She could resist no longer. Bea rested her hand on Colin’s shoulder. “Colin, please—”
“Give him to me.” Colin held out his hands, ignoring her. The child was pushed into his arms. Such a small boy, wasted thin by disease. “Bea.” Colin was looking at her. He didn’t say anything, but she understood. She could see the unspoken plea in his gaze. He needed privacy.
She nodded, tears stinging her eyes. She’d known Colin wouldn’t disappoint her.
Colin went to a far, dark corner of the small alcove, settling on a chair, the baby lying limply in his arms.
“Go,” Bea said, shooing the women back.
The women hesitated, shifting uneasily and murmuring to each other in their language. Bea put on her fiercest face and stood in front of Colin, attempting as best as she could to hide him. Apparently, it worked. The women stepped back, clinging to each other, their wide eyes watching, terrified … of her? Bea almost laughed. Never had anyone found her intimidating. Most people on the estate in Scotland merely ignored her.
The whimpering behind her ceased, then soft gurgles whispered through the air. A giggle? Bea spun around. The boy was sitting up, smiling.
Ashwini’s sister rushed forward, bumping Bea aside. Colin got to his feet, barely acknowledging them as they tore the boy from his arms. Bea pressed her hands to her mouth, shocked to her core. She’d seen it so many times, seen what Colin could do. But here, now … for some reason it was all becoming too real. Sudden tears stung her eyes.
“Bea,” Colin muttered.
She faced him just as he fell into her body. She stumbled back, gasping under his sudden weight.
“Help,” he whispered.
Chapter 21
He didn’t know how long he’d slept.
Hours? Perhaps even days? Damn, he was too exhausted to open his eyes and find out. Colin curled his fingers into the satiny bedspread, his muscles tingling with the movement. He’d saved too many too close together. It was sapping his strength and he wasn’t getting enough time to restore. As much as he wanted to succumb to the unconscious once more, he knew he had to open his eyes. Urgency pounded under his skin, a warning.
Slowly, he lifted his lids, his thoughts going immediately to Bea. Where was she? Had she finally had enough and abandoned him to his own demise? Or had Shiva taken her? The thought sent anger pounding through his veins. He swallowed the dry lump that had lodged in his throat and forced his gaze to travel the room. He found her almost immediately. Bea sat on the bed, huddled in the corner with her knees to her chest and her gaze pinned to him. Relief had him closing his eyes for the briefest of moments. She was here. She was safe. For now.
“You’re awake,” she whispered.
He pushed his hands underneath him, clenched his teeth, and managed to sit up. His mind spun with the movement.
But he had to keep going, must get up. He pressed the heels of his palms to his temple. “What time is it?”
“Past midnight.”
A shiver of unease raced down his spine. Past midnight. “Shit.” He tossed aside the light coverlet.
Bea straightened, her gaze alert, like a doe sensing a hunter. “You can rest more, if you’d like. I sent a message to Shiva that you weren’t feeling well, that you were sick.”
Colin laughed, a weak chuckle. “He knows of my powers. I doubt he’ll believe you. He’ll know immediately that something’s off. When did you send the message?”
Bea shrugged. “But a few minutes ago.” She fell silent, merely watching him with a weariness that set him on edge. She’d seen too much, seen him at his worst. She knew more about his abilities than even Ella.
“Can you … can you get sick?”
He closed his eyes, pressing his fingers to his lids as weariness washed over him in a sickening wave. She wanted more, more secrets unveiled. Didn’t she know enough?
“Colin?”
He wanted to laugh at the question, laugh at the absurdity of it all. Could he get sick? That was the irony that came with his abilities.
“Yes,” he said softly, settling his bare feet on the cold marble floor. “I can. I was injured when my mother was murdered and I very nearly died with her.” He pushed the memory aside. He didn’t want to think about his mother; he didn’t want to think about the knife wound he’d received; he didn’t want to think about almost dying. There was no point in morose thoughts.
“The scar, on your side.”
He didn’t respond to her statement, and silence settled heavy around them.
“The woman, Ashwini,” Bea shifted. “She came asking after you. She brought a knapsack with food.”
Colin stood. His mind spun, the room a dizzying whirl of blues, pinks, and greens as his body protested. Swallowing hard, he closed his eyes and attempted to regain his balance. Ashwini had brought a knapsack. She was going to keep her promise and help them escape after all.
“Why do you not want people to watch you?” Bea asked.
Colin gritted his teeth, rolling his eyes heavenward. Christ. The woman wouldn’t stop until she had his soul on a platter. He glanced over his shoulder. Had she been pondering the question all day? How did he answer her without revealing everything?
Her brows were drawn together; she was waiting for a response. “Why … why did you want me to hide you? When you … you do … you know.”
Colin sighed and brushed aside the gauze surrounding the bed. She had no idea what his life was like. How could she possibly understand? “I’m not something to gawk over. Some oddity to be put on display.” He dared to glance back.
She nodded slowly, as if she understood. But how could she? No one but Ella could possibly understand how it felt when people pointed and condemned.
She dropped her chin to her chest, using her finger to follow the swirling, gold-threaded designs on the bedspread. “They’d stare at me.” Her voice was so soft, he thought he’d misunderstood at first.
“When I’d leave the castle to go to the village, they’d all stare at me. Twice, we went to visit Grandfather when I was a child.” She glanced up at him briefly, as if judging his reaction. “They stared worse there. The pathetic child who was forced to stay hidden in a castle in Scotland with her mad grandmother.”
He found her honesty refreshing. He was so tired of hiding. He craved her openness and suddenly wanted more. “Why were you hidden away?”
She shrugged, giving him a wry smile that lifted only the left side of her mouth. “Grandmother was too vocal. Grandfather banished her to Scotland and told everyone she’d gone mad. When my parents died, he wanted nothing to do with a female and he sent me there as well. Perhaps he thought he was being kind, giving Grandmother someone to keep her company.”
He doubted her grandfather had thought of anyone but himself. The bastard had condemned a child to loneliness. He’d died in a fire after attempting to kill Leo and Ella, and not for the first time, Colin hoped the old man was rotting in hell. Did Bea know? Did she have any clue what her grandfather had been capable of?
Bea plucked at the fringe on a pillow. “Grandmother didn’t let me befriend the servants, and they ignored me.” She shrugged. “Wasn’t really their fault.”
It was difficult not to blame adults for ostracizing a child, but he knew how the British nobility worked and it wasn’t uncommon for servants to have nothing to do with the family they worked for.
Slowly, Colin rubbed his chin, the short whiskers scratching against his knuckles. How odd that they should have a similar childhood, two people seemingly so different. A bit disconcerted, Colin went to the water bowl and splashed the tepid liquid onto his face, trying to shake off the memory of her eyes. Sad eyes. Eyes that seemed to peer into his very soul.
A bizarre mixture of guilt and the urge to protect her welled through him. He turned, daring to look at Bea once more. She still sat there, watching him, expecting what? An apology for the way he’d judged her so harshly when they’d first met? For thinking the worst of her? He’d been wrong. Comp
letely wrong. He was an ass. A complete and utter ass.
“Bea, I’m—”
The door whispered open and Ashwini peeked inside. One look at her pale face and Colin’s heart skipped a beat.
“Here. They’re here,” she whispered.
“Demyan,” Bea whispered.
Colin didn’t need to respond.
Bea pushed aside the gauze and jumped from the bed. Her gaze was on him, waiting for him to do something. Shit, he didn’t know what the hell to do. His heart thundered madly in his chest as he scanned the room. The balcony. Could they escape there? Highly unlikely. Men were in the gardens, on posts around the wall.
“Come,” Ashwini demanded, waving them forward. “I help you escape, but we must leave now.”
Bea snatched up the bag lying on the floor and raced after the woman. It was only at the door that she paused and glanced back at him. “You coming?”
He didn’t miss the irony in her words, the same words he’d said to her when they’d first met. Somehow they’d switched places. Bea had become the adventurer, ready to dive headfirst into the unknown. The thought terrified and thrilled him. “Don’t really have a choice, do I, darlin’.”
A ghost of a smile flickered across Bea’s lips. She held out her hand. He slipped his fingers around hers, and together, they followed Ashwini into the hall. For a moment, for one brief moment, he felt at peace.
Softly murmured words floated up the stairs. The peace fled as quickly as it had come. His voice. Demyan had arrived. Colin’s hand tightened on Bea’s. The urge for revenge flared to life, always there, waiting. How badly he wanted to walk down those steps and confront the monster. Why was Demyan here? They didn’t have the ring. If he was working with Henry, they didn’t need Bea.
“This way.” Ashwini darted into the room across the hall.
Colin paused, his gaze pinned to those steps. Obviously, they weren’t working with Henry, or they wouldn’t have come for Bea.
“Colin?” Bea whispered, the urgency in her voice his undoing. He jerked his head toward them and followed, pulling Bea inside and shutting the door softly behind them. He had only a brief moment to take in the richly decorated bedchamber. Ashwini was merely a dark shadow against the far wall, her movements hidden by night. What was she doing?
“Here.” A soft groan rent the air. From behind the massive marble fireplace, a gaping hole appeared. “Through here.”
Ashwini darted into that darkness. Colin ducked under the mantel and followed, pulling Bea with him. He could tell by the echo of his own harsh breath that the walls were close. He dropped Bea’s hand briefly and reached out. Cold, hard stone met his fingertips, so close he felt like he was in a coffin. Bea inched closer to him, her warm body nestled to his back.
“Hurry,” Ashwini whispered through the darkness.
Shiva was smart, and the man knew they’d try to escape. Was this merely a trap? Or maybe Demyan had gotten the woman’s cooperation. He slammed his fists against the stone walls, the skin on his knuckles ripping sharply. He had no other alternative but to trust this woman, this stranger. He only prayed he was right. Colin tightened his hold on Bea’s hand, pulling her closer. If something happened to Bea, he was the only one to blame. Slowly, he stroked the inside of her wrist, attempting to give her a bit of comfort.
“Here, turn,” Ashwini said.
Colin dropped Bea’s hand. Her grasp went immediately to his waist, where her hands settled, tightening around his shirt. She wasn’t about to let go. The thought made him smile. She needed him. Maybe she didn’t like to admit it, but she did.
He held his arms wide, feeling his way down the corridor. The stone had grown rough, as if servant hands had stopped smoothing the texture. A forgotten escape route? He lifted his arms. There, just above his head, his fingertips met the damp ceiling.
The tunnel sloped, the trail going slightly downhill. The movement pulled on his leg muscles and sent Bea tumbling into his back, her warm body pressed tightly to his. The air grew thin, damp, and Bea’s soft breath whispered warmly across his neck.
“Colin?” Bea’s voice quivered.
“It’s all right,” he replied. “I think we’re going underground. Perhaps under the wall.”
Ahead, Ashwini’s soft footsteps stopped. Colin paused. Bea merely remained pinned to his back, her arms tight around his waist.
“Ashwini?” Colin whispered. Where the hell was the woman?
“Up, push open,” she said, her voice merely a few feet away.
He shuffled closer. “Up?”
He didn’t understand what she was asking, until she latched on to his arms and shoved them into the air. His fingertips hit smooth wood. A door? He hoped. “Right, got it.”
She stepped aside. Colin used the heels of his palms to push on the wooden panel above. The weight groaned and screeched, resisting before allowing only the smallest sliver of moonlight to filter through the crack. His muscles strained, he let go and the door fell back into place with a thud. Gritting his teeth, he slammed his palms into the wood again. This time there was only a soft groan of protest and then the flap lifted, falling back and sending dirt into the air.
“Up.” Ashwini raised her hands, shooing them forward. “You’ll go, hurry now.” She pushed Bea until she stumbled into Colin’s body. “There’s a horse waiting outside for you. South, follow the river south. When the river splits, there will be a path through a forest, follow that trail. There’s a temple. You’ll be safe there for a bit.”
Colin’s fuzzy brain attempted to make sense of her words. “How long will it take?”
“A day. Now go,” she urged, her eyes wide in the murky light. “May the gods bless you.”
“But won’t you get in trouble for helping us?” Bea asked.
The woman smiled, her white teeth flashing in the darkness.
“No one will expect me. I’m Shiva’s sister. Now go.” Her feet whispered across the floor as she raced down the tunnel and then the sound disappeared, leaving them in silence.
Colin wasted no more time. He reached out on tiptoe and grabbed on to the sides of the portal. Gritting his teeth, he hauled himself up through the opening.
Bea’s head ached with each pound of the mare’s hooves. Her lips were cracked with thirst and her shirt clung to her sweaty back. She could barely feel her fingers to know if she still held on to Colin or not. The only thing preventing her from crying out in frustration was the spinning of her thoughts. Ashwini was Shiva’s sister? Just thinking the words brought a sense of bitter dread into her gut.
“She’ll tell him, Colin,” she muttered against his back. “She’s his sister, for God’s sake.” She couldn’t keep quiet any longer. For hours they’d ridden until the sun was high, and for hours she’s mulled over the fact that Shiva’s own sister had helped them escape. Didn’t siblings tell each other everything? Not that she would know. No, Bea had grown up alone.
“She won’t.”
Bea tugged the scarf she’d found in the knapsack lower over her face, protecting her skin from the harsh rays, beating through the canopy of leaves above. “How do you know?” As far as she knew, Colin didn’t have a sibling, so he knew about as much as she did on the subject.
“Have faith, Bea.”
She wanted to snort with laughter. Faith? Have faith? That was his response?
He sighed and flicked an annoyed glance back at her. The wind had tousled his hair, making him look boyishly endearing. She grudgingly admitted, if only to herself, how bloody handsome the man looked no matter what the elements.
“People respond one of three ways when I save a loved one.” He turned back around, facing forward. “One of those ways is to be completely indebted to you. Ashwini fits that category.”
Bea nibbled her lower lip and stared blankly at the muddy river weaving through the hard dirt. Ashwini. If the woman hadn’t been lying, they’d be at the temple soon. Perhaps Colin was right. After all, wouldn’t she feel indebted to the person who’d save
d her loved one? “So, what’s the second and third?”
He stiffened, his back growing taut under her touch. “Excuse me?”
She hesitated, wondering if she’d imagined his harsh reaction to her question. Yet as the silence grew, she realized she had to say something. “You … you said people react in three different ways. I was merely wondering what the other two were.”
He didn’t respond. She thought he would ignore her question and she shifted, uneasy with his lack of response. After all, how well did they truly know each other? Why would he share with her? Still, he was the one who had started the subject of conversation.
He continued to stare ahead, and she could read nothing in the even tone of his voice. “Or second, they look at you like you’re a monster.”
The way she’d looked at Demyan. But Demyan had been there to murder them. Demyan was a monster. Colin only helped people.
“You’re saving their lives,” she said.
He shrugged. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter.”
“You are not the same as Demyan,” she whispered furiously as she rested the side of her face against his warm back, feeling depressed and annoyed with everything. “And this happens to you often?”
She saw the side of his face lift briefly, as if he smiled. “More than you’d think.”
What he must have gone through. To have people condemn you, be afraid of you. Had she actually compared her life to his? She wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Had she actually thought she could possibly understand him just because a few people stared when she went to town?
She closed her eyes, feeling ashamed. “And the third?”
Colin shifted, nudging his heels into the horse’s flanks and urging the animal faster. The mount took off in a gallop that rattled Bea’s teeth.
“The third? They try to use you.”