red at the marriage certificate on his screen.

red, sitting in the library at t

y. But this girl is a once-in-a-century gift to the Shepherd family. She

eting shot of Cailin, staring out

wed on the word.

lane," he commanded Nash Hayes. "W

m's car sped directly from the

the master suite. It had been his parents' room, traditionally the room of the

mpty. But he could hear the sound of r

ribs. He moved silently across the

he could see a slender silh

er captivity, the small, locked bathroom wa

raham turned the han

door open and

e saw him, but she didn't scream. She just grabbed a towel to cover herself,

le she was swallowing down with all her strength. She was using every ounc

ove. His eyes w

a step

rd she thought it would burst out of her chest. She gripped the edge of the towel, her knuckles white. One thought ran thro

against her cheek, gently wip

ers were warm, a warmth that felt jarringly out of place in the cold days of her captivi

a low growl, laced with a sati

squeezed through her teeth. "That'

lips. He lunged forward, grabbing

ggle, slipped to the floor. S

ed, she swung her f

sily, pinning her whol

osting over her ear. "Then let's make

t blank for a second, and she almost gave up. She was so tired. Tired enough to close her eyes and let him do what he wanted. But that though