Page 46 of Wolf's Keep

He shrugged. “It’s very freeing, pitting oneself against nature in our natural form. You should try it sometime.”

He looked down at her, bottom lip caught between his teeth, his gaze fixed on her mouth. With a little gasp, she turned away from him. He almost laughed.Mon Dieu, hecould spend a lifetime teasing this woman.

“I don’t believe you. If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine, but don’t expect me to share anymore, either.”

“It’syourchoice not to believe me, Erin. I have told you the truth. I go for a run in the forest every night. You can ask Anne, or any of the servants. They will confirm it. You cannot in good conscience refuse to answer my question simply because you doubt the veracity of my words.”

Her frown was back. “But what of the amulet?”

“What of it? I have already told you what the amulet is for, what it does.”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “You really think I’m stupid enough to believe you would have a spell crafted to protect a piece of jewelry? A very bland, simple disc, hung on a chain with your family crest stamped on it?”

“You know exactly what the amulet does. You have experienced it. Beyond that, there is little I can tell you. I do not know who created them, or where the language came from. I would like the answers to those questions as much as you.”

She studied his face, her dissatisfaction evident.

“Now, will you tell me where you found the amulet? Please.”

She looked out over the meadow, squinting in the sun. “Given the state of the ruins, it would be very hard to pinpoint the exact location.”

An absolute certainty settled over him. Of all the places in Langeais Keep he would wish for it not to be found, one place, one room, he dreaded more than all others. “You found it in the underground cell.”

Her startled gasp confirmed it.L’enfer.The underground cell. Lothair’s version of an oubliette. Newly built, Gaharet had overseen the construction of it himself at the comte’s request. Where Lothair had come up with the notion he had never ascertained, but the idea of having somewhere particularly unpleasant to hold prisoners had appealed to the comte. A place with no light, no fresh air and no hope. His hand clenched around the reins. Lothair had confined one of his kind in that godforsaken hole.

“I…” She sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Yes. I found it in the underground cell. It surprised us all, really.”

He forced himself to relax. She was talking, telling him what he wanted to know. His anger he would save for Lothair, Renaud and the one who betrayed the pack. “It surprised you to find the amulet in the cell?”

“Finding the cell surprised us. Langeais Keep had long been a sightseeing attraction, much like the château. Any excavations ceased there many, many decades ago. Until our team came along.”

“Something convinced you to start a new excavation?” He shifted the reins into one hand, placing his free hand on her thigh, giving it a squeeze of encouragement.

“In researching you, we found a document.”

Her focus shifted from the meadow to his hand. Would she permit him this intimate touch? She made no attempt to brush him off, and he allowed himself a small, triumphant smile.

“You have mentioned my chaplain’s journal.”

“Not that document. Another one.”

Now he was getting somewhere. “And what did this other document disclose?”

“It was a ledger, severely damaged. No one had managed to decipher it. When we applied updated techniques, we were able to get clear images of construction records for the keep. One line recorded a construction signed off by you.”

He nodded. “The construction of the cell. I remember signing it.” Had he known one of his men would die in it, he would have resisted Lothair’s desire to build it more vehemently.

“There was another entry added after yours. Written by someone else, dated August 999. It recorded the cell’s first prisoner. No matter how hard we searched, we could find no other reference to the cell, the prisoner, or your death.”

“And you assumed I was the prisoner of that cell. That I died there.”

She placed a hand on top of his, giving it a little squeeze, offering him comfort. Gaharet kept his expression neutral, but he rejoiced at her unconscious gesture.

“It’s a theory we were exploring. Then I found the amulet.”

He nodded. Her conclusions were a natural presumption, even if they were wrong. “And what of the other artifacts you found?”

“Oh no. You want more information, start talking. Tell me about the bloodstone, or the secret that’s mentioned in the inscription. Or perhaps you’d like to explain the purpose of the room on the top floor with the bolts on both sides of the door. Who did you lock in there? And why?”

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