And as Magnus held her, his arms warm and secure around her, Ada couldn't help wondering if he ever would.
CHAPTER 24
Magnus woke before dawn, his body tense and alert despite having barely slept.
Every sound in the keep had pulled him from the edge of rest. Footsteps in distant corridors, the change of the guard, the creak of settling stone. Each time, his hand had moved instinctively to the knife he'd placed within reach on the bedside table, his eyes scanning the chamber for threats that weren't there.
Ada slept curled against his side, her head pillowed on his chest, one hand fisted in his shirt like even in sleep she feared he might disappear. Her breathing was steady now, deep and even, though she'd woken twice in the night from dreams she wouldn't speak about.
Magnus hadn't needed her to speak. He'd seen the terror in her eyes, felt the way she'd clung to him until her trembling stopped.
He should let her sleep longer. God knew she needed it after the previous night. But the gray light filtering through the shutters told him dawn was breaking, and with it came the demands of a keep under threat.
He had a prisoner in his dungeons who needed questioning. A castle full of people who might be traitors. And a father-in-law somewhere beyond his walls planning an attack that could destroy everything Magnus had built.
Carefully, slowly, Magnus extracted himself from Ada's grip. She murmured something unintelligible, her hand reaching for him even in sleep. He caught it gently, pressed a kiss to her knuckles, then tucked it back beneath the blankets.
The bruise on her jaw looked worse in the morning light. Dark purple spreading down toward her throat, the edges tinged with yellow. Her split lip had scabbed over during the night, but it would hurt when she tried to eat or speak.
Rage, cold and focused, settled in Magnus's chest as he stared at those marks.
Someone had done this to her. In his keep. Under his protection.
And whoever that someone was, they would pay for every bruise, every moment of fear they'd caused her.
Magnus dressed quickly, pulling on boots and buckling his belt with practiced efficiency. His movements were quiet,economical, honed by years of rising before his men to check defenses and plan the day's work.
But today felt different. Today, every action was weighted with urgency. With the knowledge that time was running out.
He paused at the door, looked back at Ada one more time. She'd rolled into the warm space he'd left, her golden hair spread across his pillow. Even bruised and exhausted, she was beautiful. Even after everything, she'd trusted him enough to fall asleep in his arms.
"I'll keep ye safe," Magnus whispered to her sleeping form. "Whatever it takes."
Then he slipped out into the corridor, closing the door as quietly as he could behind him.
Torvald was already waiting in the war room, along with Bjorn and two other trusted men. They looked as tired as Magnus felt. Clearly none of them had slept much either.
"Report," Magnus said without preamble, taking his seat at the head of the table.
Bjorn spoke first. "The fire's out. Damage to the storage room is extensive but contained. We lost some supplies. Oil, dried goods, a few barrels of salted fish. Could have been much worse."
"Casualties?"
"One guard with burns on his hands from fighting the flames. Mairi's tended him. He'll recover." Bjorn's scarred face was grim. "But the three guards at the postern gate have been moved to the chapel. Throats cut, all of them. Clean kills. Professional."
Magnus's jaw clenched. Three good men. Dead because he'd failed to see the threat inside his own walls.
"And the prisoner?" he asked.
Torvald shook his head. "Still unconscious. Ye hit him hard, Magnus. The wound tae his shoulder's deep, and he lost a good amount of blood before we got him to the dungeons. Mairi says it might be hours before he wakes. If he wakes."
"He'll wake." Magnus's voice was flat. Cold. "I need answers from him. Who sent him. How many others are inside the keep. What their plan is."
"We've been searchin'," Bjorn said. "Goin' through the men who came with Lady Ada from MacTavish lands, questionin' anyone who's acted suspiciously. But so far, nothin'. Either they're very good at hidin', or there's fewer of them than we thought."
"Or they're nae among the obvious suspects." Magnus leaned forward, his hands flat on the table. "Think about it. Who would we nae suspect? Who has access tae every part of this keep, kens the guard rotations, could move through the corridors at night without raisin' questions?"
The men exchanged uneasy glances.
