But she still couldn’t see, and she suffered another moment of absolute panic before realizing that her eyes were closed. Opening them, she pushed herself shakily up from the floor into a sitting position. Her gaze flew to the stone column, but Dageus was no longer chained to it. Frantically, she skimmed the room.

Once, twice, three times she looked through the wreckage.

And jerked her head in abject denial.

There was blood all over the place. Puddles of it. Still more sprayed across the tables and chairs, and the chaos of books and papers on the floor.

Yet more blood on the stone column.

And there wasn’t a single other person—not even a body—in the room with her.

Quote

Time is a companion that goes with us
on a journey.
It reminds us to cherish each moment,
because it will never come again.
What we leave behind is not as important
ashow we have lived.

—JEAN LUC PICARD, captain of the Enterprise

Chapter 27

27

“I don’t want you to go,” Gwen said for what Chloe was certain must be the hundredth time. “Please, stay with us, Chloe.”

Chloe shook her head wearily. Over the past two weeks, she and Gwen had grown close, which both soothed and chafed, for it made Chloe think about how incredible her life could have been if things had worked out differently. She had no doubt that she and Dageus would have gotten married, remained in Scotland, and bought a house near Gwen and Drustan. She and Gwen were similar in many ways, and in time Gwen would have become the sister she’d never had.

What a perfect, blissful dream that would have been! Living in the Highlands, surrounded by family, married to the man she loved.

But everything had gone so damn wrong and those things would never be, and her growing affection for the brilliant, nurturing woman who’d stayed tirelessly at her side since that terrible night, had begun to hurt more than it helped.

“I’ve stayed as long as I can, Gwen,” Chloe said, continuing her grimly determined march toward the security gate. They were in the airport, and she was desperate to be in the air, to escape so many painful reminders. If she didn’t get out of there soon, she was afraid she might start screaming and just never stop. She couldn’t look at Drustan one more time. Couldn’t bear being in the castle Dageus had built.

Couldn’t bear being in Scotland without him even one more second.

It had been two weeks since the horrible night that she’d been awakened by the sound of a car door slamming. Two weeks since she’d run outside after him, only to be taken hostage by sect members who’d been waiting for just such an opportunity.