Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

" W ell?" Kaden barked again, for the courtesan still hadn't answered him.

He walked toward her, at which point she backed up, dropping his stuff and flattening her back against the wall.

"The irony," he muttered, coming to a stop in front of her. "Ye are the one looking at me in fear."

"Let me out of here."

"Ye wanted in." He held his arms open wide. "So, ye are inside. Ye have what ye want. By the looks of things, ye have searched every part of me chamber. What is it ye are looking fer?"

She didn't answer him. She darted to the side, her chin lifted high. She had to scramble over one of the settle benches pushed against the wall to escape him. She rounded it, then a table too, on which he had a decanter of whisky and two glasses placed. She put the table between them, as some sort of shield.

"What is it ye want!?" he roared at her, planting his hands down on the table and making the decanter shudder.

"Like ye dinnae ken," she said, her voice now hissing. He had already noted it was quite husky and deep. There was something honey-like in that voice. He had to shake off any nice thoughts about it.

"I dinnae ken. Otherwise, why would I be shouting it at ye?" he spat back.

"Ye must have expected vengeance someday." She circled the table as he went the other way. It was some strange sort of cat and mouse game. He wasn't really sure which one of them was chasing the other. He didn't doubt she wanted the key from him so she could escape, but she probably was wary of coming too close after what she had already done.

"Vengeance fer what? Because I dinnae remember robbing anyone's chamber before." He waved a hand at his room. "Did ye find whatever it was ye were looking fer?"

"Maybe I did."

"Dinnae bother." He scoffed. "Clearly ye didnae find it, or ye wouldnae have continued looking."

"Let me out."

"Nay."

They both came to a stop on opposite sides of the table.

There was nothing innocent in this woman's appearance now. She was full of fire, spirit and resilience. Most women would have cowed at him shouting at them in that way, but not her. Whoever she was, she was made of steel beneath that pretty face.

"Ye ken ye are nae escaping this castle until I get some answers."

"I am nae yer prisoner!"

"Ye are now." He leaned across the table. "Attacking a laird, ooh, that will carry a heavy penalty."

"And what would yer people say when I reveal ye were attempting tae sleep with a courtesan? I dinnae imagine that would go down well with a lot of yer people. Imagine the tacksmen's responses. And what would the ladies say." She put upon a mock grimace, as fine a performance as any actress on the stage. "Ye will let me go if ye dinnae want people tae hear that."

Then it hit him, all at once as he looked at Elara.

"Ye are nay courtesan."

Her eyebrows lifted minutely, as if she was trying to hide her shock, but she wasn't fast enough to do so.

"Look at ye." He continued to moving around the table again, faster this time, as she raced the other way. "Aye, ye are half spilling out of that gown –"

"Hey!" she said in an annoyed tone, though he didn't bother to even pause and just pushed on.

"Yet the skirt is in place, is it nae? A lot of courtesans have slits up tae their hips, so punters ken exactly what they're getting for their price. Courtesans also dinnae need tae drug their customers. Most are already too drunk tae perform in the bedchamber."

"Enough of this."

"And another thing," he pushed on, catching up with her now around the table. He managed to slam his hands down onto the table on either side of her, not touching her, but leaning toward her with menace as she leaned back. "Ye dinnae look like a courtesan or speak like one–"

"What in the wee man's name does that mean?"

"It means…" He leaned toward her, an inch closer. "Ye are nae a courtesan." Their noses were nearly touching now. He couldn't help it. His eyes flitted down to her lips, remembering the fierce way she had kissed him back against the door in that inn. "When I first kissed ye as well, ye were surprised. Nay courtesan would have been."

"Who I am doesnae matter," she said with fire. She pushed him firmly in the chest, forcing him to lean away though he did not release the table, meaning she was still trapped. In the next second, she pulled herself back across the table and stood upon it, nearly kicking over the decanter in her haste. He caught it just before it could fall off the table.

"Dae ye intend tae destroy me whole chamber?"

"Maybe I dae." She purposely kicked away one of the glasses and he caught that in a fuddle too. He had just managed to put them both down on the table when she danced out of his reach, across the other side of the table.

"Give me yer name!" he snapped at her. At if he had her name, he understand better who she was. This was clearly a personal matter, not political. Why else would she put herself in such danger, risking being alone with him? For all she knew, he could have been a monster.

"Ye should be able to guess it," she spat back. "Ye must have been waiting fer this. Must have expected that someday, someone would come tae take vengeance fer what ye did."

"What the hell did I ever dae tae ye?" he raged, matching her volume.

She scoffed and jumped down off the table on the other side. He raced to catch up with her again. This time, she actually yelped and ran away from him. She ended up falling against his bedpost, clinging behind her with both hands. He stopped in front of her, once again pinning her in place, not by touching her, but by placing his hands above her on the post, his legs wide. She would have to push hard to escape past him now.

"What is it ye want from me!?"

"Let me go tae yer study and I'll leave."

"Me study?" Clearly, whatever she wanted she had not found there. She was looking for other rooms now. "Are ye mad?"

"Let me see it, then I will be gone out of yer life forever."

"Aye, sure, I believe that. After storming intae me life so violently." He gestured toward his head. She scoffed. When he leaned an inch toward her, he saw the fear. She even glanced over her shoulder at the bed. "Dinnae dae that," he whispered, the words escaping him fast. "I am nay demon. Dae ye honestly think that I would dae that tae a lass? That I would force her tae…" He couldn't even say the words.

"Ye have me locked in yer chamber. I am backed against yer bed," she countered.

"Any lass I take tae bed wants tae be there, and I dinnae leave her until she is shouting me name in pleasure, nae rage." He released the post and stepped back. "Ye have nothing tae fear from me in that regard. Only wrath fer me badge being stolen."

She scrambled into her pocket. She pulled out the badge and threw it at him. He caught it in a kerfuffle, searching the bronze to make sure it wasn't marked in anyway. Sighing with relief, he returned it to his shirt.

When he lifted his head to meet her eye, he had to work hard to decipher her expression. The fear was still there, but now there was a curiosity too as she watched him fumble with the badge.

"I'm nae doing this. I refuse." He turned away and faced the table, leaning upon it for strength. As his eyes landed on the whisky decanter, an idea occurred to him. He poured out a whisky for himself, hesitated, then poured out a second one too. He checked for any mirror or window nearby, but there were none, leaving him with his back turned to tip what remained of the vial she had tried to drug him with earlier, into the second glass. "There," he said, waving a hand haphazardly to the glass and picking his own up to drink. He hoped to make it appear that he didn't really care if she drank or not.

"What's that fer?" she asked.

"Fer us to cool off." He walked away from the table and sat down on the settle bench, sipping his drink. She was clearly alarmed at this sudden turn of pace.

"Ye wish me tae share a drink with ye?"

"Dae what ye like," he said, still angry, but coolly now. He rubbed the back of his sore head where she had hit him. "I ken ye arenae after me death. I'd be dead if ye were."

Something of a smirk crossed her lips as she moved to the table, staring down into the glass, clearly considering it.

Drink, lass. Drink!

He needed time. He had to talk to Marcus, form a plan, and the only way he was going to stop her from ransacking his chamber any further whilst he found that time was to turn the tables. He would use on her what she intended to use on him.

"Ye blame me fer something," he said thoughtfully. "Has some act I've done as laird hurt ye or yer kin?"

She scoffed and reached for the glass. She toyed with it but didn't pick it up.

"Nay then," he deduced from that sound. "Then… whatever I did tae hurt ye, happened years ago. I dinnae recognize ye, so we havenae crossed paths before. It's nae an affair of the heart."

"Dinnae think so much of yerself," she warned, eyeing him with a glower. "Me heart would never be injured by ye."

"Well…" He smirked as he remembered something. "Ye kissed me back tonight, lass. So ye arenae impervious tae me."

"It was an act."

"A convincing one. Very convincing." He had to hand it to her. She had been good. "I still think ye meant something in that kiss."

She scoffed again and turned away, this time taking the glass with her. She knocked it back to her lips. Kaden fought the longing to smile as he saw her drink.

"What is it then?" he said, trying to still seem focused on his point. "Fer what reason did ye attack me tonight and are ye searching me rooms? If I injured ye, but ye are searching fer something, then ye want proof of something."

She turned back to face him sharply, her cheeks pinkening to the color of a beetroot.

"Ah, that's it, isnae it?" he asked, leaning forward and gesturing to her with the whisky glass. "Ye think ye'll find evidence of something tae condemn me in these rooms. Why else search fer something physical? The question is… what are ye looking fer?"

She didn't answer and knocked more of the whisky back. She had nearly drunk the full glass now. He took a sip of his own whisky, masking his wish to smile.

"Ye put on a good act, ye ken," he said, determined to keep her talking so she would not realize too quickly what was happening. "There was an innocence about ye when ye tried tae seduce me tonight."

"Tried? Pah! I succeeded, didnae I?" she countered, whipping around to face him again. "I got ye intae that chamber. Dinnae believe the appearance of innocence. It's nay true window intae a man's heart. Ye should ken that."

The cruel words were telling. He watched her, cocking his head to the side.

This is all coming from a place of great pain.

He realized that after all, there was an innocence about her. She had not hurt him greatly, as she had been given the power to do. Whatever her vengeance was, it wasn't malicious or brutal.

"There's more tae ye, lass. More than meets the eye."

She avoided looking at him now as she rubbed her brow. She rubbed her eyes too.

"Feeling sleepy?" he asked.

"Nay." She put down the glass on the table. "Let me out of here. If ye say ye'd never done anything bad, let me search yer study."

"Ye must be a fool if ye think I would allow that."

"Then ye acknowledge ye have something tae hide?" she pointed out.

"Nay. I simply dinnae let strange lasses search me castle like mice hunting fer cheese."

"Ye're calling me a mouse now?"

"Ye dressed up like a courtesan tonight. Ye can hardly be afraid of insults." He still watched her intently. She rubbed her eyes again.

It's working.

"Maybe ye should sit down," he suggested.

"I dinnae need tae sit down. I just…" She tried to push herself off the table, then staggered back toward it. All at once, she must have realized what was happening. Those icy blue eye eyes widened starkly as she gazed at him. There was a beat of silence and understanding as he raised his eyebrows, then she searched the pocket of her gown. Evidently finding the vial was not there, her jaw slackened. "Ye demon."

"Sit down before ye fall down. One of us has already cracked our heads tonight. We dinnae need another injury."

"Ye–!" She stumbled to the side again, nearly falling off the table and managing to cut her own speech off.

Kaden leapt to his feet. He put his own drink down and raced to her, holding out his arms.

"Dinnae touch me," she ranted.

"Then sit down so I dinnae have tae catch ye when ye fall."

"I will nae fall. I'm… I'm…" But it was happening.

She had turned the color of a newborn lamb, pale and milky, all the blood draining from her face. She gasped, reaching a hand across the table for support, then she slipped sideways.

He couldn't let her hurt herself.

She could have taken me basilard and run me through with it. She didnae.

He caught he as she fell backwards, his arms coming up around her waist to make sure she didn't hurt herself. In one swift movement, he swept an arm under her legs, then carried her toward his bed. Her eyes were still open, but only just, they were mere slits now.

"Demon," she whispered, her voice meek, barely any power or fire in it at all now.

"Aye, aye, call me a demon," he murmured as he laid her gently down onto his bed. "Maybe in the morning, ye will tell me why."

With her head on the pillow, her eyes firmly closed. He lifted one of the wolf furs she had cast to the floor when searching his chamber and placed it gently over her.

"Sleep, lass."