Instead, I inclined my head in the polite acknowledgment I'd been taught since childhood. "Lord MacAllister. Thank you for... for your hospitality."
Hospitality. Such a civilized word for whatever this arrangement actually was. But what else could I call it? Captivity seemed too harsh when I stood in a hall that spoke of luxury rather than imprisonment. Purchase felt too crude when he was treating me with apparent courtesy rather than as property acquired.
Debt settlement, my mind supplied with uncomfortable accuracy. That's what this is. Payment rendered for services received.
Kieran stepped closer, moving with a fluid grace that suggested strength held in careful check. The torchlight played across his features, highlighting details that made my breath catch—the sharp line of his jaw,
