Chapter Ten
Thank God she is all right.
Addy’s dirty, water-spattered gown was torn in several places, and her hair was a mess, but she appeared reasonably unharmed by her reckless climb down the cliffs.
The sharp, salty scent of wet rock and seawater filled Garrett’s lungs as he strode toward her. She retreated, moving farther toward the back wall; closer to the red stain that had been immortalized in the old tales.
“There is no way out except where we came in,” Garrett told her, as she continued to dart along the rear wall.
“I am not going with you,” she said hotly.
He admired her defiance, but he wasn’t going to let her remain here. “When the tide rolls in, this cave will partially fill with water. It becomes treacherous.”
“How do you know?”
He didn’t want to tell her the truth, but there were no longer good reasons to keep his past from her. Moreover, if he wanted her trust, so he could take her to safety, he must be honest with her. Gesturing to the reddish stain, he said, “This is Kael and Aelwen’s cave. Do you remember when I brought you here?”
Biting down on her lip, she nodded. Concern for her blended with his memories of their visit long ago and stirred up another intense wave of longing for her. He took a step toward her.
“If you remember the legend, Kael and Aelwen’s bodies were washed out to sea.”
“’Twas long ago,” she said. “If you know this cave still fills with the incoming tide, then you have witnessed that in recent years.”
His gut clenched at the encroachment of darker memories, as relentless as the ebb and flow of waves. “I have,” he admitted, moving ever closer. “Back when I…was obligated to do Ransford’s bidding.”
“After you left my father’s keep?” She didn’t sound angry, only curious.
He nodded and, as he reached her side, a ragged sigh broke from him. “He had taken me in when I had nowhere else to go. He had fed me, given me new clothes, offered me a knight’s training and a horse and sword, in exchange for my loyalty. He was like a father to me. When he asked for my help, I could not refuse.”
Her eyes glistened in the shadowed light. He wondered if Kael had ever seen tears in Aelwen’s eyes when they’d looked upon each other in this cavern.
“At first, I believed…I was helping others by gathering up the goods from shipwrecks,” he said, the words pouring from him like spilled water. “Yet, when I saw Denman killing survivors—”
She gasped. “Killing them?”
Guilt whipped through Garrett. “I should have stopped him.”
“How? You were but fourteen years old—”
“Still, I should have spoken out.”
“He would have killed you.”
Their gazes locked. He’d never expected her to understand. That she did only made his guilt gouge deeper. “I should have at least told someone with authority, but I did not know who to trust. The sheriff was an ally of Ransford’s—”
“The sheriff?” she echoed, sounding horrified. “He knew of the murders?”
“Aye.” Garrett’s voice wavered, because he’d been a coward; he’d chosen silence instead of justice. Helpless folk had died because of his lack of honor. After leaving Ransford’s keep, he’d vowed never to be a coward again.
“What happened to the items you salvaged?” she asked.
“After we had loaded the goods into horse-drawn carts, Ransford ordered his lackeys to take them to an old barn a short distance away. I never went to the barn, but I learned of it by working alongside the other men. The goods were dried out, repackaged, and put in unmarked crates. Over the following months, the items were sold to disreputable merchants, who hawked them at town markets. Ransford, of course, earned a tidy sum from the arrangement, and so did the sheriff.”
“Mother Mary,” Addy whispered, clearly aghast. “How many times did you work on shipwrecks for Ransford?”
“Twice.” Garrett remembered both as if they were yesterday; he relived them in his nightmares. “I wanted to leave after the first, but I did not have enough money saved. After the second shipwreck, I vowed never again. I left Blyndwick Castle as soon as I could.”
Tears brimmed in her eyes. He hated to see her cry. Always had.
With his right hand, he thumbed away the shimmering moisture that ran down her left cheek. The pad of his thumb lingered against her soft skin. Even that small caress made him yearn for her.
God’s blood, but she was crying because of him. Her tears were proof that, despite the years that had passed, despite all that had happened, despite his cowardice, she still cared for him.
As though her thoughts matched his, she reached up and pressed her hand over his. The urge to move away, to break the physical connection, welled within him. Running away kept him safe. Running away eased the restlessness inside him. Before he could move, though, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.
The sweet, tender kiss tasted of all kinds of emotions—forgiveness the strongest of all. He groaned, for he didn’t deserve forgiveness. His soul was irrevocably tainted, and in no way was he worthy of what she offered so selflessly.
Yet, as her lips brushed his again, coaxing, telling him that she cared despite who he’d become, he could fight no longer. His arms dropped to her waist to draw her flush against him. As though they’d never been apart, he surrendered to her kisses, telling her with his lips and tongue that he loved her, that he wished he could be a better man. For her.
He tasted the saltiness of her tears in her kiss. He deepened the kiss, telling her that like the ocean bound to the timeless cycle of the tides, his heart was bound to hers. Forever.
Yes, her kisses said. Forever.
Through the haze of pleasure, a noise intruded: shouting.
Garrett lifted his mouth from Addy’s, for he recognized Corwin’s voice.
“Gar-rett,” the lad cried.
“In here,” Garrett shouted, his words flung back to him in the cavern’s echo.
The boy appeared, silhouetted at the entrance to the cave. Why in hellfire had he climbed down the rocks? Why hadn’t he waited with the horses? Before Garrett could ask, the lad, panting, pointed to the land atop the cliffs. “Riders.”