith.” He spit the wordblacksmithout as if it tasted foul in his mouth.
With a screech, Giselle sprung on Lucien, but he was expecting the attack and pushed her away.Giselle stumbled and fell.Madelaine turned and ran.
Instantly the dogs were there, howling and circling, tripping her.Lucien grabbed her and wrapped his hand around her throat, pushing until she slammed against the trunk of a large tree.Pinned there she could do nothing but look at the muscles bulging in his neck and his black eyes narrowed in fury.
A scream rent the quiet night air.Lucien turned as Giselle swung a large branch.He yelled out, raised his hands to deflect the blow but was too late.The limb slammed into his temple.For a moment he staggered, his surprised gaze going to Giselle, before his knees crumpled and he fell.
“You!”Giselle advanced on her still holding the tree branch.
Madelaine picked up her skirts and ran.She was shoved from behind and lost her footing.She fell forward, her face hitting the hard-packed dirt, jarring her teeth and forcing the breath out of her.Giselle flipped her over and wrapped her hands around Madelaine’s throat.Madelaine kicked but her skirts hampered her movements.She tried to scream, but no sound escaped.The dogs came, prancing around them, whining and howling.But as if sensing the evil inside Giselle, they kept their distance.
Giselle lifted Madelaine from the ground by the hands around her throat and slammed her head into the dirt.
Pain exploded in her head and shoulders.She cried out.Giselle’s face, a twisted mass of raging fury and evil, froze Madelaine’s blood.She’d never seen such hatred before.
“He promised me,” she grunted between clenched teeth.“I was to be at his side for eternity.He.Promised.Me.” With each word, Giselle slammed Madelaine’s head into the ground.
Madelaine tried to fight but her strength was nothing compared to Giselle’s.Eventually her limbs grew heavy, the forest faded and even the dogs’ barking sounded like it came from a great distance.
Hope.The one thing she’d clung to for so long slowly trickled out of her.There would be no daring rescue from the man she loved and she refused to bring a baby into this sordid, hellish world she’d been thrust into.She tried to keep her eyes open as Giselle’s hands tightened upon her throat, but it proved too much.Her eyes drifted closed.She conjured an image of Christien, his smoky gray eyes bursting with love as he leaned forward to kiss her.
A terrible grief consumed her.They would never be together to celebrate their love.They’d never had a chance.
The grief gave way to lightness as she gasped her last breath.
Chapter Nineteen
“Madelaine, wake up.Madelaine.”
Lainie gasped.Her eyes flew open to stare at a dark ceiling dappled with moonlight.No trees looming above her, no rocks digging into her back.No fingers circling her neck and choking the life from her.A ceiling in Christien’s home.In France.
Tears traveled into her hairline and onto her pillow.Terror seized her in its hideous grasp.
Christien gathered her stiff body in his arms.“’Twas a dream,mon couer.Only a dream.”
She struggled to catch her breath and tame her runaway heart.Her knee ached, like she really had fallen on it.Her throat hurt to swallow, like someone really had strangled her.
