Page 10 of A Hellion for the Highland Hawk
Her gaze skimmed down his spine to where his belted plaid hung low on his hips, the fabric too loose to give any insight into the shape of his backside. His calves, on the other hand… His skin was bare between the hem of his plaid and his boots, and for an instant, she really wanted to sink her teeth into that sculpted muscle.
But then he ruined her daydreaming by ramming a door open with his shoulder, the screech of old hinges shuddering through her like a reprimand.
Ahead, cast in torchlight, were rows upon rows of metal bars, interspersed here and there with stone partitions. Even if her brainwasjumbled, she knew what this was: a dungeon. No castle would have been complete without one.
I don’t think this is a fever dream.
The thought repeated, the impossible possibilities drumming on the inside of her skull.
Brains were magnificent things, for sure, but if she was dying, if her gray matter was compromised, then surely it wouldn’t be able to manifest so many intricate details all at once: the steady sound of water dripping, the biting cold, the slick gleam of some unpleasant sludge on the walls, the scent of sweet hay and… something not so sweet. Even the torches, as she passed them, gave off a fleeting heat.
As they walked past the next one, she discreetly swiped her finger through the flame and stifled a gasp at the sting.
It hasto be a hallucination,she told herself sternly.Brains aremagnificent things, and right now, it clearly doesn’t want me to know I’m dying.
She wouldn’t accept any other explanation.
At that moment, the Hawk pushed open another door off to the left, which led into a small, empty room. A rolled-up blanket was tucked into the corner, and a solitary chair leaned up against the wall, but there were no windows, no furnishings, no comforts. Which was probably the point.
“Sit,” the Hawk commanded.
Too weary and confused to argue, she flopped down onto the chair and hugged her purse to her stomach.
“So, about your name,” she said with as much courage as she could muster. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll just have to make one up.”
After all, she was a tough, hard-hitting reporter who knew how to handle herself. She wouldn’t be intimidated by this hot stranger with the brooding, gritty, slightly dirty vibe to him. He was just a figment. She couldn’t be scared of figments.
“What’syername, lass?” he replied brusquely, leaning back against the opposite wall, his powerful arms crossed over his equally powerful chest.
She took a deep breath, her cheeks feeling a little warm all of a sudden. “Nancy.”
“Nancy?”
She nodded. “Nancy Kane.”
“Kane?” He furrowed his brow. “Nay relation to the Gareloch Kanes?”
She shrugged. “Not that I’m aware of. I always meant to make a family tree, but it’s something I never got to do.”
His lip twitched as if she’d annoyed him again. “I assume ye’re nae here in response to me summons?”
“You summoned me?” She squinted, like she could get her brain to solve this if she could just strain her eyes hard enough.
“Nay, lass, mesummons,” he replied tersely. “I sent word to the surroundin’ villages for a nursemaid. But yer clothes arenae fit for a nursemaid, so ye cannae be here for that.”
It took Nancy a minute to translate what he’d said into modern English, the word ‘nursemaid’ fogging up her already foggy mind.
If this was a hallucination formed by her last memories, then the story had gone way off-plot. The Hawk didn’t have children, unless the art teacher forgot to mention it.
Then again, if he died on his wedding day, there wouldn’t have been time for children. Not legitimate ones, anyway.
“You have children?” she asked outright.
“Aye. One.”
She pressed her fingertips to her temples and began to rub them in slow circles. “Wait… so you survived your wedding?”
All of a sudden, he was across the room and standing in front of her, those beautiful eyes glinting with anger as he brought his hand down on the wall behind her head. He bent over her, breathing hard in a way that was clearly supposed to frighten her… but had the opposite effect on her wayward mind.
