Page 26 of Married By Treachery

That was the moment she woke. Flushed and sweating and…utterly confused as she gazed up at a ceiling that…wasn’t hers.

Even in darkness, or perhapsbecauseof the darkness, she recognized the symmetry of those wooden beams, and they did not belong in her chambers.

They belonged in Jake’s.

What in the devil was she doing in Jake’s bedchamber…in Jake’s bed?

She bolted upright, expecting Jake to also be in his bed with her, but she was alone. Embers glowed faintly in the hearth, softening night’s shadows, but the world remained quiet. Tranquil, even.

Almighty in heaven, what in all the world…

Raquel’s memories caught up to her fast: her interrupted conversation with Jake, her escape from the glamoured window (it wasn’t glamoured now, she noted), her flight into the forest after the children, the strange, paralyzing moment with that creature, and Jake’s sudden appearance saving her from the largest of them.

For all that Raquel had accused Jake of underestimatingher, she had woefully underestimatedhim, and—saints above—Jake had been magnificent. Wielding that glowing sword as though he were a god wielding a bolt of lightning. It was difficult not to admire such skill, and again, Raquel was chastened by the depth of her delusion, believing she could actually overcome this forest prince.

If Lee had known, he never would have let her offer herself to the elders.

But then a thousand other questions filled her mind: Whatwerethose winged demons? Where had they come from, and why had they attacked? Clearly, Jake had anticipated them. Jake had told Marix he’d spared extra warriors for this reason. And then there was the issue of the kith children.

Raquel was still bewildered by them. She’d never seen a kithchildbefore, and there’d been three. Which begged another question: why bring the children at all? And were they all right?Shehad made it out alive. Someone must have carried her, because her last memory was of the forest floor.

A dull ache made her glance down, and she was shocked to find that someone had washed her and changed her clothes. Her corset and heavy skirts had been replaced by a simple white nightdress made of the softest cotton. She flushed, wondering who had seen her so indecent. Was it Jake?

And then she wondered what he had thought.

Raquel could have slapped herself. In fact, she did slap her forehead just then. He might not be responsible for murdering six of Harran’s young maidens, but he was still hercaptor. He’d locked her in his bedroom—he’d welded the door shut!—while demons had attacked the gates, but Dream Raquel was still fighting Awake Raquel for control over her heart. However, both became quickly distracted by the growing ache in her abdomen.

Raquel lifted her nightdress just enough to see the thin silvery scar along her belly where the monster had raked her with its claw. The scar went from naval to rib, and the wound itself should have takenweeksto heal. A spell of dizziness took her, undoubtedly related to that wound, and she dropped her gown and sagged back against the headboard, eyes closed. But the moment she closed her eyes, Dream Jake was there again. His tears, his vulnerability, and his warmth.

His deliciously soft mouth.

Raquel touched her fingers to her lips. She could still taste him there, a lingering sweetness on her tongue and a warmth in her heart. Prophetic dreams were nothing new for Raquel. She’d experienced them all her life, but she’d never dreamt one so…romantic, and this punched holes through her heart, filling them with desires forhim. Of what could be.

Which was nonsensical!

That arrogant, selfish, heartless piece of…

She jerked her fingers away and reminded herself that therealJake had stolen her away from her family, locked her in her room (or tried to), hadat the very leastbeen complicit in the abduction of six women, and planned to do saints-knew-what with her.

And yet.

Her dreams had never led her astray before. A few times, she’d wished they had. Like the night she’d dreamed her mother had broken her neck after being thrown from their mustang one week before it’d actually happened.

Whatever these dreams of Jake meant, the fact remained that she was the seventh sacrificial bride, Jake had disguised himself as his brother this time, and she still had no idea what he intended to do with her. He’d never answered when she’d asked, and she certainly wasn’t going to get any answers while sleeping in his bed.

Well. Not the answers she needed. Where was that tricky forest prince, anyway?

Again, she remembered their kiss, the look in Dream Jake’s honey-gold eyes and the taste of his lips. Saints above, Raquel could not shake that image of him—and she needed to!—so she threw back the covers and slid her feet to the floor, but she’d grossly overestimated her present state of health. Her head spun, her knees gave out, and she would have fallen if it hadn’t been for the pair of strong arms that caught her.

“Careful, my bride.” Jake’s voice rumbled through her chest. “You’re not strong enough yet.”

Oh, dear. Now was definitelynotthe time.

“Where didyoucome from?” Raquel didn’t mean to shriek at him, but he’d startled her, and the dream was still too fresh, and he was too close. Too…everywhere, just like he’d been in her dream, and—Almighty as her witness—she could still taste him on her tongue. “And I told you my name is Raquel!”

“Well,Raquel, thisismy bedchamber,” Jake said slowly, a smile to his voice. His strong arms were still locked around her, and he smelled deliciously of soap and pine and warmth. He’d also donned a fresh linen tunic, Raquel noted. “I would have placed you inyours; however, you seem to have developed the habit of not staying in it.”

“So you took it upon yourself to put me in bedwith you?” She glared up at him, which was a horrible mistake. His uncommonly handsome face was close enough to kiss, and that was exactly where her thoughts went.

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