Page 54 of Redemption

“Because I don’t like the idea of someone hurting you, unintentionally or not.” Percy reached out to take her hands in his in an effort to convince her of his sincerity.

The instant he touched her, the an dara sealladh barreled into him with the force of a battering ram. The images flowed fast and furious like a raging river. Turbulent and chaotic they jumped from one scene to the next. One moment he was staring up at his family gathered around his bedside. In the next he was in a dark corridor watching Ruckley holding a door open for Rhea.

The smug, lascivious smile on the bastard’s face aroused a raw fury and hatred in Percy as he watched Rhea walk toward the man. Rhea glanced over her shoulder, and he saw the fear and horror in her violet gaze despite the resignation on her face. Suddenly, his friend Blake was at his side, offering him a pistol. He began to run. The doorway Rhea had passed through was now closed, and with each step he took toward it, the door seemed further away.

Behind him Blake shouted a warning. A gunshot cracked loudly in his ear, and he stumbled forward to see Rhea covered in blood. With a wild cry, he tried to reach her, but he was plunged into darkness. Desperately, he crawled up from the depths of his vision. Somewhere as if from a great distance, Rhea called to him. Percy turned toward her voice fighting through the dark, violent images still swirling in his head.

As he fought his way to her, Percy became aware of the fact he was partially lying down, his head pressing into soft silk. A gentle hand stroked his forehead in a soothing manner. It took him several long moments to become fully aware of his surroundings, and he groaned at the sharp pains ricocheting in his head.

“Christ Jesus,” he rasped.

“Hush,” she said softly. When he tried to nod, a jolt of pain sliced through his head. It tugged a groan from him, and he heard Rhea make a quiet noise of exasperation.

“For heaven’s sake, Percy, lie still. The driver is taking you home right now so we can put you to bed.

He wanted to protest, but didn’t have the strength to do so. He made an unintelligible reply then grunted as the carriage wheel hit an uneven portion of the road. Damn, it had been years since a vision had incapacitated him so badly. Although he knew he should see her home, Percy couldn’t deny feeling a sense of relief that he would soon be in his own bed.

The ride to Knightsbridge seemed endless, but he knew his small house was only a ten minute ride from Lyndham house. When the carriage finally rocked to a halt, Percy realized he didn’t want to move. It meant his head would do much more than throb.

“Percy, would you like for the driver and your manservant to carry you to your room?”

“No,” he mumbled.

The thought of appearing weak in her eyes appalled him. He heard the small sound of annoyance she made, but was unable to do anything more than make a slight grimace in reply. With Rhea’s assistance, he slowly sat up, suppressing a groan of pain as he did so. The carriage door opened, and Rhea quickly exited the vehicle. Determined to make it to his bed without help, Percy stumbled out of the carriage and up the steps into the narrow entryway of his house.

Jenkins met him at the front door, worry creasing his brow. He waved the man aside then gripped the stairway banister to pull himself up the steps to the second floor. Through the haze of his pain, he heard the muted sound of Rhea’s voice followed by the sound of Jenkins tread on the stairs behind him. His steps unsteady, Percy made his way down the upper hallway and into his bedroom where he collapsed onto the bed. A soft hand stroked his brow, but he didn’t open his eyes to look at her. The sweetness of her touch pushed through the throbbing in his head. Somehow it made his pain easier to bear.

“Percy, you need to let Jenkins undress you. You’ll rest better that way.”

With a groan of protest, he pulled himself up into a sitting position with his valet’s assistance. Rhea murmured something and Jenkins replied, but Percy was too focused on controlling his pain to listen to what was said. The soft thud of a door closing told him Rhea was gone. Instantly, he missed her. The touch of her hand on his forehead had soothed him, and he wanted her near him again. Jenkins remained silent as he helped Percy undress, a fact for which he was grateful. It seemed as if every small sound in the room echoed like a loud church bell in his head. Jenkins offered him his nightshirt, but Percy refused. He wanted nothing on his skin that would constrict him while he slept. By the time he was undressed, he wanted nothing more than to crawl beneath the covers and sleep. As he closed his eyes, he thought he heard the quiet sound of Rhea’s voice, but quickly dismissed the notion. He’d heard Rhea leave several moments ago, but the softness of her voice was the last thing he heard before he sank into a deep sleep.

§ § §

Ruckley’s smile mocked Percy as he struggled against the thick rope holding him immobile in a chair. He saw Rhea walking through the doorway to where Ruckley stood. As the door began to close, Percy shot upright in bed. A small fire burned behind a sturdy fire screen, providing more than enough illumination to reassure him he was in his own bed. He slowly fell back into his pillows and closed his eyes. The nightmare that had awoken him was an extension of the an dara sealladh. Whatever it meant, he knew Ruckley intended to harm Rhea in some way. With Ruckley standing there, waiting on Rhea to enter an unknown room, Percy could only surmise it represented the potential for harm the man could do to her.

A soft mumble filtered its way through his thoughts. Startled, he jerked his head toward the sound. In the dim light of the fire he saw Rhea curled up on top of the bed covers. Stunned, he simply stared at her sweetly curved body. She’d discarded most of her clothes until the only thing she wore was her chemise. He’d never seen such an enticing sight in his entire life. Slowly he stretched out his hand to caress her cheek. Rhea stirred at his touch and Percy quickly pulled his hand away from her.

What the hell was she doing here? Didn’t she realize her reputation would be in shreds if someone saw her leaving his house unescorted? In the back of his mind he reminded himself that he could always say it was one of his sisters nursing him while he was sick. That didn’t change the fact that she was in his bed and far too close for comfort. Percy closed his eyes and tried to gather his cluttered thoughts. He failed the minute a soft hand stroked his upper torso. Jerking his head in her direction, Percy met a violet-hued gaze filled with worry.

“How are you feeling?”

The question made his entire body tense. How was he feeling? Did the woman have any idea how difficult it was not to pull her into his arms and kiss her? Make love to her? He sat up, prepared to get out of bed, and remembered he’d refused his nightshirt. He didn’t have a stitch of clothing on. The small clock on the mantle chimed the hour of three, and he seized on the fact that at this time of the morning the likelihood of anyone seeing her leave was doubtful.

“I asked you a question, Percy.”

She sat up and pressed her body into his shoulder. Instantly, the warmth of her barreled through him. Unlike her voice, which contained resolute determination, her body was silky soft against his shoulder. Unable to help himself his gaze drifted across her face down to her neck then lower to where the thin lawn of her chemise covered her breasts. The material barely left anything to his imagination, and at the moment his mind was racing in a direction that was reckless beyond anything he’d ever done. Without warning his cock stirred against his leg and hardened, and he barely managed to keep from reaching out to cup her breast.

“I’m fine,” he said through clenched teeth. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I stayed to ensure you were all right.”

“And how the devil did you explain your presence in my bedroom—half naked?”

“I told Jenkins I was your mistress.”

“You did what?” Thunderstruck by her revelation, Percy stared at her in shock.

“I believe my words were distinctly audible.”