She was not concerned with him. Her full concentration was taken up with the book.
A knock came at the door, and Marcus opened it slightly. The boy handed the quill, parchment, and ink to him. Marcus nodded appreciatively before shutting the door. He passed them to Sage.
He leaned back against the door, relaxing one hand on his bent knee. It was going to be a long night.
Marcus watched Sage work in the wavering light of the candle. His eyes continued to drift closed, but he couldn’t fall asleep. Unable to resist, he had reluctantly untied her wrists so she could work. She was tenacious. Focused. She sat on the floor in the corner, her knees crossed, the book on her knee. Candlelight fell about her, and Marcus studied her in his corner of darkness. She was interesting. Confident. Her dark locks formed a cave for her work, tumbling over her shoulders and down toward the floor. Her brow creased in concentration. Her lips pursed in thought—the lips he had imagined kissing before. He pushed that thought from his mind.
Most women would have been terrified of being kidnapped by a killer, but Sage showed no fear. Only certainty. She was either too confident in her abilities, or she was too obsessed with the book. Still, he had to be on guard with her. She was a Hawke.
And that was another problem. Her family. He knew they were tracking him now. In many ways, he was envious of her connection with her family. He had never been close to his. Before she passed away, his mother had spent most of her time doting on his sister. His father...was obsessed with strength. Marcus could never live up to his father’s ideals. And he didn’t want to. His sister had married, and her husband hadn’t approved of the life Marcus led. Marcus didn’t want to cause trouble between Emma and her husband, so he rarely saw his sister, even though he desired to speak with her. She was kind and loving. And he missed her.
Then there was Guillume. The closest thing to a brother he had.
And, of course, Rose.
His eyes drifted closed. But he forced them open to find Sage writing on the parchment. Damn. He couldn’t allow himself to sleep. She had tried to escape once; he was certain she would again. He could simply tell her enough was enough and extinguish the candle, but he wanted her to decode the book as much as she did. Yet, he was exhausted.
He mentally shook himself. The book. Why was it so important to Guillume? What could be in that book? He didn’t know why it was so important to Sterling, either. What did they expect to find? Gold? Riches? Something else? He had asked his cousin, but Guillume wouldn’t tell him. That only increased Marcus’s curiosity. What was Guillume hiding? Was the book worth keeping himself if there were treasure to be found from it?
Why else would Guillume commission him to get it? His mind churned. He didn’t know much about what Guillume had been up to in the last year after the suspicious death of Pope Benedict.
Marcus had been at an inn, in between jobs, when a soldier had found him and given him a missive from Guillume. His cousin wanted to speak with him.
Marcus had traveled a day to meet with him. There was no reason not to. While the missive was a surprise, he had been glad to see his cousin. It had been years since he had last seen Guillume. And they were friends.
Guillume had charged him with retrieving the book for the king. Marcus had heard how loyal Guillume was to the ruler. If Marcus had declined the charge, would Guillume have had him arrested for his disloyalty? Marcus grinned. No. Not Guillume. They would do anything for each other. Marcus had assumed this mission was something Guillume could not entrust to a stranger, hence the reason for summoning him.
In his mind, Guillume suddenly stood before him again, dark hair swaying about his shoulders as he walked with his hands clasped behind his back. “You know this is a matter of the utmost secrecy.”
Marcus nodded.
“It will be dangerous. There are others after the book.” Guillume placed a hand on his shoulder. “But I trust you. You are family.” His lips curved up in a grin.
As Marcus stared into his eyes, a red glow emanated from them. And suddenly, his teeth elongated to jagged points. Marcus gasped and jerked.
He was suddenly in the loft above the smithy. He swallowed heavily and looked about. Guillume was not there. His gaze settled on the flickering candle in the corner.
Neither was Sage.
