He turned away from the torturous scene of domestic bliss in front of him and melted into the shadows. He didn’t want Isaac to see him, or Isaac would come charging out into the night like a mama bear protecting her cubs.
And he didn’t feel like a fight. Not tonight. His body felt worn down. Beat.
Yet his exhaustion did nothing to keep the memories at bay.
***
Nothing warned him. He heard no one approach. One second he lounged happily in Amelia’s arms, her skirts around her hips, and he inside her, and the next he flew through the air and crashed against an oak tree.
It swayed from the force of impact, and pain burst over him as his head collided against the rough bark.
What in the world had happened?
He opened an eye, expecting to see Isaac glaring at him. Instead, his fiancée crouched in front of him, taking in every inch of his features.
He groaned and rubbed his forehead. His head hurt like hell.
“Lady Harding? What happened?” He hesitated. How much had she seen?
“We found you and your harlot naked, my lord,” she replied.
Bloody hell.
“Where’s Isaac? I have to talk to him….”
“What about me? Do you not have to speak to me, as well?”
“Lady Harding, I am immensely sorry. You have to know I never meant for this to happen. We did not plan it—”
“Oh, it had to be an error of judgment, never to happen again?” She smiled slightly.
He did not have time to waste soothing her. He needed to find Amelia and Isaac. He’d tell her as quickly as possible, and find the ones he really cared about.
Surprised to see the anger cross her face before he spoke, he faltered and said, “No, my lady. We love each other, and she will be my wife. Surely, things might be tough for a while, but I am certain we can work out something to help soothe over the legalities of such a match.”
He broke off when she snarled, and his heart stopped in his chest.
Bloody hell.
He stared at her in astonishment when she lifted him by the throat, his feet dangling in the air. He pulled at her hands using all his strength, frantically trying to breathe, but she didn’t budge.
He kicked her in the chest, and she didn’t flinch. He tried again—harder—in the stomach.
She bloody well laughed in his face.
“Wrong answer, Lord Stirling.”
She threw him through the air, and he crashed into the ground, the thud filling his ears hurting him almost as much at the compact had.
This had to be a dream. A hallucination.
Maybe when he hit the tree earlier, he’d lost consciousness and this would all turn out to be a nightmare. Yes, that had to be the case. For none of this could be real.
He sat up cautiously, looking for any sign of Louisa. Instead, he saw something that caused his heart to stop beating, and painfully accelerate in his chest—all at the same time. Next to him lay Isaac, with his neck twisted at an unnatural angle, and unseeing eyes.
Crying aloud, he bolted to Isaac’s side. “Isaac, blast it to all hell…Isaac. Answer me. You cannot be dead, oh God no. Please, no.” A frantic sob escaped him, and Elijah hurried to check for a pulse.
Thank God, he felt a slight pulse against his fingers. Weak, but there. He needed to get Dr. Hamilton right away.
But what happened? Why did he lie there with open eyes and a beating heart?
His neck…it had looked strangely twisted, hadn’t it?
He carefully probed the right side of Isaac’s neck, and finding no injuries, moved onto the left. He gasped when blood gushed onto his fingers and leaned in to get a better look.
Bloody hell…there were two perfect puncture wounds on the side of his neck, oozing blood and foaming white pus.
What the hell could it be?
Louisa. Could she be some form of a demon? One that fed off men?
No, it couldn’t be possible. Those things didn’t exist.
He needed to escape her immediately.
“Isaac, I’m going to get you out of here. I will get you help, I promise.” A thud sounded behind him, and he whirled. Louisa lounged against a tree a few feet away, looking as if she had not a care in the world.
Heartless traitor.
“I apologize for our late arrival. We had a wee bit of difficulty rousing ourselves.” She sent a pointed glance at his feet. Elijah followed her gaze, only to freeze in horror.
Amelia lay at his feet, struggling to breathe. A trickle of blood ran out of her mouth and down her cheek, and blood crept from her swollen nose.
“Help,” she whispered.
***
Sabrina walked Isaac to the door, her body tightening in anticipation for the kiss she knew would come. Expecting the usual sweet goodbye kiss, she got surprised when he gripped her and led her back against the wall in one smooth motion. He melded his body to hers and rubbed his erection against her. Hot desire pulsated through her, and she wrapped her legs around his hips, desperate for more contact. They groaned in unison at their heated embrace, and Sabrina tugged at his shoulders.
She wanted him inside her. Nothing felt more important to her at this moment than being filled by Isaac as he plunged into her.
His hands skimmed her legs, tracing a molten path to her bu**ocks, and he pulled her even tighter against his body. She moaned in pleasure as his hands followed an invisible path from her hips to her br**sts. He cupped them and rolled his thumbs over her swollen ni**les. She moved wantonly against him and threaded her fingers through his hair, seeking something to hold onto so she wouldn’t dissolve from desperation.
A boom of thunder exploded overhead, and he tore his lips away from hers. He leaned his forehead against hers as they attempted to calm their raging bodies and catch their breath. She moaned huskily and moved again. Satisfaction coursed through her when he moaned and moved against her.
Maybe…just maybe…they didn’t have to stop.
He seemed to think otherwise, though, for he put a firm hand on her hip to stop her tempting movements. “I better get control of myself before I attempt this again. I’d hate to have a tornado come and rip us apart while we were…um…busy.”
She looked at him in surprise, and her mouth dropped open in shock.
“Has that happened before?” She immediately regretted her impulsive question. Did she really want to hear about his sexual exploits?
He flushed and refused to meet her eyes as he muttered, “I wouldn’t know.”
“What?” she whispered.
“There’s been no one else since Amelia. No one else could tempt me, or even interest me. Believe me, I tried.” Isaac gave a shrug of his shoulder and grimaced as he spoke. He studied the wall at some random spot over her shoulder. When she stared at him in silence, registering his words, he adjusted his tie, fixed his hair, and then hers. All in a ten-second span.