One Hundred and Forty Seven

Kahlan's POV

I turned the corner, my legs feeling like lead as I followed Ava’s retreating back into the warmth of the house.

The transition from the salt-stung air to the interior was a blur of polished wood and flickering shadows.

I wasn't looking where I was going, my mind still reeling from the revelation on the lawn, and I slammed abruptly into a wall.

Except it wasn't a wall; it was the solid, unyielding expanse of a man’s chest.

The impact rattled my already aching bones, sending a jolt of pain through my shoulder.

I stumbled back, blinking rapidly to clear the haze from my vision, and looked up to meet blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.

He was tall, built with the kind of effortless athletic grace that usually took years of dedicated discipline to master.

"Sorry," I said, the word feeling hollow and flat in my mouth.

I tried to sidestep him, wanting nothing more than to find a dark corner to crawl into, but he moved with me, stepping directly in front of me to block my path