Page 89 of Cherished By A Highlander

“What’s that?”

Shade smiled. “My husband is… The Monk.”

She kept her smile tempered though she wanted to laugh when she saw him shudder. He wouldn’t admit it, but he wasafraid of The Monk. However, The Monk was not afraid of Brother Peter.

Brother Peter may count on Quint reacting as only a loving husband would, but he failed to realize that a loving wife would not stand idly by when she knew her husband was walking into a trap. She would do everything she could to prevent it and everything she could to help Quint get the last two men who’d been the cause of Amara’s death and the deaths of the monks. Quint would finally have his revenge.

CHAPTER 27

Shade saw the opportunity a short distance ahead of her. A sizeable stone. This might be her only chance. She had to take it. She kept her eyes on the stone and when the time was right, she made it appear that her foot caught on something, and she went down.

“Get up!” Brother Peter ordered. “You’ll not pretend with me with useless delay tactics. Get up and get moving.”

Shade pretended to fall again as she tried to stand while gripping the rock in her hand. “My ankle. It twisted and now pains me.”

“Foolish woman,” Brother Peter grumbled and leaned down to grab her arm and yank her up.

He never got to touch her. She swung hard and caught him in the brow and realizing quickly it was not enough, she struck him again in the temple. He collapsed to his knees, disoriented, and she took off running. A pain in her side had her pressing her hand to it and that was when she felt it… blood. He had stabbed her.

She heard him roar, an angry vicious roar that sent a chill through her. Horses. Were those horses she heard? Good, Lord, she would never be able to outrun horses. She had to hide. Shecast a wide glance around the area. She spotted a cropping of large rocks but that would be too obvious of a place to hide. She saw it then, a large pine tree whose lower branches swept along the ground. She stopped, grabbed a fallen pine branch and dusted away her footprints as she hurried to the tree, then she rolled underneath it, dusting away the last trace of her.

She managed to crawl to the base of the tree where she was able to stretch out on her back. She immediately rested her hand against her wound to see what damage was done. It was deeper than she hoped, but at least it hadn’t hit any vital organs inside her. But she had to get the bleeding to stop. She struggled but managed to slip off her tunic and tear a strip off the hem that she folded and pressed against the wound. She cringed from the pain, but it couldn’t be helped. It took some doing but she was able to wrap her tunic around her middle and pull it as snugly around her as she could. She prayed it was enough to stop the bleeding.

Between not having gotten any sleep last night, running through the woods, and her wound, she was exhausted and as much as she wanted to keep her eyes open, she couldn’t. She fell into a much-needed sleep.

Her nightmare took her back into the abbey and the dead monks and Brother Emmett warned her again and again to run. She felt hands grab her and lift her and she swung fisted hands trying to fight, trying to save herself.

“It’s Quint, Shade. I’ve got you. You’re safe,” Quint said, as the pine branches were pulled back so he could get his wife out from under the tree. “I’ll get you to Ena. She will help you. It won’t take long. You didn’t get far from the village.”

“Quint,” she whispered and slumped in relief in his arms.

The ride back to the village was not an easy one and Shade feared her wound would start bleeding again, unless it had yet to stop. She prayed it had.

“I’ve got you. I’ve got you. You’re safe,” Quint kept repeating to her to reassure her, though he also needed to reassure himself.

He almost allowed his revenge to be more important than his wife’s safety. It took what Dru said to make him realize what he already knew and what the thirst for revenge almost managed to take from him, that Shade was more important to him than capturing Asher himself. He sent Nug and his warriors to capture him and focused on finding his wife. He only wished he’d found her sooner.

“Take her to Ryland’s quarters,” Ula urged when Quint carried her into the Great Hall. “Her herbs are there. She can tell us what is needed and how to prepare them.”

Quint hurried up the steps but slowed down when his wife groaned in pain. “I’ll have you in the bed soon.”

“If only I wasn’t wounded, I would look forward to it,” she said with a forced smile.

That she could be humorous given the dire situation offered him some hope, but his fear had him saying, “You will not leave me. You will heal and we will share a bed for the rest of our days.”

“Aye, husband. We will never be alone again,” she said and groaned softly, trying not to let him know how much pain she was in.

But Quint knew. It was almost as if he could feel her pain and he blamed himself for her suffering.

“Tell us what to do, how to help you, Shade,” Ula pleaded after Shade was placed on the bed.

“The wound needs searing. She is losing too much blood,” Ena said, seeing the bloody cloth at Shade’s side.

“Nay,” Shade said, fighting to stay conscious, the pain and exhaustion getting to be too much. “Press a clean, thick cloth to the wound and wrap another cloth tightly around my waist tohold it in place. Do not sear it. It could do more damage than good. Ula, you know the mixture I had you use on Caleb. Prepare it and give it to me just as you did with him. I will not be able to stay awake much longer. Treat my wound as I instructed you to treat Caleb’s wounds.” She paused for a breath. “Quint.” She smiled when she felt him take hold of her hand.

“I’m here, Shade, and here is where I will stay until you are well enough to leave this room.”

She wanted to respond but her body had suffered enough. It could take no more and her eyes closed. She drifted in and out of consciousness and each time she did, she felt her husband’s hand wrapped around hers and heard his prayers and demands.

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