Relief crashed against the walls of his uncertainty as he studied her, wondering what she was dreaming about.
Maisie and Amber were down the hall, safe and secure. So why, then, did every fiber of his being twitch and his fingers yearn to wield steel?
He felt like a storm was brewing. Only, there were no clouds.
He rolled onto his other side, hoping to find some comfort in his pillow. Yet, even there, he couldn’t shake the feeling that all wasn’t well. And wouldn’t be—not until he ended Micah once and for all. Only then would Lavina be safe.
She would never have to look over her shoulder again. She’d be free from worry and doubt once and for all.
“Rest, dear one,” Theo whispered over his shoulder as he slipped out of bed.
Lavina was safe. But the real question was: for how much longer?
Micah would come for them. It wasn’t a matter ofif, butwhen.
His jaw clenched. Sleep would not come, not when his mind endlessly turned over the threat of Micah’s arrival. He sifted through the schematics of his lands he had long since memorized, but until he saw the maps, he couldn’t be certain which part of the borders was the weakest.
He tried to remember the notes from the council meeting, but even those seemed to elude him.
Why did Lavina have to distract him so?
A slow, icy finger slithered down the length of his spine despite the warm, boggy air of autumn. But no matter what he did, he couldn’t ignore the nagging at the back of his head, quiet as the shadows and fog blanketing the eerie moors.
He padded out of his chambers after plucking his shirt off the back of the chair by the fireplace.
The stillness of the hallway was disturbing. Theo couldn’t tell if the danger lurked only in his head or if something sinister was afoot. He made straight for his study and the maps of his lands. He had to know if his men had mended the fence at the southern border or if they had put it off.
Uncertainty clung to him like a shroud. His footsteps echoed and cut through the silence.
Then, he stopped.
The hairs on his neck stood up as an unearthly sound echoed through the corridor.
Straining his ears, Theo tried to pick up something more—something that would confirm the sound was human and not some specter come to torment him. He swallowed hard as he pressed onward, every muscle coiled with a sudden alertness.
His hand moved instinctively to his belt.
“Son of a—” he cursed when he realized he’d left his dirk on the chair. Or maybe it had been kicked under the bed at some point when he had been trying to soothe Lavina.
Either way, it wasn’t at his side, where it should have been.
“Will ye stop?”
The feminine voice pulled him up short.
He froze, his paranoia getting the better of him. His ears perked up and strained to pinpoint the direction of the voice, half-expecting another outburst of some kind.
A silence so thick followed, causing the hairs on his arms to rise. A chill slid down his spine as another whisper tickled his ears.
“Ye’re goin’ to get in so much trouble. What if ye’re caught?”
Theo tiptoed closer, ensuring each step was as silent as the last.
“Would ye relax? Nothing is goin’ to happen. Everyone is in bed. The Laird is asleep. We’ve got the halls and shadows to ourselves.”
Theo stopped and shook his head at Stephen’s familiar husky voice. It only took him a second to find his man-at-arms with the new scullery maid behind the same tapestry he had once used to steal a moment with Lavina.
The maid’s eyes widened with shock, and she raised her hand to smack Stephen. “Did I nae tell ye I heard something?” she hissed as he rushed to pull up his breeches.
