“Please!” the boy wailed as he kicked and fought against the knights so fiercely that one of his shoes was thrown off. “Don’t let them take me. I don’t want to be beaten or hit anymore.”
Anger welled inside Sin at the boy’s words.
The woman struggled even more furiously against the guard holding her. If she continued, she’d end up bruised and bloody. As would the boy.
“Release him,” Sin ordered.
Everyone froze at his words.
“Milord,” the guard holding the woman said, “we are acting on the king’s orders.”
Sin directed a cutting glare to the man who shrank back a full two steps. “Tell Henry I said it would fine.”
“And if she escapes with the boy?”
“I will take custody of them. Think you she’ll escape me?” Sin saw the indecision in the guard’s eyes as he weighed whose wrath he feared most- Sin’s or Henry’s.
In the end, the man released the boy who ran quickly to his sister.
“I will tell the king what you said.” The guard’s resentful words were weakened by a note of fear in his voice.
“Yea,” Sin said drily, “you do that.”
As the guards left, Callie looked up at the Black Knight who had saved her brother from being taken. His kindness to them was beyond measure.
It had been on her mind to thank him, but as her gaze darted over his body, she couldn’t speak.
Indeed, ‘twas all she could do not to gape.
His bare, tawny shoulders were as wide as they had appeared beneath his mail. His body was hard and well defined, the muscles flexing with every breath he took.
But what held her gaze captive were the numerous deep and angry scars crisscrossing the bare flesh. Never in her life had she seen such. She doubted if even a single inch of his torso was left undamaged. He looked as if he had survived untold battles and attacks. The sight wrenched her heart.
And it was then she saw his bleeding forearms. “You’re hurt.”
He glanced down at the blood. “So it appears.”
“Have you someone to tend it?”
“I have myself.”
He started back to his room, but Callie followed. “Would you like for me to send in my maid?”
“Nay,” he said in that emotionless tone as he paused in the doorway and glanced from her to Jamie, then back to her. He gave her a meaningful glare that was no doubt meant to intimidate her into cowering like the others.
Though it did send a tremor down her back, she was a long way from cowering. Much like he must have been, she’d been taught to let no man see her fear of him.
The knight stepped back. “My only wish is to be alone.”
“But your wounds?—”
“Will heal,” he snapped.
Och, but the man was insufferable. Fine then, let him rot.
Callie turned about, retrieved Jamie from the hallway and returned to her room.
But she didn’t stay there. How could she? There was no doubt in her mind where the Black Knight had gotten his wounds.
