Page 42 of Midnight Shadow

Chapter eighteen

The Midnight Shadow rode through the forest, urging her steed in and out of streams and paths with the ease of one who knows the land, returning to the pond whose waters twinkled beneath the stars of the clear midnight sky, glimmering like a magical lake.

She swung her leg over the horse and dismounted, tying her horse to the tree near the pond. She moved to stand at the edge of the pond, gazing into the water, studying herself for a long moment.

Then, with a sigh, the protector of the innocent reached up and removed her hood. She untied the mask and slid it from her face. The Midnight Shadow disappeared.

“I’m so sorry, Mary,” Bria whispered. She lifted her gaze to the distant road where Kenric had killed Mary and the herbalist. Every night before donning the hood and cape, Bria silently remembered her friend, remembered why she’d chosen to become the Midnight Shadow. And every night when she removed the hood, she recalled her friend’s bravery for facing Kenric.

She reached beneath the bush and pulled out her bag. She carefully folded her cape and put it on the ground. Then she unfastened her black scabbard and sword from her waist. She crawled between two bushes, their branches clawing at her tunic and hair. She reached beneath one of the bushes and shoved the sword and scabbard into a mound of fallen leaves. She strained beneath the bush to push the leaves over the top of the sword to hide it from all would-be discoverers.

Then Bria rose and carefully removed her black tunic and leggings, folding them meticulously and lovingly. She set them on the ground on top of the cape. She pulled her gown from the bag and donned it, hooking it at the side.

The moon was far up in the sky when she finished dressing. Lastly, she knelt on the ground beside the Midnight Shadow’s pile of clothing. She took the mask and placed it on top of the black clothing. She sat back on her heels. The mask stared up at her, a silent reminder of her obligation, her mission.

Bria gently lifted the pile of clothes and placed them into the bag. She pulled the cord tightly around the sack, closing it, sealing her secret from the rest of the world.

Then she mounted her horse and rode toward Castle Delaney. It had been a good night. She’d managed to leave a few coins for two farmers whose families were on the brink of starvation as well as Max the baker. All had been cruelly overtaxed by Knowles.

Knowles. Terran. Again the question surfaced: How could he be so evil when he had touched her with such tenderness? She could still recall the gentle stroke of his lips. How could he treat his own people as if they were nothing but the means to more wealth, and yet allow Garret’s squire to be his own squire? It didn’t make sense.

She crossed the drawbridge and entered the castle, riding to the stables. She saw to her horse, combing him down and blanketing him for the night. She affectionately patted his neck and slung the bag over her shoulder, heading for the keep.

The dark courtyard was still and silent, as if it, too, was working with her to keep her secret.

Bria walked up the two steps to the keep and pushed one of the double doors open to enter. She pushed it closed behind her and moved down the still hallway. All the servants were sleeping. The only sounds were the snapping, hissing flames from the torches that lit the corridor and her own soft steps. She moved up the spiral stairway and down the hallway to her room.

When she entered and closed the door behind her, a sense of relief filled her. She tossed the bag on the bed and lit a candle.

“It’s rather late to be out for a ride.”

She whirled, her gaze searching her room. A shadow separated from the wall and moved into the circle of light cast by the flickering candle. The light slowly washed over Lord Terran Knowles, revealing his face as he moved toward her.

Bria’s heart raced as panic filled her. She fought it down, demanding, “What are you doing here?”

“I have a solution to our problem,” he murmured, the timbre of his voice moving through her body.

She stepped away from him, realizing her heart was racing not with panic, but with something else. Unsure and frightened by the strange sensations Terran aroused within her, she quickly moved out of the light of the candle and into the darkness that helped conceal her as the Midnight Shadow, the darkness she hoped would conceal her feelings as Bria. She skirted the edges of her room, but Terran pursued her.

“What problem?” she managed to stammer.

“You’re mine,” he proclaimed.

The certainty in his voice sent waves of shivers through her body. For just an instant, a wildly mad instant, she wondered what it would be like to be possessed by Terran.

“You’ve been mine from before you were born,” he said. “Your father knows it and you know it. You simply will not acknowledge it.”

The backs of her knees hit the bed. She glanced over her shoulder. A ray of moonlight illuminated the deep red blanket and something black near the head of the bed. Suddenly, sheer, vibrant fear seized her as she remembered her bag lay hidden in the darkness near the headboard.

Her gaze snapped back to Terran. He was standing very close, so close she could see the smoky depths of his eyes. So close she could feel his breath as it fanned her lips, the raw power radiating from the core of his being.

It wasn’t fear that filled her as he lifted his arms to her shoulders. It wasn’t dread. It wasn’t loathing. It was breathless anticipation.

“I’m here to convince you.”

Chapter nineteen

Terran stared down into the largest blue eyes that he had ever beheld, eyes that held a surprising strength shimmering deep inside behind their beauty. He reached for her, and Bria stood her ground. He admired her defiance and determination not to be intimidated.