AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The men nodded and shook their heads at the same time.
“Which is it? Yes or no?”
“You were clear, Ash,” one guard replied, his eyes trailing back toward his fallen co-worker.
“Apparently not clear enough,” Ash hissed, stalking toward me.
Finally, I was able to move, and I drew back, whimpering, but from somewhere inside me, a deep sense of relief was released. His clear eyes raked over me, searching for signs of injury.
“Briar has been left in my care. She is not to be harmed, injured, molested, or abused in any way, shape, or form during that time.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ash snorted, and I looked away, not liking the caveat “in that time.” But I couldn’t deny that I was exceedingly grateful that he had ended Lochlin’s advances before they had gone beyond the point of no return.
Even if his reaction had been… extreme, I wasn’t upset that Lochlin was dead.
“Let’s see how well the rest of you can follow orders, shall we?” Ash concluded.
Without warning, he leaned down and flipped me over his shoulder. I shrieked, but he ignored my feeble attempt to escape as he strode from the cell, me heaving as I swung from his broad shoulder.
He held me like I weighed nothing at all. His warm skin burned against my own as I lay pressed against him, desperately trying to figure out what was going to happen next. My heart pounded with wild abandonment, and I took in his intoxicating masculine scent—a mixture of earth and fire.
“Briar will stay in my quarters until I can determine the loyalty of my staff,” he said, not slowing his gait as he made his way out of the room.
“What?” I sputtered, struggling to hold on to him, lest I slip and fall onto the ground beneath his feet.
But he didn’t respond to my outburst, and I was left staring at the exterior of my prison for the first time since I’d arrived, my heart in my throat. Ash’s arm closed tighter around my legs as I used my arms against his back to raise my head and take in the massive courtyard under the light of the moon.
He hadn’t sent Lochlin to attack me. In fact, he had saved me from Lochlin’s attack and taken the guard’s life in the process.
But that didn’t change the fact that Ash was still a demon and my captor. He hadn’t washed away his sins with me, and he wouldn’t. None of his actions would be forgiven until he told me the truth about why he was holding me captive.
And then when he believed in Father’s innocence, he could send me back home to where I truly belonged.
Chapter6
Ash
“Please, put me down,” Briar insisted, kicking gently against me. “I can walk with my own two feet.”
Blind rage guided me back into my mansion, which was more like a modern-day castle. The red film that had formed over my eyes barely cleared, even as I made my way up the winding double staircase to the second floor.
“Ash, please!”
I finally stopped, hearing her protests as they met my ears with clarity now, my fury subsiding for the moment. I stopped by the banister and placed her down, stepping back to look at her again.
For the first time, I could study her with relatively clear eyes for signs of injury. Aside from her disheveled dark bun, it was difficult to tell if there had been any damage done to her by Lochlin before I’d intervened.
The mere thought of the guard violating her delicate skin sent me into another whirlwind of ire.
“Did he hurt you?” I demanded, somehow keeping my voice even. “What happened before I got there?”
Briar shook her head, those wide, innocent rabbit eyes unblinking as she looked at me.
“He didn’t—he was about to…” She took a deep breath and caught her words. “He didn’t do anything before you cracked his head open.”
I grunted and turned to splay my hands over the railing, staring down into the foyer of the house as my mind whirled.
