“East, toward the cliffs,” Lane shrugged. “That’s all I know.”
A thousand images of Tavia being thrown into the sea passed across Tyrell’s mind. Without a word, he snatched the reins of Lane’s horse from the hands of a passing stableboy.
“Why of course, you can borrow Copper,” Lane stated flatly.
But Tyrell barely heard him, he had already swung upward into the saddle and was urging the horse back outside. He spotted Lia having a frantic conversation with one of the young noblewomen.
Riding up beside her, he extended a hand.
Understanding dawned in her eyes, without a word she accepted and swung up into the saddle in front of him. Then, they both shot forward into the storm.
Tyrell was soaked to the bone mere moments later, he leaned forward hoping to shield Lia from the rain, but nothing worked. It seemed like it was coming from every direction. They kept riding in the direction of the southern coast.
“They must have gone to the light house,” Lia called over the wind. “It’s the only shelter near those cliffs.
She was right, they couldn’t possibly have intended to stayoutsidein this, right?
A short while later,poor Copper was cold and shivering when they dismounted under the tiny eve that covered the lighthouse entrance.
Tyrell led the animal just inside the door. “If this horse gets sick, Lane is going to kill me,” he breathed.
He wished he had a dry blanket to cover the poor animal, but a quick glance around the small stone interior showed him no such luxuries. The keeper’s house was detached and the tower itself consisted only of a tall stack of dry wood and stairs that spiraled up endlessly above them.
“Hush,” Lia whispered, putting a finger to her lip. “I hear someone up there.”
She started up the stairs, motioning for Tyrell to follow. When he noticed her gripping a little knife in her hand, he tapped her shoulder and motioned for her to let him pass.
He wasn’t about to let a lady march before him into danger. Unconsciously, he gripped the hilt of his sword. He also wasn’t about to lead her into battle undefended.
Around and around they went, Tyrell wondering how in the world Lia had been able to hear a human voice above the roaringwind. But, as they approached the hatch that opened out onto the top of the tower, he could also make it out.
It was definitely Tavia’s voice, though he had no idea what she was saying.
He raised a hand and pushed the hatch open just enough to peer out. He could see the firebasket in the middle of the room. A small roof held aloft by pillars kept rain from landing directly on the flames but was not sufficient to keep the storm from blowing in sideways. It was entirely miserable and the worst place he could imagine for wooing a lady.
The only reason he could think to bring a lady all the way up here to talk in the middle of a raging storm was if one intended to hurl her down onto the rocks below.
Not wanting to lose the advantage of surprise, Tyrell glanced around carefully, until he spotted the hem of Tavia’s dress out of the corner of his eye. Satisfied that they were distracted off to his left, he carefully pulled himself up before diving behind one of the pillars.
Lia popped up just behind and darted to his hiding place.
The pillar was not quite large enough to cover them both, and she stood very close to him to hide as well as she could.
They glanced around either side of their pillar to see Tavia, standing before Julian, gaze locked with his. The rage in Tyrell’s heart burned stronger when he got a good look at them.
His princess was completely soaked through, her beautiful golden updo deteriorated into a mess of loose, clinging locks. The rain was pounding against the delicate skin of her face and neck so hard, he marveled that she didn’t erupt in bruises.
Yet, she was smiling at the Captain, her eyes dreamy, completely oblivious to the frigid air.
“We did it Julian,” she breathed. “The flame is rekindled.”
The captain stared out over the roaring sea. “Not fast enough,” he growled. “We could have lost a thousand ships.”
“But we didn’t,” Tavia insisted.
He turned on her, eyes dark and wild as the storm that raged around him. “Do youknow that, princess?”
“Scoundrel,” Tyrell whispered. “How dare he keep her out here in the cold like this!”
