Dark Diary (10 page)

It was deathly quiet and the lanterns outside had been extinguished hours ago, leaving the pathway to the manor pitch black. There was soft golden light resonating from Kathryn’s room. I looked around before reaching a hand up to latch onto a balcony post. I climbed several feet, and then stretched out my other arm to grab a hold of the top of the banister railing. I pulled myself up and over and took a third glance in both directions. It was silent. Empty. Everyone had gone to sleep by now—everyone but Kathryn.

She pushed the balcony doors open quietly and welcomed me with a smile, taking me by the hand and pulling me into her room. She shut the doors behind me and closed the drapes. As a final precaution, she went to her bedroom door and turned the lock, holding her hand tightly over the keyhole to dampen the click.

“Is that a good idea?” I motioned toward the door she had just locked.

“You are here after dark, my dear Matthaya. Is
this
a good idea?” she replied, challenging my question and proving my suspicions were correct.

Of course not…

She returned to me and snuffed out one of the two candles atop her dresser. The room became dim and the remaining glow was… intimate. The dress she wore tonight was much lighter and softer than her usual ones. The fine white satin flowed down her body, hugging the curves of her waist and hips. There were two lines of indigo lace ties hanging gracefully down each side of her ribs. Each one was intertwined with a row of grommets used to fit the dress more tightly around her. The delicate bows at the end of each looked
painstakingly
perfect.

It was not the kind of dress she would ever be seen wearing
in public.

She looked me in the eye with a deep and determined gaze, and then licked her lips in preparation to speak. “I cannot stand this anymore, Matthaya,” she said, moving toward me and backing me against the patio doors. I had to brace myself to keep from rattling the frames behind me. “I cannot take this distance—this… agony coursing through me. How long must we wait?” She pressed into me and twisted a lock of my hair between her fingers. “Matthaya, please. You say that we should be married, but how far away is that day? When will I legitimately be yours?”

There was a sparkle in her eyes I hadn’t seen before, and though I pretended to be unaffected by it, the subtle change
made my thoughts run wild. My mindset was in such a delicate balance, teetering between rationality and impulsiveness
—threatening the sanctity of our friendship. And her dress…
how it accentuated the sumptuous curves of her body, leaving so
little to my imagination.

Her nails traced the collar of my shirt down to my throat
and then to the leather threading along the center of my tunic. One of her ankles trailed up and hooked behind my leg, where she pressed her foot seductively against my calf. The slit in her dress made the fabric pour over her thigh, revealing porcelain skin. Thoughtlessly, I lowered my hand to caress the firm, warm flesh of her naked leg.

“I am sixteen years old now and my father is trying to sell me into marriage as quickly as he can.” Her delicate fingers worked apart the overlapping ties of leather as she spoke. “I will not let another man have me. I refuse to let a stranger who can simply buy my father’s favor
conquer
me.”

The heat of her words crushed against me. The urgency in her voice and the overpowering needs of our bodies bewitched me, draining me of all reason. The little nymph’s inherit ability to torture me had never faltered before, and tonight was no exception. This confrontation was potent and dangerous. A fire sparked within me and she kindled it further with a sensual stroke of her palm down my inner thigh. It was as if she was mocking my inability to hide the desires of my body—daring me to confront them.

Her touch enchanted me, and she somehow knew my body much more intimately than I knew hers—a fact proven by the way she manipulated the powerful sensations coursing through my veins.

A cunning girl and a cleverly plotted ambush.

No. A brilliant, irresistible…
woman
.

She wanted to feel my lips against her neck… along her shoulders… soft kisses across her chest.

She wanted my skin pressed against hers… our breath in unison.

She wanted to feel my hands holding her tightly at the waist… my fingers dragging over her thighs.

The shortness of breath left me vulnerable. Hardwired, primitive instincts yearned to test the limits of my will. Her desire for me burned inside her trembling body and vivid thoughts of her flesh mingling with mine flashed through my mind. Her fingers tightened on my hands, which had unconsciously migrated to her hips.

She wanted me with every beat of her fervent heart…

And this time… she would have me.

I pressed my fingertips against her thighs and let her leg slip back down to the floor. I took a step toward her, forcing her back.

And another.

And then another.

Her calves met the heavy wood frame of her bed and she stumbled, flopping down onto her sheets and pulling her legs onto the bed as I knelt down beside her. There was curiosity in her eyes and she bit her lip in anticipation.

As I approached, she parted the sides of my open tunic and exposed my skin to her touch. Fluid and unreserved, she stroked a gentle path down the center of my chest.

I crawled up beside her and leaned over her body, bringing
a slow, steady hand up along her ribs, feeling every tiny rise and fall of the lace ties along her dress.

S
he was so willing—so eager to give me
anything
I wanted
from her.

And right then and there, I wanted everything from her.

A nervous shudder escaped her lips and I silenced her with a deep kiss. My hand moved across her shoulder and down her arm toward her wrist. I lingered there, tracing the
edge of her palm with a graceful touch and teasing the tips of her fingers as my other arm stabilized my body above hers.

A
s we kissed, she quaked beneath me, electrifying my senses. Thrilling me. God, how I wanted her, and how the warmth of her skin made my body throb with the anticipation
of having her.

The powerful thumping of my heartbeat sent a flutter up my throat and my breath quickened. Part of me feared for our secret, but only part of me. I was too submerged in animalistic needs to rationalize. My fingers entwined with hers and I brought my lips to her throat and left a trail of kisses down her neck. I exhaled a hot breath behind her ear and her lips parted to release a groan of pleasure. Every heartbeat seduced me further until I was consumed by the vision of an endless night of us making love.

A gentle tug on the cap of one of Kathryn’s sleeves sent
it sliding off her shoulder and made her fingers tighten against my ribs. I lowered myself down to lay a firm kiss onto
the base of her neck and yet another soft groan emerged
as the ridge of my tongue trailed across her collarbone, tasting the salt on her glittering skin.

Sweet-sounding whispers. Painfully eager tremors flowing through her hips. I couldn’t ignore how distracted I was
by her incredible curves. For a moment, I had forgotten to breathe.

The tips of her fingernails teased the jut of my hipbones as her palms pressed into my belt, forcing it lower. An involuntary
shiver made my teeth clench. I wanted so much from her—so much of her, but I hesitated still.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I strained to speak. My hand
traveled up to her wrist and I sat back on my heels so I could
meet her gaze.

“I’ll be fine. It would hurt no less if we waited,” she said reassuringly, desperation evident in her tone. “I know it will
be worth the cost. I will be yours and only yours.” Her fingers
tucked a lock of hair back behind my ear and then traced my cheek. “I know that there is no gentler a man on Earth than you.”

She trusted me.

She loved me.

Still
…

She took my face between her hands and smiled. “It was
meant
to be you.”

My blood tingled with the romance in her words.

She was right
… and I knew it.

I shifted my position until I was nearly on top of her and sl
ipped my free hand beneath the lace ribbon at the rib of her dress. The velvety ties loosened and I pulled them free, making her dress loose enough for her to wriggle the other sleeve down and off her shoulder. It was a painfully conscious
decision to delay the intense urges pulsing through me, but I wanted to grant her the satisfaction of every second possible. It became even more difficult as my fingers traversed the bare skin of her thigh. There was no turning back.

“
Matthaya
…” the word escaped her in a heated exhalation as her knees pressed into my sides.

My heart raced. Her hands drove through my hair and she pulled me down to her lips again. I was lost in her sensual breath… her sweet scent…

I took a breath from her kiss and balanced my weight upon my palm to reach down and unbuckle the clasp of my belt. The subtle clinking noise was interrupted by another.

My ears caught the quiet sound of a door opening and closing down the hall.

“What was that?” I asked, quickly sliding the tip of the belt back into the loop atop the buckle.

“I heard nothing,” Kathryn replied with a frustrated scoff.
She curled her fingers around the hem of my shirt and tugged me closer.

The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stiffened.

Someone was awake.

“Forgive me, Kathryn,” I said, kissing her briefly. I lifted my leg over hers and got off her bed. “I heard someone stirring,” I continued, searching frantically nearby for the ties to my tunic. “I am sure of it.”

She rolled onto her side to face me. Anger creased her brow. “It is surely nothing to be concerned with, Matthaya.” Her voice rose. “Matthaya?”

“
Shhh…
” I raised my fingers in a gesture to silence her and then listened.

A clicking noise?

My head turned.

The lock!

I couldn’t make the patio doors in time to escape the sound of her bedroom door unlocking from the
outside
. Kathryn rushed toward it and thrust her weight against the door.

“Let me in, Kathryn!” Lord Shallon’s voice boomed.

I snatched the chair from her writing desk and wedged it under the handle of her door. It would buy us some time, but not much.

Kathryn turned to me. “Take Raven and get out of here,” she said. “You can return for me later.”

“I know that boy is with you,” Lord Shallon roared, bashing his fists against the door. “Let me in!”

“I won’t go without you.” I took her hands. “I can’t lose you.”

“You’ll be faster without me and no good to me dead.”
She unhooked her necklace. “Take this,” she whispered, quickly placing it in my hand and closing my fingers around it. “May God
protect you always,” she added, hesitating to take her hands from me. “Return it to me. Please.”

I heard wood splitting; the door wouldn’t hold much longer.

We hurried to the balcony and I leapt over the banister to climb down.

“Do not look back! I will wait for you,” she said, stretching her hand out to me as I dropped from her reach. “I love you, Matthaya!”

My feet had just hit the ground when the words slipped from her lips, more faithful than ever. I turned my back to head to the stable, but my heavy heart stopped me.

There was no time!

I shook my head and gritted my teeth at myself for hesitating, but I had no choice. I flung a hand back up onto the balcony post and climbed back to where Kathryn was. She was holding her breath and fearfully watching the door.

“Kathryn,” I said, pulling myself up to her level.

She turned and gasped. I didn’t give her a chance to speak.

“I will always love you, Kathryn. I will return for you. I swear it.” I tightened my grip on the banister with one hand and reached out to pull her back to me and kiss her goodbye.

Her bedroom door burst open.

I climbed halfway down to the first floor and then braced
myself for the remaining drop.

Raven awoke with a startled jolt and came to his feet as quickly as I had flung open the stall door. I tangled my fingers into the base of his mane, leapt onto his back, and held tightly to him as he bolted out of the barn and onto the dirt road.

I had no idea where I would go, but going anywhere was better than staying to face Shallon’s wrath.

I had to get away long enough to devise a plan. Long enough to—

A thunderous clap rang through the air and I reeled forward onto Raven’s neck. Pain blasted through my shoulder and I grunted. Raven instinctively paused to look back at me. Beneath the moonlight, I could see blood covering my hand and felt it saturating my shirt.

Damn it!
I had been shot!

The sky was cloudy, the moon dim, and I was riding a black horse—it had been a lucky shot,
indeed
. I ignored the pain and used what little strength I had in my other arm to rebalance myself as I kicked a heel into Raven’s ribs, asking
him to gallop. I clung to his mane as he raced blindly through
the darkness.

What would happen to her?

How could I return?

So many questions and no time to consider them.

Raven followed the moonlit path of the road and trusted
in my will and sense of direction. His pace eventually slowed
to a trot and I bent over in pain, my blood dampening his coat.

The night was filled with silence and solitude and the road ahead was empty and bare. The trees along the pathway had already lost most of their leaves in preparation for winter and their thin skeletons made poor company in the night.

Raven stopped abruptly and stamped his hooves into the dirt with a heavy snort.

“Easy.” I rubbed my hand across his neck and patted him.

There was a strange presence in the air and it had been following us for several minutes. Perhaps the scent of blood was drawing attention to us.