FOUR

Knock, knock, knock.

I awoke with a start when the knocking chased off one of the most vivid dreams I ever had. My heart hammers against my chest as I briefly recall the details, feeling heat spread through my entire being. It felt so real; his hands on me, the smell of his cologne, the taste of his lips...

Despite the thrilling anticipation the fever dream left me in, I haven't even gotten to the plot twist yet: I wasn't dreaming about Matt. Matt doesn't have dark hair and striking blue eyes. And I've never dreamt of Matt pinning me down on anything before, which means I've got a problem in both my subconscious and behind the door.

"Ashlyn, you awake yet?" Reyna's voice was muffled on the other side of the room, but I could clearly tell it was her.

My heart nearly missed ten beats when I vaguely recalled leaving the wedding before she could even toss the bouquet. All because I freaked out after dancing with a duke!

"Ashlyn?" Reyna asked again.

My eyes landed on the chair I placed underneath the door handle last night. Again, I felt like cringing, thinking how childish that was. As if Rheon would follow me to my room and try sneaking in...

"Coming," I said loud enough for her to hear and hurried over to the door to remove the chair.

Reyna's face lit up in a gentle smile when I opened the door on a crack, "Hey."

"Hi."

"May I come in?"

Having no idea what to say, I only nodded and stepped aside. Reyna closed the door behind her and joined me on the bed. Only then did I notice the two mugs of coffee in her hand. She handed me one and crossed her legs underneath her.

"I hope it's alright, I'm not sure how you take your coffee."

"I'm not picky," I managed a smile and wrapped both my hands around the mug. The warmth soothed my cold fingers. It made me miss the sun back home.

"What happened last night?" she asked the question I've been dreading since I heard her knock, "You left so quick, I almost thought something was chasing you." Her brows rose slightly, and she added, "I'm not mad, though, just curious. Please don't tell me one of the guests were being a prick to you."

I nearly choked on my coffee and shook my head fervently. "What? No, not at all! I... I can't even remember why I left. It was unprofessional anyway; I'd understand if you'd want a discount."

Reyna wiped her lipstick from the mug's rim and smacked her lips, waving it off. "Of course, I'm paying you in full. I was just worried about you. After I saw you dancing with Rheon, I couldn't be happier you were having fun. Work hard, play hard, you know? But then you ran off and the first thing I thought was that he perhaps said something offensive -"

"He didn't," I cut her off almost too abruptly.

Reyna looked at me with arched brows, waiting for an explanation.

"I mean, he was very polite. And he didn't say much either. I guess I just wasn't feeling well; I started to feel lightheaded, got these weird hot flushes while we danced. I thought I was coming down with a fever, so I left."

However, after blabbering excuses as to why I ran from the wedding like Cinderella from the ball, I realized Reyna was looking at me as if she's just seen a ghost. She even turned paler than she already was.

I opened my mouth to ask if she's feeling alright, but before I could even utter a word, she grabbed the empty mug from my hands and marched for the door, "I've got to go."

"Wait, where -"

She closed the door before I could finish the sentence.

I slumped back against the headboard and huffed. What a strange family; Craig with his contagious optimism, Reyna and the way she just upped and left, and Rheon with his whole mysterious persona and those burning eyes.

Shaking it off, I got up to get dressed and to make the bed. The chances of ever seeing them again were small, close to zero. Soon, I'll be home and with Matt. We'll go on a date and he's going to tell me about his past two days at work and I'm going to tell him all about my short time in Scotland.

The stairs creaked and complained as I struggled my way down with one suitcase in hand while wheeling the other behind me.

"Shit," I cursed when my foot missed a step, nearly sending me tumbling headfirst down the rest.

"Need some help there, lass?" I blew the hair from my face to see Craig standing at the bottom, amused by the looks of me struggling.

"Please," I breathed and was more than happy to hand him one case.

We walked side by side down the hall and stopped in the lobby. I was surprised to be met by a small crowd of people awaiting my arrival. Reyna had her arm linked with Alexander's, the latter nodding his head at me in greeting, and the last person I recognized as Astrid, Reyna's sister.

"We wanted to say goodbye," Reyna explained with a warm smile.

"And to thank you," Alexander added, "for flying over here on such short notice. Thanks to you, we'll have some wedding pictures to show the kids someday."

I smiled, "It should be me thanking you, I got to see Scotland for the first time - even if it was just for one day."

Reyna muttered an 'aw' before embracing me in a hug. I could almost not believe how warm she was with the chill in the air. She barely wore more than two layers and yet, she's radiating heat.

"I know we only just met, but I'm going to miss you," she said and pulled back, "At least stay for one last coffee."

"I wish I could," I pouted, "But my flight leaves in one hour and it takes about that long to get to the airport."

She blinked, "One hour?"

I nodded, "Yep."

Reyna looked from me to Alexander. They seemed to have a silent conversation before she bit down on her bottom lip. At last, she turned to me and said, "I'm sorry."

I wanted to ask what she meant... only for Craig to sweep me off my feet and throw me over his shoulder. I shrieked and thrashed in his grip, "What the hell? Put me down!"

"Sorry, lass," he said as he walked with me down the hall, "'Tis is for yer own good."

"What? That doesn't make any sense at all!" I just about yelled and hammered my fists against his back - although that only made him snort. "I swear, Craig, if you don't put me down this instant, I'll -" I shrieked once again when he lowered me to the floor in a swift movement, leaving me lightheaded while the blood rushed from my brain to the rest of my body.

My eyes darted about; I was in a small room with shelves. There were jars and packages and truckles of cheese... a pantry. Before I could wonder why I was in a pantry, Craig had backed out and closed the door behind him, locking it for good measure.

My heart dropped to my stomach, "No!" I threw myself against the door and yanked on the handle, "Let me out! I don't care if you're dukes and duchesses, kidnapping and hostage-keeping are punishable by law! I should know, my dad's a lawyer!"

"It's just until yer flight leaves, lass," Craig's voice sounded from the other side of the wooden door.

"Let me out or I'll sue all your asses!" I gritted on my teeth and rammed into the door with my shoulder, instantly regretting it when a sharp pain shot through my arm and shoulder blade, "Ow, shit!"

My mind was racing a million miles per hour, asking the same questions over and over; why did they lock me in a pantry? Why should I miss my flight? Why are they keeping me hostage?

Mom was right; never get into cars with strange men. Not even when they have a good sense of humor, or if the car happens to be a snazzy limousine. This just proved that even royals can't be trusted. They're going to keep me for my limbs to use in their weird rituals and no one will ever know what happened to me.

During my inner panic, I picked up on their hushed voices on the other side of the door. In a flash, I had my ear pressed to the wood and tried making out as much of the conversation as I could.

"We can't let her leave," Reyna stressed, "It's her, I'm sure of it."

"Are you absolutely sure, Rey?" Astrid squeaked.

"Yes, the way she described it; that's how it feels. I should know."

"And how do ya suppose we explain to her why we're keeping her locked in a pantry, lassie?" Craig voiced his concern, not even bothering to whisper, "We can't keep her there forever, even I know that."

"We can't let her leave either," Alexander stated, "It will break him. I will not sit by and watch him hurt again."

A short silence followed until Reyna spoke again, "I watched him talk to her last night... I've known him for ten years now and that was the first time I ever saw him truly smile."

Craig hummed sagely, "What else can ya expect, lass? If what ya say is true, then after all these years, he's finally found his mate."

After that, I stopped listening. My knees suddenly felt weak as I slid to the floor while my heart was barely beating. However, I managed to catch Alexander's last words.

"How do you think Rheon would react if he found out we locked his mate in the pantry?"