She kept her unfocused eyes on the wall as Willem walked over to Arthur. “This is unusual. Her body has healed miraculously, but her mind seems to be slipping further. Do you think she’s emotionally snapped beyond repair?”
Arthur’s warm hands slapped both of her cheeks, yet Leisha didn’t respond. “I thought she was stronger than this,” he muttered. “But maybe you’re right.”
“Most men I know, vampires or otherwise, would have shut down like this days ago,” Willem commented as they left her to the darkness.
Leisha was sleeping fitfully when the door swung open. She had no idea how much time had passed. Whoever had come in didn’t turn on the lights, and Leisha figured it was someone coming to rape her again. When big hands roamed over her body gently, she thought it a cruel indignity for them to have any pretense about arousing her.
The hands stopped at her midsection, making her wince. She realized that her stomach had healed closed, but part of her intestine was still outside of her body. A nasty expletive whispered on the air, then a sharp scalpel was cutting into her skin a minute later.
Leisha moaned softly when she felt her organs being rearranged for the second time that day. Then the hands were no longer invading her insides. Once again, Leisha prepared herself for violation of another kind when the clamps over her ankles suddenly lifted.
Leisha knew she should do something, maybe even ask who this person was and what he was doing, but she couldn’t bring herself to talk. She couldn’t even bring herself to be concerned about what was going to happen to her. She just hoped that they would chop off her head and be done with it.
When all of the clamps were lifted from her, she drew in a deep breath. She hadn’t realized until that moment, but her lungs had been cramping up from the close confines.
Arms snaked around her shoulders and legs, and lifted her. She was pulled into a broad, muscular chest. When she breathed in the scent of the man holding her, she smiled.
“I like this aberration,” she said hoarsely.
“Shh.” The shadow carrying her rushed out into a dim hallway.
Leisha saw four guards bound and gagged on the floor. “Yeah, this is a good one.” She started with giddy laughter until a warm hand clamped over her mouth.
There was another admonition for silence, and Leisha burrowed her face into the hard muscle. His motions were quick and fluid, and soon she found herself resting more peacefully than she had in ages.
She woke when Rinwa’s voice pierced her sleep. “She’s not responding to anything.”
Leisha’s eyes opened, but she still couldn’t bring herself to focus on anything. It felt like she was being jostled about in the trunk of an SUV.
“They broke her.” Tafari’s voice cracked when he said it.
“We don’t have time to worry about it now. We’re still too close to the base.” Rinwa cleared her throat. “Guess it’s time for me to apologize.”
“What do you mean?” His deep voice filled the car.
“Come on, do I have to say it?” After a brief pause, Rinwa sounded reluctant as she continued. “You’ve been preparing to sneak away from the immortals over the past couple of years, and I’ve been ridiculing you for it. But if it hadn’t been for you subtly moving away from them, they’d be on our tails already.”
“Thank you,” Tafari replied. “But I should have left months ago. If I had, I could have contacted Leisha and they would not have found her.”
“We can’t be sure of anything. Leisha’s always been good at lying low, and we had no reason to think otherwise. Besides, who’s to say the immortals wouldn’t have found you two anyway?”
It grew quiet again and Leisha’s mind wandered. The vibrations and rocking of the vehicle they rode in lulled her into a light sleep.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she became aware of a soft mattress cushioning her body. Everything was still and calm, though she ached.
Warmth covered her in a pleasant way. Pressure of someone’s skin covered her lips and suddenly rich, sweet blood poured into her mouth. Leisha moaned as it coated her tongue and her throat. She eagerly swallowed it down. Becoming aware of herself, Leisha wrapped her arms around Tafari’s shoulders and squeezed as she drank from his neck. He was lying on top of her and she enjoyed the feel of his weight.
His wound closed up and she sighed in disappointment.
“Bite and open it up again,” her husband commanded.
Leisha was about to, but stopped. “My teeth aren’t sharp.” She closed her eyes. “I wish I had Liam’s fangs.” She shuddered. “Blunt things hurt more when they cut you. I don’t want to hurt my Tafari.”
“I do not mind,” he stated. “You need more blood.”
“Blunt things hurt more when they cut you,” she repeated.
Fingers brushed gently through her hair. “Oh, Leisha,” Tafari whispered. Then he was no longer lying across her.
Leisha blinked and looked around. “Tafari?” She was beginning to think she’d hallucinated the whole thing, when he came into view, a sharp knife in hand. He cut into his artery and moved over her again.
Leisha eagerly gulped down his blood. It was warm and soothing. Small rips in her muscles began knitting themselves closed and vitality slowly trickled throughout her body. Her brain was finally working at full capacity again. The first thing she was aware of was Tafari’s musky scent enveloping her like a security blanket.
Opening her eyes, her vision was back to its perfect vampire efficiency. She could see into the shadows and cracks of the small room they were in. It held an antique desk, an armoire and the bed she was currently laying in. The decor was more feminine than Tafari would have picked for himself, with floral designs on the borders of the walls and covering the curtains.
After Tafari’s cut healed over, Leisha planted kisses along his jaw and neck. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I wasn’t, you know . . . in my right mind when you rescued me, or even a few minutes ago. It would have been a lot easier to escape if I’d been able to run on my own.”
Tafari leaned back and scooted onto his side, facing her. Their legs intertwined with each other and he stroked her lips with his thumb. She relished his kind, soft touch. “That is nothing you need to apologize for.” The dark scruff that lined the lower half of his face lightly scratched her forehead. Leisha noticed that his black skin looked a shade too pale. “I am glad to see life come back into your eyes.” His arm curled over her waist and pulled her into his body. “I was not certain you would come back to me.”
Leisha closed her eyes, not ready to recount everything that was done to her. Memories hovered menacingly at the edge of her mind and she mentally scattered them away. “How long was I . . . held captive?” When he didn’t respond right away, she looked up at him.
His silvery blue eyes darkened as he answered. “From what I can gather, you were in there for eleven days before I could get you out.” Tafari’s lips tightened. “I did not know that you were there until Rinwa contacted me. I was across the world on a wild goose chase.” He pushed himself onto his elbow and glanced at the closed door. “Rinwa wanted to rescue you herself, but the council was watching her closely. She had to use our secret chat room to let me know what was happening.” He leaned off of his arm and pushed himself closer to her. “When I learned of what they were doing to you, I flew back as soon as I could. They did not know I had returned, so it was fairly easy for me to sneak through security.” He smiled ruefully. “I trained most of the other immortals myself, so it was not too difficult.”
Smiling softly, Leisha pulled her head back to look at him and said, “My own knight in shining armor.”
To her surprise, Tafari’s expression fell. Tears leaked out of the corner of his eye. She’d never seen him cry before, not in more than two thousand years of knowing him. “If I were such a knight, you would not have had t
o go through that.”
She forced back her own tears that threatened. She didn’t want her husband to see her any more broken than he had. “Tafari, I’ve been beaten plenty of times. I’m fine.” Her voice was thick.
He shook his head. “No. I cleaned you myself. I know what was done to you.”
She put her fingers over his mouth before he could say anything more. Mustering up a watery smile, she did her best to convince him. “Okay, so I’m not fine just yet, but I will be. It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”
Leaning his face into the crook of her shoulder, he groaned. “That is not right, my love. You have been through too much. It is not right.”
Leisha forced her chin to stop trembling. She couldn’t let him see her crying now. Maybe later, but not now. Clearing her throat, she changed the subject. “Where are we?”
He shook himself and sat up. After taking a deep breath, he answered. “A secret house that I bought a couple of years ago. Not even Rinwa knew about it until now.”
Smiling, she sat up as well. “No, I mean, where are we? What city? I’ll even be happy with the country if you could answer that.”
Tafari gave an unsteady chuckle. She could see his shoulders relaxing slightly. Guilt ripped through her as she noticed his disheveled state. Immaculate Tafari wore wrinkled clothing, the pants with long stripes while the shirt had a plaid design. She knew if it hadn’t been for her, he wouldn’t be so out of sorts. “Somewhere in Scotland.”
Her brows rose at the answer and she finally processed her surroundings. Now that Leisha knew they were in Scotland, the little room seemed to fit. Standing and opening the bedroom door, she could see that they were in a quaint home. It looked like it had maybe three bedrooms, all on the same level.
She turned back to Tafari and gave a genuine smile. “It’s perfect.”
He rose and embraced her, a tender look on his face. Leisha hugged him back and enjoyed his warmth. If she had died in her cell, this certainly would be heaven for her.
25 BC
Iliana stopped scrubbing the clothes against the washboard to pull strands of black hair off of her sweaty neck. She did not love being a washerwoman. Her once-soft hands were now dry and cracked from the lye soap, she was always sweating from the steam, and her back ached from bending over so much.
But she was grateful for her job. After she had left Turney, she’d quickly realized how cruel the world could be. She’d traveled through a small village and soon discovered that she had no way of knowing how to get back home. She hadn’t paid any mind to where they went when she and Turney had traveled, and was completely disoriented.
When some men had tried to corner her, she’d been lucky enough to get away unscathed. But the roads weren’t any safer. She ended up back in the large city where the prince lived. She’d finally stumbled upon a small community of working women who saw her need and took her in.
She’d told everyone that her husband threw her out after he’d found prettier women to bed. Some washerwomen heard her story and helped her get a job washing linens in the lower confines of the castle.
She never mentioned Turney’s name. She knew he was still in the prince’s good graces and knew if anyone connected her to him, it would cause trouble.
It was clear to her after a month of running from Turney that she was pregnant. The signs were very similar to what her mother described. She ignored her sickness and fatigue and did her best to work hard. She needed the money to pay for her room with a fellow washerwoman.
After four months of the same routine, the other women noticed her condition. They were understanding and gave her sympathy. After all, no one wanted to raise a baby alone. But nothing could be done, and so she continued with her life, trying to save as much as she could in hopes that she could move to a smaller city after her baby was born.
“I will go with you,” one of the women offered. “I have always wanted to live in a little village and grow a garden of tomatoes and carrots and lettuce. One can live off of those things.”
“Yes, but you still need money to buy flour and butter,” said another. “You must eat well when you nurse your babe. That way he will grow big and strong.”
Iliana wasn’t sure what the future would bring, but knew she would give her child as rich of a life as she could.
She bent back to her work and pulled out the linen towels to wring them out. She placed them atop some other clean linen and carried the full basket outside where it would be hung to dry. Her stomach was beginning to get in the way of the basket and she had to carry it on her hip.
Placing the basket next to others waiting for the women to get to, Iliana turned to go back for more washing.
A jovial laugh made her freeze. Glancing over, she saw Turney flirting with a serving wench at the servants’ entrance.
Barely pulling in a breath, she slowly made her way toward the washing room, flitting glances at him over her shoulder as she went. Her hair was piled under a knitted cap, and she was certain she didn’t look the same as when they had parted.
But he noticed her anyway. The big smile on Turney’s face vanished when he saw her protruding stomach. Anger ravaged his expression, and suddenly the clear sky clouded over.
Terror threatening to close her throat, Iliana turned and fled as fast as she could. Of course, she was no match for Turney and his long legs. Just as she came around to the front of the castle, his hand grabbed her from behind and roughly pushed her against the stone wall.
“You’re pregnant.” He said it as if she had conceived on purpose.
“It’s not yours,” she blurted.
Keeping his grip tight, Turney narrowed his eyes.
“After I left you, I went to the next village over and some men cornered me. They forced themselves on me,” she lied. “I don’t even know which one of their seed took root.”
The pressure eased off of her shoulders a bit, and Iliana began to hope that he believed her. His striking gaze bored into hers for several minutes before he responded. “You lie. I can feel the connection from the child. It’s mine, and no seed of mine can flourish in this world.”
He seized her with both hands, his fingers circling around her throat and squeezing with terrifying strength. Panicking, Iliana scratched and clawed at his hands, desperate for air. Black spots swirled before her eyes and her lungs burned with need.
A low voice boomed over them from several feet away. “Make way for the prince!”
Turney paused and turned to the prince who was striding in their direction as everyone bowed. “Turney,” he said pleasantly. “I almost thought you would have another one of my serving wenches rolling with you in the hay again.”
Turney boomed with a pleasant laugh and released Iliana to bow his respects.
Gasping and coughing for air, Iliana didn’t stay to hear their discussion. As soon as she saw that no one was paying attention to her, she put her head down and slinked away as quickly as she could. Apparently, Turney was working to stay in the prince’s good graces because no one pursued her.
Iliana reached the apartments for the washerwomen and rushed to her room. She packed the baby blanket and clothes she’d knitted and got her stash of money along with a large dagger. She would have to take her chances on the road and do her best to protect herself against attackers.
It would be difficult to disappear and stay unnoticed. Who would forget a pregnant woman traveling alone? But she had little choice in the matter. It was the only way to save herself as well as her unborn child.
Chapter 10
As Samantha emerged from the shower, it struck her that she suddenly felt revitalized. There was no more fatigue dragging at her until she just wanted to sleep and never move again. She didn’t even feel depressed anymore. In fact, she was near to bursting with energy.
Toweling off and changing into clean clothes as quickly as she cou
ld, she went into the main room of their suite where Liam sat, reading a book.
“Liam.” She sat next to him on the couch. “I feel wonderful! I’m not tired in the least right now.”
Liam’s shoulders suddenly dropped an inch and he smiled softly. “So that must mean my mother’s all right. She must have escaped somehow.”
Since they had no idea what really happened, Samantha didn’t comment. Instead, she studied how much more relaxed the boy looked. He’d been acting so much like his usual Zen self that she hadn’t realized that the poor child had been stressing over Leisha. It was easy for her to forget that he was just a boy, not even three years old yet. Samantha realized she had been so focused on how terrible she felt that she had not been a good sister to Liam. He’d needed her and she had failed him.
“Samantha,” Liam interrupted her thoughts. “I’m fine. And you had plenty to keep you occupied. Don’t feel bad.” He reached out and squeezed her hand. “In my situation, age is very relative, so don’t think of me as being so fragile.”
Shaking her head, she closed her fingers over his. “Whether that’s the case or not, there is so much resting on your small shoulders. I’m sorry I’ve been so self-involved that I didn’t see it.”
Nik walked into the room. They were renting a suite at a nice hotel chain for the day so the vampire wouldn’t get burned. He’d been holed up in the closet of the bedroom facing away from the sun, which must have been close to setting since he was now out and about. “You look like you feel well,” he remarked to Samantha.
“I do.” She smiled. “Actually, I feel great. So that must mean that Leisha’s escaped, right?”
“I would assume so,” he answered cautiously.
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