face red as he barked out orders to a group of men. Ackley jogged over to him, Reid and Gytha right on his heels.
When Gordon saw them, he bent over, his hands on his knees.
“What’s going on?” Ackley demanded.
“There was an attack on the castle.” Gordon straightened, then cleared his throat. “Idina has been kidnapped.”
Reid’s heartbeat sped up. “What?” Maybe she’d heard him wrong.
“Two men took Idina. She put up quite a fight, but she wasn’t strong enough. Then, we couldn’t find you.” Gordon waved his hand in Reid’s direction.
“Where’s Dexter?” she demanded.
“In the castle speaking with the duchesses.”
Reid took off running. Inside, she headed straight for the great hall where she found the duchesses sitting on the sofas alongside Dexter. When he saw her, he jumped to his feet.
She ran straight to him, throwing her arms around his neck and holding him close. “I’m here. I’m okay.”
His large hands slid around her back, clutching her tightly against his body.
“She was with me the entire time,” Ackley said as he came into the room. “We were riding horses, and we couldn’t make it back once the sun set. I apologize for the delay.”
Dexter released Reid before whirling on Ackley. His eyes darkened as he fought to control his emotions in front of the duchesses.
“Captain Gytha was also with me,” Reid said. “At first light, she woke us, and we returned as soon as possible. Now tell me what happened and what I can do to help.”
Dexter took a deep breath, focusing on Reid. “A group of men infiltrated the palace a few hours ago. They kidnapped Idina.”
“Any idea who took her or why?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I’m asking the duchesses if they heard or saw anything suspicious. Perhaps a group of men from one of the armies outside the city wall who is unhappy with the duchesses uniting?”
“But why Idina?” Ackley asked, folding his arms. “If Reid had been kidnapped, that would make sense. But not my sister.”
“Maybe they took her because they couldn’t find Reid?” Dexter suggested.
Ackley flinched. He sat on one of the chairs, not looking at anyone. “What is being done to retrieve her?” He rubbed his face.
“Prince Gordon is putting together search parties. He intends to comb through the camps. First, I want to make sure the duchesses are okay with this.”
“Do we have a choice?” Duchess Cartr asked, her eyes trained on Dexter, watching him carefully.
“Yes. They are your soldiers. I will not have my soldiers search yours without your permission.”
Duchess Tucker stood. “Give us until sunset to question our soldiers. Let us see what we can glean from the situation before Prince Gordon intervenes.”
“Very well,” Dexter said. “If you discover anything, please let us know at once.”
After the duchesses left, Ackley started pacing. “I’m going to kill whoever took Idina.”
Reid sat on the sofa the duchesses had just vacated. “Gordon and Ackley should not be in charge of searching for their sister.”
A string of curse words flew out of Ackley’s mouth.
“You are too emotional,” she said, cutting him off. “You’re not thinking clearly. We can’t have that right now.”
“My sister is in danger,” he snarled. “Who knows what they’re doing to her right now.”
“If they wanted her dead, they would have killed her. But they didn’t—they took her. Whoever did this knows how you’d react.” She stood, pointing at his chest. “You need to calm down—don’t play into their hands.”
“She has a point,” Gytha said, coming into the room.
“I can’t sit around and do nothing.” Ackley threw his arms in the air.
“I understand,” Dexter said, his tone placating. “And no one is asking you to. However, we can’t have you out there tearing through the city.”
“While a search is being organized,” Gytha said, “we can investigate here. Come with me. We can find out where the men entered, and if they left any traces of who they are behind.”
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Ackley mumbled, following Gytha.
As he exited, Reid said, “We’ll find her. I promise we won’t rest until we do.”
Chapter Sixteen
Once Reid and Dexter were alone, he wrapped her in a hug. “I feel awful I’m secretly glad it’s Idina and not you,” he murmured in her ear. “If they’d taken you…I don’t know what I would do.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing I left with Ackley.” And they’d searched the duchess’s manor, which delayed them from returning home last night. She released Dexter and sat on the sofa, thinking over everything that had happened in the