King of Diamonds by Cheyenne McCray Page B

than fire, they were glowing orbs on the ends of long sticks held in place by brackets. The place smelled musty and damp, and Annie was sure he was going to lock her up. If he tried, she’d let him know that was another thing she just couldn’t handle.
    It seemed as if they had walked forever down spiraling steps when they reached a dank hallway. Karn stopped in front of a huge wooden door with an iron handle. With a wave of his hand, the door creaked open, and Annie found herself holding her breath.
    It was completely dark as he guided her into the room, and she imagined she heard the scurrying of mice. Too bad Abra isn’t with me . At least I’d have a companion and Abra would enjoy a good chase and a good meal.
    But then again, Karn had told her to let him know if something frightened her. Being locked in a dungeon would definitely qualify as scary.
    “Are you frightened, kitten?” he whispered near her ear as the door closed behind them.
    Annie bit her lip. She wasn’t really scared with Karn by her side, just nervous about what he had planned for her. “Not as long as you’re here.”
    Karn gave a low purr, telling her that he approved of her choice of words. “You trust me then?”
    Strangely enough she did. So far everything he’d done to her and with her had been pleasurable. Even though he’d locked away his heart, she knew inside that he was a good man, and she did trust him.
    In the next instant a torch lit the room. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light and to see that it was empty, the size of a small bathroom, with a door on the far side.
    Relief rushed through her, and then she realized she had no idea what was on the other side of the door. He led her to it and opened it with a wave of his hand.
    A gust of moist wind rushed in along with the roar of waves crashing against rocks and sand. Through the doorway she saw a path leading to the shore. They were almost level with the ocean, and it wasn’t raining any longer, just a fine mist filled the air.
    She shot Karn a look and his lips quirked. “What were you expecting, kitten?”
    Annie could tell by the look in his eyes that he’d been teasing her about the dungeon. “So you do have a sense of humor.” She smiled back at him. “I was afraid you didn’t.”
    Karn took her hand and led her down a path through the light mist that wet her cheeks and hair. Through the soft boots she could feel the shale, but it didn’t hurt her feet. The air smelled of rain mixed with salt and fish. Seaweed littered the sand near the crashing waves, but it was different than what she was used to. Rather than dark green and brown, it was yellow and orange and made for a colorful shoreline.
    The ocean extended for miles and miles, an endless blue-green expanse. They were in a small inlet with massive black cliffs surrounding them and jagged rocks along the beach. She shivered at the thought of falling from those cliffs. No one could survive such a drop.
    Thoughts of such an injury made her think of the scars Karn bore. “Where did you get the scars on your chest?” she asked before she could stop herself.
    But Karn didn’t seem to mind. “From an injury when I was a cub,” he said as he raked his hand through his hair, almost feeling again the claws of the jaguar that had nearly killed him. “My brothers and I were foolishly out in the middle of the night when we should have been in bed.”
    “We all make mistakes, Karn.” Annie gave him one of her gentle smiles. “We just have to let go of them and live for today.”
    Karn gave a grunt, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
    “Do you have any brothers and sisters, other than Alice’s and Alexi’s husbands?” she asked.
    “My youngest brother is Ty.” He laced his fingers through Annie’s, giving him a more intimate contact with her. “And my sister Mikaela…she no longer speaks to the family.”
    They continued to walk down the shore, and he answered her questions the best he knew how.