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You swore to protect the innocents. You swore never to become like the men who destroyed our happiness.
“She’s not innocent,” he whispered to the empty air.
“Why? Because she stirred something in you that you thought was dead?”
“No. Because she saw me kill Norfolk.”
“So that excuses your actions then? The ends justify the means? You sound like the men you hate.”
He closed his eyes, Sarah’s face vanishing from his memory. He barely remembered what she looked like anymore, but he recalled her tender heart.
She would hate him if she could see him now.
What have you become?
An animal. A beast.
Gideon turned back to Leila, walked up to her, and sat on the corner of the bed as she watched him with a terrified expression.
He moved to untie the silk around her mouth. His fingers brushed her skin as he worked, and he tried to ignore how she flinched at his touch.
“I am not going to hurt you,” he assured her.
As the gag fell away, she worked her jaw for a moment before fixing him with a glare that could have melted steel. “Like you haven’t hurt poor Lord Norfolk?”
Gideon’s fingers curled into fists. “He had it coming.”
“And I don’t?”
“No.” The word came without hesitation.
Her eyes narrowed. “Is that why I am tied to your bed?”
Gideon scrubbed his face with both hands. “I just need time to figure out what to do, or to wait until your husband is ready to go home, or…” He trailed off, realizing how pathetic he sounded. He truly hadn’t thought this through. “You have nothing to worry about. I do not hurt the innocents.”
“And what did Norfolk do?”
“A lot of things.”
Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “What a great answer. I no longer fear for my safety.”
Despite everything, he almost laughed. He admired her spirit, even when faced with the monster. “He was part of the nefarious society that killed my family,” he said honestly. He had nothing to lose; he might as well tell her the truth. “And many other families. He committed numerous other atrocious acts that you don’t need to hear about.”
“Why would I believe you?”
“Why would I lie to you? I have nothing to gain. You are at my mercy.”
“For now,” she replied sharply. “Do you think I will disappear and no one will notice? People will be looking for me.”
“Not here.”
She hesitated. “It will be an international scandal when people realize I am gone. It might lead to a war.” She didn’t sound entirely convinced.
“No one will believe you.”
She let out a frustrated breath. “Well then, let me go.”
A pause. “I can’t.”
