The cramped corridor was plunged into instant darkness.
Then they were both toppling toward the wall, and Leanna felt the stone move out of the way. There was another sound—a strange sort of rattle—and she felt something drop upon them both as they fell toward the ground.
Kenneth hit the ground first, and when she landed against his chest, he let out a faint oof. Whatever it was that had fallen from the wall—or the passage where the wall had been—had become tangled in the clothes on Leanna’s back. Trying to hold back the screeches, she sat up—ignoring his second oof as her knee hit something delicate—and brushed off what felt like sticks, held together with some sort of fabric.
“Get it off, get it off—”
“Leanna.” His hands came up to grip her sides, tightly. “Breathe.”
It was the command in his voice, which helped ground her, helped her find her place in the pitch darkness. She froze and concentrated on his breathing.
Soon, she found herself inhaling and exhaling at the same rate he was and had to admit she felt much better. Although mayhap that had to do with being stretched atop his hard frame.
“What happened?” she whispered.
“I dinnae ken.”
Slowly, he began to sit up, taking her with him. It was awkward in the small space, especially when his sword became trapped between her legs, but they managed it.
“I think there was a hidden panel behind ye,” she said, as he set her on her arse beside him, their legs still tangled. “ ‘Tis been years since I explored back here, but I dinnae recall another passage.”
“Then ‘twas a secret.” His quiet rumble was the assurance she needed. “I’m more curious about what fell out of the passage. See if ye can find at least one of the candles.”
That’s right; there were two candles on the floor now, weren’t there?
Leanna twisted, searching about with her hands and could hear him doing the same.
Her palm touched something round, which didn’t quite roll away from her—rather, it tiled to one side with a strangely hollow knock. She wasn’t certain what it was, but it wasn’t the candle, so she continued to search.
When her fingers closed around something long and smooth, like a candle taper, she sucked in a breath. “I think I found one.”
“Good. I believe I’ve just found the other. Come hold it.”
Carefully, she managed to shift until she sat face-to-face with him; she could tell where he was by his warmth and took a moment to wonder at the strange twists of the last few minutes. One heartbeat, she was experiencing near ecstasy in his arms, and the next, they were tangled in darkness, fumbling for candles.
But it had been worth it.
Her lips curled upward, remembering the feel of his lips on them.
“Leanna? I’ve found my flint and I have the dagger. Hold the candle closer.”
It wasn’t easy lighting a candle this way without tinder. But she couldn’t deny the sense of relief she felt when each quick strike illuminated his handsome features for a second.
Finally, after a few tries, Leanna let out a breath as the wick of the candle he’d found caught fire. Sighing softly, she lifted it, prepared to use that flame to light the other candle.
But when she turned to the taper she gripped in her other hand, she felt as though a bucket of cold water had been dumped atop her head.
‘Twas long and smooth and white, aye, but this wasn’t a candle she gripped.
‘Twas a human femur.
With a scream, she dropped both the bone and the candle, plunging them into darkness once more.