“Games?” She pouted those once sensual lips. But now Terran could only see one pair of lips in his mind’s eye.
“You wound me.” She took his hand and placed it upon her breast. “Deeply.” Her voice took on a husky tone.
Terran leaned forward. “Our relationship is finished. It ended long ago. You know that.”
“Of course,” she said, “when you were marrying Odella.” She arched slightly so her breast filled his palm. “I couldn’t come between you and my sister.”
Terran’s jaw clenched fiercely and he looked away from Kathryn.
“I came as soon as she died,” she whispered.
“I see,” Terran said.
“To comfort you,” she said softly. Her lips were but inches from his now.
“So when your sister died, you came to Castle Knowles to... comfort me,” Terran clarified.
She nodded.
“Only to find me married.” He reached around her and opened the door.
Kathryn almost spilled into the room, but she quickly righted herself. She shrugged slightly. “A mere inconvenience.”
Terran’s eyes narrowed. Bria was his wife now, and the thought of her as a mere inconvenience boiled his blood. He entered the room and lit a candle. “What do you want, Kathryn?”
Kathryn came up behind him to hug his broad shoulders. “I want things to be as they were before.”
Terran grabbed her hands and removed them from his body. “Before what?”
Kathryn lifted her chin slightly and tried to look hurt. “I want you to love me.”
“What we shared wasn’t love, and you know it.”
Kathryn didn’t flinch. “You did love me. Until you laid eyes on Odella.”
“I never loved you, Kathryn, before or after Odella,” Terran growled. “I always made that clear.”
Kathryn crossed her arms and pouted.
“Why are you here?” Terran demanded.
“Truly, my lord, I came as a friend to comfort you. I know how much Odella meant to you.”
Terran found this hard to believe. There wasn’t an unselfish bone in Kathryn’s body. She did things only when they benefited her. “Why didn’t your father accompany you?”
Kathryn looked away from him, playing with a piece of fabric on the wooden table. “He wanted to, but he was busy.”
Terran grunted. Something must have happened between Kathryn and her father. Last Terran heard, Kathryn was bedding one of her father’s friends.
“So who is this little mouse of a bride you’ve taken on?” Kathryn asked. “You obviously don’t love her.”
“Why do you say that?”
Kathryn lifted her smug eyes to meet his. “If you did, you wouldn’t have left her alone on her arrival to your castle.”
Terran stared at Kathryn, dismayed. He hadn’t thought of that. Instead he’d wasted time seeking the reason for Kathryn’s arrival at Castle Knowles. He hadn’t considered his new bride’s feelings. The memory of her standing so forlornly in the middle of his castle courtyard sent guilt rushing through him. “Damn,” he murmured and started for the door.
He’d no sooner stepped into the hallway when Kenric came running toward him.
“She’s gone!” Kenric exploded.
“What do you mean?” Terran demanded, anxiety prickling the back of his neck. Images of her in the Midnight Shadow’s arms danced mockingly in his mind’s eye.
“She ran away. I can’t find her.”
“Did she leave the castle?”
“By now she could have.”
“Damn it, Randolph,” Terran growled, “find her. She’ll be heading back to Castle Delaney. Send men to search for her.” He stormed off down the hall. “Find her!”
Bria rode hard through the forest, tears burning her eyes. Terran had left her to be with his mistress on the very day he’d married her. She’d be damned if she’d wait patiently for him to come to her. She wanted nothing to do with Terran Knowles! She didn’t want to live with him, she didn’t want to share his bed, and she certainly didn’t want to be his wife. She wiped aside the tears running over her cheeks. Then why are you crying? a mocking voice inside her asked.
The answer came to her abruptly. Because she’d begun to believe in his kindness. She saw him as something other than a tyrant.
But he’d given her to Kenric, the man who’d killed her friend. Bria had watched with disbelieving eyes as Terran disappeared inside the doors of Castle Knowles with Kathryn. But disbelief quickly left her, replaced by a cold assessment of her situation. Terran had apparently flaunted his lover before his first betrothed, Odella. Why not before her?
When Kenric reached for Bria, his hand wrapping around her arm, Bria had turned confused eyes to him. The eyes starring back at her were from hell itself. He smiled evilly at her, relishing the moment.
Bria lurched forward, catching him off guard. He’d lost his balance and fallen down a stair, losing his grip on her. Bria ran. She’d almost made it to the outer gate when she realized she needed a horse. She mounted one of the guard’s horses that remained in the courtyard and raced for the castle gates. She rode as fast and as hard as she could, fearing that any moment they’d raise the drawbridge and lower the portcullis.
At first she had no idea where she was going. She rode past the eyes of curious peasants, past the inquisitive and even a bit amused gazes of the guards. It wasn’t until she escaped the castle and reached the forest that she understood where she was heading. It wasn’t home.
She was riding to the Midnight Shadow. Ever since Terran had found the mask, she’d left her Midnight Shadow costume hidden with her sword, and it was lucky she did. She needed it now. She needed to be brave, to stand up to those who were doing wrong. She didn’t want to feel the stinging, burning agony swirling in her chest.
When the clearing came into view, anticipation sparked in her veins and a calmness settled her tumultuous spirit.
The Midnight Shadow was waiting for her.
Kenric searched the streets, the houses, but Bria was nowhere to be found. He grimaced. That girl is going to pay for this, he promised himself. Ruining a good night of wenching and drinking. He shook his head and reined in his horse, turning back to the castle. At least he’d collected some taxes and frightened some farmers. The night wasn’t a total loss.
“Terrifying women is no way to get respect.”
Kenric whirled.
A man clad all in black stepped from the darkness of the forest, a dark hood hiding his face.
“You,” Kenric snarled.
“Only tyrants rule through fear,” the Midnight Shadow whispered. He flung back his black cape and pulled his sword from its sheath. It hissed like the hot flame of justice.
Anxiety gripped Kenric. He looked around, but none of his men were anywhere to be seen. His horse danced nervously beneath him.
“Come, Kenric,” the Midnight Shadow said. “Meet me in battle.”
Kenric hesitated. Perhaps if he waited, his men would appear.
“Coward,” the Midnight Shadow whispered into the darkness. The word carried to Kenric’s ears on a light breeze. “By the time your men return, I’ll be long gone. Face me now.”
Kenric refused to dismount, holding tight to the horse’s reins. It would be foolishness, he told himself, to fight in the dark. He looked around once more, hoping some of his men would appear, but the road remained empty. He turned back to the Midnight Shadow. “Your lover is now in our hands. Knowles married her to bait you.”
“Here I am,” the Midnight Shadow whispered. “Come and get me.”
Kenric hesitated again, his horse circling. “We shall meet again,” Kenric promised. “And the advantage shall be mine.” He spurred his horse, moving down the path to flee into the night.
Terran stared out his chamber window at the late morning sun. Its bright rays bathed his face with warmth, but only coldness reached his soul.
“She knows who he is,” Kenric said from behind Terran. “We sh
ould question her thoroughly.”
Terran’s mind refused to focus on Kenric’s request. Bria was still out there somewhere. Had she reached Castle Delaney? Had brigands hurt her? Did she need him? Terran’s jaw clenched.
“Terran,” his cousin called, “he’s robbing you, taking your coin, making a fool of you in front of your people. Why are you not more concerned with capturing him?”
Terran whirled quickly, fury binding his hands into fists. He approached Kenric, and Kenric retreated before Terran’s anger. “I am no fool,” Terran said. “But this Midnight Shadow is not important right now. The whereabouts of my wife is. And you failed to find her last night.”
Kenric was silent for a moment, unused to Terran’s rage. Finally, he bowed slightly. “M’lord,” he said, “I did not realize she meant that much to you.”
Did not realize she meant that much to you. The words echoed inside him. God’s blood, Terran thought. She does mean that much to me! That’s why I’m going mad with worry.
“I will – ”
A knock came at the door. Terran whirled, breathless in anticipation of any news. “Come,” he commanded.
The captain of the guard, Sir William, entered. He looked at Kenric as if gaining approval, then glanced at Knowles. “We found her,” he announced.
Terran took a step forward. “Where?”
“In the old garden, m’lord,” he said.
Terran wasted no time in racing out the door toward the old garden. She hadn’t left the castle! Or had she and then returned? What was she doing in the garden? Had she gone to that weed-infested patch to get away from him? Or was it as Kathryn had said, that he had hurt Bria’s feelings? Guilt surged within him.
Terran cursed his rashness, but caring for someone so deeply was new to him.
He threw open the door to the old garden. It was smaller than the main garden and grossly neglected. Perhaps Bria felt she fit in here, Terran thought. He stepped through the door and looked quickly around, but there was no sign of her.
He moved down the stone walkway, continuing to scan the garden for her. Near the back wall something colorful caught his eye, a single rose, almost buried in the weeds. The rosebush had somehow managed to poke one of its branches out through the tangle of weeds, and one small bud was displayed proudly atop the stem, its petals yet unopened.
Terran stared at it for a long moment. Then something moved just to the right of the rose. The weeds had made a shelter, a cave of sorts. Vines grew down the wall and stretched over an old bench. In the sheltered, weedy cave, Terran could make out a head of dark hair. Bria’s hair.
Was she hiding? Was she that fearful of him, of her new home?
Terran stepped closer, but she didn’t move. “Bria,” he called. She wasn’t moving. Was she hurt?
Terran bent down before the strange shelter to look inside at his bride. She was nestled in the weeds, her knees pulled up gently, her hand up near her face, her head lying on a cushioned bed of moss. “Bria?” Terran crawled into the shelter. She shifted her head slightly, and Terran saw she was sleeping.
Terran stared at her, dumbfounded. Why would she choose to sleep here, alone and unprotected? Why wouldn’t she come into the castle?
He ducked his head beneath the canopy of vines. He reached for her, but stopped suddenly as his eyes traveled to her face. Her long dark lashes rested against her ivory skin, her cheeks were tinted a luminescent pink, and her lips were full and red and parted.
He was transfixed by her beauty and could do nothing but gaze upon her perfection.
“M’lord?”
With a silent curse at Kenric for disturbing this moment, Terran leaned forward and gently brushed Bria’s lips with his before he scooped her up into his arms, pulling her close against his chest.
She stirred and Terran whispered soothing words to her. Bria sighed and settled down once again, resting her cheek against his shoulder.
Terran moved through the garden toward the castle door, passing Kenric without uttering a word. He brought Bria to his room and gently laid her on his bed. She stretched a little, opening her eyes just enough to give him a teasing glimpse of their brilliance, then turned over and went back to sleep.
Terran pulled a warm cover over her body. Then he sat in a chair and stared at his wife. Wife. The word took on a powerful, potent meaning.
Somehow through her defiance and stubbornness, Bria had worked magic on him. She was his wife in more than just name, and all he wanted was to make her his wife in every way.
Warmth splashed across Bria’s eyes. Light burned into her lids even though they were closed. She turned away and stretched. The warmth of her bed was luxurious. She almost hated to open her eyes and greet the new morning. Reluctantly, she peeked out at the day.
The sight that greeted her caused her to sit up and clutch the blanket to her breast. Terran Knowles sat in a chair near the bed, his eyes trained on her.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded of Terran. “How did you get into my room?” But her voice died as she looked around. The window was in the wrong spot. The small table against the far wall that was littered with her collection of doves wasn’t there. In one comer of the room hung a large tapestry she’d never seen before, depicting a richly colorful tournament, the jousting pole of one knight skewering the chest of his opponent.
She was not in her room. The last thing she remembered was returning to the castle and ducking into the garden as she tried to avoid the guards.
“You are in our room,” Terran softly corrected her.
Bria gripped the blanket tightly as the previous day’s events came back to her. “I am your wife,” she whispered.
“A disobedient wife,” Terran growled.
Bria scowled. Yes, that was right. He’d gone with another woman on their wedding night. Not that I wanted him to come to me, she told herself, knowing it was a lie. But I certainly didn’t want him to be with another woman. She bit her lip and looked away from him, trying to hide her disapproval.
“Why did you run away from Kenric?”
At Kenric’s name, Bria’s eyes snapped up to Terran’s. “I didn’t feel it was Kenric’s place to escort me to my new home.”
“So now you see fit to tell me how my castle should be run.”
Bria’s scowl deepened and she looked away again.
Suddenly, he was beside the bed, her chin in his palm. He lifted her chin until she was looking into his eyes. “I will not have lies between us,” he said.
“Even if I would be punished for speaking the truth?” she asked.
He dropped his hand. Suspicion flared in his black eyes. “Is there something I would punish you for?”
The Midnight Shadow hung over them like a thick black cloud. She studied his face, his strong chin, his thinned and angry lips. But there was something gentle in his eyes. Most men would beat her for her disobedience, but Terran hadn’t raised a finger against her. She had to grant him that much. He made her feel things she’d never experienced. She wanted to be with him. She wanted him to kiss and touch her. She wanted him to... fulfill her.
Bria shook her head, looking away sadly. It would never happen if she didn’t reveal herself to Terran. “The Midnight Shadow is not my lover,” she said.
Terran sat beside her. “All right,” he said softly. His arm brushed hers, causing shivers to race up her skin to her shoulder. As if beckoned, she lifted her gaze to his.
He was staring at her, his dark eyes scrutinizing every aspect of her features. The sweep of his gaze was like a caress. Fire radiated from his eyes, warming her, reassuring her. And then he lowered his head to hers.
Bria closed her eyes, waiting for the kiss, anticipating the feel of his lips against hers. His hot breath fanned her lips. “Then tell me,” he urged, “who is the Midnight Shadow?”
Her body tingled with the remembered caress of his kiss. She opened her mouth to tell him something, anything so he’d kiss her.
His lips touched hers, dema
nding, coaxing.
“Tell me,” he whispered against her lips.
Bria wanted to tell him, but she’d tried before and he wouldn’t listen to her. Would he now? Would he listen to how Kenric killed Mary? Would he listen to how he was mistreating his people? Would he change so she wouldn’t have to become the Midnight Shadow? Tears rose in her eyes. She wanted to tell him. She wanted to give him everything he wanted.
His hot kisses moved over her chin, down her neck.
Her throat worked. “I can’t.”
He pulled back so fast cold engulfed her and she trembled. “You side with him,” Terran growled. “You side with your lover against me!”
Bria saw the fury in his eyes, the stark, vivid anger seething inside him. “No, Terran,” she pleaded, tears blurring her vision. “He isn’t your enemy. He takes the tax money and returns it to your people.”
Terran ground his teeth. “How do you know this?”
“Someone has to help them, since you won’t!”
“I asked how you know this,” Terran repeated.
Bria swallowed hard, but closed her mouth, refusing to answer him. She couldn’t tell him. And it was tearing her apart.
He grabbed her arm and agony flared up from her healing wound. “Tell me,” he snarled.
“I can’t,” Bria replied. “I won’t. What he’s doing is good.”
“He’s stealing from me!”
“If you wouldn’t overtax your people, he wouldn’t have to!”
“I won’t permit it!”
Bria stared into Terran’s eyes just as determinedly as he gazed into her own. Stubborn resolve warred on both sides. Suddenly he moved, dragging her across the bed, through the soft velvet covers. She almost tumbled, but Terran yanked her to her feet. He flung the door open so hard it banged against the wall.
He pulled her out into the hallway, where he paused to look left and then right. Then he started down the hall with Bria in tow. Bria stumbled and almost fell as he pulled her behind him, but his grip on her arm kept her on her feet. He moved to the spiral staircase, and Bria had to run to keep up, holding her long dress up so as not to trip over the stone steps. The wound in her arm flared again, but she bit back any protestations.
Daring Damsels Page 79
