Conquering the Dark Axe (17 page)

She wanted life and she wanted it with him. He had
been right.

Someone was trying to kill her, not him and Alexa
had no idea who it was or why.   Those two thoughts had crushed her
just as they had given her the extra will to hang on long past the moment she
had believed she could no longer draw in a final breath and darkness had
beckoned.  Then she’d seen the light. His sun streaked golden head had
come into view and she’d grasped with her last bit of strength ebbing one last
time for that life and his light.  She clung fiercely to him now and did
not let him go until he had to pry her fingers from around his neck so she
could take her bath. 

TWENTY

Rourke watched her from the window.   Although
she did not look as peaked now, with the warm bath having brought some color
back to her cheeks, he could still see the visible tremors in her hands as she
ran her fingers absently through her damp hair.  He had stepped out into
the hall when Camm had helped her with her bath, against his better judgment.
But at Alexa’s fear filled eyes and silent pleading, he’d done so, but with a
loud grunt of disapproval. 

She was such a strong-willed person and to see her
like this, bothered him to no end. He would take his slow time in killing the
person that caused it. He watched her chest rise and fall even now with shallow
breaths as she glanced up at him from her seat on the bench in front of the
hearth.  Her wide eyes darted back to the bed and then back again to him.

The chains now lay in a pile on the floor next to
the bed. The vile things looked snakelike now and even made Rourke himself
cringe. He tore his gaze from them and looked back at her. He wanted to take
her into his arms, but he needed to get answers first.  If any. 
Rourke sighed. At least she had stopped crying.  A good sign she was
calmer. Her tears bothered him.

“You must recall something, Alexa!”  He
softened the last when she flinched under his bark.  He crossed his arms
over his chest and waited.  Her lip trembled anew with her deep
breaths.  Where was his strong hellion now?  He sighed heavily and
tried again, “Could have been their scent? Mayhap on their hands when they
covered your mouth. Or the size of them? Was naught familiar?”

“I told you, it was too dark!”  She yelled at
him.  Yet, her face scrunched up slightly and Rourke knew she was thinking
and a spark of hope lit inside him.  She just needed some prodding to jog
her memory.  She was not a Saxon woman prone to faints nor was faint of
heart. Goran’s words over her grief for her sister plus everything else he
himself had subjected her to, came to him. This weakness he saw in her made him
see just how vulnerable she truly was under that false brave front.  He
walked over and stood in front of her. 

She looked lost in her deep concentration, and then
she whispered hoarsely, “Wait…”

Rourke did not realize that he reached out and
touched her exposed arm.  A clammy coolness yet clung to her skin and she
moved her arm away from him with a strangled cry. Rourke felt a pang lance
through the present heaviness in his chest.

“Could be the slightest thing...”  He offered,
swallowing hard and knelt to one knee in front of her.  When her wide
amber eyes remained steady on him, he held his breath and wanted to kiss her
right then. 

“Sweet...bitter, then… rotten.  Smelled
awful.”  Alexa whispered so low, he had to lean closer to hear. Rourke
quickly frowned over the words that fell from her mouth.  He took her
small hand in his. This time she did not pull away from him. She clasped her
other hand over their joined ones as a sparkle lit again in her amber
depths.  

“Rotten…” 

Her warm breath bathed his face and he shook his
head, waiting.  He almost smiled when she gave him an exasperated frown for
not understanding. 

 “Bitter and rotten. That’s it! ‘Twas the smell
and taste of sulfur on the cloth… and their hands.”  Alexa watched him
oddly when the dark fury crossed his handsome face.  

“What is it?”  She asked and stood with him as
he rose abruptly and stomped over to the chamber door.   He threw it
open, barked something to the guards there before he closed it again and turned
back to her. 

Alexa took a step back at the menacing scowl on his
face.

She had no time to figure his intentions as he
reached out for her and swept her up in a rough embrace against his
chest.  She could feel the tremor run through him as his hold tightened.

“Your things will be returned to our chamber at
once. Every meal you take will be with me or one of my trusted guards. I assure
you this will never happen again. Know that I protect what is mine.” 

Although her mind swirled over his words, Alexa felt
herself nod in agreement. His heavy breath fanned the top of her head.  Pressed
so tight against his chest all she could get out was a muffled mumble.

“I cannot understand you,” he murmured above her.

She pushed at him as hard as she could. He released
her and she said, red faced, “’Tis no wonder being as you almost smothered me.
Wouldst you not a care in not trying to crush the rest of the life out of
me?”  Alexa scolded him.  His own face flushed a deeper shade. “What
of the sulfur?” she continued over the awkward moment.

Rourke cleared the emotion from his throat. “Poison
again. More lethal this time.” A puzzled expression marred her features and he
pulled her back into his embrace, but with more care this time. “Sulfides are
used in tanning. Orpiment substances. I know this and that smell well, for my
mother was a tanner in William’s court during his dukedom.”

Alexa drew back with a gasp at the wealth of
information he’d just given her. She stood there baffled as a knock came to the
door.  Rourke let Goran in.  She heard him repeating everything to
him before both men turned to her.  Unease settled in her gut again at
their expressions.

“I will not have you suffer the same fate as that of
your sister and father. This murderer will be found by the dawn.” Rourke’s
angry words filled the chamber.

Alexa’s hand flew to her chest as she gawked at him,
horrified.  “The same fate as my father? Lisbeth? What of do you speak?”

“Aye.  I have had a few suspicions and wanted
to be sure before I voiced them to anyone.” Rourke continued over the
displeased looks she and Goran shot him. “And I am glad I did not for they were
unfounded. Matters not who I believed may have been behind these acts. What
matters is I erred in my judgment and it nearly cost you your life.” 
Rourke did meet and hold her gaze then. The fire was back in her eyes and the
fingers gripping the trim at the neck of her tunic was the only sign she gave
that she was bothered by his words.

Alexa too stunned by what he was saying, was,
momentarily speechless.

“We will need to plan a careful and well executed
trap.”  The coldness of his tone and the expression upon his face added to
the chill curling around her heart. That look alone would give any of his
enemies pause.

Alexa found her voice. “How are we supposed to do
that if you fail to tell us of whom it is you suspect or suspected?  And
why think you my father and Lisbeth’s deaths were no accidents?”  She
arched her own brows at his one and continued, “And for how long have you known
this and been privy to this information?”

Rourke heard the anger in her anxiety filled tone
and the look she was giving him confirmed it.  There was no easy way and
having almost lost her, there was no longer time to tip toe around the matter.

“Your answers one at a time. For the trap, it will
be done with your help.”

Alexa's mouth fell open and her gaze swept from his
dark scowl to the matching one on Goran’s face, then back again as he went on.

“As much as I dislike it ‘tis the only way. 
Soon enough you will see the reasoning of it. I will be right there through the
whole of it. No further harm will come to you, Alexa. On that you have my
word.”

Alexa closed her gaping mouth on the sound of her
name again from his mouth. It was a firm caress.  She asked after a
nervous swallow, “Will you not tell us who
you
did suspect?”

“Your maidservant.”

Alexa’s eyes widened as she stumbled back and
sputtered, a look of horror upon her face.  

Rourke raised a hand, explaining, “She is very close
to you and seemed the likely one.”

Alexa leaned her neck back to look at him when he
approached her. She saw truth and no ill intent in his stormy green eyes. 
The look in them left her breathless and she knew.

He had deduced what any rational person would have.
It could easily be seen how Camm would be the first person suspected. She was
always by her side and had not only the easiest access to her, but the most
trusted.  Had she been in the same position as he, Alexa knew she would
have thought the same. But, Camm meant her no ill and besides the hands that
had covered her mouth had belonged to a man.

She said nothing of this to Rourke now and instead
asked, her gaze unwavering on him. “Now. Lisbeth? My father?”

He placed both his hands on her shoulders. By the
time he had finished with his explanation, Rourke had to catch her from falling
when her knees buckled beneath the weight of the news.

TWENTY-ONE

Cleaning his blade Rourke grunted in anger, nearly
pricking the meaty part of his palm with the tip of the steel blade. Two days
had passed and the killer was still not in his grasp. And that did not sit well
with him.

All of Alexa’s belongings had been returned to their
chamber that night and although he slept beside her at night, he came to their
chamber long after she was asleep. The killer would not strike if he was near.
So, they followed the plan they’d agreed on and he left her alone for most of
the day Or made the killer think she was being left alone and to make it appear
as if all was well.. Rourke had his trusted guards watching their chamber at
all times.

Glancing over at her now, he could see the anger
riding her stiff back where she was seated at the window.

He found himself struggling with the emotions that
surfaced within him in her presence. They still had not spoken much and he knew
why. He could not change it so they both suffered through the awkward silences.

Rourke busied himself with the daily going ons by
having his most trusted men in and out of the room to keep himself occupied and
distracted with her so close when he took the evening meal with her.

Whereas Alexa busied herself with watching him in
her anger and upset. She was mad that he’d withheld the information over her
family’s murders. He knew a part of her still refused to believe it as much as
that part of her that had no choice but to believe it.

She did not embroider to pass the time as she had
made it clear to him, she did not know how. He knew the hellion had lied. She’d
stitched his new tunics with no problem when she’d tried to escape.

Still, he’d known she was not one to sit idly by
whiling her days away on stitching tapestries and the like. Not that there was
anything wrong with it. But it simply was not her and he found he liked that.
Save the fact, he was not so sure he’d want her where she really wished to be-
the practice field.

Tonight he had not asked his men to enter and he’d
come to the chamber earlier. With a disgruntled grunt, he set the blade and
oiled rag atop the chest and quickly washed his hands in the nearby washbowl.
He then walked over to the table set up before the low fire burning in the
hearth and sat down on the bench.

Rourke called out, “Come. Sit and sup before our
meal grows cold.” 

Alexa left the window and took her seat.  He need
not tell her twice. She was starving.  Her appetite had finally returned
to normal.   The past two days she’d still not eaten much with so
much happening and being so nervous in his presence did not help. She was not
so sure she liked these new feelings.

Alexa bit into one of her treats, a sweet wafer.

Rourke frowned over the pleasurable sound of
enjoyment that came from her. Irked that it stirred his groin, his tone came
out more gruffly than intended. 

“What is that?”

Alexa frowned and gave him and look in return that
said he should have known.  “A sweet wafer.”

He surprised her when he leaned forward and reached
for one and popped the whole thing into his mouth.  After a moment, he
said, “Tart.”

‘Tart to you. Sweet to me.”

He grunted and leaned back, but not before he picked
up two more.  Her lips twitched as she watched him.  She popped a
berry into her mouth and lowered her eyes from him.

Rourke flinched. He liked her eyes on him. His body
heated up. The look she had sent him was softer.

She ate a few berries and reached for the strips of
beef. Rourke tried to find a comfortable position with his back to the wall so
he could watch her at leisure. She ignored him and it irritated him further.
She took a nibble at the beef first before she ate one sliver, then the next.