Page 86 of Cherished By A Highlander

“Let’s not waste a moment,” he said and went to lift her off his lap.

“I almost forgot. Caleb hopes you haven’t canceled his return home tomorrow with what happened today. We still see it done in the morning, right?”

“Aye. His return will chase the worries of today’s incident and return hope to the clan.” He swung her off his lap. “But right now. You are mine for the remainder of the evening.”

He kept his arm around his wife’s waist as he flung the door open.

Ena jumped back, having been about to knock. “I am sorry to disturb, but Dee, Liam’s wife went into labor a few hours ago and I fear there will be a problem with the delivery.”

CHAPTER 26

People cheered as one of the sentinels, a huge smile on his face, led Caleb into the village. Ula rushed to him, hugging him gently and calling out for Shade.

Quint was the only one who didn’t look happy and that was because Shade hadn’t gotten any sleep. Dee’s delivery had taken the whole night. For a while, Shade and Ena had feared they might lose the bairn and the mum. But things turned out good and mum and son were doing well with the help of the village women looking after them and a very happy Liam as well.

“Hurry and see it done,” Quint whispered through gritted teeth, he was so annoyed. “You need to sleep.”

“Ayyye,” Shade said on a yawn.

Quint cursed beneath his breath before he ordered, “You will sleep the day away.”

“If only,” Shade said and with her body aching hurried to Ula’s cottage.

Quint waited outside, people avoiding him since he wore such a deep scowl. It deepened when he didn’t see Dru anywhere and hadn’t since yesterday when he told her to be his ears and eyes. Once he made sure his wife was tucked in bed, he intended to go look for her.

Thankfully, his wife paid heed to his command and did not take long.

“I need to make a mixture for Caleb to take, then I will seek our bed,” she said.

“I will make sure of it and see that Caleb receives the mixture.” Quint got annoyed when it didn’t go as planned.

“The tracker found something,” Nug said when he reached Quint.

Quint looked torn, his wife needing him.

“Go, I will see to the mixture and have a servant deliver it to Ula.”

“And you will rest,” he added.

“Aye,” she said and yawned again.

Quint didn’t want to leave her, but he was confident that she would rest, being too exhausted to do anything else.

Shade got herself moving as soon as her husband left her side. She could see he didn’t want to leave her, and it pleased her to know how much he loved her. But right now, all she wanted to do was be done so she could seek her bed.

It took her a bit longer to reach the chieftain’s quarters, her legs warning she would not last much longer. She went to the table after entering the bedchamber and got busy on the mixture. She was so tired that she wasn’t careful and accidentally knocked over a small crock of crushed herbs, then she cut her finger, blood pooling on the table and mixing with the spilled crushed herbs. It resembled a mixture of blood and ash, and Shade recalled the dream she had of seeing the crosses made from blood and ash on the dead monks’ brows and Brother Emmett warning her to run. Then she recalled when she and Quint were in the refectory in the abbey, and she asked him if he blessed the monks. She couldn’t make out his reply, the sounds of the men breaking in interrupting it. She thought hardas she traced a cross in the blood and crushed herbs and heard it clearly.

Nay.

He had said nay, so how could Brother Peter know about the crosses on the dead monks when they were buried shortly afterwards and all the men who helped bury them refused to ever speak of the ordeal? Those in the church would have never heard of it. The only way Brother Peter could know was… if he had been there. Was he, not Asher, the one behind this whole plan?

“Sorry to intrude, but I thought I’d take a chance and see if I could visit with Chieftain Ryland. He truly should receive absolution if by chance he might not survive.”

Shade turned to the door, though not before tracing the letter p in the blood and crushed herbs, to face Brother Peter.

“I will be quick,” he said with a congenial smile and hurried into the room. It vanished when he approached the bed and saw it was empty. “What is this? Where is Chieftain Ryland?”

“He’s not here,” Shade said, moving slowly toward the door.

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