Chapter 18 | Cora

Chapter 18

Cora

C LANG CLANG! CLANG CLANG!

The sound of the chapel bells woke Cora from a fitful sleep. Cillian jerked up and out of bed before Cora could even wipe the sleep from her eyes. By the time she’d swung her legs out of the bed and lit a candle, he’d already crossed the room to their one window.

“Cillian? What is it?”

He shushed her, peering through the window into the dark. Cora padded behind him, squinting to see anything. There, in the distance, specks of light by the tree line.

“Something’s wrong,” he murmured.

“How can you tell?”

He pointed down, eyes still glued to the window. “The guards are gathering in the courtyard already. They’re armed.”

“Oh God. You don’t think—it couldn’t be the English, could it? They’re meant to be days away!”

Cillian finally looked away from the window, his expression grim. “Could have been a mistake. Could have been a forged message from the scout. But aye, it’s them.”

“What should we do?”

Cillian glared at her as he bent to pull on his boots. “ We will do nothing. I’ll go out and join the others. Edwin’s a fool to attack at night. He probably thought he’d have the upper hand if the castle guards were asleep, but the luchthonn kill just as well in darkness as in light.”

“But Cillian, I can—”

“NO!” He roared, the sound echoing in the rafters above them.

She opened her mouth to protest but snapped it closed so fast her teeth clicked when he grabbed her shoulder. He snarled, his dark eyes bright even in the darkness. It had been a long time since she’d feared Cillian, but with candlelight throwing shadows across his face, he was truly frightening.

“You’ll stay here. You’ll hide under the fucking bed if you must. You will not leave this room under any circumstances! If I find out you did, I’ll turn your arse so red you won’t be able to sit for a month. Do you understand me?”

She said nothing, only answered his glare with one of her own.

Cillian shook her, the pressure on her arm almost painful. “Cora! Do you understand?”

Cora wanted to shout. Wanted to tear her arm away and slap him for being such a beast.

But there was no time. Even she could hear the shouts from the courtyard below.

They would need him.

She nodded slowly. “Yes. I understand.”

He stared at her for a moment more, then yanked her into his arms. His kiss was hard and rough, as animalistic as it was passionate. He’d never kissed her like that before, like he was trying to devour her whole... or memorize her. The thought made her want to howl with rage.

She cupped his cheeks and pulled back enough to look into his eyes. “Remember, you promised to come back.”

He nodded solemnly and kissed her once more.

And then he walked away. Marched out the door and slammed it behind him without a single look back.