Chapter Five
I’d fallen asleep again after eating the simple meal of soup and bread that had been left on the table and then making up the bed with the blankets he’d mentioned. At first I thought about refusing to eat, but I’d changed my mind because I’d need all of my strength to fight against this dangerous male. I’d fight him with every ounce of my strength, then trust Garrett and Liam to protect the others from harm. If I just gave up and allowed him to take me, to rape me, I’d never forgive myself.
Terrified didn’t even begin to describe how I felt. I didn’t get off on pain and Kennet was capable of inflicting horrible injury with just a flick of his fingers. My one hope was that he wouldn’t do too much damage because in order to birth a child I needed to be healthy. Of course, I didn’t have to be sane and what he might do to me mentally was what worried me the most.
Before I’d eaten, I’d walked every foot of the rooms and felt every inch of the walls to look for some kind of hidden doorway, but it appeared that the only way in and out was through magic. I tried over and over to access the lines, but couldn’t seem to get past the block that Kennet had erected. I tried to send out thoughts to Garrett and Liam and Lord Caelen, but without the magic, I doubted anything could get through.
There was nothing to do, so I covered myself with a blanket and fell asleep.
I dreamed.
Liam was walking with Samson through the woods next to our house. He reached out to rest his slim hand on Samson’s head and suddenly they were travelling through the lines. I could feel and smell the magic like I was right there with them. I saw Liam’s expression change and he turned toward me. I tried to show him my room, which was all that I knew of where I was. I heard him say “We’ll find you” and then he was gone and I was waking up.
I tried to cling to the magic that had filled my dream, hoping to store a little of it inside of me to use later if I could. A small warm spot pulsed in my chest for just a moment before it faded.
I heard a sound and opened my eyes, then gasped when I saw a stranger standing by the table where my empty plate lay. He was about Ethan’s height, 5’10 or 11”, with an average build, and slightly wavy, light brown hair. His skin was tanned and unblemished and his face was pleasant-looking, although it held a slightly bored expression at the moment. Although most of his features were neither handsome nor ugly, his eyes set him apart from any other creature I’d yet come in contact with. For three long heartbeats his bright orange irises took me in, then with a simple blink, they turned an average brown.
He held up a hand and spoke in a soft, reassuring voice. “I won’t hurt you, healer. I’m only here to protect you.” He wore an outfit similar to Kennet’s: breeches, boots, a loose shirt and a belt, yet there was something alien about him in a way unlike the fae. They were of the earth and the sun. He was somehow not of this world.
“Are you my prison guard?” Although I was nervous, I couldn’t stop staring at him. He had a very distinct smell—not exactly unpleasant, just unfamiliar. In fact, I liked it better than Kennet’s rotten rodent smell. That’s what I called his odor, since I had no better analogy.
The stranger looked at me with a deep curiosity, his ennui forgotten.
“If you prefer that title, healer, you may use it.”
“What’s your name?”
His mouth turned up slightly at the corners. “I will not give you my true name, but you may call me Isaiah. You are Kennet’s lady, I’m told.”
“No. I have a lifemate and we’re sealed. I’ll never belong to Kennet.”
He smirked. “Dreams are good up to a point, my lady, but then reality tends to bite you in the ass.” He grinned at my surprised expression, his orange eyes flashing. This stranger, Isaiah, was more than a little scary, but also intriguing. He made a show of picking up the empty plate, holding it in front of him and grinning as it disappeared. Poof.
Okay, so I could play along. Plus, my curiosity was piqued. “So, Izzy, what exactly are you?” Anger flared in his eyes, but I plowed ahead, hoping to find out more about him and at the same time reach some kind of accord. “If I call you Isaiah, will you call me Jackie and not healer or Kennet’s lady?”
He mulled it over for a moment. “I will agree to call you Jackie when we are alone, but in front of Lord Kennet you are ‘My Lady’. In return, you must agree to call me Isaiah at all times.” This was obviously a sore point with him. “Do you accept?”
Huh. The game continued. “I agree to call you Isaiah until I get away from Kennet and then I can call you Izzy if I want.”
He smiled warmly, as if I’d amused him in a good way. “I agree, since it is unlikely that you will be leaving Kennet anytime soon.”
Despite his sour forecast, I found myself smiling back at him. “You don’t know me very well, Isaiah.”
Curiosity colored his expression as he tilted his head and sniffed the air, then walked over to the bed and extended his hand. “May I touch your hand, Jackie? I am curious. I swear on my honor I will not hurt you in any way.”
I shrugged and reached out toward his hand, shocked by how warm it felt, as if he were feverish. His fingers were wide and his knuckles large. He wore a silver ring with elaborate etchings on his index finger. He closed his eyes when he took my hand in his and breathed in very deeply. His sudden laughter shocked me.
“I wonder if Kennet knows what he has captured with his magic.” As he released my hand, he took a few steps back, almost as if he wanted a better view.
His strange words and reaction interested me. “Will you sit down, Isaiah, and keep me company?” He hesitated then sat in the middle of the small table rather than in a chair, crossing his legs like a pretzel. “What are you, Isaiah?” He certainly wasn’t from any supernatural group I’d ever come in contact with. He didn’t answer. I scowled and tried another question. “How did you come to work for a snake like Kennet?” Still nothing. I was getting annoyed, so I snapped out, “What made you laugh when you touched my hand?”
“I have no good reason to give you any information.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What would be a good reason?”
“Information is valuable.” He stared at me intently, his plain brown eyes glittering slightly.
I took the time to look more closely at my new companion. He was obviously powerful, because he could travel the lines despite the block that my fae captor had put in place. He’d treated me decently so far and seemed reasonable—someone I could, maybe, bargain with? I needed to learn as much as possible if I were to have any opportunity to plan an escape, so I made a decision to take a chance with this guy.
“I’m willing to negotiate. What is it that you want?”