Richard heard her door open and watched as a man stepped out. 'Was she alone now, or was someone else—perhaps William—still inside with her?'
He paused, listening carefully for a while, before deciding to go in. He was certain she was alone. He could not wait any longer to see her. Donning his mask, he grasped the door handle and turned it.
Anna stirred in her sleep, her dreams haunted by the masked man who had touched her during her kidnapping. This time, in her dream, he was trying to claim her, and fear gripped her. She woke with a start, her eyes snapping open.
Richard was already at her side, his gaze fixed on her. His jaw tightened at the sight of the bruise on her mouth—where idiot had hit her roughly. The sight stirred something within him, an odd, simmering rage.
