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Lemaire leapt back to shore, where the mooring line was attached to a sturdy metal pole. A tug, and the line came free. He tossed it onto the deck and followed.
“Talon brought the prima,” he told me. “They were spotted a few minutes ago.”
My head snapped up. Hope surged. “He’s here?”
He came.
Lemaire sneered. “He must think I’m a fool to believe he’d exchange his prima for a thrall, even one pregnant with his spawn.”
“But…that was the deal.”
“What deal? The instructions were for Talon to bring Twilight himself. No deals were offered.”
I mentally replayed the message I’d been forced to record.
“We want Twilight. You’ll be contacted telling you where and when. And Talon? Bring her yourself, and do not tell anyone. That means Brien and Cain, too. We’ll be watching.”
Lemaire was right. My heart sank.
“Then why would he bring the prima?” I asked.
Lemaire sniffed and straightened his lapel. “No doubt he thinks to outwit me. My guess is he brought a couple of men in the shadows—that’s what I would do. What he doesn’t know is that I expected that. We’re playing a little game, he and I.” An unpleasant smile. “The fire is only the first obstacle. We’ll see if they think you died in the fire…or went with me willingly. You ran once, after all.”
Doubt poked at me with bony fingers.
I clasped my hands between my knees. Stop it. He’s messing with you. The bastard enjoys seeing you sweat.
On the other hand, I had run once, and Talon had only just started to trust me.
If Talon’s here with Twilight, then they have a plan to save you. You have to believe that.
“You hate me,” Lemaire said, clearly amused. “You’d kill me if you could. The man who bought you will beat that out of you. He prefers well-trained, obedient thralls.”
The man who bought me would beat it out of me?
I rolled my lips into my mouth, afraid and angry—and yeah, hating Lemaire with every cell of my body.
Lemaire went to start the boat, but it coughed and sputtered before falling silent. Face set, he tried again. This time it didn’t make a sound. He cursed and tried a third time, and when it still didn’t start, removed his suit coat, rolled up his sleeves and went to have a look at the engines.
My wet clothes were no match for the wind off the North Atlantic. The cold seeped into my bones. Miserable and shivering, I hugged my arms around myself, watching him out of the corner of my eye.
He’d forgotten to renew the compulsion. If he hadn’t been distracted, he probably would’ve noticed by now.
This was my chance, except, again, where would I go? Even if I made it outside the sea cave, my only options would be to swim for it or climb the cliff I could just make out beyond the entrance. Lemaire wouldn’t even have to work hard to recapture me.
He grabbed a couple of tools from a toolbox and went back to work, his back to me.
“The man who bought you will beat that out of you.”
I swallowed and decided to try anyway. It’s not like I had anything to lose. He was talking about blood slavery. And they wouldn’t own just me, but the baby.
Lemaire cursed and banged on one of the engines with a wrench.
Now.
I slung a leg over the rail and eased into the water. Somehow I managed to stay upright long enough to get to shore. I headed for a tumble of boulders, hoping to crouch out of sight.
Water squelched from my boots. I could no longer feel my toes. I shuffled forward because stopping wasn’t an option.
