Chapter 114

Darkness. Damn the everlasting black.

Cedric hung from a rafter in the belly of a ship. At least, that was his best guess. The ropes around his wrists chaffed him where they stretched straight above his head. Whoever had strung him up had given him enough slack to have a sure footing on the floor, which was a good thing because the ship kept pitching and rolling.

The briny smell of seawater and aged wood filled his nose. He tried to think clearly. The last thing he remembered was being attacked in his own ballroom by Samir Al Zahrani, whose voice he would recognize anywhere. Then he'd been ganged up on by a number of his men. Then he'd lost consciousness.

Where was Anne? He called out her name, his voice hoarse and his throat dry.

"Ah. Finally awake, Lord Sheridan?" Samir's cool voice taunted from somewhere in front of him.

Cedric jerked on the ropes binding him. "Where is my wife?"

Samir chuckled, the sound a little closer. "She is entertaining my men. Fair-skinned ladies fetch