Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 101336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
His warm breath drifted down across her cheek as his arm remained strong around her waist and he eased her to rest against him. With her head brushing his shoulder, she surmised he was taller than most men. He was more than ample size, his chest solid with muscles and his presence alone felt like he consumed the space around them.
“Trust me,” he whispered and in the next instant she was swept up into his arms.
She gasped and rushed to brace her hand on his chest for support. Iron. He was so muscular that his chest felt like iron even through his garments.
“Please put me down,” she pleaded, embarrassed and concerned to be in a man’s arms, “or the odor of this horrid cell will stain you as it does me.”
“Through no fault of yours,” he said and carried her out of the cell.
“I beg you, my lord, do not do this,” Brother Emanual said, scurrying behind him.
Sky was surprised upon hearing the man referred to as, my lord. Why would a noble bother to free her?
“Free the other prisoners,” the man commanded, harshness returning to his voice.
“They are not prisoners. They have a sickness in their heads and have been brought here for us to help them,” Brother Emanual attempted to explain.
The man swung around so fast to face the monk that Sky grew dizzy and had no choice but to rest her head on his shoulder. It further confirmed what she suspected. He was thick with muscle and that he carried her with no difficulty proved it even more. She was not petite like her sister Elsie nor as tall as her sister Leora. She was somewhere in between their heights. And she was not skinny with slight curves like Elsie or shapely like Leora, she was slim with soft curves as her mum used to say.
“Free them! NOW!”
His commanding shout had her raising her head off his chest as a shiver rushed through her.
His cheek brushed hers as he whispered, confirming once again, “I mean you no harm.”
The faint warmth of his breath and the strength of his tone sent another shiver through her, and she was not surprised to hear the familiar sound of a key turning in a lock. Brother Emanual was wasting no time in obeying the man’s command.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“All you need to know right now is that you are safe with me. On that you have my word.”
Safe. She had not felt safe since arriving here, and as far as the man’s word… many men gave their word when it suited them and honored it when it suited them or so Leora had warned her. She had had little contact with men and only knew what her sisters had to say about them, which was not always complimentary. So, until she could judge for herself how honorable this man was, trusting him would be difficult.
Cool air gently kissed her face once outside, and she yearned to open her eyes.
She was hesitant to speak, but she desperately wanted to know. “Is it day or night?”
“Day, and the sun is bright, so keep your eyes closed,” the man said.
She wished she could bask in the warmth of the sun and cast her eyes on the sunlight after spending so long in the dark. But the man was right about keeping her eyes closed for now, and so she did.
“Ross, make certain everyone is out of the abbey,” the man ordered.
“Aye, my lord.”
He walked a bit of a distance, keeping her tucked tightly in his arms. “You will wait under this tree until I return for you.”
As soon as Sky leaned back against the tree trunk, she sighed softly. She might not be home but being near woods, a place that brought her much comfort, felt as close to home as she had felt in weeks.
“Warriors guard you,” he said before he walked away.
Sky’s fear rumbled through her stomach. Who were these warriors, and why did she need guarding? Not mercenaries she assumed since their leader was referred to as my lord. Unless—she shivered. Elsie had agreed to wed a warrior, Cavell, who had recently left the Gallowglass, an elite group of noble mercenary warriors infamous for their fighting skills and fierceness, choosing death rather than surrender to the enemy. Elsie and Leora had traveled with her to the monastery, where they had been told Cavell would be waiting for her, but that was not what happened. And she wondered who was responsible for the lie.
Had Elsie found Cavell, and had he sent a friend with his troop of warriors to rescue her? If so, she would be on her way home soon. It would also mean that the man had been informed about her affliction and there would be no need for worry.