Her Assassin's Heart - Book 2

Chapter 31

    The first thing she was aware of was that she was suddenly cold. She yawned, and pain shot through her jaw, causing her eyes to snap open. Raising a hand to press to the sore spot, a shock of pain jolted through her, and she cried out.

    There was a flash of golden light, and Cassandra could just make out Graham's features in the shadow-ridden light. At the sight of him, the memories came crashing down on her, and she drew a sharp breath, wincing.

    Graham set a lamp down near her and moved away, lighting a few candles. The flames illuminated the cavernous room they were in, revealing what the darkness had hidden. Besides the candlelight, they were in utter darkness. There was no hint of daylight anywhere, and Cassandra shivered.

    She was lying on a ledge protruding from the side of the wall. Evidently, it was meant to be a bed, and she noticed immediately that it gave a clear view of the only entrance or exit in the cave. This place had been planned for a hideout of some kind.

    "How long have we been here?" She said and discovered that her throat was dry and raspy.

    "Too long." Graham moved around the cave quickly.

    "What's going on?" Cassandra forced herself to sit up, gritting her teeth against the pain it caused her.

    His back was to her, and he gave no indication that he'd heard her. Groaning against the movement, she moved closer to the edge of the ledge and swung her legs over. The spot next to wear she'd been lying was warm, and she realized, with a sudden blush, that Graham had been sleeping next to her.

    "We can't go to a doctor." Graham turned around, arms full of an assortment of things, and his eyes found hers. "You need to be bandaged up. I can do it, if you'll allow me." He nodded toward the pile of what she realized were bandages and bottles he was balancing in his arms.

    Cassandra brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. Biting her lip, she nodded slowly. He moved quickly, settling on the floor in front of the ledge and looking up at her with a soft sigh.

    Trying to quiet the rapid beating of her heart for fear he would hear, she gripped the hem of her jumper. Wincing, she began to pull it over her head, attempting to hold in the cries of pain that rose in her throat. A grunt escaped her lips, and sweat began to bead on her upper lip and forehead because of the pain.

    Fingers lightly brushed hers, and strong hands took hold of the jumper when she paused to ready herself for the final pulled. Graham easily pulled it over her head, his movements steady and gentle. When she could see again, she noticed immediately how close he was to her.

    As he lowered his hands, his fingertips lightly grazed the flesh of her arms. She gritted her teeth against the shivers that flooded her being at his touch.

    Cassandra swallowed heavily. "Thank you, Graham." Her voice was dry and foreign.

    He looked away from her, lifting the material of her shirt to examine her injuries. There was no sign that he'd heard her. The man was infuriating, maddening. Unsure what else to do, she help the shirt up, so that he could see what he was doing.

    "Nickolas." He said.

    "What?" She frowned.

    "My name is Nickolas. Nickolas Donahaven." His gaze flicked up to meet hers.

    "Nickolas." She frowned, testing the sound of the name rolling off her tongue. "I don't understand."

    He wouldn't look at her. "I put all of that behind me a long time ago." He opened a small clay pot, and a sweet aroma filled the air.