Temperance (31 page)

Sitting up slowly, she turned so her back was to him as she zipped her dress.

“Marcus will come down and show you back to your room.”

His voice was hard, his tone frigid, and Naeve knew she deserved both. That didn’t help her unease though, and she wrapped her arms around her waist as if they were the only things that would hold her together.

Unable to look at him she got off the table and stood where she was, trying to think of something that would make sense to say.

“He was told to place clothes in your room. Let him know if there are any problems with the fit and we will do our best to accommodate you.” He paused, and Naeve turned then to see that he was still looking at the fire. “Understand, it’s been a long time since we’ve had to provide for the needs of a woman.”

She swallowed, now feeling like a total bitch, but she had no response for him and it was clear he didn’t want to talk to her. Pushing away from the wall, he finally turned to face her. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes unreadable.

“If there’s nothing else,
my lady
, I’ll let you retire. You must be exhausted.”
 

It was the first time he’d used that term with her, and the way he delivered it Naeve knew it was not done out of respect. Her mouth opened and she was about to say something when he gave a quick nod, turned on his heel, and strode out of the room.

As she stood there alone, she wondered what the hell was the matter with her.
 

She’d never felt so satisfied, yet at the same time she’d never been so unsettled.

As she stared at the door, which Kai had left through, she also knew that she’d never experienced the desire to run after a man in fear that she’d never see him again.

“Who are you?”

Those were the first words spoken from the woman staring up at both him and Ai’Den. Ry’Ker looked to the healer who was still hovering over her and waited for him to stand. When he didn’t move, Ry’Ker placed a hand on his shoulder and tugged.

“Give her some room to breathe.”

Ai’Den straightened reluctantly, and took a step away from the cot. When he physically bumped into him, Ry’Ker gripped his arm to steady the man.

“Are you all right?”

Ai’Den didn’t answer which was unusual. He was always polite and never one to purposefully ignore a man of a higher rank, but right now he seemed pre-occupied.

Before he could question him further though, Fiona pushed past the both of them and leaned down over her sister.

“Oh my God. You’re awake,” she gasped, and pulled her into a tight hug. “We thought you were dying.”

Ry’Ker made himself wait silently as the dark-haired woman also moved to her sister’s side to place a kiss on her head.

“You’ve been unconscious for days.”

“Days?” Red asked, and Ry’Ker felt Ai’Den take a step forward.
 

He looked to the healer whose eyes were fixated on the bed, and then reached for his arm halting him.
 

“Ai’Den?”

When the man didn’t answer, Ry’Ker turned to him and shook his arm.
 

“Ai’Den? What’s troubling you?”

Finally, the healer looked to him and asked, “Who is she?”

Skeptical of the look in Ai’Den’s eyes, Ry’Ker found himself pulling him back toward the door, ready to hurl him out of it if need be.
 

“Why do you want to know?”

Uncaring of the fact he was being led to the door, Ai’Den kept his eyes on the bed even as he stumbled.

“I felt nothing, Ry’Ker.”

When they got to the door, Ry’Ker halted them and opened it.

“So?”

Ai’Den finally dragged his eyes away from where he’d been focused and stated clearly, “I felt nothing while she was sleeping, just a vast emptiness. I feared she wouldn’t wake. But then she did…”

His voice trailed off and Ry’Ker’s patience finally snapped. “Yes, she did. So what are you trying to say, healer?”

“When she woke and stared at me, it felt as though I was on fire. Yet, I was unable to move.”

Ry’Ker turned back to see the two women huddled around their sister, and knew he needed some answers. He just wasn’t sure how to get them. Either from the sister’s, or from one such as the woman who’d infected them to begin with.

“I think you should leave now,” he told the man beside him, uneasy with what he’d told him about feeling paralyzed. He hadn’t been affected in such a way. Why had Ai’Den?

“I don’t wish to just yet.”

The boldness of the man astounded him. Ai’Den had never disobeyed a direct request of him.

“That wasn’t a suggestion, it was an order. Until we know what is going on here, you need to leave. Meet me at the East tour in an hour.”

Ai’Den cocked his head to the side before he queried, “The Prince’s chambers?”
 

“Yes. Will that be a problem?”

The healer shook his head and then patted his thigh, which in turn had his goat running to his side. The noisy sound of the hooves had them women looking over their shoulders. Once they realized what it was they dismissed them where they stood, and turned back to continue their whispered conversation.

“I’ve never met a sensualeer,” Ai’Den mused.

Ry’Ker wondered at the curiosity he heard in the other man’s voice. There was no judgment, just a sort of reverence for a person he’d never met. A person that most feared.

“This won’t be a social call, Ai’Den. I need you to have your full wits about you. He’s dangerous.”

 
Ai’Den nodded and just before he moved out to the hall he stated, “You know, most men would say the same thing of you.”

Stunned by the comparison, Ry’Ker pinned him with a look that demanded he continue.

“It’s a well known fact that armed with his sword there is no one more dangerous than the Commander’s head guard.”

But with or without it, I’m no match for the man in the East Tower,
Ry’Ker thought.

As Ai’Den disappeared from view, Ry’Ker turned back to find that Fiona had stood and walked across the room.
 

She was staring at him in a way that let him know she’d heard everything, and when she opened her mouth she confirmed it.

“I want to see Bastian.”

* * *

Naeve paced the room waiting for Marcus to come and get her and show her back to her prison she supposed.

She was still trying to process everything that had happened but all she could think about was,
what now?

What would happen now that she’d let Kai touch her? Would he expect to be able to do it again? Whenever he wanted? She certainly hoped not. She needed to find him and make sure he knew exactly where she stood on that particular point.
 

Marching out of the room in the direction he had gone, Naeve found herself standing in an unfamiliar hallway and stopped abruptly, wondering if this had been such a good idea after all. She looked first to her left and then her right.

Oh what the hell?
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe
. Right it is.

She tip toed a little ways down the hall and when she came to a torch on the wall she stopped, looked up at it, and made a split second decision.

Grabbing it from its holder, she held the wooden base tight feeling a slight comfort in the fact that if she needed it, she now had a weapon…as well as a light.

Continuing down the dimly lit hall, she followed cautiously as the deep rumbling sound of laughter hit her ears. As the hall wound around the left, she saw an archway with light spilling from it and pressed her back to the wall taking several deep breaths.

As she stood there, her heart pounded in her chest and had her looking down at the line that was now clearly visible.
 

It will darken your heart and soul...
 

That’s what Kai had said, but what exactly did he mean?

God, this was possibly the stupidest thing she’d done since waking up here.
 

Kai had told her to wait in the dinning hall for Marcus. But instead, she’d got the harebrained idea to go off and find Kai on her own.

Now here she was lost in the halls of this monstrous place, and standing outside a room full of men. Strange men. Men who hadn’t seen a woman in years.

Stupid, stupid move, Naeve
, she silently chastised herself.

Okay, just run past really quick,
she tried to convince herself.
They won’t even see you.

She looked past the archway again and focused on the spot she needed to get to. Gathering her courage she closed her eyes and gripped the torch, then ran as fast and hard as she could. Just when she thought she’d reached the other side without incident, she ran smack bang into the equivalent of a brick wall.

* * *

Ry’Ker shook his head at Fiona. Her request to see the sensualeer was not one that could be allowed.

“No,” he told her, and then walked over toward the cot.

“Why not?” she demanded, but he didn’t bother answering.
 

As he’d just been reminded, he was a feared guard of the Commander and he’d be damned if he answered to a skinny woman who was causing him more problems than he needed at that particular moment.

When he reached the side of the bed, the dark haired one Audra, stood and for the first time in days spoke directly to him.

“Please…be careful with Siobhan.”

His eyes found her earnest ones as she looked up at him, and before he could answer she said softly, “I don’t believe you want to hurt us. Otherwise we wouldn’t have been treated this well. Just try and be…kind?”

Her request was timid, and Ry’Ker found himself agreeing without hesitation.

“I will endeavor to be kind, if it should please you.”

That’s when she gave him a smile that he swore lit up the entire room.
 

She was a stunning woman when in silence. But animated and happy, this Audra, the one who bore such striking resemblance to her mother, was radiant.

“I like the way you talk here.”

The whispered admission and slight giggle she gave had him smiling, which he would have thought to be an impossible feat.

“Do you?”

She grinned and nodded, but before he could say anything else the woman on the bed spoke up. “Do you two wanna hug it out or can we get to the part where we work out what the hell happened to me?”

Immediately, Audra lowered her gaze and stepped aside. Ry’Ker walked forward to see that Red was now moving to sit up in her bed.

“I was going to say it’s nice to see you are awake. But I may reserve judgment on that for now. Before we go any further, please state your name.”

Ry’Ker noted the way Red looked past his shoulder to Fiona, he presumed. She must have indicated it was okay to say because Red looked back to him and replied, “Siobhan.”

“Good,” he said as he studied her face. The markings on her had spread from the top of her hairline and now trailed down the entire left hand side of her face, to her neck and collarbone. “That is what I was told. I just wanted to make sure that you remembered.”

“Well, now that, that’s established—”

“—You will stay put,” he interrupted. “Until I tell you otherwise.”

He watched her push aside the blanket that had been covering her, and then move to sit on the side of the bed. She then pushed up onto shaky legs and demanded quite foolishly, considering her current state of health, “And who are you to keep us here?”

“Siobhan…” Audra gasped, but he wasn’t worried. If Red wanted to flex her muscle, he had no problem going toe to toe with her.
 

“I am the one in charge of your safety here at Castle L’Mere. If you’d prefer I relieve the guard at the door of his duty and leave it open for the other men, I’d be more than happy to accommodate you.”

He kept a close eye on her as her green eyes roved around the room. He knew she was trying to present a brave front especially since she was frightened and weak, that’s exactly what he would do. But getting on his bad side was not the way to go about it.

She should ask her sister, Fiona.

“Then would somebody tell me what happened? And why are we being held here?”
 

“We’re still trying to discover exactly what happened to you. We know it must have been similar to what happened to your sister, Naeve. What we don’t know, is why you remained unconscious until now, while she awoke much sooner.”

“Naeve?”

At the mention of her missing sister’s name, she frantically looked over his shoulder once more.

“Where is she?” she demanded of the woman behind him.

Ry’Ker wasn’t sure what Fiona planned to say, but it didn’t matter because he was one step ahead of her and answered bluntly, “Mala’Kai took her.”

* * *

“Running again, rabbit?”

Marcus,
Naeve thought, as her hand that was gripping the torch was restrained and quickly relieved of its weapon.
 

She opened her eyes and looked up into his familiar face, relieved it was him—until he walked her back so she was flush against the wall. As her ass and shoulders bumped up against the rough stones, she swallowed back a scream wondering if it would have more men running out here for a…
oh god…what? A turn? Maybe they’d all heard her with, Kai. Maybe he’d told them?