And as she did, she stumbled on a half-hidden vine and pitched to her knees. She cried out as her arm struck the wall with a dull, ringing echo.
The next moment stone grated against stone. Gray felt the bank beneath her begin to heave.
And then she was sliding down into a black hole that gaped where once the foundation had stood.
Warm fur brushed her face as she clawed through the loose, damp earth and stumbled to her feet. "Gideon?" she rasped.
A faint meow rose in answer.
Shivering, Gray studied the tunnel that stretched before her, dark and damp. She saw glowing amber pinpoints drift through the shadows at her side and move upward.
Gray followed blindly, feeling loose dirt give way to hard-packed clay and finally to rough stone steps.
Up Gray went, her gaze riveted on the amber eyes that gleamed beside her. Ten steps, twenty...until she began to lose count.
Behind her, an angry cruse exploded up the tunnel. "Dammit, Moira, you can"t hope to get away! Notthis time. And this time, by God, you"re going to pay! You"re going to beg and beg!"
Shuddering, Gray blocked off the sound of that hated voice, the threats she knew too well. Her hands to the cool stone, she circled round and round, climbing ever higher with Gideon right beside her.
Abruptly the steps came to an end. Her hands met stone, nothing but cold stone on three sides.
"-Sweet heaven, what now?"
The cat meowed softly, sliding past her ankles, while angry curses filtered up the narrow stairway.
And then Gray felt the familiar tingling at her spine, the soft kiss of an unseen wind.
Lower, my heart. Down by Gideon...
Awkwardly, Gray bent down and searched the wall, crying out in triumph when she felt a narrow gap in the stone. But could she manage to fit?
Ah, we were all a bit smaller then, my heart. But you"ll fit, never fear. And when you"re through, I"ll be there waiting.
Wildly Gray pushed through the narrow opening, clawing her way across a layer of rough, damp stones. Something dug into her wrist and she flinched as a small, sharp object pricked her skin. As she crawled forward, she felt it snag in the folds of her lace gown.
But she paid it no thought, all too aware of the curses that were growing closer every second.
Before her she could make out a faint gleam, and she realized it was the star-flung sky.
"I"m...coming...Adrian!"
And then she was through, out into the chill night. Before her on the abbey"s high parapet stars gleamed like cold diamonds flung across a lapis sky.
Best of all, a tall shadow paced the windswept battlements.
His arms opened. Gray flung herself inside.
"Well done. Oh, well done, my heart."
Joy welled up as Gray felt the hard muscles flex, tense, crush her close.
Real again. As real in bone and muscle as she ever needed a man to be. And no matter who- orwhat- he was, being held like this was all Gray wanted or needed from life.
Adrian"s lips brushed her hair, soft as the sweep of filtered moonlight. Warm as the kiss of the summer wind.
The shot rang out before she knew it, cracking off the stone walls. Cursing, Adrian shoved her behind him and lunged toward the narrow opening that led from the stairs.
Suddenly moonlight glinted off cold steel and the night exploded into sound. White-faced, Gray saw Adrian sway.
Again and again the gun coughed. This time Adrian stumbled back against the wall.
"Run," he ordered. "Door to the house-beyond the far tower-"
"Dear God, no!" Frozen, Gray watched Adrian"s tall form sway. His eyes were wide, raw with desperation and pain.
"Go...now...sweeting. So d-damned s-sorry-"
Oblivious to the stocky figure crawling out from the inner stairway, oblivious to everything but Adrian"s growing pallor, Gray plunged forward to catch him.
But it was too late. Her hands slid through warm blood.
For a moment his fingers dug into her wrists. "R-run!" he cried.
Then, with a gasp, he stiffened and fell back onto the cold stone roof.
Gray barely heard the muffled snarl, the squish of soft soles on stone. Even Gideon"s angry hiss seemed far, far away.
"You"re next, Moira my sweet. After we finish our business, of course."
Wild-eyed, Gray stared down at the cold slabs where Adrian"s body lay unmoving, blood pooling in a dark ring about his chest.
Harsh laughter hammered over the parapets, but even then, she did not move, unable to stop crying, unable to tear her eyes from Adrian"s pale features.
How young he looks,she thought. His features were calm, perfectly chiseled, almost as if he were sleeping.
Instead of dead.
Dead a second time.
Behind Gray came low cursing. "Did you really think you could escape me?"
Suddenly a gun clinked against stone. "Now, Moira, turn around. I want to see your face when I pull the trigger. By God, I want to hear you beg."
Gray hugged her chest, biting down a sob as she watched the wind riffle Adrian"s long hair.Someday, my love. Maybe...someday...
And then she turned to face her nightmare, knowing this was what Adrian would have wanted most.
He was smaller than she remembered, his face unremarkable, his eyes flat and unintelligent.
He was altogether forgettable-not the great menacing figure she had imagined.
He was just a man, Gray realized, just a sick twisted man who needed a victim. She shook her head, feeling the fear and hatred slide away until she was free of her past at last.
"But I"m not begging, Matt. And I"m not afraid of you at all. It"s over. You"ve come too late."
He bellowed a curse and raised a shaking arm to strike her, but the next moment a hissing gray cloud of fur exploded through the darkness and landed on his shoulders.
His gun flashed, erupting in a pinpoint of flame. Gray felt something whine past her cheek. A second shot followed, searing along her wrist.
She barely flinched. "You"re too late, Matt. I"ll never run again. And that was all you wanted anyway, wasn"t it? To see me run."
Every word stoked her pursuer"s fury. Cursing, he started toward her. "No, you"ll never be free of me!Never, do you hear?"
Gray inched back, sickened by his hatred, wanting only to be done with him and all that reminded her of him. But she was not going to give him the pleasure of seeing her run-not when she had no hope of succeeding.
Her fingers dug into the granite wall. She looked away, out over the sleeping countryside, over the wooded hills and shimmering moat.
A low singing rose through her head. Far away there came a distant peal of bells.
Something about the sound made Gray think of home, the home she"d never known.
Once again the gun blazed in the darkness. Dimly she realized she must be in shock, because she barely registered the impact of the third bullet.
She swayed, catching at the stone wall for support. She felt a brief burning, then the hot, thick rush of blood at her breast.
But the pain was far away, blurred, as if it belonged to someone else.
Behind her Matt cursed, then stumbled about in furious surprise. "What in the devil-"
He never finished. A low, harsh voice cut him off.
A voice Gray found achingly familiar.
Her breath caught. She spun around.
Faint spirals of light glinted off the windswept walls, growing brighter every second. And at the center of the strange, swirling radiance stood a man, broad-shouldered and long-limbed, his form growing brighter and more solid every second.
"You! But-you"redead! I-I saw you die!" Gray"s ex-husband stumbled backward, his face locked in a grimace of fear and disbelief.
His ghostly pursuer threw back his head and laughed, filling the stone walls with a dark rumble of sound. And then he started forward, his face as hard as marble, his eyes glowing like blood-red coals.
"Get-get away, damn you! It"s all a t-trick. You don"t frighten m-me, do you hear?" But the man before Adrian trembled, his breath coming jerky and fast. He staggered backward in a desperate effort to escape.
"No? Then perhapsthis will frighten you." With an unearthly laugh, Adrian Draycott leveled gleaming, outstretched fingers.
And dragged them right through his terrified killer"s body.
"But-you c-can"t-dammit! I won"t-"
With a shrill cry, the man turned and shoved wildly through the gap into the stairway, his gun clattering, forgotten behind him. Dark laughter and wild, dancing light followed him every step of the way as he crashed down the stairwell and threw himself desperately into the moat.
Adrian laughed softly. "Gideon? I believe it"s your turn."
Hissing angrily, the big gray cat flicked his tail, then turned and glided off into the night.
Only then did Adrian turn, a smile on his face. Slowly the fury faded from his eyes and was replaced with a look of crushing pain. "Dear God, if only I"d known-if only I could have spared you this."
Gray swayed, suddenly weak. She reached out for Adrian as the parapet seemed to sway and the stars to dance a dizzy jig overhead.
Far away she heard the first low moan of approaching sirens.
"Adrian, I don"t feel-"
"Here, love. Right here." Hard hands caught her close, pressed her to his chest.
And then Gray saw the faint silver glow that trickled from her own hands, lapping about her arms and chest.
She stared down, speechless, as the glow grew to dancing sparks, and the sparks to solid swirls of light.
Her eyes sought Adrian"s, hazy with pain and shock.
His hands tightened convulsively. Protectively. Infinitely gentle. "I love you, Gray Mackenzie.
Will that love be enough for you? Enough for you to trust me? Now and forever?"
She caught a ragged breath, feeling the dizziness grow. Around her the ancient stone walls gleamed, bathed in shimmering columns of light.
She managed a nod and let her eyes finish the answer, shining with a love she"d never hoped to find again.
He caught her up, secure in his arms, his long fingers buried in her silken hair. His smile then was just for her, full of love, full of light, full of joy and promise.
Beneath her ear Gray heard his heart race and felt the heat of his love surround her, part of the same shimmering glow that lit the night.
Adrian"s fingers twined tenderly through hers. "Then...then let"s go home, my heart. These old stone walls have missed you far too long."
A whirring filled Gray"s ears, echoed inside her head. Light and sound swirled up, cascading together into exquisite, luminous melodies. Her fingers tightened.
Into the music they went.
Into the light.
Gray was still smiling when the music spilled out and the abbey walls shimmered away to nothing behind her.
EPILOGUE.