Mathias straddled her body, and took both of her wrists and pinned them above her head with one hand. Caroline jerked and struggled, but his strength was of stone. He even smiled at her vain attempts to free herself. With his free hand, he began undoing his trousers. Breath quickening as she realized what he meant to do, Caroline fought to think of a way to get out of the situation.
“Imagine,” he murmured, seemingly to himself. “In one act, I can destroy the Prophecy and partake in the sweet pleasures of carnal delight. How I do love the pure blood of a virgin.”
He let his free hand roam over her chest, and despite Caroline’s best efforts, her body naturally responded to his touch. When he felt the hardened nubs of her nipples, Mathias smiled.
“Caroline. Caroline. Caroline. You’re so ripe and ready for the picking. I can smell your desire, Caroline. I can feel your body aching to be touched and explored. Twenty-one years is a long time. Caroline, I can show you pleasure you wouldn’t believe. By looking in your eyes, Caroline, I can see how badly you want a cock in your pussy. How sometimes the wanting gets so much that you would thank someone if they just pushed you down and took it. I could do that right now, bend you over and shove my cock into you until you begged for mercy. And I can also show you the deepest depths of sensual pain. Tell me, sweet Caroline, do you choose pleasure or do you choose pain?”
Mathias leaned down, his lips grazing her ear, “Caroline, delicious Caroline.” Then, without any warning, he nipped at the flesh of her collarbone. It was the strangest feeling. Caroline knew she should be terrified, even though he hadn’t broken the skin nor had he used his fangs. But some part of her, deep down in her lower stomach, felt thrilled. Her cunny began to tingle. What was happening to her?
As he sighed her name once more, Mathias leaned back up and let his trousers sink down fully. There was something about the repetition of her name that struck a chord with Caroline. It was though each time he said her name, her resistance lessened and her body relaxed. It felt as though he became less evil to her by the minute. Then, with a sickening twist of her stomach, she realized that he must be using his powers of seduction. Trying to resist gagging, Caroline kept her eyes closed and focused on tuning out his voice and figuring out her escape. She felt his trousers loose and sagging towards her legs and she knew he must have his manhood out. In one fluid motion, Caroline slid her legs up from under him and then shoved her knees as hard as she could into the center of his body. Instinctively, Mathias released her arms to cover himself, and he rolled off the chaise, shrieking in pain. For such an evil man, he certainly wept like a child, Caroline thought as she sat up.
She made an instant decision, and dove over the back of the chaise, landing on her knees and scraping them badly. With no time to check her injuries, she was up on her feet and throwing open the door before Mathias even stood up. She didn’t even bother to look over her shoulder as she fled into the hall and took off running. Suddenly, her dreams hit her. This was the hall. This was her running. And like in her dreams, all she could think about was where Sophie was. Where did they take her sister?
Chapter Eleven
Caroline flew down the stairs and rounded the corner to go down the next corridor, where she ran straight into the brawny chest of a tall man, dressed all in black. His arms locked around her and Caroline started to scream, but he abruptly cut it off with one hand.
“Lady Haley. Stop. It’s all right.”
Being called by her proper title caused Caroline to pause, and she hung in his arms for a moment before tilting her head to look up. It was Lord Andrew Gifford, one of the knights in the same order as Luke. When he saw that she had calmed down, he released his hold on her body. Now that the adrenaline was dissipating, they both realized she was naked. Lord Gifford flushed with embarrassment, and at that moment, Luke appeared behind him.
“My God, Caroline. What did they do to you?” Tugging his tunic over his head, he tossed it to her. He shot a look at Lord Gifford and said, “God’s thumb, man! Look away!”
Caroline slipped on the tunic. It was long enough to be a dress on her, and she felt much better now that she was covered.
“Mathias didn’t get a chance to do anything, Luke. I’m okay, just a little bruised. But the other men took Sophie somewhere.”
At the mention of her sister’s name, both men shifted their faces to the ground. Caroline’s heart leaped with fear. They knew something she didn’t.
Clasping her hands together to brace herself, Caroline asked, “What is it? Where is my sister?”
Luke took a deep breath and motioned for her to follow him. He turned and walked down the corridor in long, serious strides until the three of them reached a room at the very back of the castle. It turned out to be a servant’s bedroom area. When Caroline stepped inside, all she could see was her sister, lying motionless across a small wooden bed with her limbs at all angles. Her right arm appeared to be broken at the elbow and the sight made Caroline’s eyes fill with stinging tears. This was her fault. Sophie’s nightgown was bloody and torn at the neck, and her eyes were nearly swollen shut. Lord Chase, Sloane’s right-hand man, was leaning over her and gently caressing her bruised face.
Caroline stood in the doorway, stunned into immobility. Luke placed a hand on her shoulder and said,
“By the time we broke through the door, they had beaten her within an inch of her life. She was broken and bleeding. The only way for her to survive was to, well, was for her to be changed.”
It didn’t make sense at first. “Changed?” Caroline asked. And then she saw it. Two evenly-spaced puncture marks on her sister’s neck, still lightly dripping blood.
“Lord Chase had to suck her blood to make her an Other. Her wounds will heal fairly quickly, but she needs rest.”
Caroline took a small step forward, and then asked in an unsteady voice, “Is she awake? Can she talk to me?”
“No, my lady, she’s unconscious. But soon the Other blood will begin taking over and she will heal of her injuries within hours.” Lord Chase spoke, looking up from Sophie’s face to Caroline’s.
“Can she make the trip without causing further harm?” asked Luke, beginning to pace the floor of the small room.
Lord Chase shrugged. “Probably. She’s not going to die now that she’s been changed. It just won’t be very comfortable for her. I see no other option, though…we need to leave in case the Scarclyfs come back with reinforcements.”
A noise from down the corridor made everyone in the room but Sophie startle. Lord Chase cocked his head at Luke and Lord Gifford, and the two men unsheathed their swords in an instant. With Luke in the lead, they edged past Caroline and peered out into the hall.
“It’s Prince Sloane and the other men. They’re carrying him.” Luke said this last as he dashed out.
Feeling faint, Caroline sat down on the first available surface, a plain wooden bench. In moments, Luke reappeared with three men, two of whom were holding up Sloane between them. His handsome face was badly scratched, and his lower lip was torn. Covered in blood from head to foot, he looked worse for the wear than Sophie did.
One of the men carrying him also appeared to have some injuries. They slid Sloane to the floor, and then the injured man coughed out, “He killed Alexandre Scarclyf, but the rest of the clan along with their guards escaped.”
“What of Mathias?” asked Luke.
The other man who had helped to carry Sloane shook his head. “We found the room he had held Lady Haley in, judging from the torn gown. But he was gone before we arrived. Gardyner, Lupton, Child, and Adams left immediately, to attempt to seek out their trail and follow them. They will send word once they find them.”
“With this few men and these injuries, we are in no condition to fight if they do return.” Lord Chase said, “I’ll carry Lady Haley. Gifford, Archer, you two help the Prince. Manfield, you lead the way. Stone, will you stand guard for the other Lady Haley?”
All five men, excluding Sloane, sprang into action
. Feeling helpless, Caroline watched as Lord Chase gently scooped Sophie into his arms. Despite his obvious strength, he cradled her tenderly and if the timing wasn’t terribly inappropriate, she would have wondered if the man had somehow developed feelings towards her sister. Lord Gifford and Lord Archer each hooked one of Sloane’s arms around their shoulders. Lord Manfield, being the only one without someone to watch or carry, was the first out the door and had his sword in hand. Behind him followed Gifford and Archer with Sloane, then Chase and Sophie. Caroline and Luke brought up the rear, since they were the only ones not assisting an injured person. The group quickly made their way to the front of the house. When they paused to push the massive door open, Caroline asked,
“Where are we going?”
Luke gently pushed her through the door behind the rest. “We have carriages and horses hidden in the forest. Two men stayed behind with them.”
The sky had darkened, and Caroline wondered exactly how long she had been out, and how many days they had been in the hands of the Scarclyfs. Carefully, they traveled through the castle yard and into the thickly wooded patch beyond it. Caroline swallowed hard as they stepped beneath the canopy of trees and lost most of the moonlight that had been guiding them thus far.
“Do not worry,” Luke said, taking her hand with a friendly squeeze. “The carriages are waiting just straight through here.”
Grateful for not only his kind words, but also his innocent touch, Caroline’s fear lessened and they continued the trek in silence. Luke was right, for after just a few more minutes of walking, they reached two Bernehart carriages. The men quickly and quietly loaded the injured Sloane into the first one, and then the still-unconscious Sophie into the second. Trying to make them as comfortable, they stretched the two out on the floor of the carriages, which meant at least two men would have to ride on the box at the front. Caroline and Lord Chase climbed into the one carrying Sophie, and each stepped gently over her, and kept their feet up on the benches inside. The door was closed by one of the other men, and within minutes, the horses were carrying them away from the Scarclyf castle. Every sound made Caroline jump, for fear the Scarclyfs were on them. Eventually, the further they got away from the castle, the more she was able to relax.
Chapter Twelve
They reached the Bernehart Palace just a little after dawn the next morning. Caroline didn’t sleep all night, choosing to stay awake and keep watch over her sister. Requiring much needed sleep, Lord Chase dozed off at her insistence. Sophie’s injuries were beginning to get much better, and it appeared as though her arm had even healed itself. Being the only one conscious in the carriage, Caroline had a lot of time to think. She wondered how Sloane’s wounds were doing. Until she had seen him being carried down the hall, so hurt he couldn’t even speak, she hadn’t realized how deeply they had bonded in their short time together. Not even being in Luke’s presence affected her. As she peered out from behind the curtain at the rising sun, Caroline understood that what she had with Luke was childhood friendship that blossomed into a physical romance. It was fun while it lasted, but now that she was older, Sloane was what she needed. Luke would always be a boy to her, and Sloane was a man. She would be eternally grateful for Luke’s kindness and bravery, though he would never again be her lover. Smiling to herself at these thoughts, she rested her head against the back of the seat and waited patiently to arrive.
The two carriages passed through the gates of Vaughan Palace, and rolled up to the steps of the grand entrance. King Edmund and Princess Emma waited anxiously with Caroline’s parents, the Duke and Duchess. As soon as the carriages stopped, the families descended upon them.
“My God,” cried Elise, “I thought I would die from the worry. Caroline, are you all right? Sophie…Why is she laying down?”
The Princess and King were making similar exclamations about Sloane, but Caroline was so exhausted and relieved to finally be safe that she fainted dead away. She would have fallen to the ground in a painful heap if Lord Gifford, who had stepped over to assist in moving Sophie, hadn’t caught her. Elise nearly went into hysterics, and the whole party was excited and upset. Luke took Caroline from Lord Gifford and carried her all the way through the opulent home to the wing where her chambers lie. Once there, he laid her carefully on the bed, covered her with the blanket, and left the room, softly closing the door behind him.
Chapter Thirteen
Caroline stirred in bed and began waking up around midday. Her stomach was growling so loudly that she couldn’t sleep any longer, even if she wanted to. As she rubbed her eyes, she realized that they hadn’t been given anything to eat the entire time at the Scarclyfs. It was no wonder it felt as though a beast was living in her belly. She pushed the covers down and realized she was still dressed only in Luke’s tunic. Rolling her eyes at the mess she must be, she began climbing out of bed. Emily entered the room just as Caroline’s feet touched the floor.
“My lady?” She then exclaimed, “You’re awake! The Duke and Duchess will be ever so relieved to hear. And Lady Sophie, of course.”
“Sophie is conscious?” asked Caroline, pulling the dirty tunic over her head and tossing it to the floor. “Can you warm me some water, Emily?”
“Yes, my lady, she is awake, thank the Lord. And yes…one moment. Oh, I am so glad you are all right.”
Emily hurried away before Caroline could inquire about Sloane, trying to stealthily wipe her tears away as she did. She smiled, she could not ask for a more loyal and dear handmaiden. She pulled out a simple light blue gown, far more plain than a future princess would be expected to wear, but Caroline was still weary and weak and did not care about etiquette at that moment. After carefully pulling it over her aching head, Caroline slipped her feet into her slippers and waited for Emily’s return. Once she had the water, she splashed it over her face and neck, and then behind her ears. Finally, she asked Emily to fashion her hair into a simple braid. She felt much more refreshed and ready to face whatever news was waiting for her.
Emily directed Caroline down the corridor and to the chambers that had been assigned to Sophie. Her sister was lying across the room’s chaise with her eyes closed.
“Sophie?”
Sitting up quickly, as though Caroline’s voice had startled her, she smiled when she saw her. It was a strange sight to see the new fangs in Sophie’s mouth, and caused Caroline to hesitate for a split second. Then, she ran straight to her and the sisters hugged as though they hadn’t seen each other in years.
Chapter Fourteen
Sloane was half asleep when he heard the knock at his chamber door.
“Come in.” he called, carefully easing himself up to sit against the headboard.
In walked Caroline, looking ravishing and fresh, with her hair pulled back from her face. Quite the change from the slivers he remembered of seeing her at the Scarclyf castle, dirty, wearing a man’s tunic, and appearing half-starved. The memories of what happened there would haunt Sloane forever. Did he make the right decisions? Was he only bringing more trouble by killing Alexandre? Sloane didn’t know if he could lead soldiers to battle, let alone war. Did he have it in him to make the choices that would affect Bernehart and its allies? Sophie would have been dead if it weren’t for Lord Chase choosing to Change her. And Caroline. Lord Gifford had told him, during his conscious moments on the journey home, that she had been found running for her life, completely naked. Sloane knew Mathias hadn’t breached her maidenhood, but he was loathe to think of her being violated in any fashion, no matter how minor.
Caroline lowered her head and dipped into a shy curtsy. “Hello, Sloane. You’re looking well.”
“Let’s drop the formalities, Caroline.” he said, opening his arms, “Do come over.”
And she did, without hesitation, and Sloane scooped her into his lap. Running his hands through her thick, beautiful hair, he pulled her head close to his.
“I give you my word that Mathias Scarclyf will answer for his treatment of you and your sister,” he wh
ispered into her ear.
Caroline turned her head so they were nose to nose, eye to eye. Her green eyes sparkled like emeralds and she didn’t speak. Sloane feared he had offended her ladylike sensibilities, but then she nodded. Just once, but firmly, and he sensed she was thinking of her sister.
“And how is the Lady Sophie?” he asked, taking her small hand in his.
Swallowing, Caroline replied, “She’s healed, for the most part. Now it’s just her accepting the fact that she’s been Changed. There are so few Others in Scollfyld. I believe she fears she will not be able to marry. Sophie does so want to be a bride.”
“Is that all?” Sloane asked. “Why, Caroline, Sophie is always welcome here in Bernehart. There are almost as many Others here as there are mortals. She need not fear she is unwanted.”
He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “It’s settled,” Sloane said, “Sophie will live here in Bernehart, yes?”
Caroline smiled widely. “I’m sure she will agree. We’ve never really been apart. Though, I’m certain my father won’t like it.”
“Now, now. He simply won’t have a say. After all, it will be on the order of the King of Bernehart. I’m sure Father will be more than happy to have her here. He feels Emma needs more women around her, anyway. She’s so cold-mannered. I suppose coming of age without a mother is harder on girls.”
His voice took on a hard edge when he mentioned their absent mother. He knew that eventually he would have to tell Caroline the story, but decided to save it for another time.
Curling up into a ball, with her head resting on his chest, Caroline asked “Sloane?”
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