Chapter 31

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

“ N ightshade,” Reuben ground out, glaring from one brother to the next, his hate-filled eyes stopping on Morgan.

Blood pounded in Morgan’s temples as he froze in place.

“A little at a time just makes you more… susceptible. All of it though… I am told it is quite a painful, horrible way to die,” Morgan’s body flinched as Reuben held fast to Helena. “Much more than this spoiled brat deserves.”

“The authorities are already on their way,” Ezra said, his deep voice a slick promise of death. “We instructed our driver to fetch them as soon as we got here. There is no walking away from this.”

“Let her go,” Ambrose pleaded, his hands outstretched towards his sister. “She has nothing to do with this.”

“Your fathers owed me a fortune. Luke was to use her to get into your business deals and corrupt them from within so that we could make him look like your savior. He was supposed to take your money and come to me. Then it would have been done,” Reuben stated.

Morgan stayed silent, watching Reuben warily as he waited for his opportunity.

“That’s between you and us, not Helena,” Ambrose insisted. “She is innocent, let her go!”

Reuben chuckled wickedly as he shook his head.

“Innocent? Hardly. She has been sneaking out at night, meeting this fool. He has taken her to the Devil’s Masquerade, you know. I heard they put on quite a show.”

For the first time since the evening had begun, Morgan lost focus. He felt Ambrose’s look of pure betrayal bore into him, felt his own shame slash through him as though he were a flimsy sheet of paper. He had promised Helena that her secrets were safe with him but, all the while, someone had been watching them. His eyes once again focused on Helena and Helena alone, silently begging her for forgiveness.

“I thought it was perfect,” Reuben went on. “Thought that at least Luke would finally have a little fun. She is so prim and proper during the day, but my, after how she… opened up for your friend here, I thought Luke could also have his way with her. But do you know what he told me? He said she was as cold as ice and as fearful of the bed as any other maiden. As a father I felt badly for my son, so I gave him this to use, but she was too strong-willed to fall under its full influence.”

Reuben then pulled the bottle of nightshade from Helena’s lips and forced her to look up at him.

“If my son was unable to break you, I was ready to embrace the challenge,” he whispered wickedly, bringing her face close to his.

Morgan felt his rage flare into white-hot flames before it pinpointed its intended target. He flew forward as he unsheathed his dagger. Like a dancer, he dipped under Reuben’s arm, slashing the wrist of the hand that held the nightshade. A roar of pain blasted from Reuben, directly into Helena’s ear as his hand unclenched the bottle of poison.

Predicting that Reuben would reflexively pull Helena closer to him, Morgan switched his dagger to his other hand and delivered a deep, severing slash to the tendons of his right thigh. As the nerves freed from their restraints, Reuben immediately released his hold on Helena, and Morgan caught her.

From behind him, Ezra, Duncan and Ambrose rushed forward, fists flying into Reuben as he struggled to stay on his knees, his hand pressed against his bleeding thigh.

“Look at me,” Morgan commanded, letting his dagger tumble out of his hand as he took Helena away from the beating. He knelt down a few feet away, both arms wrapped around her as his hands searched her body for injuries.

“Are you hurt?”

Helena obeyed his command and looked at him. Morgan choked on a sob as he saw the relief and adoration in her eyes.

“No, I-I think I am all right,” she replied, her voice gentle, as though she was trying to comfort him.

“Did you swallow anything from the bottle?” Morgan asked, his heart twinging with pain as his fingers passed gently over her bruised neck and jaw.

Helena shook her head. “No, I do not think so.”

Morgan felt relief explode in his chest, and he pulled her to him as he burrowed his face into her neck.

“Thank God,” he whispered, his lips pressing against the thrumming pulse in her throat.

“I thought, I thought…”

“You killed him,” Luke groaned from behind them, his voice full of raw pain.

Morgan turned at once, noting the pale, bruised, unmoving body of Reuben on the floor.

Not yet.

Morgan watched the subtle rise and fall of the man’s chest. Reuben would die if a doctor did not come soon to patch up his wounds.

“Stay where you are,” Morgan heard Ezra warn as his ears also picked up the sound of metal gliding against the bare floor.

Morgan rose from his knees just as Luke lunged towards him with his own dagger, but he caught Luke’s clasped hands just as they were about to sink the blade into his chest. Morgan pushed him forward, overtaking Luke easily due to his broken fingers, and pried the dagger from his hands. Before it could fall to the ground, Luke freed his good hand and caught it, plunging it into Morgan’s side.

Pain bloomed from the wound like an explosion as Morgan heard a fearful, piercing scream fill his ears. His vision brightened, throbbed and blurred as he took a struggling step back, glaring at Luke with surprise.

Luke looked as surprised as Morgan, seemingly unable to believe he had actually done it, when Helena suddenly stepped between the two men.

Morgan reached for her as he staggered backward, only able to brush her hair with his fingertips before he saw her small body fly into Luke’s. As Morgan went down, so did Luke, who stumbled backwards into the edge of a chair. He continued to fall backwards and struck the back of his head on the edge of the table with a resounding crack .

“Helena,” Morgan called, the room swirling with darkness as he searched for her. Where was she? Where was the dagger?

“ Helena ,” he roared, fear overtaking him.

“I am here,” Helena gasped, her voice trembling as she suddenly appeared above him, her hands pressing tightly into his wound. “I am here.”

Relief began to seep through the fear and pain that soared through Morgan’s body. The room was suddenly filled with the noise and chaos of the arriving officers. Pain stabbed, hotter and brighter into his side again, and he winced as another wave of exhaustion swept through him. He could vaguely hear her whispers of assurance as he began to go under, and his heart stumbled in his chest. He was supposed to protect her, yet she had protected him.

“I am sorry I failed you,” Morgan murmured, summoning the rest of his strength to reach for her cheek.

“You did not, Morgan,” Helena sobbed, pressing his hand tightly between her cheek and shoulder.

But, as he lost consciousness, he knew he had not saved her from anything.