A soft cry sounded from the room to his right. Another sob, this time quieter broke the wind-whipped silence.
Alesone! Had an intruder slipped inside the castle? Furious, Thomas withdrew his dagger, rushed to her door, and shoved. Blade readied, he scoured the room.
Flames cheerfully swayed in the hearth, at odds against the hurl of wind against the panes.
He glanced at her bed. Uncovered, she lay curled in a tight ball in the center, her blanket twisted, hanging off the bed in a violent twist.
On a moan, she shifted, her hand clawing in the air.
A nightmare. With an exhale, he secured his weapon tried to ignore how shimmers of golden firelight caressed the curves of her body. Trying to smother the burst of need, he walked over and drew up the covers.
She gave another cry.
Thomas touched her shoulder. “Alesone, wake up, ’tis Thomas.”
Lids thick with sleep lifted. Groggy eyes cleared, widened. On a gasp, she jerked the blanket around her as she sat. “What are you doing in my chamber?”
Bedamned! He glanced toward the door, half expecting his father to rush in. “Shhhh!” After a moment, thankful when nay one came to investigate, he turned. “I was in the corridor and heard you call out. You were having a nightmare.”
White knuckled, she clenched the cover. “I…” Her eyes darkened with horror, and she looked away. “Go away.”
And he would have, but she trembled. “What did you dream about?” he asked.
“C-can you just leave?”
The tremor in her voice had him sitting on the edge of her bed. “I want to know.”
She turned. “Why?”
“Because I care about you.” Bloody hell, how had he allowed that to slip out?
“’Tis unseemly for you to be in my chamber.”
Unseemly was a poor choice to describe how he ached to touch her. “Aye, but to ensure you were safe, ’twas well worth the risk.”
Her grip on the bed covering eased. “Given the circumstance of our first meeting, I dinna think I need a protector.”
The reminder didna temper his desire. With her but paces away and looking like every man’s fantasy he was a fool to remain. Except within her narrowing eyes the glint of tears lingered, and he suspected her bravado was naught but a mask to shield her upset. She needed a friend to listen to her worries. That he could give her.
“What were you doing up?” she asked.
“I couldna sleep and decided to go for a walk.”
Suspicion darkened her gaze. “At this late hour?”
Thomas rubbed the back of his neck. “I havena been to Dair Castle since my youth, and I wanted to look around. There are so many memories here. Each curve, every room, brings more, some I had forgotten.”
Her eyes softened. “’Tis hard.”
“Indeed.” Emotion tightened in his throat. “I keep thinking that I will hear my mother’s voice, or see her.”
Alesone edged closer. “I would feel the same if I returned to Grisel’s hut.” A comely blush dusted her cheeks, and she edged away. “I thank you for checking on me, but you can go now? I will be fine.”
Naught but words, her distress easy to see. “Do you mind if I stay a while?”
Nervous eyes glanced toward the door.
“To talk,” he said. Wisps of golden firelight shimmered across her skin in silent invitation, and he silently groaned.
