The Contract (7 page)

“Mmm.  I like it.”

“Then why do you look like the cat who swallowed the canary?”  He sounded suspicious. I pulled the ring off and looked at it.  Debts? Gone.  The shunning by the girls? Way gone.  I could live my life like I always had.  Slowly I put the rings back and shut the case.

“You told me once I never think more than two steps from where I was going. Maybe this is a good time to start.  Give me three months to regain my place in society…and you can uh…” I dropped my voice, afraid of what he would say.

“Well?” he said slowly.

“You can woo me.”

He raised his brows. “I already have you. And frankly, no matter what kind of deal we hammer out, I will not let you go.  I made myself the only choice once and I can do it again.  I know I said I’d let you go, but I lied.”

I threw back my head and laughed.  That sort of honesty was rare.  A little scary, but rare. “You have me all right.”  Wife?  Me?  This was going to be interesting.  I began to plan.

Cray still held the box.  He opened it and took out the engagement ring that had cost a small fortune. “Do you want this?”

I glanced back, “Oh yeah.”  She put out her arm out and Cray put the ring on.  “So Cray.  What do you know about weddings?

“Almost nothing.  I’ll let you deal with it.”  Cray said with an expectant look on his face, “I considered getting nipple rings instead of rings for your finger but those are hard to show off.”

That snapped my head up.  “You mean like pierced?  Ouch!”

“Don’t be such a baby,” he said as I crawled into his lap.

“You know, men can get pierced too.”  He stopped the rest of my statement with a long, achingly sweet kiss.  I smoothed back his hair. “You know, no one has ever cared about me like you do.  I love you, you know.  I think I fell in love with you when you said you’d give me that pill again but you didn’t like watching me struggle so much.  That’s when I knew you’d never really hurt me—not really.

“Of course I wouldn’t.

“I bet my parents hate your bossy ass.”

Cray grinned.  “I’m pretty sure they are too afraid of me to actually hate me.  Want to call them and let them know I’m making an honest woman out of you?”

I thought about that.  Even though Cray had threatened them, they should have at least told me what was happening.  I don’t know if I would have gone to Cray as a sacrifice, but I might have if I’d known it was only a matter of months.

Cray must have noticed my silence.  “What are you thinking?”

I looked over at him.  This was such a change I wasn’t sure how to act.  “My parents—was it difficult to convince them to cut me off?”

Cray shook his head.

“And that means what?  That you don’t like the question?  Or is it that I shouldn’t question you at all?  Lord knows I’ve been told that before.”

Cray gave me a thoughtful look.  “You’re angry at them.”

“Yeah, Einstein, I am.”

A slight frown crossed his face due, I think, to my bitchy tone.  “Yet you aren’t mad at me?”

I looked down at my hand with the ring on it.  “No, oddly enough, I’m not.  Can you answer my question?  About my parents?”

He said slowly, “They accepted my orders quite easily.  More easily than I thought they should have.”

I sighed gustily.  “That really isn’t that surprising.  Could be you’re the only one who’s able to tolerate me at all.”

Cray turned my face to his and kissed me.  I kissed him back.  Before things could progress too far, I pulled away.  “Screw my parents.  Let’s talk more about piercing.”

Cray grinned at me and I grinned back.  I never thought my life would be this interesting.  Instead of dozing my way from party to party, I felt alive every moment.  “Thanks, Cray.”

He frowned.  “For what?”

“Saving me from a life of ridiculous meaningless parties.”

He kissed my forehead, “You saved me from a life of nameless obedient women.”

I opened my mouth in feigned surprise and swatted at him.  He kissed me again, and I met him with my own passion.  As far as lives went—mine was fantastic.

Chapter Eight

I was snuggled up against Max’s back and woke when he turned to me the next morning. I yawned and smiled at him before I saw the intently interested look in his eyes.  My eyes widened as he turned and pounced on me, brushing my tousled hair out of my eyes. “Good morning, wife,” he said in a low voice.

“Good morning, husband,” I squeaked as he tangled his fingers in my hair to hold me still as he kissed me.He had kissed most of the sense out of my head when he began to, like the night before, lick his way down my body. I writhed and tried to think of a valid excuse. “I haven’t had time to become accustomed to the idea,” I said in a high voice.

Max bit my hipbone, and I let out a low cry. “Better hurry,” he advised. 

A fierce pounding rattled the door.  “My lord! There’s trouble,” said a voice I thought belonged to Caius.  Max gave the door an annoyed look but quickly rose and grabbed his clothes. He threw them on and tossed aside the bar to open the door, knife in hand.

Caius said, “I’m sorry to disturb you, my lord, but Davings has been found slain in the great hall.”

Max growled something and the two of them began to leave. Max suddenly remembered me and turned. “Bar the door upon my leaving. I will return to get you when it’s safe.“I waited until they’d disappeared before grabbing a blanket to wrap around me as I went to the door and shut and barred it as he’d instructed. My heart was racing—Davings was another of Max’s men. How could he have gotten hurt inside the castle? And slain? If that was true then the killer walked among them, or at least could enter and exit the castle at will.

I dressed and paced back and forth across the room, wishing I knew what was happening. I looked several times at the chest where I knew Max kept some weapons. I felt better knowing I could run to the chest and grab something if I had to.  Then I remembered my cousin, alone now on the top floor of the east tower with a door that often refused to stay latched, much less had a bar to keep anyone out. Max’s castle was always so safe due to his swift and harsh discipline that it had never seemed necessary to bar the door before. Plus until last winter the two spinster sisters—some distant relatives of Max’s—had been in the next room. But they had succumbed to the fever last year, and no one else had moved in.

I paced for a few more minutes, playing Max’s orders against my strong desire to determine if Callista was safe. Finally I could stand it no longer, and threw open the chest. Inside were several dangerous weapons, but the one that caught my eye was a jeweled dagger that was small and sharp. It sat nestled in a cloth and twinkled invitingly. But somehow taking that valuable item felt more like stealing than borrowing, so I grabbed a more common knife and tested the balance.

My father had shown me how to use a knife, and since I hadn’t known women weren’t allowed to do such things I hadn’t questioned it. I could use a knife in close quarters and had learned just the bare minimum about throwing the lighter knives created for that purpose.

I unbarred the door and carefully opened it, my knife at the ready. The hall was empty, so I crept down it. I heard someone and ducked inside a dark room until the person whose voice I hadn’t recognized had passed. Then I went back out into the hall person whose voice I hadn’t recognized had passed. Then I went back out into the hall, racing up the stairs and taking a mostly unused way to the east tower and Callista. I didn’t duck out of the way when people noticed me, not seeing the point now. Most people seemed skittish and I wondered if they’d already heard what had happened. I made it to Callista’s room and pushed at the door that was unaccountably closed.

A scream echoed inside, and I cried out Callista’s name. The door slowly opened and Callista stared at me wide eyed.

“Katrina! I thought you were…there is an enemy in the castle! Why are you out and away from Max?”

“I had to check on you. There is no bar on this door, and no one close by.“Callista pulled me inside and resumed her place sitting with her back against the door to keep it closed. I sat next to her to add my weight to hers.

“Devlin sent a man to come and tell me to bar the door, which of course I couldn’t do. I think I’ll have to request the door be fitted with a bar now, but honestly, I never thought it was necessary. Now with you gone, though, I feel afraid some nights being alone up here.” Her voice chattered along. Whenever Callista got nervous or scared, she babbled. “Of course I suppose it’s a moot point since I’ll soon be married. I keep wishing there was some way I could stay here, but I suppose there is not. Should I ask the Regent if staying here is a possibility? No, I doubt that would help. Since I’ve lands, he’ll use me to cement some alliance or another. That’s what I know, and yet…”

I let her voice flow over me until I felt a hard knocking at the door behind me.  Again Callista screamed, but I rose and spun, my knife hidden in the folds of my skirt. Papa had taught me many things, but one thing he’d drilled into me, over and over, was to use every advantage I had. Perhaps the attackers wouldn’t expect me to be armed, so I could attack them by surprise. I held my knife close to me and waited as the door swung open.

Callista had fled across the room as she’d noticed the knife, her hands up to her face.

Max and Devlin stood there. Max shouldered Devlin aside ignoring him when Devlin said, “They’re fine, be at ease.”

He came directly over and glared down at me. “I told you to stay in the room!” He was furious, his words clipped, and I just shook my head and tried to back away from him.  He was having none of that, and took my upper arm in his large hand and jerked me to him. I lost my balance, and as I tried to regain it I dropped the knife. I heard it clatter to the floor and looked down at it, wondering what had possibly possessed me to take a knife and come here. At the time it had seemed reasonable, even clever, but now, seeing it from Max’s eyes, I couldn’t see how I could have done it.

I tried to think of something to say that would take that furious look off his face. But before I thought of anything, much less looked up at him, he said in a low, mean voice, “Devlin, thank you for helping me look for her. Please escort Katrina to the room she shouldn’t have left and lock her in there.“I didn’t want to, but I looked up to meet Max’s cold eyes. He said to me, “I have things that need my attention and do not want to spend my day chasing you about as you have the brains of a goose.”

I swallowed but resisted his push to propel me towards Devlin. “My lord, please, one minute.” He narrowed his eyes at me, and I repeated, “Please!”

I think he would have refused if Callista hadn’t interceded. “My lord, the fault is mine. She knew I’d be alone and afraid since my door doesn’t bar.” Callista was pale at challenging Max, but she took two steps towards him, her arm raised and extended to him pleadingly. “I was so relieved when she came to sit with me. She’s always been the brave one, and I the coward.”

Devlin put his hand on Max’s shoulder, and Max seemed to calm a little. He looked down at me again, but his eyes were not as filled with anger. “Callista, if you would go with my brother, he will take you down to break your fast. I will give Katrina her minute.”

Devlin gave me a nod, and he and Callista left, Callie tossing back a worried look as she disappeared.

Max said, “Well? Your minute has begun.“I reached up and threw my arms around his neck, seeing surprise cross his face before his arms automatically went around me—to steady me if nothing else. I held on tight and said into his neck, “Max, I was so scared for you. I’m so glad you’re not hurt.”

Max shook his head as if he couldn’t understand what I was saying. “I was in no danger, it was you—”

“I know, and I’m sorry for that. I just couldn’t pace that room and worry for another minute. I know it wasn’t safe and probably not smart, yet I just couldn’t do it!”

He put me away from him so he could see me. “Wife…” He looked away momentarily as if to gather his thoughts. “You must do as I tell you.” He was really looking at me, not just proclaiming the rules.

“But Callista—”

“You must listen to me,” he said firmly. “The castle has been safe and I have become complacent. I believe someone was spying on us. The spy was discovered and the one who discovered him paid with his life. I understand you were worried about your cousin’s safety. This will be rectified and your cousin will not need you in the future.” He gave me a shake. “Katrina, I cannot do as I need if I must worry about what you will do. You say you worry for me? Then let me know you will stay where I put you.”

I nodded. “I will henceforth.“He seemed surprised I didn’t argue further and gathered me to him, running his hand down my hair. Then I stepped to the side and accidentally nudged the knife. We both looked down at it.

“Would you like to explain that?” he asked. His neutral voice gave no hint as to his feelings on this matter.

“I know how to use it,” I hedged. “My father—well, he allowed, even encouraged me to learn some unorthodox things.”

“Unorthodox?” Max looked like he might shake me again or laugh. I bit my lip until he shook his head and chuckled. “Katrina, did you take that knife from the chest in my room?”

“Yes,” I said, dropping my eyes.

Max was quiet for so long I looked up. “I knew your father,” he said unexpectedly. “And if he taught you to use a knife, I do not doubt that he taught you well.” He sighed. “Did he also teach you to take things that do not belong to you?”

“No, I am responsible for that one,” I admitted.

Again he pulled me close and put his head on top of mine. “Wife, this has been a difficult morning for us both. I find I cannot be angry with you about leaving or being armed. I suppose I should be glad you didn’t threaten me with the knife.” He gave me a sharp look. “It would not be the first time you had used a weapon against me, would it?“I shook my head, opening my mouth to tell him I had never meant to hit him, but he shook his head. “No, wife, we must go. We will continue this conversation later, count upon it.”