Laughter, wicked and familiar, filled the room.
“Look what the cat dragged in.”
Oh God! A wave of nausea hit her hard. She bit back nasty bile. She’d never forget that voice.
“Grainna!”
“Well, well. Know my real name, do you?”
“What do you want?” Tara struggled to sit up.
A heavy boot pushed her to the floor.
“I’m no use to you, now.”
“That is debatable.” Grainna moved away.
The foot still held her. Lancaster!
Tara struggled to see Grainna, but caught only a bit of her image between the slits in the fabric.
Grainna glared down at her, cocked her head to one side, as if in debate. “You ran from me, after everything I did for you.”
“You were plumping me up for the kill. No better than a turkey on Thanksgiving.”
“True. Still, your ungrateful behavior has led to this.”
“You’re twisted.”
Grainna laughed. “You’re stupid if you think I’ll put up with your insults for long.”
Tara realized how vulnerable she was. No one 260
Binding Vows
knew she was here. Duncan wasn’t due back for two more days. She couldn’t use their telepathic link to plead for his help. “What do you want from me?”
“It pains you. Not knowing.”
Tara heard her shuffling and saw the hem of a filthy skirt under the cloth covering her eyes. She heard the sound of old bones popping when Grainna knelt closer. “Where is she?”
“Who?” Tara asked. The foot holding her lifted and came down hard, pain raced up her spine.
“The virgin? What have you done with her?”
Grainna said, spit coming out with each word.
“I don’t know who you mean.” Tara cloaked her thoughts as Lora had taught her.
Grainna pulled her up by the hair. “The sister?”
she hissed. “Where is the sister?”
Tara screamed. The cloth covering her eyes was yanked off. Grainna stood over her. Hate and fury burned in her eyes. Red blazed from them, intense as the flames within the hearth. She somehow looked different—younger.
“Duncan took her to the convent.”
Grainna raised her hand and brought it down hard. Tara tasted blood. Pain burst in her cheek.
“Try again.”
Tara glared and kept silent.
Grainna flicked a finger.
Lancaster kicked her side.
She screamed. My baby! Tara huddled away from the pain of his boot. Fear for her child clenched her gut.
Grainna’s grin widened. “Well now. Isn’t that interesting?” She reached out and pinched at Tara’s stomach.
Tara pushed herself back and away from Grainna until the wall stopped her.
Grainna pushed forward, reached and twisted her grip on Tara’s waist.
261
Catherine Bybee
A wrenching sob escaped her throat. Tara pleaded, “Please, no.”
“New life has such power, even now. Yes, I feel the heart.” Grainna loosened her grip, leveled her blood shot eyes upon her. “Your lover will try hard to find you.”
The stench of her breath was nauseating. Tara turned her head away.
“Where is she, Tara?” Her hand gripped her stomach, nails bit into her flesh.
“Gone! Out of your reach, out of this time!”
Please leave me alone. Leave my baby alone. I’m telling the truth.
Reading her thoughts, Grainna shrieked in rage.
Tara curled into a ball as objects around the room flew, hitting anything in their path.
Grainna vented her magical wrath.
****
Megan met Ian and Fin at the door, frantic. She had difficulty putting her words together. “Please, Lord Ian, I dinna know what to do. Amber won’t come out of her room, she locked herself in. She keeps calling for Lady Tara.” Ian looked at Fin in alarm. “How come Tara isn’t with her?”
Megan’s eyes grew large. “She is with ye, is she not?”
“Why do you think that?” Fin shouted.
“Sir Lancaster came to fetch her for ye. She left with him hours ago.”
Father and son took the stairs two at a time.
Ian’s foot knocked Amber’s door off its lock.
Amber rocked and cowered in the corner of her room.
He ran to his youngest child, took her into his arms.
“Tara... Tara... The mean woman has her, Da.”
She hit her hand to her head. “They keep kicking her and hitting her. Tara is so scared.”
“Who has her, Amber?” He wiped away the 262
Binding Vows
fallen tears. “Who is the mean woman?”
“Grainna.”
Amber held her hand in front of her, as if she could stop Tara’s pain from afar. “No!”
Ian signaled to Fin to ready the men. It took a half hour, but Ian coaxed what information he could out of Amber. He calmed her enough to leave her with Megan and Cian, so he could direct the men.