Chapter Eight

Thy Godlike crime was to be kind,

To render with thy precepts less

The sum of human wretchedness

-Lord Byron

Despair filled her. What do I do know? How am I going to get myself out of this mess I’ve gotten myself into? Forcing steel into her tone, she looked down her nose at him. “Then, we apparently have nothing else to discuss. I wish to go to this room you said I could have. I want to change.”

He angled his head. “Good. You should wear something made for a woman, so while there you will properly attire yourself. No more men’s clothing. Mayhap that will help your appearance.” Marcus delivered the cold words in tandem with his outstretched hand for her bag.

Right, because I’m wearing the shit they did back now, like hell. Kit mutely declined his offer to hold her bag. She swung it up on her shoulder and gestured for him to lead the way, not wanting him to see the hurt his crassly thrown statement caused her. I’m going to have to be careful with what I say; he didn’t understand change when I said it earlier, not in the context I used it. She took in his broad shoulders—the kind that would easily carry the weight of her problems, not to mention her physically—lean waist and muscular buttocks and legs as he sauntered on ahead of her.

He was built like a brick shithouse. Hellfire and damnation. Good thing he has a beard, little protection that it offers. She was very confused about her feelings toward him. Fear should be more prevalent in her mind than sex. Fear and how to get home. But, as she stared at this specimen of a man, giving him a once-over, sex was definitely taking priority. He was fine. No, he was more; he was gorgeous. This man definitely fit her idea of a perfect body. Here was a man who would do very nicely in her dreams with his sinful good looks.

Kit struggled to suppress the tremor that went through her at the thought of his big strong, callused hands running over her body. He has a sword; he has to have callused hands. She attempted—again—to bring her mind back to the problems at hand. The century she was in, the loss of Ares, not to mention how the hell she was going to get home.

As if he felt her gaze on him, he squared his wide shoulders and put a bit more of arrogant swagger in his step, a swagger that seemed inherently born to every male. A swagger he owned. And did so hands-down compared to the other men she knew. Still, she shook her head. Men are all the same, no matter the time. Crap, I need to focus.

To keep her attention off the fine figure of a man in front of her, Kit took in her surroundings. Her gag reflex kicked in, and she scrunched her nose. The smell she equated to something similar to the stables at home when they were in dire need of cleaning. The castle was mostly stone, and the part that was wood appeared to be undergoing reconstruction. However, parts of it seemed to be coming down around her ears. The portions that were made of stone were almost swept clean, but in her opinion, the entire facility could use an immense cleansing.

He opened a door, stepped to the side, gesturing for her to enter first. She did and inhaled sharply with surprise. The chamber was opulent, and she gawked at the splendor. Not anything like she would have expected from having seen the outside of the castle or the lack of cleanliness on the inside.

The main colors in the chamber were deep blue with silver gray accents. Thick rugs covered the floor to ward off the cold from the stones. A fire in the hearth was ready to be lit. Heavily woven tapestries, intricately embroidered with beautiful scenes, covered the walls. To top it off, a massive bed took up the main portion of the room. There were gray and blue coverings on the bed, along with some furs.

Her mouth dropped open at the sight of the bed. It was huge. Easily four people could be in there without touching. Her gaze slanted over at the man who dominated the room with his presence, second only to the enormous bed, as she wondered what his plans were.

“Damn, that bed is huge.”

She gulped at the mentally created erotic images of the two of them in it together. Naked limbs entwined, and sweat-slick bodies.

His brow rose in response to her exclamation; however, he gave no verbal response. She confused him; she got it. It was okay, for he did the same to her. She understood he wasn’t used to a woman like her, skin color notwithstanding. Her manner of dress, language. She was an enigma and had been for a lot of her life so didn’t take it personally. Plus, much more important things to focus on.

His gaze burned into her as she gingerly touched the bed. After she had made a complete perusal of the room, Kit walked right up to him and looked him in the eyes.

“This is a very nice room. Thank you.”

His shock was obvious, and he gave a low grunt. “My room is right through this door. You will become properly attired, and then, I will give you a tour of the place. Knock when you are ready. The garderobe is through that door, if you have need.” That said, he went through the adjoining door, closing it with force.

Left alone, Kit wasn’t sure what to do. They had adjoining rooms. Why would he have me near him? That was not necessarily a good thing. On the other hand, it could lead to some very interesting nights.

Her breathing came faster as she quickly changed into her jeans but left on her cutoff sweatshirt. She put her boots back on and slipped her boot knife on the inside of her footwear. Better to have something extra, just in case. Her clothes were loose enough that she could do capoeira, or swing up on a moving horse. She dry brushed her teeth, not wanting to use the water in the room, and made sure she was wearing deodorant. After that, she tucked her bag into a corner where she hoped no one would get to it and take it. That took her all of five minutes. Kit knocked on his door and waited for him to answer. At his responding bark, she opened the door, stepping in. His room was similar to hers, only bigger. A larger bed, its colors black and silver. The room was very dark given the hangings over the windows were drawn, so not much light got in.

“I’m ready. Let’s do this tour thing.”