Page 33

He cupped her neck and pulled her to him, claiming her lips with a more urgent need. A fierce, reckless desire seared through her. His arms pulled her tight against the length of his body.

Her world spun out of control. He coaxed her lips open to his exploration and when his tongue entered her mouth, warring with her own, Bria felt the ground rumble beneath her feet.

He kissed her fully, expertly exploring every part of her mouth. Then he pulled slowly away, ending the kiss, leaving her weak and confused.

He stepped back, taking his strength and support with him.

Bria’s knees buckled and she almost fell, but he reached out to steady her. Humiliated and awed by her reaction to his kiss, she expected to look up and see him laughing at her. But when she gazed into his eyes, she found no laughter there. He appeared just as baffled as she.

Before Bria could comment, he whirled away from her and stalked across the courtyard. He did not hunch against the rain, and as if by his command, the downpour faded to a light mist. Bria stared after him. Her heart was still floating in her chest, her body strangely separated from her mind. She knew she should feel ashamed and manipulated, but she didn’t. She’d enjoyed his kiss. And what scared her the most was that she wanted to feel his lips against hers again.

Suddenly, Bria saw a dark shadow moving across the deserted courtyard. She recognized the figure immediately as he began to slowly climb the stairs toward the castle walkway. What is he doing?

Bria glanced at the sky and the dark storm clouds once more before hunching her shoulders against the weather and heading out toward the stairway. She sloshed through the puddles and mud of the courtyard, racing toward the stairs. He shouldn’t be out in the rain, Bria thought.

Bria held a hand up to protect her eyes and saw the shadow pause at one of the crenels. She ran up the stairs, slipping once on a slick stone, but quickly righted herself and moved after him. As she approached him, she saw he was staring out at the fields just beyond the walls. Bria looked out over the battlements, following his gaze, trying to see what he was looking at.

Looming on the field, marring its perfect green grass, were the white tents of Lord Knowles and his followers. His red flag drooped beneath the rain.

Bria glanced back at the man. “Grandfather,” she called over the loud whistle of a sudden gust of wind. “You shouldn’t be out here,” she added as she reached his side.

“Bria,” he answered, and she heard the utter agony in his voice. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s all right.” She tried to soothe him, blinking back the rain as it splashed her face. “Let’s go inside and we’ll talk about it.” She gently tugged his arm.

But he remained motionless. “You don’t understand, child,” he said softly. “This is all my fault.”

“Don’t be silly,” she replied. “I can’t –”

“But I’m going to stop it,” he said. “You won’t have to marry someone like him.” He stared with icy eyes at the white tents below.

Bria shuddered at her grandfather’s cold tone. She removed her hand from his arm, trying to see into his eyes. “What have you done?”

Thunder crashed around them, shaking the castle.

Harry turned his eyes toward the tents. Bria followed his gaze. He was waiting for something to happen. But what? She held her breath, anticipating the worst, expecting the sound of agony or the scream of murder. But for a long moment, nothing happened.

Bria began to doubt the intent in her grandfather’s words. Maybe she’d misread the threat in his voice.

But then, suddenly, she saw a man running frantically from the rear of Lord Knowles’ tent toward Castle Delaney. Confusion and trepidation flared to life inside Bria. She anxiously brushed the water from her eyes. What had her grandfather done?

Suddenly, bright flames erupted up the back of one of the white tents, dancing in defiance against the rain.

“No,” Bria gasped. She looked at her grandfather and saw a satisfied grin on his lips. “No,” she repeated.

Flames burst to life behind another tent, then another.

Bria turned and ran across the walkway and down the stairs. She raced through the courtyard toward the inner gatehouse and then the outer gatehouse. She slipped once, falling in the mud, and then climbed to her feet. She shouted orders to the outer gatehouse guards to bring buckets of water before running into the fields toward the burning tents.

As she approached, she saw the fire had grown to engulf most of the tents. Men, coughing and hacking from the heat and black smoke, were milling about. Bria headed for the first tent. The flames snapped and cracked, reaching toward her. She stumbled back beneath the heat, holding a hand before her face. She glanced at the other men -- servants, by the looks of their clothing -- and shouted, “Is anyone in there?”

Their befuddled looks caused her to take action. She dove into the tent, screaming over the roar of the fire, “Is anyone in here?”

Through the thickening black smoke, Bria saw a pile of blankets. She dropped to her knees and crawled over to it, feeling around beneath them, but the blankets were empty.

The thick smoke encircled her, trying to cut off her air. She coughed and lifted her arm to her nose, trying to breathe through the fabric of her dress. Her eyes watered and she brushed at them with the palms of her hands. She turned to leave, only then realizing that the black smoke was hiding the exit.

Panic welled within her, but she fought it down, desperately searching for escape. Above her, the roar of the fire reached a crescendo and she looked up to see that the fire had already engulfed the top part of the tent. With a loud rumble, the entire tent began to shake.