he raised a hand and touched her throat-the skin felt hot and swollen beneath her fingers. Sh
h. A hazy, glimmering light had appeared in the corner of the dark prison cell, filling
t minute? She groaned and tried to move her body. Besides the pain in her throat and the aching in he
ave let me di
ep voice as
but that was impossible. What would he be doing in prison? She closed her eyes.
ep voice said. "You're not dying, a
The prison was lonely and too quiet. Talking to herself filled the
self staring up at Sean Blair. Though it had been years, he looked exactly the same as th
nd and stroked his cheek-touched by his presence. She hadn't gotten a single visitor sinc
ly trips to the prison showers, she managed to catch her reflection in the polished metal mirror bo
d. Her throat ached with each word, but she continue
ed, and Sean asked, "Wha
The ramblings of a dying
" he asked. "Why do you keep
deserve your forgiveness, but please,
round hers, and she smiled
*
tops of her cheeks. Though her skin was pale, she still looked lovely and beautiful. Her delicate fea
doctor," h
checking Catherine's vitals, took her pulse, and li
tor said. "Her neck is inj
said. "She's hallucinating an
octor said. "She's been throu
beneath her eyes, and a hideous blue bruise spread across her
heek, and her eyes flickered open
e," she whispered. "I
s eyes and willed the strange, hopeful feeling to go away. She was confu
ked. "Is this place really a prison
I have to escape? I'm dying, Sean. I've paid
to die?" S
I trusted betrayed me, and I have nothing left to hope for
at. His chest ached. She'd rather die than be with him. She wis
ordered a servant as he
*
ack as her prison cell. A thin beam of golden sunlight filtered through a gap in the curtains. Curtains? There weren't cu
sappeared, and she found herself in a soft king-size bed wrapped in a down duvet. She looked around the room and found surprisingl
ving slowly, she swung her legs out from the bed and padded barefoot across the soft, s
ouched her own face, amazed at how soft it felt beneath her fingers. Hardly daring to believe her eyes, she leaned closer to the mirror and looked again. There were
ling bruise on her neck. She slid her fingers down from her face to the bruise a
there was a servant som
servant replied from
s. Blair? She must
is it?"
t," the servant scolded. "It's your wedding d
day?" she
he servant said. "Or I'll have to tell M
herself in the warm duvet. Her head spun. The last thing she could remember was burning with a fe
wedding day?" she ca
said. "Are you sure yo
know,"
y had happened ten years ago-what was the servant talking about? And
Stewart, running across the wooded estate, the dogs chasing after her. She shuddered and ran through the rest of her mem
he heard the servant whisper
or crashed open, and Sean B
a talk now," he said. "Because we