Lady Mairead’s voice came to me through the covers that were pulled tight around my head. Only my face peeking out, facing the door, trying to keep my eyes closed but also wanting to be alerted when that man showed back up.

“Explain tae me how ye came tae be in Donnan’s bed?”

Her eyes were furious.

“Please, help me.” I scrambled up to sitting and clasped my hands. “Please. I don’t know who he is. I don’t know why I’m here. I found one of the vessels and woke up here. He’s holding me captive, and this—” I gestured toward a slice on my left cheek. “I woke up and this was here.” The cut scared the hell out of me when I used the bathroom. My cut matched Lady Mairead’s scars. “He’s a monster. You have to help me.”

“He,” Lady Mairead said imperiously, “is Magnus’s father. And ye will kindly quit your speakin’ on the matter. Your presence complicates things verra much.”

She exhaled angrily. “But perhaps now Magnus will see how ye are always conniving tae get what ye want.”

“Magnus is here?” My hands still clasped I begged, “Please tell him I’m here. Please.”

“Magnus daena want tae ken this about ye, Kaitlyn. He isna interested in hearing that ye are naked and have bedded his father. I assure ye.” She inhaled deeply and let out a burst. “And ye are scarred on your face. He winna want tae see it. Tis verra complicated tae find ye here.”

“Please. Just tell him. Let me talk to him.”

“He winna want tae speak tae ye, anyway. Tis nae matter tae him. He has taken a lovely young mistress and I daena think he considers ye at all.”

I collapsed in a naked ball on the bed and sobbed into the bedding.

She huffed.

After a long moment she said, “You are bleeding on the bedclothes. I will speak with Donnan about letting me return ye tae the Island. This favor though will require a promise from ye that this will end our relationship. I have been journeying, collecting artifacts, building wealth for Magnus’s ascension, and I daena want tae keep dealing with the trivial matters of a young woman who will nae take no for an answer. Did Magnus nae leave ye after you lost his child? Tis unseemly tae chase him to his father’s house. Though I rather respect your commitment to his fortune.”

I wailed, “That’s not what this is!”

“Yes, well, as a woman I can see ye are verra much regretting being here. I winna tell Magnus that I have found ye, he has already replaced ye with a more capable woman. I will allow him tae keep the untarnished memory of ye in the long ago past. But if I arrange your safe passage away ye will have tae keep away or I will tell Magnus what I found here, what you have done.”

She stormed from the room.

I guess it could be called sleeping. It was a lot more like passing out. I had checked the whole room, every surface, every drawer I could access. It had been a fast scrabble and I had been squinting, opening my eyes just barely. Peering around then slamming them shut again. The light made it feel like my retinas were burning.

I couldn’t find anything. Nothing for a weapon. The door was locked. The bathroom was bare. A toilet in bidet style. A small hand towel that looked used. The thought made me gag. He had touched it? His stinking filthy raping hands had been on this towel?

Then I collapsed until something woke me. I forced my eyes open to the same blaring terrible painful light. Lady Mairead’s voice coming through the walls, “—Do you know who that is?”

A man’s voice, probably Donnan’s, “Of course I know who it is — she told me when she was begging me to let her go last night.“ His chuckle sent chills up my spine.

“This is a very dangerous game you’re playing. Let me take her away. I’ll take her to Florida, leave her, return with the vessel. Then you’ll have them all and I’ll be rid of her again.”

“Certainly not.” His voice had an air of joviality to it. “Mairead, what would you have me do? Return a gift? She was sent to me too perfect to refuse. I think Magnus will be better controlled if faced with the woman from his past.”

“I don’t even think he misses her. I think you’re mistaken on this.”

“Doesn’t matter if he wants her or not, he won’t want me to have her. He won’t like how I’ve cut her pretty face. And I need him to be ready to fight. My brother, Samuel, has decided to kill him in the arena. Samuel is very lethal. He has never lost a battle.”

“You should let Magnus heal first—”

“Don’t tell me my business, Mairead. I will not stand for more interference. You mean to advise me? I am the king, how dare you — and what are you?”

His question was met with silence.

“Exactly. You are only Magnus’s mother, nothing more. I let you live here because you fill my coffers.”

“He will kill you.”

“He is imprisoned. He kills who I tell him to kill. My enemies lie dead at his feet. He kneels at mine. If Magnus dies, I’ll make the man who killed him kneel, and I will mourn for Magnus only for the amount of time it takes for that to happen.”

“So she will stay here in your rooms during your Gala?”

“Oh no Mairead, she will join me. Magnus will be there with his mistress. Samuel will be there, hoping to kill him. Would you like to be there, Mairead, to watch the fun?”

I sat up in bed in a complete fucking panic. I picked up the sheet that was the bottom layer of the bedding and felt along the edge for a good spot. Then I ripped, right down the middle. It ripped clean and easily until it reached the center. I stood up in the middle of the bed, adjusted my hold, and ripped it cleanly all the way to the end where it hitched for a moment. I yanked it clean through. I took the top half of the sheet and stuffed the ripped edge under the rest of the bedding to conceal it. Come on come on come on, he could walk in any moment. I stuffed the strip I had torn free under the bedding in a ball.

I laid down and listened. Anything? No noise? Nobody coming?

I pulled the bedding over my arms to cover what I was doing and tied knots on the ends and twisted the torn sheet for the full length of it until it was rope, not great rope, but rope all the same.

Then I sat there with heaving breaths and considered whether I had the strength to strangle a man — and what would be the best position?

I wanted something sharp. Needed something sharp. I jumped from the bed and listened at the door again. Every sound was too loud, buzzing, beeping, roaring noise from every quarter, but no voices, not near, not loud. I grabbed my hastily made rope and wound it around my fist while I entered the bathroom. I climbed up onto the counter on my knees with the full length of my naked body in the mirror, leaned against it, drew back my fist at waist height, and punched — crack! — a crack spread across the width of it. There was also a slice on my fourth knuckle that wasn’t bleeding, oh wait, yep, bleeding. But the mirror was now a shattered web of shards. I peeled one away. It was about four inches with a nice long angle. Sort of like a knife with enough of a base to catch in the fabric.

The mirror was trashed. If Donnan went into the bathroom before he came to the bed I would be a dead woman.

I jumped down from the counter and ran to the bed. Under the covers using only my fingers, I created a knot about midway down my rope, shoving the shard into the loop of it, and tied the knot twice around it.

I balled the rope up to the side, with a tail near my fingers so I could find it in a struggle.

Then I lay in the room and waited for Donnan to come to me.