Night's Surrender (26 page)

 

 

“In this lovely, sexy retelling of
Beauty and the Beast
, Ashley hits the mark. The mysterious change that the hero goes through and the depth of his curse will keep readers intrigued until the very last page. The relationship between the two main characters is set to a slow simmer and becomes more beautifully passionate as the story unfolds. When it comes to a sensual romance, Ashley never disappoints.”

The rattle of the guard's keys roused her from a troubled sleep. She bolted upright, fearing that it was morning and they had come to take her to the block. Stomach churning with fear, she stared at the guard, blinking against the light of the lamp.

“That's her,” the guard said. He stepped into the cell and lifted the lamp higher. “Stand up, girl. His lordship wants to see yer face.”

She had learned long ago to do as she was told, and to do it quickly. Hardly daring to breathe, she scrambled to her feet.

It was then that she saw him, a dark shape that looked like death itself shrouded in a long black woolen cloak. The garment fell in deep folds from his broad shoulders to brush the tops of his black leather boots. The hood of the cloak was pulled low, hiding his face from her view. Black kidskin gloves covered his hands. He stood there, tall, regal, and frightening.

“Her name's Kristine,” the guard remarked. “Don't recall her family name.”

The hooded man nodded and made a circling motion with his forefinger.

“Turn around, girl,” the guard demanded brusquely. She did as the guard asked, her cheeks flushing with shame as she felt the hooded man's gaze move over her. She was barefoot and filthy. What was left of her hair was dirty and crawling with lice. Her dress, once the color of fresh cream, was badly stained, the hem torn. And worst of all, she smelled bad.

She heard a faint noise, like the rustle of dry paper, and realized the stranger had asked the guard a question.

“Just turned seventeen,” the guard replied with a leer.

She heard the rasp of the hooded man's voice again and then he turned away, melting into the shadows beyond her cell.

The guard followed him, pausing at the door to look back over his shoulder. “This be yer lucky day, girl. Seems his lordship has taken a fancy to ye.”

“I don't understand.”

“He just bought yer freedom.”

Kristine staggered back, overcome by a wave of dizzying relief. She wasn't going to die.

“He'll be comin' by to fetch ye tomorrow night.”

Coming for her. Tomorrow night. Relief turned to trepidation. “What . . . what does he want with me?”

The guard threw back his head and barked a laugh. “He says he's going ta marry ye.”

“Marry me!” Kristine stared at the guard in shock.

“Aye.”

“But . . . he doesn't even know me.”

The guard shrugged. “What does it matter?”

Why would a stranger want to marry her? And why did she care, if it would get her out of this terrible place with her head still on her shoulders? “Can you tell me his name?”

“Why, don't you know? That's his lordship, Erik Trevayne.”

Stunned, Kristine stared at the guard. She would rather lose her head that very night than become the wife of the infamous Lord Trevayne. A beheading, at least, would be swiftly and mercifully over. “And he wants to marry me? Are you sure?”

“Aye, girl. It seems a fittin' match. A murderin' wench bein' wed to the Demon Lord of Hawksbridge Castle.”

ZEBRA BOOKS are published by

 

Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

 

Copyright © 2015 by Madeline Baker

 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

 

To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

 

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

 

 

Zebra and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

ISBN-13: 978-1-4201-3735-4
ISBN-10: 1-4201-3735-2

ISBN: 978-1-4201-3735-4