Cait and the Devil Read Online Free PDF Page B

were you doing in here?” The quiet, controlled tone of his voice belied the anger bubbling beneath.
    “I—I fell asleep. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
    “You have your own room. Your own bed to sleep in,” he reminded her tightly. “I’ll ask you once again. What were you doing in here?”
    “I just... I came in to look...to see if you were here. I hadn’t seen you all day.”
    “There is a reason for that. I’m a very busy man and I don’t have time to act as playmate to my wife. If you wish for company you can look for it elsewhere. I’m sure the women of the keep will be happy to comply.”
    “Oh,” she murmured miserably.
    “My men have been combing the woods for you for an hour. They have been over every inch of the castle and grounds in search of you—”
    “I was right here!”
    “Don’t interrupt me,” he snapped, “or things will go very badly for you. I assigned a guard to you so I would know at all times that you are safe. He is now in grave dishonor because of your capricious behavior. I don’t care what you decide to do, but from now on, if you leave your room your guard is to know exactly where you are. Do you understand me?”
    “But, sir—”
    “Do you understand?” he barked.
    She bowed her head. “Yes.”
    “Repeat it to me.”
    “I’m to make sure my guard knows where I am at all times. Whenever I leave my room,” she whispered.
    “Furthermore, you will remember that this is my room. My room. You are not permitted in my room, and certainly not in my bed. From now on you are not to set foot in this room no matter how much you wish to know if I am here. Do you understand?”
    “Yes, sir,” she said, her eyes filling with tears.
    Tears. She wouldn’t sway him with those tears. He pressed on, angrier at himself than with her. He had to hurt her. He had to make her see that for her own good, she had to leave him alone.
    “And listen to me now, little Cait . You may be the king’s own daughter, but you will not be permitted to do whatever you please. If I find you in this room again, you will be punished. Severely punished. And I promise you, if you ever go missing again through your own carelessness, if you ever leave your guard without an idea of your whereabouts, you will rue the day you were born. Do you understand me?”
    “Yes, sir.” She swiped away the tears as they fell. Tears like little diamonds. He wished he could catch every one of them and put them back from whence they came. It was for her own good, her own good . He would punish her if she couldn’t abide by his rules. They were for her. He tried to convince himself of that as he pointed to her door and watched her slink out of his room.
    Henna shut the door behind her, shooting him a reproachful look. Of course she had listened to every word of his harangue. She would rake him over the coals for it later. So be it. He could handle Henna much more easily than the other one, the beautiful, lonely, needy one with the pale blue eyes. He sat on the edge of the bed, tried not to remember how charming she looked curled up in the middle of his bed. Her arms had been wrapped about his pillow as if she embraced it. As if she embraced him . He imagined embracing her, taking her in his arms, parting her legs and plunging deep inside—
    Gods, it was farcical. Not only was she innocent as a newborn, she also obviously had no inkling of what went on in the marriage bed. But maybe...maybe he could use that to his advantage. How was she to know that the things he wanted to demand of her were not what every man demanded of his wife?
    No. She would instinctively know his requests were unnatural, just as Lenore had known even though she’d been virginal as a nun when she came to him. Women knew. He couldn’t bear to have those innocent, beautiful eyes turn on him in condemnation. Better to leave things as they were. Her tears would dry. Life would go on, somehow, some way. But God, if he wasn’t a miserable