Diana stood, not backing down as she faced him. “You’ve given me enough. You don’t need to spend your fortune on me, too.”
The last thing Gabriel wanted was her gratitude. “I have more than sufficient funds to indulge you with a few trinkets. Believe me, they won’t put me in the poorhouse. I purchased the gifts because I thought you would enjoy them. Because when I saw them, they reminded me of you.”
When he reached for the case again, she leaned over and snatched it up. “You can’t have them back.”
Gabriel paused when he noticed the way she clutched the gift to her chest. “Why not?”
She bit her lip, tracing her finger possessively over the delicate hair clip, directly over the tiny crescent moon stamped on the base. “Because you gave them to me.”
His disappointment vanished. “I want to see you wear them. Why don’t you slip them into your hair while I bring the carriage around front? I have one more surprise for you.”
Diana hesitated for a few more seconds, then dashed toward the house, her eyes glowing with pleasure. He was grinning when he reached into his pocket and removed the creased paper. He’d checked the list at least a dozen times that day, tweaking and making adjustments. As he looked over the remaining items, he planned the next stage of her seduction.
Chapter 17
By the time Diana hurried down stairs and rushed out the door, the carriage was waiting. The driver opened the door as she approached, and she was surprised to find Samuel already seated inside.
Diana gathered her skirt and scrambled inside, a tad breathless from hurrying, more than a little curious about their mysterious destination. “Do you know where we’re going?”
“Of course, but it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I spoiled it for you.” Samuel’s eyes sparkled with delight.
A minute later, Gabriel bounded out the front door, a spring to his step. He carried himself with such confidence that people couldn’t help but notice him. He was dressed in his normal black, but had changed his vest to a dark blue in what she would guess was his evening wear.
He looked big and intimidating, and she found every aspect of him fascinating.
He glanced up and their eyes connected. When he reached the carriage, he nodded in approval. “The gift suits you.”
Diana reached up, but didn’t touch the clips, not wanting to disturb them. “They’re beautiful. Thank you, again.”
Gabriel entered the carriage, seating himself next to her when Samuel made no attempt to scoot over. Gabriel’s masculine scent wrapped around her, the heat of him soaking into her bones, and she wanted nothing more than to soak up that comforting warmth.
As the carriage began to move, she noted that half the birds took flight, ready for their evening patrols, and it amused her to see them swooping along next to the carriage. The ride took only twenty minutes, the traffic surprisingly light.
When the carriage stopped, Diana peered out the window, amazed to find not a building, but a garden paradise instead. “Where are we?”
Gabriel leapt out of the carriage, then turned to help her down. “A local garden. They employed a genius designer to build a hedge maze that takes about an hour to traverse. The center holds a fountain and benches. I thought you might enjoy a little of the outdoors.”
“A maze!” The prospect thrilled her, and she marveled at his thoughtfulness. For a big, gruff man of few words, he was amazingly observant, doing everything in his power to make her feel at ease. She could have kissed him for it if she didn’t think it would embarrass him.
Gabriel’s hand came to rest against her waist, propelling her along, and she snuggled closer than was strictly proper. The hitch in his stride brought a smile to her face.
As they neared the maze, she spotted Ashmore, Rand and Tallie waiting for them.
“This is going to be so much fun.” Tallie swept forward and linked her arm with Diana’s. “What say you we make this interesting and challenge the men to see who can reach the middle first?”
Diana grinned at Tallie’s playfulness and eyed the gentlemen. “I don’t know, are you sure it will be fair?”
Tallie snorted and grinned. “We could place bets. The first person to the middle will be able to claim a wish from the losers.”
Rand gave Tallie a wicked grin. “You’re going to regret that later, my dear.”
Tallie batted her eyelashes and smirked. “Not unless I win. We’ll enter in five minute intervals that will be deducted at the end.”
“I’ll go last and time everyone.” Samuel pulled out his watch and winked. “Mazes are a particular fascination of mine, and I don’t want to beat everyone to the middle.”
Ashmore entered first, followed by Tallie. She heard them giggling and cursing over the tops of the hedges. Every once in a while, she would see Ashmore trying to jump high enough to get his bearings, and she laughed at their antics.
She snorted when Rand persuaded Gabriel to enter first—by shoving him when he let down his guard. After five minutes, Rand waved for her to enter next.
The wind died, the noise fading the farther she traveled into the maze, until only the trill of birds remained. She could hear people moving about behind the hedges, and nearly ran into randomly placed statues.
The lush shrubbery made it impossible to slip through the hedges and cheat. Diana unerringly followed the passageway with ease, sensing which direction to turn, never once meeting a dead end. She felt the others fall behind her, heard them curse and laugh as they lost their bearings again and again.
Less than twenty minutes after entering, she managed to find the fountain in the center. Water cascaded over the rim, sparkling in the torchlight as dusk fell. The small colored fish swimming in the pool fascinated her. Trailing her fingers over the water, she watched the fish swim to the surface to investigate. She ran the tip of one finger over the tail fin of the boldest when she heard footsteps approach.
Diana sighed as a shadow fell over her, and the fish fled.
“You scared them away.” She glanced up when a harsh shove sent her crashing forward. Instead of taking a dip in the pool, her head bounced painfully off the fountain with enough force to knock her sideways. With a curse, she turned, her vision too blurry to see more than a shape of a large man standing over her.
When he reached for her, Diana gathered her legs to her chest and kicked out, her feet thumping into the man’s gut. He grunted as he stumbled backward, and she used the time to get to her feet.
She pulled the knife Gabriel had given her, only to have her assailant kick out, hitting her wrist with enough force to knock the blade from her grip. He came at her with a flurry of punches and jabs that she struggled to dodge. A blow landed against her stomach with enough force to knock the air from her lungs.
Instead of panicking, Diana brought the heel of her palm up and slammed it into his face, pleased when she heard the bones of his nose crunch. Blood gushed down his face, and he danced out of the way, giving her a bloody grin.
Williams hadn’t hired this man. He was too well trained.
He was a watcher.
Though he didn’t want her dead, he would do whatever he could to incapacitate her.
She might not be stronger, but she was faster.
And if she wanted to get out of this alive, she needed to be ruthless.
Diana lifted her fists, and he mimicked her movements. When he neared, she kicked out, her boot cracking into the side of his knee. The man cursed and swung out with his meaty fists. Another blow landed to her ribs, but he overextended his arm. Taking advantage of his mistake, she grabbed his wrist, pulled it straight and brought up her knee.
The man roared as his elbow popped out of joint, and he shook her off like a rabid dog. His left fist nailed her in the side of the head, knocking her back a few feet.
“Here, now, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Samuel’s outraged shout echoed in the silence, and he charged into the middle of the clearing. Her ears rang from the blow to
her head, but she could almost swear that the two men were speaking Latin, but it was too fast, too quiet for her to translate.
The two men struggled, but Samuel was no match for the much younger man. When Samuel fell, Diana hurried forward, landing two blows to the man’s kidneys before he turned and backhanded her.
She stumbled back. Much to her surprise, Samuel was much spryer than she’d given him credit, and he jumped on the man’s back, giving her precious time to recover.
Then Samuel went flying over the man’s head, landed with a heavy thud and didn’t move.
Diana pulled out the two hair clips. He easily caught her wrist, stopping the needle-like blade from slamming into his chest. He squeezed until her fingers went numb and she lost her grip, but he was too slow for the second strike. He jumped back, so, instead of stabbing him in the leg, the tip left a bloody gouge across his thigh. The edge of the metal caught on his pants and was ripped from her hand.
“Diana!”
Her heart leapt in her chest when she heard Gabriel’s bellow from somewhere in the maze, and the man took advantage of her distraction by charging her. His shoulder slammed into her stomach and lifted her off her feet. She hammered her elbow down on the back of his head again and again until they both landed on the ground, with him, unfortunately, on top.
Dozens of birds screeched and launched in the air, dive-bombing her assailant, clawing and pecking at him. The man swung wildly, giving Diana time to claw her way out from underneath his bulk.
While the man was busy fending off the birds, Diana yanked down some of the vines from the maze and twisted them into a rope. The branches bit into her hands, but she ignored the pain. She crept up behind the man, then slipped the vines over his head and wrapped them around his throat, bracing a knee against his back for leverage.
She used her weight to counter her lack of strength and pulled until his body was bowed backwards. He clawed at the ropes to no avail. Samuel pulled himself to his feet, speaking Latin again. Only when the man choked back a reply did Samuel give her a nod. “If you release him, he will call off the attack.”
Diana twisted the vines tighter. “What about next time?”
Samuel shook his head. “The ball is tomorrow. This was their last effort. You’ll be too much in the public eye, and beyond their reach.”
She wasn’t sure she believed him. She was missing something important, but her head, the side of her face, and her ribs hurt too much to concentrate. It was only when the man dropped to his knees and lifted his hands in surrender did she finally relent.
She wasn’t a murderer.
Blood dripped from her hands as she pulled away, her knuckles bruised and sore, her body one giant ache.
“Diana!” She heard more cursing, the hedges shivering as if something big was plowing through them.
The man launched himself to feet and took off running. When she would have given chase, her assailant slammed his shoulder into Samuel, knocking the old man to the ground. Diana cursed and skidded to a stop. She knelt, when it dawned on her what had been bothering her, and she recoiled away from the old man. “How do you know about the Watchers?”
Before he could answer, Gabriel and Rand burst through the hedges, their clothes torn, their hair covered with twigs and leaves. The men saw her disheveled appearance and Samuel lying on the ground and rushed forward. “What the hell happened?”
Rand knelt at Samuel’s side, loosening the man’s tight collar. Gabriel grabbed her arm, his hold gentle as he helped her rise. The pallor of his skin worried her. “I was careless and let down my guard. A man attacked me, and Samuel interrupted. The man took off when he heard your voice.”
Gabriel’s eyes promised a slow death as he gently brushed a finger over the tender side of her face. “We need to get you to safety.”
Rand stood, helping Samuel to his feet just as Ashmore and Tallie stumbled to the center of the maze. “In case the man comes back again, we’ll take Samuel with us, and follow you home.”
Tallie stooped, then quietly came toward her and handed over a bloodied hair clip, awe in her eyes. “You’re going to have to teach me how you managed to fight him off.”
Gabriel collected the other one, along with her knife, and turned toward Diana, carefully picking up her injured hand. “Do you think you can lead us out of the maze?”
Diana didn’t like the way he shut down, his calm demeanor barely concealing the seething rage below the surface. “Of course.”
Finding the exit to the maze was more straightforward, and they emerged in less than ten minutes later. Gabriel bundled Diana up in the carriage. As soon as the door shut, Gabriel growled and pulled her into his lap.
She opened her mouth to protest, then wisely shut it when he carefully picked up her hands and inspected each injury.
“Where else are you hurt?”
“I’m unharmed. Besides the damage to my hands, I’m only a little banged up.”
“Where?” Gabriel lifted his head, the stark devastation in his blue eyes struck her harder than any blow.
She touched her ribs, then pointed to a few bruises she received on her arms while blocking the man’s blows.
He carefully probed each area, only relaxing when he assured himself that she was just bruised, and truly unhurt. He cupped her face and turned her head to inspect the tender side of her jaw.
“I’m going to be fine,” she insisted. “I’ve been hurt worse than this in training. He wasn’t trying harm me, not really.”
In response, he pulled her head down to his and kissed her fiercely, with no gentleness, no finesse, just pure possessiveness.
Diana groaned in response, twisting around to press herself closer, craving his nearness. His mouth demanded a response, relentless with a need that wouldn’t be appeased. When the carriage began to slow, his hands tightened on her hips, and he reluctantly lifted his head. She nearly whimpered at the loss, her lips tingling from his rough possession.
The lust in his gaze sent a shiver of pure desire down her spine.
“Until this is over, you’re not to leave my sight. One way or another, this ends tomorrow.”
Gabriel watched her like a hawk for the rest of the evening. Her only reprieve was when she pleaded a headache and went to bed. He didn’t scold her or take her to task over the evening’s fiasco. While she admired his restraint, she didn’t trust it. He was plotting something, and she wanted to smack him for his idiocy.
It was after midnight when Gabriel finally entered his bedroom. Diana paced her chamber for another twenty minutes before implementing her plan. She needed to speak to Samuel. The man knew about the Watchers. Which was impossible. The only people who knew they existed were the Druids and the people who hired them. She needed to find out the truth. She would not put Gabriel at risk.
Grabbing the knife she kept in her boot, Diana sneaked down the hall then carefully opened the door to Samuel’s room, bracing herself for an attack. Jack’s lips curled up in a silent snarl as he edged forward ahead of her.
Only to feel foolish when she found a frail old man lying prone on the bed. A lamp was left burning at the bedside, and his glasses rested crookedly on his nose, an open book spread across his chest as he slept.
The man was obviously sick, his breathing was so labored that her chest hurt in sympathy. A hacking cough rattled in his lungs and woke him. Shaky hands grabbed a glass of water. After a couple of sips, he sighed heavily and fell back against his propped-up pillows. He straightened his glasses and peered at her over the tops. “I was wondering how long it would take for you to get here. I must have dozed off.”
Diana almost felt compelled to apologize, completely baffled by his calm reaction. She stared down at the useless knife in her hands then reluctantly put it away. “Who are you?”
“I think you already know, or you wouldn’t be here.” He spoke softly, his words rattling her composure.
Jack sensed her unease, letting loose a menacing growl as he pushed his way protect
ively in front of her.
“No need for that. I’m a doddering old fool, not the devil incarnate.” He waved away the threat as if Jack was a pesky bug. “I did some research for the Watchers years ago, but got out of that business when I discovered they were exploiting people with the knowledge I provided.”
Despite his protests, he couldn’t simply be an innocent, harmless old man. “Watchers don’t just leave.”
Some of the sparkle left his eyes. “They believe I’m dead. I buried myself in the country with my studies and kept to myself.”
Everything sounded plausible…except for one thing. “Why reveal yourself now?” Then her eyes widened in horror. “The man who attacked me knows the truth, doesn’t he? In trying to help me, you sealed your fate.”
Samuel waved away her questions. “I’m already a dead man. This illness has spread to my lungs, and I will be long gone before they get their hands on me.”
Infinite sadness curled through her at his confession. Despite her best intentions, she liked the old fool. “Why get involved?”
“I didn’t think you truly existed.” He beamed, as if he uncovered the greatest secret in the world. “When Gabriel came to me with some questions, I just knew, and I had to see you for myself. Much to Gabriel’s chagrin, I grabbed the earliest train here. You don’t disappoint, my girl. It has been a pleasure. You might not know it, but meeting you has been the best thing that’s happened to me in years.
“I’ve dedicated my life to studying the past, and here you stand, a living, breathing relic. How could I resist?”
Diana’s lips twitched at his innocent insult.
“Oh, sorry.” Samuel snorted a laugh, then coughed.
His chest rattled, and she winced in sympathy, knowing he had to feel like he was suffocating. She quickly poured more water and helped him take a swallow. “How long?”
“What?” The one word came out a harsh rasp.
“How long have you had consumption?”
Samuel sighed in defeat. “Doctors told me I should have died years ago. Who knows? Maybe the goddess wanted us to meet before I was called home.” He smiled at his own musing.
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