He took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah,” he answered as he stood.
She still stared at him, her wide eyes only leaving his to dart warily at the entrance to the kitchen before running over him once again. Her fear still lingered, but he didn’t need his gift to sense that. She visibly shook with it. Her face was pale as she came to her feet. How far behind was the danger she’d fled? Was she in danger here at Rosemont?
He wanted to hold her close, but not for the reasons Donnic believed. No, he wanted to discover the threat against her. He guessed she would be as slippery as the perch he had fished out of Rosemont’s pond. If he tried to hold on too tightly she would wriggle away.
“I’m fine,” he said. He swallowed a curse. Even he could hear the tremor in his voice.
Lisa stared at him for a moment longer. She finally gathered the herbs and ran from the garden. He watched her go with relief. He needed to be alone to figure this out. He ran his hand through his hair and shook his head to clear it of the last remaining impressions. Her fear had been a living thing, as real as the high stone walls of Rosemont. She was running from something.
And she was terrified that it would soon find her.
***
Dalton stared at his ghastly reflection in the mirror he’d had brought from Lotherin. It perched on a wide chest in the old baron’s room, his room now. His skin wasn’t as red or blistered as it was just last week, and the puckered scarring was confined to his right cheek. The electric lights showed him every dip and bump very clearly, though. He lifted his chin, checking on the scars that disappeared into his collar. “Bitch,” he muttered for the hundredth time.
He touched the Champion Pin on his jacket and the enamel felt cool beneath his fingers. Alyssa and the brat were gone. How the hell had those flames started? It was her, of course. He was sure of it even if she was ridiculously clueless of her talent. She was the reason he’d come to Merrickwood in the first place, after all.
The old baron had known his daughter was gifted, and that was what Dalton read so clearly in his mind last winter. He’d been lucky to run into him at court, and to discover he hid such a treasure at his estate. It just took a little push into his mind to make himself appear quite the friend, and Alyssa’s father had insisted he come to stay. One minute in the girl’s company proved to him that her gift was beyond compare, though she was ignorant of it. He could do a lot with her.
A few more well-placed pushes and he got rid of the noble Baron Merrick. The man’s soldiers served him now, and the estate was a pleasant place to pass the time once he began to make improvements for his own comforts. The damn girl didn’t even appreciate all he did, the clothes and the foods and the luxuries. When he’d arrived at Merrickwood she’d been dressed just like the servants!
He smiled, with the left side of his mouth, anyway. Her ignorance of her gift was dangerous, though. For her and for those around her. But if she’d known about it she would have taken care to shield herself from his probes. He’d seen her try, seen her winces of obvious pain as he’d tried to push his way inside. As it was, some innate ability blocked his every attempt to gauge her talent. He hadn’t thought she could fight back, though.
He stroked the rippling scars on his cheek. Flames. From that piddling amount of wax she’d thrown at him? It was clear she’d caused the destruction. It was also clear the damn servants helped her and the brat escape.
“I’ll find you,” he stated. “You can’t hide from me for long.”
Once again he closed his eyes and focused his considerable gift outward. And once again he caught whispers of her flight from Merrickwood, from when her guard was down while she protected her little brother on the road. Where did they go, though? She must be somewhere safe now. Somewhere she felt comfortable enough that he couldn’t trace her. Time and again over the past week he’d mentally bumped into a wall. There was a force around her strong enough to hide from him any impression of her or her gift.
“Damn it!” He turned from the mirror and began to pace the room.
He had to find her. King Jerrus would want her for the Pageants. That was undeniable. If her gift was as strong as Dalton believed, she was worth every penny he’d demand from the king to hand her over.
That night in her room, the night she fought him, he’d felt her fear for her brother’s safety. That puling infant? Foolish girl. He didn’t need the boy or his inheritance or even bloody Merrickwood. No, he wanted Alyssa.
She could fight anything or anyone in the monthly matches, and would become the darling of court in and out of the Pageants. Within reason, of course. He wouldn’t dare give her freedom of movement once she was there. No, he alone would be her keeper despite whatever the king might want. She was his.
He smiled again. The king paid well for the gifted children Dalton brought to him. And getting Alyssa to court?
He gazed down at the jewels adorning the crown on his pin. She would be his most profitable acquisition yet.
Chapter 5
The next afternoon Alyssa hid in the garden again. She doubted Kelwin would come to see her, not after what happened when he’d touched her. She understood now what that maid in the kitchen had meant that first night she saw him. He was gifted.
She’d known gifted people before. Some of her father’s soldiers were physically strong beyond even their impressive appearance. She’d never met someone with mental gifts, though she’d once asked her father if Dalton had some sort of talent like that. Papa had gotten a strange, clouded look in his eyes before telling her that Dalton was just a man like any other and a good friend to their family. Now that she thought about that exchange, about how odd her father’s voice had sounded, she wondered about something. If her father had been so wrong about that last part why couldn’t he be wrong about the first?
She hugged herself as an autumn breeze made its way over the wall. Wrapping herself in the worn cloak she’d been given by the maids at Merrickwood before they ran from there, she thought about the many times Dalton seemed to know just where she was. And just when she didn’t want him to find her. She felt that nudging again, that twinge she’d felt often at home after her father died. It was like a headache, but less severe now.
Closing her eyes, she pictured Kelwin as he was the last time she saw him. Well, not the very last time. That was while he was training with the Rosemont soldiers just this morning. He’d held his own but was clearly tired after his last bout with his cousin Donnic. That boy looked energized after their match. Was he gifted as some of the Merrickwood soldiers were? There was something about him, though. Beyond his bright blue eyes and quick grin.
Donnic didn’t like her. She was sure of that. He stared daggers at her whenever she served at the table, his eyes going from Kelwin to her and back again. Well, she hadn’t made the mistake of talking to either of them again. That first night, when she’d stood there staring at Kelwin like an idiot, was hard to forget. She couldn’t forget Donnic’s teasing laughter, either.
What had happened in the garden with Kelwin? Had he seen something, felt something, when he’d touched her? Apparently he hadn’t guessed her identity, for surely she would have been put out for bringing danger to Rosemont. Let alone for lying to get a job and using their hospitality to hide from Dalton. No, he’d looked sick from whatever he’d sensed in her. Had he seen her fear? Her worry that her and her brother’s safety was in jeopardy?
“Alyssa!” she heard her brother call.
She winced, her eyes darting around the garden. There didn’t seem to be anyone around, thank God. He looked dusty, his hair mussed and his round cheeks ruddy from the stiff breeze off the ocean. His eyes were bright, though. Almost as bright as they’d been before they’d left Merrickwood. Her heart seized and she knew she was right to take him and run from Dalton. Once again, her head throbbed and she resisted the urge to rub her forehead.
“Thomas,” she said, waving the little boy over to her. “What is it?”
“I watched them, Alys—
” His eyes went round as he finally realized his mistake. “Lisa! I watched them, Lisa. The soldiers.”
Alyssa found a smile. “I know you miss watching the training. You didn’t bother any of the soldiers, did you?”
“No.” His brow furrowed. “One of them asked me my name. Like he thought he knew me. And where I was from.”
Unease fluttered in her belly and she pressed her hand to it. “Oh, God. You didn’t tell him did you?”
“No,” he answered, his expression growing serious. “You told me to only say my first name, so that’s what I told him.”
“Good boy.” She ran her fingers through his hair to fix it a bit. “What else did he say?”
“He asked how long I’ve been here, too.”
“Why did he want to know that?” Then it struck her, the reason he wanted to know the answer to that particular question. “Oh. He knows you’re my little brother.”
“So? I don’t know why we can’t just tell them who we are.”
“Because of Lord Dalton, Thomas.”
Apparently that was all the answer he needed. Fear came into his eyes and he gave a solemn nod. “I won’t tell them. I won’t call you Alyssa, either.”
She refrained from rolling her eyes at that last statement, since he’d just called her by her real name anyway.
“Good,” she said. “As long as Lord Kelwin doesn’t figure out who we are, we’re safe.”
Thomas shook his head. “It wasn’t Lord Kelwin who asked me.”
Dread crept slowly down her spine. “Who asked you?”
“I did,” a deep voice said from behind her.
She jerked around to find Donnic standing in the garden, a dark scowl on his face. “You.”
“Yeah, me.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I thought the kid could tell me something about the girl who has my cousin tied in knots.”
His words made no sense. “What?”
Donnic took a step closer.
She crouched down to Thomas. “Thomas, please go inside.”
Her little brother looked worriedly at Donnic, then back at her. “But—”
“Just go.” She smiled to put him at ease then stood. “It’s almost time for supper.”
He finally nodded. Then he walked slowly past Donnic on his way to the kitchen, his eyes trained on him the whole time. She hid a smile now. It was sweet and she felt proud to see her brother’s protectiveness.
Once Thomas was gone, she blew a tangle of hair off her forehead and faced Donnic. “What is this about me and Kelwin?”
“There’s no ‘you and Kelwin,’ maid.”
She decided to let that one go. “Look, I’m just here to work. Whatever you think is going on with Kelwin—”
Donnic stepped closer. “He needs to concentrate on his training, Lisa. What were you thinking, watching him this morning?”
She closed her eyes as her cheeks grew hot. “I didn’t know anyone saw me.”
Donnic snorted. “Kelwin saw you. So did I. Who are you to moon over him, anyway?”
Her frustration sharply rose to its boiling point. She opened her eyes and glared at him. “I wasn’t mooning over him!”
He pulled back as if she’d slapped him. He wore a stunned expression as he touched his cheek. “What the hell was that?”
She shook her head, at a loss. “I…” She looked down at her hands despite the fact that they didn’t sting like she’d just delivered the blow. “I don’t know.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, he eyed her. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you’re going to stay away from Kelwin.”
“I am staying away!”
He winced as if expecting another slap, then shook his head. “I don’t even know what Kelwin sees in you. I’ll admit you’re pretty, but you’re nothing special.”
She placed her trembling hands on her hips to keep them still. It was like she was shot through with electricity now. “Are you finished?” she asked, glad when her voice didn’t betray her zinging nerves.
“Finished with what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. With insulting me? Scolding me? Just let me ask you this one question. Who, exactly, are you?”
He stared hard at her, his mouth open. “I’m family here, Lisa. Of noble birth, not that a maid would know anything about that.”
She nearly bit her tongue in half to keep from blurting out her identity. “You’re nothing but a boastful boy. You’re big and strong and gifted, yet you pick on a maid much smaller and weaker than you.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What did you say?”
“I said you should go pick on someone your own size,” she scolded.
He waved a hand. “No, not that. How did you know I’m gifted?”
She shrugged. “You seem much stronger than the others, even for your size.”
“You watched me train today, too.”
She wouldn’t admit to him that he was almost as pleasant to watch as Kelwin, so she just shrugged in answer.
His dark brows drew together. “What else do you know?”
She thought about what happened to Kelwin the other afternoon, when he touched her and went pale. She wouldn’t admit her thoughts about him to Donnic, though. It seemed a breach of trust somehow.
“I don’t know anything. I’m just a maid here, remember? Like you said.”
Donnic came close to her and she held her ground. He smiled then, that flirty grin she’d seen the first night. She had to admit, he looked pretty cute with that expression on his face.
“Look, Lisa,” he said, his tone light. “If you want a bit of fun, I’m happy to give it to you.”
She gaped at him. “I don’t want a bit of fun!”
He lost his smile, his teasing expression gone. “Then stay away from Kelwin. You don’t know how much you can hurt him.”
She bit her lip, then nodded. “I do know, a little bit anyway. After he touched me.”
Shock was stamped on his face. His mouth dropped open and his eyes opened wide. “He touched you? When?”
Wringing her hands now, she made herself tell him all of it. “I was out here in the gardens and he came. We talked for a minute and when I went to leave he touched me.”
“On purpose?”
“Yes. It wasn’t anything I did, Donnic.”
“But he touched you.” He rubbed the back of his neck again. “Damn. What happened? Was he hurt?”
The worry on his face transformed him from boasting bully to faithful friend in an instant. She guessed that he loved Kelwin, probably as deeply as she loved her brother.
“He was hurt,” she said softly. She sat on the low wall where she’d sat beside Kelwin, reliving that moment. “He turned so very pale, Donnic. He held his head and looked like he was going to throw up.”
Donnic plopped down next to her. “He feels pain with close contact. That’s why he never…” His voice was thick and he dashed his hands over his damp eyes. “He touched you on purpose and you hurt him.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
Donnic nodded. “I know. It hurt when he touched you. Did he say he saw anything?”
Her belly clenched. “Then he is gifted that way. Oh my God, he knows.”
“Knows what?”
She stood and wrapped the cloak tightly around herself. “I have to get Thomas. If Kelwin knows, there’s a chance that he…” She choked back a sob. “He can’t find us.”
Without another word to Donnic, she flew past him and into the castle. She had to get Thomas and leave Rosemont.
But where would they go?
Chapter 6
Kelwin watched Lisa run through the hall. He’d “heard” her fear, felt it squeeze his chest, and rushed from his room. Seeing her confirmed it. She was terrified. Her face was pale, her eyes frantic. He could see that even from ten feet away.
“Lisa!” he called.
She skidded to a stop, then stared at him. “Kelwin,” he heard her whisper.
He watched as she looked for an es
cape. Was she afraid of him? Trying to remain calm, he made himself walk over to her. She clutched her hands so tightly her knuckles were white.
“Lisa, what’s wrong?”
Tears swam in her eyes and he reached out and grabbed her hands. She scalded him at the contact and he dropped her, sucking in a breath.
“You know who I am,” she murmured.
He shook his head. “Who you are? What…?” Then he knew. She was running from something and had used a false name to get into Rosemont. In an instant he weighed the crime against any possible reason and decided it didn’t matter. She was here, this girl who seemed to mean so much to him, and she was in trouble.
“I don’t care who you are,” he said. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
She opened her mouth, then let out a whimper. “We have to be safe.”
She ran toward the servants’ quarters. Kelwin stared after her, then looked toward where she’d come. Donnic stood there, worry stamped on his face. And guilt. Anger bit at him.
“What did you do to Lisa?”
Donnic came closer, shaking his head. “I didn’t do anything. I told her to stay away from you, and—”
“Why?” Kelwin cut in.
“You have to concentrate on your training. I told her she’s a distraction you don’t need. Just like I told you before.”
Kelwin fisted his hands to keep from grabbing his cousin. “And just like I told you before, my training isn’t your concern.”
Donnic snorted. “The raids are coming, Kelwin. It’s everybody’s concern.”
“She has nothing to do with that!”
“Kelwin!” his sister cried, rushing from the hearth toward them. “Donnic, what’s going on?”
“Why are you boys arguing?” his mother added, joining them.
Chelsey and his mother stood close and Kelwin could feel their concern washing over him. He let it soothe him as he willed his heartbeat to slow. “It’s nothing,” he bit out.
“Hardly that.” His mother grabbed Donnic’s arm. “Why are you yelling at Kelwin?”
“It’s the girl,” Donnic said.
“What girl?” Chelsey asked. Her eyes rounded. “Oh, Lisa?”
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