LITMIR.BIZ

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of our special beauties once you’re well enough to walk about. Now, can I get you anything? Something to drink or eat?”

      Kathryn was suddenly famished and, she realized, extremely thirsty. She nodded eagerly, hoping this was a good sign that she was getting better.

      “Yes. I would love something to eat. But I’m sure I can come with you—”

      A sharp staying hand had her sitting back in the bed and pulling covers up against her chest. There was a stern no-nonsense feel to the action that so reminded her of her mother. And even though she had been wife and mother for their household for three years now, she was surprised how readily she wanted to give over that power to someone else. If only for a little while.

      “You’re not to get up unless the doctor says you can. He should be here shortly to check on you. Do you promise me to listen to all that he tells you to do or not do? I am relieved to see you lucid at last and I would hate for us to lose hard-earned ground because we didn’t follow the rules.”

      “I promise to do exactly what he says. Only…can I have a phone? I need to call my dad. I need to make sure they are all right.”

      “I tell you what. I’ll send Adrian out to check on your family. You can call them in a day or two when you’re stronger. I don’t want you getting all upset or excited.”

      “But—”

      “It’s only a day or two more. And Adrian will check on them to make certain all is well. Tell me where they live.”

      Kathryn did so with haste, but she still didn’t see why she couldn’t just call for herself. Would anyone even answer? Were they even alive? She couldn’t simply sit there waiting and resting while she didn’t know if they were safe!

      “You see? Just talking about it has you flushed and your heart racing. Imagine if the news weren’t good, how you would react.” Aerlyn tried to smile kindly at her, knowing very well that there would be no rest for this girl until she had spoken to her family or knew what had become of them. “You must behave yourself if you are to get well.”

      “I’m sorry,” Kathryn said absently.

      But in truth, Kathryn was ecstatic with relief that she was here, in this place, being a trouble to this kind woman, rather than being in trouble in a gilded hell with a monster who wanted to keep her there forever. A monster who wanted to relish the corruption of the beauty he saw in her.

      “Don’t worry yourself so much,” the kindly woman urged when she saw the upsetting memories reflecting on Kathryn’s face.

      “It’s okay. I”—she pressed fingers to her forehead—“I am just remembering some of the awful things I was…um…imagining while I was ill. It seemed so real that…all of this now seems like a dream.”

      “Nightmares are quite common with a fever. The memory will pass,” she promised, giving Kathryn’s hand a comforting pat. “Now, for introductions. My name is Aerlyn Winston. My brother, Adrian, and I own this home and the land around it. As you can no doubt tell from my accent, we were not born here. But we like it here well enough. And you are?”

      “Kathryn. Macdonough.”

      “Now then, Kathryn, I’m going to send my brother out to your family while I make you something to eat. You rest,” she reiterated sternly.

      Aerlyn then swept through the door with her perfectly elegant posture and Kathryn doubted she’d ever once seen the inside of a kitchen. She seemed too refined and far too wealthy to waste time and her beautiful skin on tuna fish sandwiches and dish soap.

      But Kathryn did take note of one very important detail.

      She’d left the door open.

      Just a crack, but it was open. Not locked.

      Kathryn couldn’t help herself. She crept out of bed, wincing when her steps made the floor creak. She made it to the door and realized that she was utterly exhausted by the trip. It lent credence to the claims that she had, indeed, been ill. Just the same, though, she peeked out the door and into a hallway. She could see stairs nearby. There was no one about. No toady-looking little men, no huge frightening ones either. She was tempted to find the front door and walk out, just to prove she could, but her legs were beginning to shake. She hurried back to the bed, but before she climbed in she heard loud voices. A woman calling out.

      “Adrian!”

      Kathryn hurried to her window and quickly pulled it open. It was a brisk, cool day, but she didn’t care. What she did care about was the huge amount of land she saw, the enormous paddocks and meadows all boasting the most beautiful horses with their brilliant gleaming coats. Not too far off there was a dust trail being kicked up, a horse and rider turned to race toward the house.

      They were a magnificent thing to behold. The large man in the saddle leaning close to the horse’s neck and the shining, rippling muscle of a well-made beast. Actually, she thought as he came close enough for her to see him in better detail, he was a well-made beast as well. A very big man, but not as big as the creature she had encountered. She shivered, glad to think it had just been a dream.

      He reached the back of the house and dismounted to speak to his sister, holding the horse with one hand and using his hat to smack dust off himself with the other. He had long, black hair, settled into curls similar to his sister’s, and it was caught in a rather full ponytail at the nape of his strong neck. He was taller than her by almost a full head, and he was roped with thick and powerful muscle. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she could hear how deep his voice was. Then, suddenly, he looked up at her window and she gasped and ducked back without even understanding why. In that brief instant, though, she’d seen his handsome face and the very grimly serious expression on it. She had seen the chiseled definition of his features even from this vantage point. He was stunning and remarkably good-looking. Well, in a dark sort of fashion. But very striking just the same.

      After a moment she dared to peek back around through the window. His attention was back on his conversation with his sister. She took advantage of the situation to slowly run her eyes over him. He had fine broad shoulders; his close-fitting clothes enhanced their shape and width as well as the defined curve of his very masculine chest. His waist and hips were quite lean, flowing into the strongest, sturdiest legs she had ever seen on a man. Damn, but he was far too striking for his own good. Or maybe for her own good, she amended her thoughts as she smiled.

      She did notice that never once in the conversation did he smile. It looked as though he was more likely to frown than anything. She wondered why that was. Then, with remarkable speed, he was mounting the horse and reeling away from his sister. But before he went he looked back up at Kathryn. His expression was inscrutable, but it left her with the impression that he was not very happy she was there.

      Of course she was just guessing, she thought as horse and rider raced off away from the house. Her heart went with him, for she knew that he was going to see her family…or at least find out what had become of them.

      Please let it be good news, she thought. It was all she could think. The alternative was unacceptable, and her mind rejected the images that were stirred up by the negative thoughts. No, she thought, it was completely unacceptable.

      Nervous and weary, she abandoned the window and returned to her bed.

      Aerlyn sighed and looked over at her brother. Each had entered Kathryn’s dreaming state from their own mirror portal and together they were orchestrating the world she had “awakened” to. It was difficult for Adrian because he was so tempted by his darker side and more used to conducting people’s innermost nightmares, but at the same time it was giving him a break from all of that and his sister could see it was settling him. When Aerlyn had insisted they would need to return Kathryn to her life, he had been torn between his greed for this beautiful thing he wanted and his fear of it. When Adrian had explained what had happened, she had been just as puzzled as he was by his reactions of agonizing pain. Neither could explain it. Adrian’s sister had often been kind to him—in fact, tried to keep him in balance with her goodness

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