Page 51 of Kilted Seduction
“I dinnae, but I tak’ yer meaning.” Thora swallowed. “I… with me medicine, I can say I dinnae want tae mix it with wine. But ye…”
Aedan considered, then removed the cork and poured himself a small splash in a glass. “This much shouldnae dae anything tae me… unless ye think ‘tis laced with hemlock or something else.”
“Nay. ‘Twould be too suspicious. Besides, ‘twould be seen as bad luck tae have a guest die o’ something like that in his castle during festivities.”
“Aye.” Aedan drank the glass. It was sweeter than he generally preferred, but smooth and strong. It was the sort of wine one might enjoy after dinner, with dessert or as a pleasant end to a meal.
It was good wine, if he was being objective, and he sincerely hoped that Thora’s concerns were unfounded. However, he’d seen too much to discount them as he might have before.
Thora sipped some water instead, then heated a bit of it and mixed in the herbs the healer had given her. Though she didn’t, Aedan notice, add any valerian. Something was bothering her.
He, however, was still feeling loose-limbed and drowsy from their passion earlier in the evening. Aedan turned and made his way back to the bed, surprised when the world seemed to spin around him a little. “We should… shoul’… sleep.”
It was difficult to keep his eyes open. He hadn’t realized he was so tired. He blinked, trying to rouse himself, but it was proving difficult. It was like the time Thora had dosed him with valerian.
Valerian? In the wine…? Am I imagining it, or…?
The thought fled, along with his awareness, as sleep overcame him.
Thora watched as Aedan dropped off to sleep. She wasn’t sure if it was because he was more tired than she’d expected, or if there was something else affecting him. The bottle of wine gleamed on the table in front of her, and she recorked it distrustfully.
She felt tired, and longed to join Aedan in the bed. However, the same warning buzz that had kept her from drinking the wine still hummed in the back of her mind, keeping her awake. She knew that, even if she went to lie down, she wouldn’t be able to sleep.
On the other hand, what harm was there in resting beside him? Surely her foresight would warn her if something was about to happen.
After a moment of thought, she walked to the bed, donned a robe for additional warmth, and slid into bed beside Aedan. He was already deeply asleep, his breath soft and even. Thora pulled the blankets over him, and then herself, and allowed her eyes to close.
Her mind drifted, caught between her earlier guilt and her current fears, as well as her muddled feelings. Thora was content to relax and drift, letting herself settle into a light doze.
Shuffff.The soft sound roused her from sleep. A low, shuffling sound, almost inaudible, reached her ears.
Then, a soft creak sounded, and any vestige of sleepiness vanished from Thora’s mind. She knew that sound. It was the sound of the door to their quarters. She knew she’d shut it fast, but she didn’t know if she’d bolted it.
Had the sound been footsteps in the hall, or the soft sound of someone sliding the bold loose from the outside? She didn’t know.
More sounds, and now she knew she was hearing footsteps. Soft, quiet, light. Too stealthy to be accidental. She was sure of that. Someone was trying to move stealthily into the room, possibly even toward the bed.
Thora cracked her eyes open. The fire had burned down to embers once again, leaving the room shrouded in uneasy darkness. As her eyes adjusted, she realized there were shadows, too deep to be proper shadows, moving softly toward the bed.
Thora put her hand on Aedan’s arm under the blankets and shook him, but it did her no good. Aedan slept on. Her breath caught as she realized she was alone with their would-be assailants.
The hitch in her breath didn’t go unnoticed, and Thora heard a muffled curse and quick steps as someone lunged toward her.
She might be a lass, but Thora hadn’t grown up with three brothers for nothing. She knew how to defend herself. She flung herself out of the bed, shouting as she did so. “Aedan!”
One moment, he was sleeping. The next, he woke to Thora calling his name, her voice frantic, just a something heavy thudded into the bed with a low-snarled curse.
His thoughts were hazy, and the world was spinning, but Aedan knew that somehow, they were being attacked.
He slept with a dagger beneath his pillow as a matter of habit. His hand found the hilt as he rolled clumsily out of the way of a blow that would have incapacitated or killed him had it landed.
His knee came up and hit something solid, something that gave with a grunt. He swung his hand in that direction, hit something with the hilt of his dagger, and a solid shape reeled back.
Aedan sat up, then fought to stay sitting up as dizziness overwhelmed him. His head ached, and the world swayed as if he were standing on the deck of a ship.
Valerian in the wine… Thora was right… I cannae pass out again!
He managed to stagger more or less upright as dark shapes surrounded him, then got his back to the wall. It was a solid support, but it also kept anyone from sneaking around behind him. It wasn’t the position he’d have normally chosen, but in his befuddled state, it was the best place for him to be. “Thora!”
