Chapter One
Forest near Wolfglynn Castle
Summer, 1128
The darkness pulled at his soul, demanding release, yearning to ravage the land in blood and death. Every day it became harder and harder to fight it, to remember the man he used to be.
But then again, he'd known the outcome of his battle from the first moment the darkness had seeped into him.
Cade paused in sharpening his sword and looked over the turbulent sea to observe the small rowboat as it neared Wolfglynn Castle. Every morning, he watched the boat bring the beautiful, vibrant Francesca to the castle, her fiery hair drawing his gaze like a beacon. And every evening, he watched her return to the small isle across the sea.
It had become a ritual, just like honing his weapons and stalking the forest for an enemy he knew would strike soon--very soon.
Cade's gaze jerked away from Francesca as something stirred in the trees. He stood, sword at the ready, and walked silently toward the sound, listening for warnings that it might be him.
"Cade?"
He stopped and sighed.
"Cade. Please," Drogan called from where he stood at the edge of the foliage. "Just talk to me."
But Cade didn't dare. It was painful enough being so near a man he had called brother, but Cade was willing to bear the torture in an effort to save Drogan's life. It was only because of Drogan that Cade didn't go hunting for Nigel himself.
Baron Nigel Creely. Cade's lip curled in a sneer at the mere thought of him. The bastard had turned Cade into what he was, the same man who had already tried to kill Drogan once.
Drogan had won the first battle, but Nigel hadn't given up. Cade knew all too well that once Nigel wanted someone dead, he would stop at nothing to see it done.
Which was why Cade hid in the forest.
"Cade. I know you're out there." Drogan sighed and ran a hand through his auburn hair. "What do I need to say to get you to come inside the castle?"
There's nothing you can say, brother.
The darkness had nearly claimed Drogan, but he had managed to fight it, and with his woman by his side, Drogan had beaten it once and for all. Cade didn't want to put the darkness near Drogan again, not when it was so much a part of Cade that there was no separating the two anymore.
He moved as close to Drogan as he dared before he stopped and watched his friend. Cade still remembered being told he was transferred to the king's private guard. Cade had been young, so very young, but his talent with a blade had brought him to Gerard and Drogan--two of the finest swordsmen in all of England.
The two were a handful of years older than Cade, but they had quickly formed a brotherhood. Cade had eagerly learned everything the men had taught him, and each month, his skill continued to grow.
Which was what caught Nigel's attention. If only Cade had known then what he knew now, he would never have allowed Nigel to sink his claws into him.
Drogan shifted from one foot to the other, his hand on the pommel of his sword as his gaze scanned the trees. "You know you are welcome anytime, Cade. I'd like to introduce you to my son. Serena wants to get to know you as well. And I just want to sit across from you and share a meal as we used to."
Cade closed his eyes. He knew he shouldn't listen to Drogan. It was too easy to let his friend's words affect him. Drogan thought he knew everything about him, but Drogan knew nothing. If he had an inkling as to what Cade had done since that fateful night so many years ago when their brotherhood had broken, Drogan wouldn't invite him into his castle.
"I won't give up on you," Drogan murmured before he turned on his heel and strode toward the castle.
Cade leaned back against a tree and sighed. God, how he missed talking to Drogan and Gerard. When he had learned of Nigel's plans to kill both men, Cade hadn't hesitated to ensure his friends' survival.
Gerard and his family were once more at their castle, and though the threat of Nigel would never go away, for some reason Nigel wanted Drogan before Gerard. Most likely it was because Drogan had led their brotherhood. Drogan had been the strongest of them, the best of them.
While Cade had been the weakest, the worst.
His gaze snapped open when he smelled lilacs and felt the tingle of magic along his skin. He whirled around to find the witch, Francesca, standing twenty paces from him.
Many times he had followed her in the forest while she picked herbs, though he had never spoken to her. His gaze drank in the sight of her exquisite beauty, from the dark red tresses that hung in a thick braid over her shoulder to her creamy skin, unblemished and pure.
Tawny eyes stared at him under gently arched brows. Her lips were curved at the corners, as if she knew some secret he did not. Her gown of yellow hugged her breasts, and the decorative, painted belt that wound about her waist and hips only brought more attention to her delicious curves.
Cade's balls tightened in response. Since the first time he had seen her over a year ago, he hadn't been able to squelch the lust that pounded through him each time he looked at her.
"Will you never talk to him, my lord?"
Her voice was soft, rich and seductive. He fought the urge to run, to disappear into the trees as he always did when someone got too close to him. Yet he hadn't spoken to anyone in ... months. And she was here. Asking him a question.
"Don't call me 'my lord.'" His voice sounded harsh and rusty.
Her head tilted to the side. "Are you not a titled lord? Do you not have land and a castle of your own?"
Cade cursed inwardly. Drogan must have spoken about him. "You shouldn't be alone out here," he said instead.
"You're here protecting me. As you always are."
When he furrowed his brow, she smiled.
"I may not have acknowledged you, but I always feel you when I'm in the forest. You follow me, don't you? Protecting me?"
Cade stretched his shoulders. "If Drogan won't supply a guard, someone has to watch over you."
"I don't need a guard."
He could argue with her on that point, but decided against it. Her strength of will was obvious, and not just because she was a witch, or a bana-bhuidseach, as she called herself.
She wasn't the only witch at Wolfglynn, though. Drogan's wife, Serena, was also a witch.
"You aren't going to tell me why you won't talk to Drogan, are you?" Francesca asked.
Cade shook his head. "There's nothing to tell."
"Then tell me this, warrior. Why do you stay in the forest?"
Cade opened his mouth to speak, but she continued on.
"Could it be because you know Nigel will return? I would think that you were on Nigel's side except for the pain I saw on your face every time Drogan asked you to come to the castle."
Cade swallowed and took a step away from her. Francesca had always unsettled him. Maybe it was the way her tawny eyes regarded him, as if she saw through to his black soul. Maybe it was her beauty. Or maybe it was because when she was near, her magic clashed against his darkness, prickling his skin with ... something unnamable.
One brow lifted. "Do you fear me, Cade?"
He feared what he might do to her, but he wasn't going to tell her that. "It is unwise for you to be so near me."
Her gaze softened. "It's the darkness, isn't it? That's how I always know when you are near. I feel it."
"My apologies."
"There's no need to apologize. I know that as long as you are near, I am safe."
He hadn't expected her to say that--nor did he expect the little thrill those words caused him.
She let out a deep breath. "Everyone needs a friend, Cade. Even you. We all know Nigel will return, so there's no use in thinking you must fight him yourself."
"I won't let him get near Drogan and his family." Or you.
"Let us help you then."
He shook his head. "You felt the darkness in Drogan. His is nothing compared to mine."
"I know," she whispered.
"You risk too much by being near me, witch."
For long moments, she held his gaze. "It is tearing Drogan apart that you are out here alone. And if I had to gamble on it, I would say that you feel as much pain, or more, than he does."
Cade took another step away from her. Drogan might have spoken of him, but Cade knew him well enough to be sure that Drogan had kept much more private. Which was how it should be. No one needed to know of their deeds, especially not the beautiful, alluring witch standing in front of him.
She thought him good despite the darkness surrounding him. He wanted her to continue to think him a decent person for as long as she could. All too soon, she would realize just what a monster he was.
Pheasants startled and flew into the air. As soon as Francesca turned her head, Cade slid behind a tree. She didn't seem the least bit surprised to find him gone, though her gaze did search for him just as Drogan's had.
Cade drank in her ethereal beauty until she turned and headed back to the castle. He ran a hand down his face and sagged against the tree. He had never expected to talk to her, much less that she would seek him out.
Already he missed the tingling of his skin that vanished with her. Once she was safely in the castle, he walked to where she had stood. He inhaled deeply and caught the soft scent of lilacs.
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