Free Highland Shadows (Beautiful Darkness Series Book 1) by Lily Baldwin Page A

her ears pricked and her heart sank.
    The baying of wolves echoed in the night. She stumbled to her window and pulled back the tapestry. Their keening wails filled her room. She fought for control, her back rigid, her neck and face straining to resist, but the power was too great. Pain ripped through her tortured limbs, spreading like wildfire, melting the last of her will.
     
    ~ * ~
     
    Alex sat alone with Jamie in the great hall.
    “Has anyone heard from Murdock?” he asked
    Jamie shook his head. “Not yet. We were the last to see him just before entering Dun Brae.” He took a long draught of ale. “Now ‘tis your turn. Has the Lady Cora come out?”
    “I tried to speak with her this morning, but she refused me. I’m baffled,” he confessed, shaking his head. “There were moments we shared before coming here…” He searched for the right words. “Somehow she was in me, soul deep. And now...” He shook his head. “She is a stranger hiding from me.”
    “Not just from ye,” Jamie said pointedly. “She hides from the world.”
    Alex nodded, refilling his drink. He stood and downed the contents of his mug. “This ends tonight. Keep everyone away. No one is to pass beyond the great hall.” He squared his shoulders and eyed the wide, stone stairwell. “If I must break down her door, then so be it. We will speak tonight.” His gaze shifted back to Jamie whose lips had upturned in a smile.
    “Dare laugh at my expense and I will beat ye from these halls.”
    Jamie threw his head back, laughing out loud. “Your might could send me soaring across the room with one blow, but your conscience would never let ye. I will see ye back here in a few minutes. She’ll not open the door to ye, and ye’ll not force her. I’ll just await your return and help ye drown your defeat.”
    Alex scowled. “Thank ye for bolstering my confidence. Ye’re a real friend.”
    Jamie raised his cup. “Ye can always count on the truth from me.”
    When Alex mounted the last step, he proceeded slowly down the hall. Torch fire lit his way, illuminating the door behind which hid his bride of five weeks. Although they had shared precious few moments together, they had been the most exhilarating he had ever known. Jamie was right. He would never force her to comply with his will. He resolved then to ease her from her hiding. He knew he needed to gain her trust—his mother’s words returned to him—all living creatures desire love and respect—he just had to have faith. She needed to know that whatever ill she faced, she did not do so alone, not anymore.
    He froze. A strange noised had emanated from beyond the closed door. He held his breath and listened—muffled, restrained, but unmistakable a cry of pain. He thundered down the hall and grabbed the handle on the door, but it didn’t budge.
    “Cora,” he shouted. “Cora!”
    She did not respond. He pressed his ear against the door and heard a strange snapping sound that reminded him of bones cracking. Then she whimpered.
    “God above, Cora, let me in!”
    “Go away,” she shouted.
    A cry of such agony came from behind the door. She was not lamenting her life. She was fighting for it. The sound gripped his heart with fear, forcing his hand. His fist beat against the wood. Again she screamed. “Cora,” he shouted. He drew back, then charged forward, ramming his shoulder into the door. Over and over again, he hammered his body into the wood.
    “Damnation,” he shouted as he raced back the way he’d come, calling for Jamie in the great hall.
    “What is it?” Jamie said, breathing hard.
    Alex bolted back around and thundered toward the door, throwing himself against it.
    Jamie’s eyes grew wide. “What are ye doing? Have ye gone mad? I only jested earlier. If ye break her door down, she’ll never learn to trust ye.”
    “Shut up,” Alex shouted, grabbing Jamie by the shoulders. “Someone is in there. Someone is killing her!”
    A low growl resonated from behind