The blow that struck her just behind the ear sent her reeling into the wall with such force that her vision blurred. Cassandra gasped, wrapping her arms around her head to shield herself from any further blows. Her ears were ringing, and she didn't know he'd come toward her until a hand closed around her leg, fairly cutting off her circulation.

With a whimper, she looked up at him, and her muddled mind saw Graham's gray eyes looking back at her. His hand caressed her cheek, and she leaned into his touch. She could always feel safe with Graham.

"I hope you're still awake enough to feel this." The image rippled, and a sharp, angular face replaced Graham's.

There was a cruel smile twisting the thin lips. She gasped in shock, trying to jerk away from his touch. This was a nightmare, a horrible, horrible nightmare. It couldn't be real. At any moment, Graham would come.

"Oh, good. I thought I'd have to help you a little." He chuckled cruelly.

She weakly fought against his steel grip as the man jerked her arms over her head. Her fighting, however, only seemed to excite him. He looked down at her gleefully, jerking a rope tightly around her wrists.

"You know, Granger wanted to bring you in with the fight still in you, but I'm not sure I can wait that long. It's been an age since I heard a woman's voice screaming, and I have a feeling that I'm going to enjoy yours too much to want to share it." He said, running his tongue over his lips.

He tied her hands to something above her head—she was too dazed to care what. The rope bit into her flesh, and she couldn't stop herself from crying out as warm, sticky liquid trickled down her arms. He laughed.

"You know, this would be far more fun if Donahaven were here to watch." He lifted her jumper up. "Although, by now, I'm sure the boys have gutted him quite prettily. We'll have no disturbance from him."

She struggled uselessly as he pulled her shirt up, too, revealing her stomach. He ignored her attempts at fighting, staring at her bared skin with a glint in his eyes. Slowly, as if relishing every move, he removed a wicked looking knife from a hip sheath.

"In case he isn't already dead, though, leaving a message for him will be almost as fun." He looked at her and grinned.

Cassandra's widened eyes followed the blade as he poised it over her stomach, cocking his head to the side like some deranged animal. The saliva in her mouth dried up, and her tongue felt thick and foreign.

"Please—" she managed, panting in terror.

"Again." He groaned, closing his eyes and leaning a little closer.

"Please!" She said, and the word was almost a scream.

"Oh, yes." He looked her straight in the eyes, and his hand moved so fast she didn't have time to react.

The blade bit into the tender skin of her abdomen right below her ribs. Pain shot through her like bursting fireworks, and she screamed, attempting to squirm away from him.

"Now, now, now, that wasn't hardly deep at all." His voice was husky. "Just a flesh wound."

"Please," she gasped. "You don't have to do this! I don't know who this Donahaven is—" Her words were cut off in a scream as the blade ran a path across the thin skin covering her ribs.

"Don't lie to me. I don't like lies, and it might make me end this faster than I'd planned." He bared his pointy teeth in an animalistic snarl.

Every breath sent shocks of pain through her body, and she could feel blood trickling down her sides. Tears were coursing uninhibited down her cheeks. A whimper escape her lips as he toyed with the knife just where she could see it.

"I don't think I'll enjoy doing this part as much as I will marring that pretty face of yours." He looked at her calculatingly. "You know, I really hope they haven't killed Donahaven yet. He's quite fond of your face, I think, and seeing it all torn up. . .well, let's just say: it'll get to him." His smile was so wide it might have ripped his face in half, and he shifted closer to her. "Oh, yes, this will be loads of fun."

He poised the knife above her forehead. Pausing for a moment as if savoring the fear in her eyes. She gasped for breath, not realizing she'd stopped breathing until her lungs began to burn for air.

"Graham!" She hadn't known she could scream so loudly or so violently, and Graham's name was the only thing she could think of at the moment.

He'd said he'd come back for her, but where was he?! She could feel panic coursing through her like streams of icy water. In the back of her mind was the knowledge that she was alone. Completely and utterly alone. No one was going to help her. Not this time.

There had been gunshots. Not even Graham could survive that. He was dead, and she was alone. Hysterical tears coursed down her cheeks. Terror was her only companion, and it gave her no comfort.

The knife point was all she could see as it lowered toward her face. She could hear herself screaming, calling for Graham. She wouldn't plead, however. There was no mercy in this man, and she was too proud to grovel any more. Besides, hearing her begging would only give him more pleasure, she realized.

"Let's see how w—" something smashed into the side of the man's face, sending him reeling backward.

Cassandra wheezed in shocked relief, and her eyes focused on the blood-covered figure above her. Graham eyes flashed as he looked at her, and she had never been so happy to see anyone.

"Well, well, Donahaven, so nice of you to show up." The thinner man spat, getting to a crouching position as though he were preparing to launch himself forward. "It's been so lo—"

A crack cut off whatever he'd been about to say as Graham coolly raised a revolver and shot him in the head. Blood splattered across Cassandra's prone body, and she screamed as the man pitched forward, landing right beside her, his face almost unrecognizable.

"Damn." Graham was beside her in a moment, his eyes on her lacerated stomach. There was matted blood down the side of his face as though he'd been hit in the side of the head.

Snatching the dead man's knife off the floor, he cut her bonds.

"You came back." She didn't care that she was sobbing foolishly as her hands closed over his.

"I told you I would." Tossing the blade aside, he looked at her injuries again. "Damn it, Cassandra, I didn't want this to happen." He looked like he wanted to say more, wanted to curse more, but more than that, he looked like he wanted to kill something. "They aren't deep, but they'll hurt like hell every time you move." He looked steadily into her eyes. "We have to move."

She nodded, her eyes darting to the prone body beside them. She felt hysterics rising within her as the pool of blood moved ever closer to her body. Gasping, she tried to push herself away from it, crying out as a shock of pain went through her body.

"Cassandra," she dimly heard Graham's voice, but she couldn't take her eyes off the dead man.

"He's dead." She gasped. She'd never seen a dead body before.

"And hell has another occupant." There was no remorse in Graham's voice.

"You killed him." Shock coursed through her veins, and she looked up at Graham. There had been no hesitation before he fired that gun.

"And when they get me, hell's gates will open wide for me." There was no hint of a smile or joke in his face. He was completely serious. "Now, we have to go."

His head jerked to the side, and he was suddenly alert. Cursing under his breath, he scooped her up off the floor and kicked the lantern over. Cassandra knew enough to remain silent as he moved toward the door.

Pausing in the doorway, he listened intently before dashing out the door. There was the bark of a gun being fired from somewhere in the house, but it wasn't close enough to hit them. Graham ran like something possessed. His every step was sure, and Cassandra clung to him, closing her eyes against the world of darkness and death she'd somehow entered.

She felt the cool blast of night air on her skin as they exited the house. She clung tightly to Graham to feel his warmth. In the midst of her pain and terror, the heat from his body was the only thing that made her sure she was still alive.

She could feel Graham's heart beating steadily against her, and for some reason she couldn't explain, she felt safe in his arms. She'd just witnessed him murder a man, and terrified as she was, she felt only relief. There was no one on earth she'd rather be with at the moment.

"This isn't gonna feel good." He set her gently down, and she opened her eyes to find herself standing on the edge of a grove of trees beside a horse.

A flash of golden light drew her attention back to the house. Orange flames licked hungrily at the roof. They were burning it to the ground.

"Your house." She looked up at him, unable to make out his expression in the darkness.

"One of them." His voice was flat, empty. Did he feel nothing? "We have to go." There was only a hint of a growl to his voice, but she understood what it meant. He was feeling. He was furious.

With grace she'd become accustomed to, he flung himself into the saddle, reaching down to help her up. She took his hand and gritted her teeth against the pain. Tears coursed down her cheeks as she clambered up behind him, but she refused to cry out, biting down on her lip to keep the sound from escaping her mouth.

Once she was in the saddle, she wrapped her arms tightly around his chest. Pressing her face against his back, she tried not to cry. She was going to carry the scars of that maniac's knife for the rest of her life. Beneath every beautiful and glamorous gown, there would remain marks that would never allow her to forget this night.

There would be no forgetting this, not ever. Not that she really could. The entire night was burnt into her memory, and every time she close her eyes, it flashed before her.

"Don't go to sleep." Was all Graham said before spurring their horse into action.

Pain jolted through her senses at the movement, and she gasped for air. Her grip tightened around Graham's waist, and she gritted her teeth.

If she were entirely honest with herself, the pain was only a dull throb. With the adrenaline pumping through her veins, she could feel almost nothing. The rubbing of her shirt on her open wound, however, made her eyes water.

A shout to their left made Graham curse and jerk their horse sharply away. The animal's reaction time was nothing compared to Graham's, and in its attempt to follow its rider's command, it skidded on the loose ground, nearly falling over. Cassandra cried out as she felt herself slipping, clawing at Graham for a hand hold.

A branch raked across her face, and she could hear Graham swearing profusely. It couldn't have taken the horse more than a minute to right itself, but so much happened in the span of those sixty seconds that it felt so much longer.

She heard shouts and cries and knew they were being chased. She felt herself slipping, though, falling with no way to right herself. At any moment, she imagined she would feel the hands of their pursuers taking hold of her.

It was Graham's hand that closed around her, pulling her upright. Pain made her eyes water, but she clung to him with all that was in her. There was certain comfort in the fact that even after she was upright, he didn't let go of her.

Then they were riding. Graham seemed to give the horse its head, and it ran like the devil was on its heals. At this point, Cassandra wasn't too sure he wasn't.

Shots rang out in the air around them, and Graham leaned further over the horse's neck. Cassandra leaned into him, ignoring the pain and closing her eyes tightly to block everything out. This was all just a horrible dream. It had to be.

When she opened her eyes, they had cleared the trees, and still, Graham wouldn't let the horse rest. He urged it forward, and Cassandra wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him.

Without the crack of gunfire and the shouts of their pursuers, the night was still and quiet. The only sound was the pounding of hooves and the occasion night-prowler making its presence known. The silence was strangely peaceful after the explosion of terror.

Cassandra hunched her shoulders, ignoring years and years of strict training, arching her back to keep her stomach from rubbing against Graham. Her shirt was already rubbing the skin raw, and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from crying out with the pain. She'd never experienced something like this before. In all her life, she'd never expected to receive an injury like this, and she felt ridiculous and ill-prepared.

A wave of guilt washed over her when a cry escaped her lips as they crossed a particularly bumpy patch of ground, causing Graham slowed their pace significantly. She was holding him back, slowing him down. If not for her, he'd be long gone by now. Perhaps that was why he was so eager to get rid of her and send her back to Fergus Manor.

"Not much further now." Graham's voice was low and even.

So he knew where they were going. Of course, he did. The thought had crossed her mind that he was just putting as much distance between them and their pursuers with no real destination in mind. That wouldn't have been like him, though, and now that she thought about it, the very idea of Graham not knowing where to go or what to do was totally foreign.

Ignoring the pain it caused her, Cassandra straightened. She wondered where he intended to stop and why. Whoever was after them would be hot on their heals and stopping now would be exposing themselves to being found again.

"Why?" She whispered.

In the darkness she could just make out that he raised a brow curiously in response without looking at her. His eyes were busy scanning the horizon, and if she hadn't been watching his face, she never would have seen a reply to her question.

"Why are we stopping?" She said.

He turned his head slightly and looked at her for half a second before looking away again. "You're hurt. I'm going to see to your injuries before I decide what to do next."

"Graham—" she winced as he shifted position, inhaling sharply. "If we stop now, they'll come for us again." She bit her lip anxiously.

The thought terrified her. Whoever these men were, they weren't to be trifled with. Evidently, they had no qualms about hurting a lady, and the thought of falling back into their hands sent shivers down her spine.

Her palms began to sweat, and she clutched the material of Graham's coat tightly in her hands. Wouldn't death be easier than facing the torments of this night again? She bit down on her lip to stop herself from trembling, but it was no use.

A rough hand suddenly closed over hers. Gently loosening her grip on his coat, Graham held her hand, massaging it. The rough callouses of his palms and fingers were more real than the terror of her imagination.

There was more to his touch than words could have expressed. It was a comfort, an assurance that she was safe, that he wouldn't let her go to them again. He wasn't going to leave her.

Her skin tingled lightly at his touch, and she held onto his hand. In a world of exploded uncertainties, he was still sure and strong as ever. In fact, he was the clearest thing in her world right now. He was there, and he was letting her know he wasn't going anywhere.

They stopped suddenly in a field of thick heather and underbrush. Releasing her hand, Graham smoothly dismounted. The light of morning was just beginning to shine, and it revealed his firm jawline and shone in those sharp, silver-grey eyes.

One of his hands touched her thigh, and he held out his hand. Drawing a deep breath to steel herself for the pain she was about to experience, Cassandra took the offered hand, swinging her leg over the saddle, so she was sitting sidesaddle.

Graham didn't give her time to think about whether she wanted to move like a snail or not. He pulled her into his arms so quickly she had no time to protest. She was off the horse before she had a chance to even draw a breath. She wasn't sure how, but he'd managed to get her down without hurting her too much in the process.

Gently, he set her down. When her feet touched the ground, she felt a shock of pain and sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. Her hands closed into fists, and she realized she'd grabbed hold of him when he helped her dismount.

"Can you walk?" His hand pressed into her upper back, and he bent slightly to look into her eyes.

Her eyes were watering profusely, and she blinked quickly to clear her vision. "How far?" She said. She could already feel the cuts beginning to bleed again. "Not very." He circled an arm around her, and he slapped their horse's rump with his free hand.

"Graham—" She looked up at him quickly, startled by his dismissal of the animal.

"They'll be tracking it." He said.

With her leaning against him for stability, they began to move. Knowing she was holding him back, she tried to move as quickly as possible. She was the only reason they were stopping, and she knew it.

The air turned clear and cold, and there was a slight musty scent to it. When Cassandra took stock of their surroundings, she realized they were about to enter a cave. It's dark mouth opened before them like a hungry beast, and she shuddered.

"You're safe." Graham's voice was calm and soothing.

His fingers closed around hers. At his touch, she felt more sure, and when he moved forward, she followed easily, the cool air closing around her like the jaws of a great beast.

"Where are we?" She asked, and her voice was loud in the dark confines of the cave.

"In a cave." She could hear the smirk in his voice and wished she wasn't too tired to punch him. "We'll stay here until nightfall when it will be safer to travel again." He was serious again in a moment. "I'll get you home."

There was unspoken promise in the words, but Cassandra was too tired to think any further on the subject. She had a vague memory of leaning against something warm that smelled incredibly good. It was so dark, so cold. Her exhaustion was catching up with her, and then she closed her eyes and forgot.

——————————

Well, there you have it! Gosh, I wanted to get this chapter up so many days ago, but everything was insane around this house, and I had no time to even get my writing brain on. It was terrible. 😝Anyway, a very late and very, very merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it! I hope it was as lovely as mine!!

So are you guys thoroughly confused?? All this insanity going around is a little bewildering, but don't worry! I'm not going to make any sure promises, but I'd keep an eye out for the next chapter. It's bound to be. . .eye-opening. I hope. . .

Now, I really want to know what you guys are hoping for next? What do you expect? More than that, though, what do you want to happen? I'm trying to get everything set up for the end. This story is already many chapters longer than the first book, and it keeps going!! All right, well, I guess that's it. Happy reading!!!