“Surrender,” Leo said quietly, though his voice carried over the hushed courtyard.
The assassin looked frantically about, his face growing ashen, his hands trembling.
“Surrender,” Leo repeated louder as he tugged on a pair of gloves.
The assassin shook his head, then fiddled with a ring on his hand. When he lifted it to his mouth, Leo shouted and lunged toward him.
“No!” Leo wrenched the man’s hand away from his mouth.
Too late. Luciana grimaced as the man’s body shook with convulsions. He collapsed onto the pavement stones, writhing and frothing at the mouth till he finally grew still.
Leo stood nearby, his fists clenched. He didn’t need to say a word, for Luciana could feel the waves of frustration coming off him.
Then the whispers began. Like dead leaves scurrying with a wind, the words drifted down the gallery and across the courtyard.
“The Beast killed him.”
“If the Beast touches you, you die.”
“No,” Luciana whispered. They couldn’t blame this on Leo.
“Take the body to the dungeon,” Leo ordered the soldiers.
As the soldiers picked up the dead assassin, the whispers grew louder. Fingers pointed at Leo. And he stood there alone, his gloved hands balled into fists, while the people called him a Beast.
“Stop it!” Luciana cried, but only a few nearby heard her.
She scrambled up the stairs to stand on the gallows. “The Lord Protector saved my life!”
A few more heard her and stopped whispering.
She pointed at the dead man being carried away. “That man tried to kill me. He took poison to avoid being captured. You saw it! The poison was in his ring! The Lord Protector tried to stop him!”
More voices hushed. She waved her arms, attempting to draw everyone’s attention, and raised her voice as loud as she could. “He’s not a Beast!”
Silence fell once again, and Luciana panted to catch her breath. Then she saw him. Saw the astonished look on his face.
And her heart wrenched. “He’s not a Beast,” she whispered. And in that moment, while he watched her in amazement, all her doubts withered away and she knew with a certainty what she should have known for days.
She loved him.
Somehow, he seemed to sense the realization that had come to her, for his gaze grew more intense and heated. His expression turned from wonder to smoldering hunger as he strode toward her.
Tears sprang to her eyes. How could she not love him? He was stealing her heart, invading her thoughts, and ripping into her soul. With each step he took toward her, her resistance melted away. Her pulse raced, and her skin flushed hot as if a fever had taken hold of her.
“My lord!” A guard ran toward him and whispered some news.
Leo stiffened, then motioned to her guard. “Jensen, get her to the tower now! Edmund, bring the general!”
Edmund dashed toward the north gate, while Jensen grabbed Luciana’s arm and escorted her off the scaffold. A group of Vindalyn guards surrounded her, their swords drawn.
Something had gone terribly wrong, but Luciana couldn’t tell what. All she could see was Leo running toward the dungeons as she was bustled back to her room in the tower.
* * *
Leo ordered his personal guard to step outside when the general arrived at the dungeons. There was no danger for them, since the other occupants were all dead.
“What the hell?” General Harden surveyed the underground room. “I take it the third assassin did this?”
“I believe so.” Leo shut the iron door, so he and the general could speak in private. “While we were focused on catching assassin number two, the third one used that time to eliminate any threats.”
The general muttered a curse as he glanced down at the bloodied corpse lying near the door.
“The first jailer.” Leo motioned to him. “Stabbed through the chest at close range. No defensive wounds. He was taken by surprise.”
General Harden nodded. “He let the killer in. He must have known him.”
Leo wandered over to the body of assassin number two. “This is the one who shot an arrow at Lady Tatiana. I chased him down, but he took poison before we could capture him. I had him brought here.”
“Blue-and-white uniform,” the general observed.
“One of Vindemar’s new recruits, just like we suspected. I was told his name is Dax.” Leo motioned to the dead body inside the jail cell. “Assassin number one, Willem. His throat was cut. The cell was opened with keys taken from one of the jailers.”
General Harden grimaced. “He was still chained to the wall. Couldn’t defend himself.”
“He must have known the identity of the third assassin, so he was silenced.” Leo sighed as his gaze shifted to the second dead jailer. “I warned them that this could happen. They weren’t vigilant enough.”
“Obviously, the killer was someone they trusted.”
Leo strode toward the second jailer’s body. “His sword is drawn. I figure he saw his companion murdered by the door, then he drew his weapon to fight with the assassin.”
“A fight that he lost,” the general mumbled.
“There’s some blood on his sword, so we know the assassin has been wounded. That should help us to locate him.”
The general snorted. “There’s an easier way to—” He hushed when the door burst open and the duke strode into the dungeon with two guards.
“Your Grace,” Leo greeted him. “You should remain in your quarters. The third assassin is still at large, and as you can see, he’s extremely dangerous.”