Dark Warrior: Kid (Dark Cloth Series Book 2) (9 page)

Dreams of Ashes

Kat had thought
she’d
be the threat to her future happiness with Kid,
if she didn’t get her act together. She realized, now, she’d give anything for the problems of yesterday. They seemed so small—compared to the ones she now faced.

She stood, gazing out the window, knowing she’d have to go to meet the dinner guests—and dreading it with her entire soul. She realized she’d had no idea what a real threat to her future could look like—and she wished she could go back.

The start of this
real
threat to her future—the knowledge of what she’d thought that meant to their future—now loomed before her like a wide, dark chasm—that simply couldn’t be crossed. Not even with the best little Indian pony around.

Until these past few months, Kat hadn’t even known
how
to cry—now, lately, crying was all she wanted to do.

No one, here, appeared to know who sent that assassin after her. Her grandfather’s men had only been attempting to protect her from the gunman in the process of bringing her home, saw an opportunity to do both of those things by arresting Kid. And if someone, here, wanted her dead, here, no one seemed to know who it was.

Even so, for Kat, everything had changed.

They’d brought her home, they said, as she looked around the fancy marble hall—and descended down the fancy marble staircase—to meet her grandfather. Kat’s gaze sought that of her grandfather, who sat waiting patiently for his servant to come and wheel him to the dining hall for their dinner. She’d never be able to hurt this frail, gentle, old man. She’d never be able to look him in the face—and tell him she couldn’t be the granddaughter he’d missed, all those years. And she’d never be able to tell him that he’d have to lose her—once more—because she had to go back home.

How could she?

Anyone could see he that clung to life. He looked so ill, she couldn’t imagine how he’d managed to come down to dinner at all. Now, she’d been told that he counted on her to run all he’d built here when he was gone, which, by the looks of him, might happen all too soon.

Looking around, she realize that most women would be giddy, with all the wonderful things he had plans of leaving her.

But Kat only felt—trapped.

This beautiful place—would become her cage. One which, she could find no means of escape, except to be purely selfish and just leave. And like that caged animal, she walked her room by night—and tried to smile like a dutiful granddaughter by day. Worse—she’d been told by her cousin, Ethan, that her grandfather wasn’t at all happy that she already had a fiancé. It would seem that he’d planned that detail for her as well.

In fact, it would seem he’d planned to leave everything to her—and to his favorite right-hand man, Liam—the man her grandfather
intended for her to marry.

Kat found her cousin shocking. He dressed in fancy overcoats with silk ties and fancy ruffles. He had on long, extravagant, well-polished boots, and he walked with an elaborate, ornate walking stick. She’d never seen anyone like him. He also had some kind of strange, clean-cut beard on his face. She had an idea that he was what she’d heard to be called—a dandy. And that didn’t bother her in the least. But something
about
him—did.

Yet, he seemed nothing but delighted she’d been found—even though, it would seem, he’d been completely left out of her grandfather’s will. Of course, he had his own land and estates, she’d been told. He already owned more than he would ever need. Why would he need hers?

Why indeed?

She didn’t even want all of this. She would gladly leave it all to Liam, and she swore to herself to do so—whenever her grandfather did pass. But she couldn’t wish for that—just so she could be freed from her new prison—just so she could return home.

She might have to live here for many years, before she’d be able to leave. Would she live that long, herself? For her, it felt like a wild animal—forced to live within four walls. Kat didn’t think she’d survive here, for even a few months more-or-less a few years.

Her grandfather might be ill now, but she couldn’t think of his passing as being the ticket to her freedom. She couldn’t live with such a thing. He seemed such a sweet old man. She knew she’d come to love him. He was her grandfather—and she already valued that, even more than her freedom to return to the West.

Still, a pang of homesickness swept over her. Kat already missed Old Charlie. She missed Mandy. She missed Meg. She even missed Star Flower—and she hadn’t really had a chance to get to know her yet. Would she ever get the chance now?

Her cousin didn’t seem to pay her grandfather any mind, but he was kind to him, when he did chance to meet up with him. Was an odd duck, she thought, yet he did appear to be a decent man.

Ethan descended on her now, as she came down the stairs for her dinner. And before she could escape him, he began kissing her hand, then putting his arm around her, he took her to show her off to all of her grandfather’s, ever arriving, dinner guests.

“I’ve never seen grandfather so happy,” he leaned in and whispered near her ear.

“I’m happy to hear it,” she murmured.

“I hear he’s already arranged to begin your lessons,” he said. “I trust you won’t find these too vexing. It’s just that he’s so delighted to have you home.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll live,” she replied, her gaze searching the room for Kid. She didn’t find him and had to tamp down the desperate way she wanted to search the room again.

“You know grandfather cannot approve of your marriage,” her cousin pointed out, again. “I doubt he invited him to dinner.”

Kat had to swallow through her ire. “That’s one thing he’ll have to come to terms with,” she said. “I’m supposed to accept an entire life here that I never even knew existed. I won’t give up the man I love too.”

“Tsk, tsk,” her cousin said. “Do not worry yourself, sweet cousin. You won’t miss him so much, when we show you all the things he has in store for you.”

Before Kat could respond with the full, hot point of the blade, hidden beneath the many folds of her dress, her cousin had gone.

The rest of the dinner went uneventful, although it seemed interminable for Kat. After everyone had left, and her grandfather had retired, Kat dressed in her leathers and escaped out the balcony, to find Kid.

She found him waiting on the ground for her, when she descended the tree below.

“How did you know I’d do this?” she said, smiling—a bit breathless from climbing down the tree.

Kid laughed. “Like you wouldn’t,” he said and kissed her soundly. “I’ve missed you, kitten,” he said.

For a long moment, Kat gave herself up to the kiss. But at length, she pulled back, gazing up at the man she loved, before hugging herself close to him. “What are we going to do?” she whispered. “I can’t live this way.”

Kid’s arms came around her. “I know, kitten. I know.”

She pulled back, glancing up at him, once more. “What does Hawk say?”

“He’s gone back to search for the assassin, to find out what he has to do with this. But Jake stayed behind to help us here.”

“What is there to help with,” she said, with growing hysteria. “We are trapped in Richmond, Virginia—a huge city in the East.”

“We’re not trapped, kitten,” Kid said, reasonably. “We just need to figure out what to do about the situation.”

Kat let out a laugh—too loud—and much too close to anger. Anger had begun to become a growing part of her, lately. “He doesn’t even want me to marry you,” she hissed. “How are we ever going to fix this?”

Kid took his finger and pushed back one of her curls, then placed a finger gently over her lips. “You’re not their captive, kitten. We’ll stay until we find a way to handle this.”

Kat stared up at him, frustrated. “And if we cannot find a way to handle this?”

He smiled gently. “Then, it’ll be up to you—to choose when to head home with me.”

She giggled softly. “That’s easy. Can we go right now?”

His smile grew somewhat sad. “Not yet, kitten. He believes you are special to the Cherokee people. We must at least
try
to honor that—before we walk away.”

“What?” she said. “How can that possibly be?”

Kid shrugged. “I don’t know. But don’t you think we should find out?”

Kat stared at him. “Just promise me—we
will
go,” she said, earnestly, “if we cannot find a way to resolve this.” She searched his dark eyes. “I
cannot
live her the rest of my life, Kid. I’ll die if I do. I won’t survive it.”

“I know, kitten,” he said. He pulled her close to him. “We’ll figure it out, I promise we will.” He tipped her face and gently kissed her, before letting go. “Now, off to bed with you—before I can no longer let you go.”

Kat grinned at him, stepped up on her tiptoes, kissing him softly, heard him groan, then scooted up the tree to the balcony.

Just before she went back in through her window, she felt eyes on her. She glanced up to see a sad, old man, staring back at her, as she slipped into her room. They both stood, motionless, as they stared back at each other. And Kat knew, then, what he’d been thinking—observing the young man, who loved her, as he headed back to the livery stable. She knew he wanted Kid to let her go.

Kat watched him leave the window, taking himself off to bed.

“That’s never going to happen, grandfather or no,” she said out loud.

So why didn’t that feel like truth? Why did it feel like she were only trying to deceive herself? She gazed across the grounds at where Kid stood, still watching her. And she knew—even he had his doubts....

Kat looked away. She could easily see that he knew their future sat on the edge of a cliff, just as well as she did.

Why? It wasn’t like her grandfather had control over her. Nothing could prevent her from going home. Could it? Then, why couldn’t she shake the feeling that something existed here—stronger than her will.

Late the next afternoon, Kat had started for the livery, when she saw a young man limping across the grounds. He was dressed in a fancy coat and pants, with a scarf-like thing tied around his neck, in much the same manner as her cousin. He also walked with a walking stick—but his had an ornate lion sculpture on the handle.

She stared at him—she couldn’t seem to help it.

He came toward her, holding out his hand. She allowed him to take hers, confused. She looked down at his hand. Though still very young, he had a nasty scar sticking out from the ruffles on his sleeves, near his thumb. The wrinkled skin looked like an old burn.

“Who are you?” she asked bluntly.

He grinned at her in a way that completely disarmed her. “Why I’m George, Ethan’s brother.”

She blanched, realizing—and his grin grew wider. “He didn’t tell you about me, did he?” He shrugged. “No matter. I’m the dirty secret. The skeleton hidden in his closet.”

Kat found, she liked him instantly. She couldn’t help it. He had an easy smile and gentle manner.

He took her hand, tucked it in his arm, walking her across the grounds. “Don’t worry, cousin,” he said. “I got over my brother’s disdain of me—long ago.”

Kat laughed with him. “I know what you mean,” she said. “I got over the way people viewed me a long time ago too.”

Halting, he turned, grinning at her. “The wild child,” he said, teasing. “I heard. Does my cousin know you wield a menacing knife?”

Kat’s mouth fell open. “No.” Her gaze narrowed on him. “How is it that you know?”

He laughed. “I saw you take it out at the livery, yesterday.”

Kat flushed. “But I had to lift up my….”

He smiled at her.

She shook her finger at him. “That’s very ungentlemanly of you,” she said, reminding herself he couldn’t be more than twenty-years-old.

He still grinned, unrepentant. “I’m a gimp. I limp. I accept gifts of beauty, wherever I can find them.”

Kat shook her head at him. But he had a bit of charisma, for a young man, and she found it difficult to stay mad at him.

He took her hand, once more tucking it in his arm, and continued along the grounds with her. She couldn’t help but take in his attire, as they walked. He took great pains with his wardrobe, even more so than his brother. His coat had fancy embroidery, sewn all over, and his cuffs were ironed to perfection. The lion on his cane looked to be sculpted from pure gold.

How odd, she thought. He’d been limping when she’d first spotted him, but she noticed he took great care not to do so, too much, now—at least not to the degree he had been—and she had to wonder what it cost him to pull that off.

As they walked, he told her about the history of her grandfather’s estate. He told her of the Cherokee Nation and how the people had been driven from their lands. And he told her of how her grandfather had managed to keep his daughter from being driven with them—but apparently, not so, her grandmother.

Kat had lived with another tribe as a child, so she was surprised by this. She felt disoriented—a feeling she’d come to realize she’d felt a lot lately, since coming here. She guessed that she shouldn’t be too surprised. She had an idea it had to do with finding out everything she’d believed, her entire life, had been a lie.