Beneath a Midnight Moon - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,9
I had a bad dream. I was drowning . . .” She shuddered with the memory. “I’m all right now,” she said tremulously.
Hardane nodded. He was about to leave the cabin when he noticed the fear that still lurked in the depths of her eyes. Her face was pale, sheened with perspiration. He could see that she was trembling beneath the blanket.
Taking a deep breath, he gathered her into his arms, blanket and all, and carried her to the big leather chair in the corner of the room. Sitting down, he cradled her on his lap as if she were a child.
“My lord . . .” Kylene tried to free herself from his hold, but his arms tightened around her.
“Go to sleep, lady,” he said, his voice gruff. “Nothing will harm you while I’m here.”
She stared up at him. She was still trembling, but it had nothing to do with bad dreams, and everything to do with the feel of his arms around her.
“Go to sleep, lady,” he said again, and this time his voice was as soft as a caress.
His arms were comforting, the rocking of the ship soothing, now that she was no longer afraid. Her eyelids fluttered down and she snuggled against him, feeling as safe as a child in its father’s arms.
Nothing could hurt her now.
Chapter 8
He had never feared anything in his life, but now, as the shores of the Isle of Klannaad came into view, the Lord High Executioner felt a shiver of apprehension. Klannaad, the Isle of Living Death. Traitors were sent here to die. Outcasts. Those who were in disfavor with the Lord of Mouldour, or with the Interrogator.
It was a bleak land, gray and barren. There was no water on the island save for that brought by ship each month. The men lived on the victuals that were brought with the water ration, and what they could catch in the sea. Those who were lucky were allowed to roam free; others were confined in the bowels of the prison, never again to see the sun.
The Executioner wondered how long he would survive in such a desolate place. He was accustomed to rich foods and fine ale, to comfortable quarters and garments custom-made to fit his oddly shaped form. Though his occupation was viewed with loathing, he had still been respected, for he was good at what he did, and his loyalty to Mouldour was above question or reproach. It was unfair that he had been banished from service to the royal house for one mistake.
Looking back, he tried to remember what had happened that fateful day, how he had been taken unawares. He hadn’t seen anyone else in the dungeons . . . ah, but he had. And yet, the man had been dressed as a guard and so he had paid him no mind. Only now did he realize that it must have been the shape shifter, Hardane.
“Damn you,” the Executioner murmured as he watched the ship catch the tide. “Damn you, Hardane. You’ll rue the day you crossed my path.”
He stood there for a time, watching the ship grow smaller and smaller, and then he smiled. It was Hardane who had caused his banishment; it would be his hatred for Hardane, his need for revenge against the Lord of Argone, that would give him a reason to survive on this accursed island.
Chapter 9
She stood on the shore beside a quiet pool, her eyes drinking in the beauty of the crystal clear water. Hardane stood beside her, his hand reaching for hers. She smiled as she followed him into the depths of the pool, shivering a little as the cool water closed over her.
But she wasn’t afraid, not even when the water rose over her knees, her hips, her waist. She was never afraid when he was beside her.
“Trust me, lady,” he said, and lifting her into his arms, he carried her into the depths of the water and taught her to swim.
It was wonderful, being in his arms, floating beside him, seeing the approval in his dove-colored eyes.
They swam for hours, going deeper and deeper into the pool. And she was never afraid, because he was there beside her. . . .
A ray of sunlight tickled Kylene’s eyelids. Reluctant to awake from such a beautiful dream, she snuggled deeper into the blanket. Her eyelids flew open when the bed beneath her moved.
Only then did she realize she wasn’t in bed at all, but in Hardane’s arms.