Chapter 25

Chapter

Twenty-Five

Battle Tested: Surviving and Thriving In Tough Times

From A Beginner's Guide to Berserker Bliss

Author Unknown

T ears of frustration seared my eyes as I frantically patted the walls, desperate to find a symbol. All I discovered were tiny grooves here and there.

After hours without success, I sank to the floor and drew my knees to my chest, distraught. What was I going to do?

Though I'd threatened Callen with my hatred, I couldn't quite bring myself to blame him for my predicament. I'd decided to trust him a little too late, and this was the result. No doubt Tavish had sent him those pictures, if not directly, then through his mole or some other avenue. Payback for my unwillingness to play ball.

Actually, I bet Tavish had planned to send the pictures all along, even if I'd acted as he'd commanded. Perhaps it was the reason he'd aided Isobel. That's what men of his ilk did. Schemed, lied and betrayed, wreaking havoc.

A wave of despair threatened to drown me. Even if Callen apologized for his actions today, wewere done. And that wasn't just my hurt talking. It wasn't! I might understand why he'd locked me up, but I no longer desired to be part of his world. I only wished to go home to my family and forget.

I sniffled, fighting tears. Deep breath in. Out. In. Out. As I steadied internally, I rotated the wedding ring around the base of my finger. I refused to be stuck here. Like Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy, I would try and try again until I succeeded. There had to be a way. Callen had opened the secret doors with his scar. Did one symbol summon another? An idea bloomed.

Energized, I rifled through the basket of snacks and waters, hoping against hope to find what I needed. Alas. Nothing proved strong or sharp enough. I scanned the room. No little rocks had fallen to the floor.

My wedding ring glinted in the light, snagging my attention. I nibbled on my bottom lip. Maybe… With a tug, I slid the jewelry from my finger and worked to remove the diamond. Required some banging, but the gemstone finally slipped from its anchor, freeing the metal prongs. They weren't exactly sharp, but they were certainly strong. They'd have to do.

Not giving myself time to back out of the plan, I stabbed a prong into the heel of my palm. Hard. Harder. Pain shot up my arm when the skin broke, and my vision momentarily blurred. But stop? No. As blood welled, I got to carving.

Twice, I almost passed out. The entire time, nausea churned in my stomach and sweat dripped from my nape. But still I didn't quit. This was a matter of life and death. I pressed through the agony and completed the sequence of circles.

Crimson trickled from the wound as I clambered to my feet andstumbled toward the wall where I'd entered. I flattened my wound here and there, leaving crimson smears until—yes! My symbol aligned with tiny grooves, and the door opened.

Heart galloping, I raced into the hall. Oh, thank goodness! No guards.

I retraced Callen's path, pausing to lean my ear to the wall and listen for voices. There must be other unguarded doors on these lower floors. If I entered a room unnoticed, I had a shot of getting outside. Once there, I could figure out the rest.

To my dismay, a door opened roughly ten feet ahead. I went still, not daring to breathe. But it wasn't Callen who stepped into the corridor—it was me, Elizabeth Darcy.

"Isobel," I hissed, my hands balling.

There my body stood. The curves I'd missed. The wavy dark hair I'd debated cutting before making my trip. The round dark eyes and full lips I was no longer used to seeing in the mirror. Shock kept me immobile.

"Hello, Elizabeth." Clad in my travel clothes, she smiled, radiating glee. My dad's coin hung from her neck, and I whimpered with longing. "As of this morning, Isobel's soul is dead. I'm Sorcha."

My brow furrowed, the announcement echoing in my mind. No. No way she was Mirren's mother and Callen's beloved girlfriend, Sorcha. Isobel wasn't dead. This woman was Isobel, and she was right here, attempting to escape punishment.

"I don't believe you," I grated .

"I don't care," she retorted, arms spread. "Isobel switched with you. Today, I switched with her. That's the truth whether you believe it or not."

Impossible. "Tavish killed Sorcha. Cut her up and mailed Callen the pieces."

"Nay. While I lived with Callen as myself, one of my maids fed me the potion. I woke up as her, and she woke up in Callen's arms." Bitterness seeped from her pores. "She'd fallen in love with him, you see. But the joke was on her. Tavish abducted my body with her in it. She died in agony before I could switch back."

I reeled as I filled in the blanks. "And you kept quiet to avoid execution." Something I, too, had done. Flattening a hand to my belly, I asked, "If what you're saying is true, why are you telling me now?"

Her smile made a new appearance. "You aren't a bad person. I've actually enjoyed getting to know you. And I'm appreciative of your kindness to my daughter. I just, I want you to understand why I did what I did. Why I'm doing what I'm doing."

I gulped. Did she intend to kill me? "Where have you been since it all went down?" I asked, trying to buy time while arranging the jigsaw puzzle of information and events scrambling my brain.

"Here." She stroked her hand over the hilt of a blade hanging at her side. "At first, I tried to seduce Callen. He fired me. To get back in, I was forced to make an exchange with Mackenzie. She died in the other maid's body soon after."

Mackenzie. Of course. So many things became clear. The maid's concern for her boss's little girl. Her willingness to speak with me when no one else would. Except, "How did you lure Isobel back to Scotland?" A trip she'd made without telling me.

"Isobel never left Scotland."

I shook my head. "You're lying. I saw pictures of her with my mother."

"Aye, you did." She gave me a get-with-the-program look. "You saw doctored photos, just as Callen did."

No. No! "If you were Sorcha, you would've switched with Isobel before she switched with me. Or you would have switched with me." I would've become Mackenzie, the trapped servant. She'd had plenty of opportunities to do it, but never had.

"You think I wished to bear his wrath?" Her dark eyes gleamed with a hint of madness. "Nay, I allowed you to burn through the worst of his hatred. And just in case you haven't put all the pieces of my big reveal together, I'll be taking over, now that he's happy with his bride, whether I like you or not."

How weird it was seeing myself resemble an evil villainess in a cartoon. "I assure you, he's far from happy at the moment."

"Oh. That." She waved a dismissive hand. "His mood is about to take a drastic turn for the better."

"Why?" I demanded.

She ignored me. "While you were busy wedding Callen, I was busy hiding Isobel. She believed she and Tavish had cooked up a plan to drain Callen of his money. This morning, I took over your body, she got trapped in Mackenzie's, and Tavish killed her," she explained, withdrawing a ring from her pocket and slipping the band over her index finger. A thin spike protruded from the center.

That sharp spike would have worried me, ifher words hadn't echoed inside my head. I was the one who'd wed Callen. Me, Elizabeth Darcy. We were married.

Astonishment caught me up in a whirlwind. I should have known. The timing tracked. The dreams. But I'd resisted the truth, not yet ready to face the complications. Now…

Comprehending I was the one who'd spoken vows to him, that he'd spoken vows to me…this changed everything.

Sorcha clocked my reaction and cooed, "Don't think you get to keephim. Just be glad we texted your matchmaking momma pictures of your adventures, keeping her up to date on your romance with Tavish. She's worried you're about to throw away your career for a passing fancy, but I've almost got her convinced you're living your best life."

I ground my teeth. Hello, mole. "You are working with Tavish, even though he cut up your original body."

"I am." She stroked the hilt of the blade again. "But don't worry. He'll be suffering a tragic end soon enough."

Was I supposed to suffer my own tragic end after we switched? Tension coiled around me, blocking every other emotion. Keep her talking . Think! "Does Gavina know you're alive?"How could these two be related?

"Don't be silly. You've met her. Do you truly believe she's capable of keeping a secret?" Sorcha looked me over. Deciding where to strike?

I held out my hands to ward her off. "Why are you doing this? You don't love Callen." She couldn't.

She took a step closer. "I birthed his only child, yet he refused to wed me. No matter who I've been, he's never seen me. Never chosen me. He longed for only her . The fated one. No, I don't love him. Not anymore. But I will have the life I'm due. While he's lived in luxury, I've toiled, all but forgotten. That changes today. I will be queen, a mother to my daughter, and finally seize control of my life."

Control? That's what this was about? "So you'll switch places with me and toss me in a grave with Isobel and Mackenzie." I laughed without humor. "Callen will know you aren't me. He still won't want you, and he'll never trust you. Not after you sent him those photos."

"This has been your problem from the beginning," she said, as if she felt sorry for me. "You've never seen the big picture. Soon, he'll realize those pictures were doctored and come running, eager to apologize."

Dang. Impressive move. "Let me guess. You'll live the life of your dreams."

"Exactly," she answered, unrepentant. "I'll help my adoring husband conquer our enemy, then I'll conquer my adoring husband, and no one will ever again take what's mine."

This horrifying travesty of justice must be stopped! "You think Tavish hasn't planned for your betrayal? Hasn't expected it?"

"You're suggesting I haven't planned for his plans?" She glanced over her shoulder, as if she'd heard a noise. Hope fought through the sludge of fear. Did guards approach?

I listened, but heard nothing. "Your overblown confidence could get Callen killed." He must be warned, he and his people saved from this madwoman. As I'd just discovered, ignorance was incredibly expensive. He may have locked me in a cell, but he was still my husband, and I didn't want his life ruined or taken away. "Tavish seeks your death, too. Probably prefers to do the deed in front of Callen. Why wouldn't he? You'll have served your purpose and be of no more use to him. "

"I told you. I can handle Tavish." She cast another glance over her shoulder. Expecting someone?

Wait, was she holding me here until Callen arrived so he would, what? See Elizabeth attack Isobel? Then Sorcha could make the final switch, and I, as Elizabeth again, would take the blame for it.

Adrenaline surged, and instinct bellowed, Fight! Don't hesitate. I didn't take time tothink things through. I launched into action, leaping her way and throwing a punch. Contact!

Sorcha stumbled, blood leaking from the corner of her mouth.With a growl, she lunged at me and swung. By some miracle, I blocked, avoiding the ring's spike. Would it inject the potion? A sedative? Both? All that mattered was taking her out. Despite the ache in my carved-up hand, I curled my fist and struck again.

We hurled at each other, punching, kicking and scratching. And yes, okay, I did my best not to damage my body too badly because I wanted it back. But my reluctance to leave a mark cost me. Sorcha landed more blows, sharp pains flaring and ebbing. Still, I avoided the ring.

If I overpowered her, I could escape and warn Callen. Prepare him. Would he believe me this time? Maybe she was right, and he would be filled with remorse and eager to please when he discovered the truth about those photos. Maybe my hurt had been leading me earlier, because I was pretty sure I could be won over with a good grovel.

"You shouldn't have hit me," she grated as we grappled. "I would've killed you quick."

"You would've tried."

She swiped at me, but I grabbed her wrist and wrenched the weapon from her grip. Before I could launch an attack, searing pain shot from my neck. She'd used my distraction to her advantage and finally pierced me with the ring's spike.

Weakness invaded my limbs, and my knees buckled. I crashed onto the floor. Heat engulfed every inch of me, so much worse than before. Despite being on my back, dizziness struck full force, but not before I caught a glint of a blade.

No! No, no, no. This wasn't the end. I wasn't ready to die, had toomuch to do. Needed another hug from my mother. To tell Mirren and Thora goodbye. To save Callen.

With fury warping her—my—features, Sorcha struck. Paralyzed by the drug, I could only brace myself, waiting for pain. Death. But…

Nothing.

She missed? I struggled to focus and realized she watched something over her shoulder. Another realization came. She waited for Callen. Wanted to be caught in the act of attempting to murder me. No way she'd risk losing the body she would soon inhabit.

I fought wave after wave of fatigue, darkness, and the shadows constricting my vision. The battle paid off! As she refocused on me, as if ready to deliver the blow, a huge presence whooshed up behind her. A man. He clasped her wrist, stopping her fake strike.

Callen.

My husband's face shimmered before me, his eyes alight with azure rings. A full berserkerage?

Don't fall asleep! Too late. The threatening darkness finally snared me in its irresistible web.