“Are you hungry?You haven’t eaten all day,” he said.
“I’m fine.”But they both knew that was a lie.
He stepped into the room and hesitated, as though he didn’t know if he were welcome.She didn’t encourage him to come closer.It wasn’t that she loved Christien less or that she was angry at him.She was neither.Since learning of her adoption and Christien’s true purpose in life, she found herself growing colder and colder.As if she were encased in ice.And she had no idea how to thaw herself or even if she wanted to.The ice kept the bigger emotions at bay, the clawing fear and despair of discovering she wasn’t who she thought she’d been for nearly thirty years.And the hurt of knowing she wasn’t an Alexander after all.
“Is there anything I can do?”
She shook her head, hating that she was hurting him, but not knowing what else to do.Comfort, to give or receive, was beyond her right now.She was lucky to draw her next breath and take her next step without shattering.
His lips thinned.The skin around his eyes was pinched and gray.He hadn’t slept much more than she.In the dark of the night she’d heard him moving around upstairs, felt his concern for her and still she didn’t go to him.
He looked like he wanted to say something, but stopped himself.Quietly, he turned and left.She went back to looking out the window, the beautiful countryside nothing but a blur.
However, a restlessness inside her wouldn’t allow her to stay still for long, so she headed outside.The breeze was warm, the heady scent of the lavender bushes on either side of the massive front door a balm to her shattered soul.
The gravel drive crunched beneath her booted feet.The noon sun, high in the sky, warmed her shoulders, but didn’t touch the ice around her heart.She had no destination in mind, but it was as if her heart had its own purpose and she found herself tracing the path to Madelaine’s grave.She needed to be near the woman she’d come to know in her dreams.The woman she’d been centuries ago.In some ways she felt more connected to that woman than herself.
Poor Christien.What agony he must have felt when he returned to find her dead.And yet he’d carried on.Not only that, but he’d undertaken a huge mission to transport the treasure to Scotland, away from King Philip and the men rounding up and torturing the other Knights.Knights Christien fought alongside and broke bread with.What had it been like to be on the run for so long, alone and scared and hurting?He’d lost Madelaine, his brothers, the life he’d known.And yet, he’d believed enough to keep going, to trudge through countries, over oceans and into distant lands, knowing he was being hunted.Against all odds, he persevered.She couldn’t help but compare his plight to what she was going through now and note the parallels.She lost the life she’d known and the family she thought was hers but really wasn’t.
If Christien could do it then, she could do it now.
She believed.In her heart—in her blood—she knew what Christien said to be true.They’d lived another life together.He truly was the keeper of the treasure and evil forceswereafter him.
Giselle and Lucheux.
In a weird, twisted sort of way it all made sense.
Funny how she so readily accepted that and yet had a hard time believing she had a sister.
All her life she wanted a sibling, had begged her parents for one when she was younger.They’d told her she was all they needed.When she was older she’d come to accept there would be no siblings.She’d been a miracle to an older couple who struggled with infertility their entire marriage, and they were happy with the daughter God gave them.She’d given up the campaign for siblings but never the wish.
And now she had her wish and she didn’t know what to do with it.
A sister.
A twin.
A sibling who carried the same blood as her.Blood that reached all the way back to biblical times if Christien were to be believed.
Lainie trudged up a hill, winded, the sun heating her back.
While she prowled the house last night, wide awake, her mind whirling, she’d stumbled across Christien’s office.Without the least bit of remorse, she booted up his computer and started asking Google questions.What she found prompted more questions.
According to the Bible, the seals could only be broken by The Lion of Judah.Biblical scholars believed the Lion of Judahcouldrefer to a prince of the blood of Christ.
No one was clear on what or who the prince of the blood of Christ was.But Christien seemed to believe she was worthy enough.Thatshewas the key to opening those seals, to releasing the horsemen who would destroy the earth.War, famine, death, conquest.You couldn’t get more Apocalyptic than that.
If this were true she was even more convinced she needed to disappear.But she couldn’t disappear now that there was another one out there with her blood.A sister.What was her name?What had her life been like?Did she know of Lainie’s existence?A thrill of anticipation raced through her.
Lainie stopped to catch her breath and lean against a large tree trunk.She lifted her face to the sun.Occasionally she’d hear small animals rustling through the dead leaves and brush, reminding her she wasn’t totally alone.
Except she should have stumbled across the cemetery by now.
Biting her lip, she pushed down the alarm tingling up her spine.She wasn’t lost.She was…somewhere on Christien’s land.She had to be because he told her he owned as far as the eye could see.She just had to backtrack and find out where she took a wrong turn.
Except she couldn’t remember where she’d come from.Everything was starting to look the same.There was no break in the trees, no path, no sign with an arrow that said Castle This Way.
She huffed out a breath.
