Page 46 of The Taking of House Westwood

Two figures came barreling out of the dark gatehouse doorway, sprinting for the wagon.

Sophie crawled toward the front. “Hugh, slow down! They’re coming back!”

“It’s about bloody time,” he muttered.

The two men clambered into the back of the wagon, and the horses picked up speed at Hugh’s harsh yell. He looked back at the two men. “Galan?”

Isaac lowered his eyes, jaws clenched, shaking his head.

“Damn it. Damn it,” Hugh said, facing forward again. Isaac lay a hand on his shoulder.

Owen accidentally climbed atop Tani, unaware she lay under the base of the shroud. He reared back at the woman’s surprised grunt.

“Who?” He tipped his head toward Tani.

Sophie opened her mouth to reply.

“She’s coming with us,” Isaac said, scrambling past Sophie to join Hugh up front.

Sophie cleaved herself to Owen. She feared she’d never see him again. Now that he was back in her arms, she wasn’t letting him go. With him with her once more, she allowed herself to hope. They might just make it after all.

“Here, help me get her arms untied,” Sophie said, easing Tani over onto her side. They freed her arms and Tani flexed the stiffness out of her wrists.

Then Sophie saw the look in Owen’s eyes, and her heart began hammering in her chest.

“They were everywhere. Dozens of them.”

“Is it … them?” Sophie’s voice was a whisper, barely audible over the din just outside.

Owen gave her a slow nod, his face looking drawn and pale.

Fear.

She’d never seen it in his eyes before, and it terrified her to see it now.

Owen pulled her to him, and she gathered herself into a tight ball against his side. She suddenly felt cold, and so very weary. She reached out to Tani, taking her hand, and the poor woman huddled against Sophie’s back.

Before her captivity, the naked breasts of a woman pressed to her back would have scandalized Sophie. Now, it not only didn’t bother her, she could actually appreciate what men saw in them. She wasn’t sure what to make of that self-revelation. It was just one more thing she’d have to examine later — if she managed to live through the night.

Owen eased the shroud aside, and they watched the manor recede behind them. Flickering orange light reflected off the stone of the inner walls of the battlements. Smoke rose from the courtyard, a smudge against the starry sky. Yells, screams, and the noise of battle could still be heard, its volume fading by the second as they pulled further away.

Isaac peeked in from the front. “We’ll meet Clayton soon. You three stay hidden.”

He and Owen exchanged a long look, then Isaac was gone.

Sophie looked up at Owen, his eyes luminous in the darkness. “What’s wrong, Owen?”

He glanced down at her, his mouth twitching. “Too easy.”

“What?”

“They let us go.” He closed the shroud, and stroked her hair. “Don’t worry over it. We’re safe now. You’ll see your father soon, and we’ll be away from here.”

The tension in his body gave lie to his words. She tried not to think about it.

She closed her eyes and lay her head on Owen’s shoulder. How she wanted to look upon her father again. She missed him terribly. Seeing him would mean it really was over. Soon!

“You’ll have to tell me who our companion is,” Owen said, smiling down at Sophie.

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