Page 18 of Craved By a Highland Beast

When he realized Bonnie wasn’t following him, he stopped and said, “Well? Will ye come?”

“With ye?” Bonnie asked. “In there?”

“I willnae torture ye,” Evan promised. “Come.”

Bonnie hesitated for a moment, but then she followed Evan. As she walked behind him, she looked at Alaric over her shoulder, but by then, he had already walked off, heading towards one of the members of the crew. It was only her and Evan then, the two of them stepping into the small room before he closed the door behind them.

Once again, the place was illuminated by nothing but a few torches that hung from the walls, but at least this time, Bonnie saw that the place was clean. The blood had been scrubbed off, not a trace of it remaining on the floor or the walls, though that didn’t necessarily mean that the man was alive.

Bonnie sincerely doubted he was.

“Come,” said Evan. “Let me see.”

Hesitating once more, Bonnie didn’t move any closer to him. It was Evan who approached with an impatient huff, stepping behind her to look at the tick. His hands were just as gentle asAlaric’s, much to Bonnie’s surprise, one of them laying on her shoulder much like his brother’s to keep her steady.

“Dinnae move,” he warned. “I will pull it out.”

Bonnie braced herself for it as Evan grasped the tick carefully between his fingers, before swiftly tugging it out. There was no pain as she had expected. There wasn’t even a slight irritation, much to her surprise.

“There,” said Evan. “It is done.”

“It is?” Bonnie asked, surprised that there was nothing more that needed to be done. She wasn’t so quick to be glad about it, though. For all she knew, there were more ticks on her, in places she couldn’t see, and the idea of it nauseated her. “Evan . . . dae ye think there are more o’ them?”

“Let us hope there are nae more,” Evan said, but that wasn’t reassuring at all.

Bonnie drew her bottom lip between her teeth. She didn’t know how to ask what she wanted to ask him and once again, she began to think that perhaps it would be best for her to wait until a woman could help her, but the mere idea of a tick on her was unbearable. In the end, her fear won over her embarrassment.

“Could ye make sure I have nae more o’ them on me back?”

Evan froze for a moment and Bonnie feared that her request had been too much for him, but then he said, “Alright.”

Before she knew it, Evan was tugging her tunic off and Bonnie couldn’t help the scream that escaped her. Her hands clutched at the hem, holding the tunic down as she turned to look at Evan with wide eyes.

“What dae ye think yer doin’?” she demanded.

“How dae ye think I will see if there is a tick if I cannae see yer back?” Evan asked.

Bonnie supposed that was a fair question. As much as she wanted to keep her modesty, that would be impossible if she also wanted to make sure there were no strange little creatures on her. Reluctantly, she turned around once more and allowed Evan to tug at her tunic and then her undershirt to reveal the top of her back.

Even though Bonnie couldn’t see him, she could feel his gaze bore into her, its heat spreading over her skin. Then that heat was followed by the warmth of his hand as it swept over her shoulders, his touch leaving goosebumps behind.

No man had ever touched her like this before and Bonnie’s breath caught in her throat, a shudder running through her entire body. His breath, too, was warm as he exhaled softly against her, and Bonnie let her eyes fall shut for a moment, before she remembered who it was that was touching her.

Evan was not the kind of man she wanted near her; she was certain of that. He was a killer, she reminded herself.

It seemed like the perfect moment to ask about the man. Not only would it satisfy her curiosity, but it would also put a stop to that strange fluttering in her stomach that returned every time Evan stood a little too close for her.

“What happened tae the man?” she asked. “Did ye . . . did ye kill him?”

“Nay,” said Evan without hesitation. “We released him on Arran. He willnae speak.”

It was not what Bonnie had expected to hear and she was certain Evan wasn’t lying to her. He had no reason to hide the truth either way, since she doubted he cared what she thought of him. But knowing that they had released the man surprised her, leaving her speechless for a brief moment.

“How can ye be so certain he willnae speak?”

“He is too scared,” said Evan. “An’ we dinnae wish tae stain our hands with blood when it wasnae necessary.”

Once again, Bonnie couldn’t help but think that she had misunderstood Evan after all. If he had spared the man’s life, then perhaps he wasn’t as bad as she had originally thought. So far, he had kept his word and had not hurt her. He had even been respectful, if a little rude and brooding.

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