He shivered again, and Anna worried that he was going into shock. She got the blanket and stuffed it through the bars, spreading it over his body as best she could. Then she checked his pulse again. Still strong.
She spent several minutes checking the cell for some way out, but the bars were secure, and she didn’t have anything to pick the lock. There wasn’t even anything she could use as a weapon. If the bastards got close enough, she’d strangle them with her bra.
The man moaned, and Anna went back to him. Squatting next to the bars, she slipped her hand through and touched his face. Still cold, but no fever. That was good.
He seemed unsettled. He tried to raise himself to one arm. “Piss.”
“What?”
“Piss.” The man fumbled with his kilt and lifted the front.
Anna’s eyebrows rose. Was he going to do it right here on the floor? “Wait! You have a toilet.” Damn. He couldn’t walk to the toilet. He’d been drugged. Grabbing the cup still sitting on the floor, she tilted it just in time. She looked away, trying to give him privacy. His hand was unsteady, and she was afraid he’d end up soaking the floor. Anna cursed under her breath and reached through the bars. She put her other hand over his, guiding his aim.
What a bloody freakin’ day. She’d gotten captured by God knew what kind of creatures, there was a monster hybrid on the loose, and now she was helping a man she didn’t know piss in a cup. When he was finished, he groaned and fell back, not moving. She lowered his kilt and emptied the cup in the toilet. When she returned, she straightened his blanket and sat on the floor next to the bars, afraid to leave him alone.
After ten minutes with her teeth chattering and her head drooping, she lay down, trying to draw what little heat she could from his body.
A smell woke him. Something tugged at his memory. Hugging a woman? No. Fighting…He opened his eyes. He was lying on the floor. A blanket had been thrown over him, and a woman lay inches away in the next cell, her back to him. She wore a short gown that left most of her legs bare. His eyebrows rose, and he winced at the movement. His face felt bruised and swollen. She must be a whore. What was she doing here? He pulled in her scent again, and he smelled something else. Blood. What had they done to her? Had the guard ravished her?
If that bastard had hurt a woman, whore or no, he’d wrap his hands around that thick throat and squeeze until there was no bloody life left in the man. When he could move. Damnation, he felt like he’d been trampled by horses. He looked at the floor and saw the bloodstain, there and on his kilt. It was his blood, not hers. His body hurt from head to toe, but he was warmer than he’d been for a fortnight. The blanket must have been her doing. Memories shot through his head. A woman’s voice whispering to him. Soft hands checking for wounds, holding his hand while he pissed. Bollocks. And he smelled worse than a sweaty horse. He hadn’t bathed in days.
“Well, now, isn’t this cozy?” The guard stood outside the cell. His arm was bandaged.
The prisoner didn’t recall attacking him. He didn’t think he’d been capable in his condition. Had the woman done this? Not likely. What could a woman do against a guard? He heard an indrawn breath, and the woman jumped up, her back to him. All he managed to do was roll over. Since he didn’t have a sporran, he dropped his hand over his groin, but the guard had already seen his reaction to the woman.
“Nature blessed you, warrior, so you might manage it through the bars. We could use some entertainment.”
An unholy light lit the guard’s eyes, sending dread to the prisoner’s heart. He struggled to his feet, longing for his dirk. He would drive the blade up under his ribs, directly into his heart. The guard would be dead before he hit the floor. He must be a killer, else how would he know that?
The guard opened the woman’s cell and stepped inside. “Time to start talking. Who are you?”
She didn’t answer.
“Did you come for him?” He nodded toward the prisoner. “Strange clothing for a rescue. You couldn’t have come for the other one. He’s been here over two years. No one knows about him.”
“Do you know her?” the guard asked him.
“No.” He didn’t know anyone. Or did he know her? Was that why he’d felt the beginning of a memory?
The guard advanced on her, but she didn’t back up. Her body tensed, balancing. She was prepared to fight. Another rush of dread filled him. The guard would kill her.
“Answer me,” the guard demanded, clenching his fists. “Who are you? How did you get in?”
“You’ll need more than your fists to get me to talk,” she said.
Was she insane? The prisoner moved closer to the bars separating the cells. His body was still weak, but anger and fear gave him strength.
“I can make you talk.” The guard pulled out his pistol. “Lance, come here.”
Lance arrived, and the guard handed him the pistol. “If she struggles, shoot her.” The guard grabbed the woman’s arm. “Tell me who you are.”
“No.”
The guard slapped her.
The prisoner’s fingers pressed into the bars. He heard a growl and realized it came from his own throat. Then a startling thing happened. The woman punched the guard in the face and then kicked him in the chest. He fell backward, smashing into Lance. The gun flew from his hands. Damnation. Lasses didn’t fight like that. Maybe his dream of fighting with her wasn’t a dream.
“Bitch!” The guard jumped up and grabbed the pistol, pointing the weapon at her head.
“Just shoot her,” Lance said. “The master will be here soon. We don’t need trouble.”
“No. Get on the floor.” The woman’s face was still hidden, but her anger was apparent in her stiff movements. “Now.”
She sat down, awkwardly, because of her short gown. The guard pointed his pistol at her chest and shoved her back onto the floor. She tried to sit up, but the guard straddled her. He ripped the top of the woman’s gown, baring part of her breasts. Not overly large, but plenty. He sneered as he unfastened his belt. “Somebody needs to teach you a lesson. Human women are only good for one thing.”
A cry of rage rolled up the prisoner’s throat. “Get off her.”
“Sedate the prisoner,” the guard ordered Lance. “Then leave.”
In one swift motion, the woman lifted her legs, baring a backside covered in a tiny white cloth and the most bizarre shoes on her feet, and wrapped her legs around the guard’s chest, yanking him backward. At the same time, she swung her arm toward the pistol. It fired into the ceiling. She ducked, and the guard scrambled to his feet.
The prisoner growled and pulled against the bars. He felt the wounds on his back open with the effort. He wasn’t aware that Lance had entered the cell until something sharp jabbed him in the arm. He turned and swung at Lance, throwing him against the cell door. The prisoner started toward him, but Lance scrambled out of reach. The prisoner’s legs went weak as a new lamb’s. His mind blurred as Lance shoved him onto the bench. As the shackles closed around his wrists, he saw the woman’s face for the first time.
But it wasn’t the first time. He’d seen those turquoise eyes before.
Anna jumped up and lunged at the guard again, striking him in the groin. It wasn’t a direct hit, but he groaned and staggered back. Still, he held on to the gun. She expected him to shoot her, but a roar echoed down the corridor.
The guard cursed, holding his crotch with one hand and the gun with the other. “I thought you sedated him.”