Beneath a Midnight Moon - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,79

courage in the face of such overwhelming odds. The Wolffan were not given to waiting or lengthy contemplation. It was their way to attack first and ponder the wisdom of it at a later time. What did it matter what the Interrogator wanted, or what he hoped to gain, when Hardane’s life hung in the balance?

And yet . . . Kray was right. Hardane would never forgive them if anything happened to Kylene. She glanced at Kylene, noting the dark circles that shadowed her eyes, the gauntness of her cheeks, the paleness of her skin. The look of determination on her face.

“I’m going!” Kylene repeated. “Nothing you can say will stop me.”

“Listen to me . . .” Lord Kray said, his voice ragged with anger and frustration.

“No, Kray,” Sharilyn said quietly. “You listen to me. I have a plan.”

Lord Kray released a sigh that seemed to come from the very depths of his soul.

“I’ll listen,” he replied wearily, “because I have always listened to your counsel. But I think I know what you’re about to suggest, and I tell you here and now, I’m against it.”

“Come, Kylene, sit here beside me,” Sharilyn said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “We have much to discuss.”

It was near dawn when Lord Kray and Sharilyn bid Kylene good night.

Alone in her room, she stood at the window watching the last stars fade from the sky, and for the first time in days, there was hope in her heart.

Chapter 36

Hardane woke from a restless sleep. For a moment, he stared into the utter darkness of his prison. His leg, though mending, was still painful when he put any weight on it. His arms, stretched over his head, ached from the strain, and his wrists were swollen from the constant chafing of his restraints. The noose and the thick iron collar around his neck made breathing difficult.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips. Being chained to the wall day and night gave him little opportunity to rest his injured thigh and made it virtually impossible for him to sleep for more than a few minutes at a time.

Heartsick, homesick, he murmured Kylene’s name. And then, in a rush, he knew what had awakened him. He’d been walking in Kylene’s dreams, holding her close, caressing the satin smoothness of her skin, his face buried in the silky mass of her hair as he breathed in her scent.

Kylene . . . She was near, he thought, near enough that he could walk in her dreams again.

He frowned as his mind filled with a myriad of images: his ship, the Sea Dragon, was under full sail as it made its way toward Mouldour, cutting through the water like a scythe through hay. He saw his father, a look of grim determination on his face as he paced the quarterdeck; he saw his mother and Kylene sitting in the captain’s cabin, their faces shadowed with worry.

Kylene . . . he could see her clearly in his mind, her beautiful red hair flowing, unbound, down her back. Because he liked it that way. Her eyes, warm and brown, were dark with concern. His gaze caressed her face, then moved to the gentle swell of her belly. His sons rested there, within the safe haven of her womb.

Kylene . . . she seemed so near, his whole being yearned toward her, aching to hold her, to be touched by her.

“Go back,” he murmured. “Go back to Argone before it’s too late.”

Closing his eyes, he willed her to hear his thoughts. He’d been so certain his father would realize the necessity of keeping Kylene safe in Argone, and now they were all en route to Mouldour, determined to free him.

He tugged against the chains that bound him, cursing softly as the heavy irons cut into his flesh. He had to get away before it was too late, before everyone he loved was at Renick’s mercy.

He groaned low in his throat as he realized there was nothing he could do. Nothing at all.

Kylene lay curled on her side on Hardane’s bunk in the captain’s cabin, her eyes closed as she hugged his pillow to her breast. If she breathed deeply, she could detect his scent, though faint.

Kylene sighed heavily. Hardane’s brothers had wanted to accompany them to Mouldour, threatening to tear the Interrogator limb from limb, but Lord Kray had insisted they stay behind to guard Castle Argone should the Interrogator return. Dubrey, Liam, and Morray had castles of their own that would