CHAPTER 18
“I couldnae move,”Skye began slowly, frowning. “It was like I was pinned in place. I was losing consciousness, and the masked man was staring down at me. The one from me dream, the one who took me.”
Evander clenched his jaw until his teeth squeaked. “Go on.”
“I wasnae…entirelyunconscious,” she continued, closing her eyes. “Nay, I kept getting snippets of sound and vision. It was like… Do ye ken when ye ride a horse on a sunny day through a forest, and ye catch glimpses of the sun and sky through the trees?
“Ye ken it’s the sun, ye can see the light and feel the heat, but ye cannae get a good picture of the sky beyond the forest because of the trees, and because ye are riding so fast? Well, that is how it was.”
“Go on,” Evander urged again.
The air was thick with the smell of burned parchment. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a draft stir the pile of ash forming the remains of the scroll. Crumbs of it began to drift away. One good slam of the door, and the ensuing rush of air would blow it all away, as if it had never been there.
Skye licked her lips tentatively, the tip of her pink tongue darting out. Swallowing, Evander forced down the rush of desire. Oh, it had been torture, stepping away from her earlier.
That was the right thing to do, of course. Giving her pleasure had already broken their contract, but to take his own would have been a betrayal of the worst kind.
And I am nae a traitor. Nae a betrayer. Nae a liar. I’m nae me faither.
“I tried to move,” Skye continued, nodding tightly. “Me head was swimming. I felt sick. I remember thinking that if I were sick, I might purge the drug. So, I fell to the floor and began to crawl away. What a sight I must have been! I thought if I could vomit…” She shook her head.
“He saw what I was doing. He strode after me and lifted me. He was strong. I tried to struggle, but I was as weak as a kitten.” She paused, swallowing. “Kitten… Blackberry was there. She bolted from her place at the fire, hissing and scratching at his leg. That’s how I was able to crawl away at first. He shooed her out, earning another scratch at his arm, deeper this time.”
Evander frowned. “He didnae kick her or try to hurt her?”
“Nay, nay, he didnae. He shooed her away, but she kept fighting. She scratched his arm. His forearm, here.” She tapped her forearm. “The scratch could have been hidden by a sleeve.”
Evander sucked in a breath, his heart rate quickening. Anger grew and coiled low in his spine.
“Go on,” he murmured, as gently as he could. It wasn’t Skye who would feel the brunt of his anger. Oh no.
“He pushed her out into the hall. I heard her yowling and clawing at the door. Then he came back to me. He leaned over me and said… he said, ‘Daenae struggle, lass. Please, Skye. Daenae make me hurt ye.’ That’s all I recall, but it’s all I need to recall because I recognized his voice. Irecognizedhis voice, Evander.”
Fury bubbled in Evander’s throat. “And who was it, Skye?”
She met his gaze. “Mason,” she breathed. “It was Mason.”
Evander’s hand dropped to his hip, where his sword would hang. It wasn’t there, but that didn’t matter. He’d grab it shortly.
“I kent I didnae trust the bastard,” he hissed. “Stay here.”
“Evander—”
“Stay. Here.”
He grabbed his sword and strode out of the room, leaving the door swinging.
Evander sprinted through the night, choking on his own rage. He didn’t bother snatching a torch from the wall to light his way, since the moon was out, bathing the grounds in a benevolent silvery glow.
When I find him, he’s dead.
The rest of the keep was asleep, but a small knot of men would be awake. The warriors, the ones who trained in rain and sunshine, in the frozen depths of winter and the stifling, soupy summers. And, of course, day and night. Fergus usually led them.
A group of warriors would train in the dark of night, along with a handful of youngsters. Up ahead, across the expanse of a dark field, Evander could see the men going through their exercises. He broke into a brisk jog, his sword banging against his side.
Fury bubbled inside him.
I kent that bastard was up to something. Why did he do it? Is he secretly in love with her? Why steal her away? Why bring her back? Unless, of course, she escaped.
