Page 42 of Craved By a Highland Beast

“What are ye doin’?” Bonnie demanded, her voice coming out in a shrill cry. “Let go o’ me!”

Stunned, Evan stumbled backwards as Bonnie drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees, trying to hide as much of her body as she could from him. It hardly mattered now, she supposed; Evan had already seen everything there was to see and Bonnie would never get over the embarrassment. Even now, her face burned with it, hotter than the water in which it was half-submerged.

“I thought . . . I thought somethin’ had happened,” said Evan sheepishly, a hand coming up to scratch the back of his head. He lowered his gaze and for the first time ever since Bonnie had first met him, he looked like a scolded child, uncertain and just as embarrassed as she felt. “Forgive me, I didnae mean tae frighten ye or . . . or . . .”

Or barge intae me chambers like this?

Bonnie didn’t say those words out loud, not because she wanted to spare Evan any further embarrassment, but rather because she could hardly speak herself. What was there to say? Nothing either of them could say would make the situation any less awkward.

“Turn . . . turn around, please,” Bonnie said, teeth grinding as she clenched her jaw. Evan swiftly turned, staring at the far wall, and Bonnie stepped out of the bath, drying herself quickly with the cloth the maids had given her, before she threw on her tunic and over that, her cloak. Perhaps it was a little ridiculous, pulling on her cloak in her own chambers, but until she could dress properly, it would have to do.

“Alright,” she said, drawing in a deep breath. “Ye can turn around now.”

Evan turned once more, his gaze resolutely glued to her face. He didn’t dare glance below her neck, even though she was now fully covered from her shoulders to her ankles, as if he feared her clothes would suddenly disappear if he looked.

When Evan remained silent for several moments, Bonnie realized he wouldn’t speak unless prompted. “Did ye wish tae speak with me?”

“Och aye,” Evan said, as if he had only just remembered the purpose of his visit. “Aye . . . why were ye in the water?”

“Is that what ye wished tae ask me?”

Evan sighed, shaking his head. “Nay. I’m only concerned. I thought perhaps ye had fainted or somethin’ had happened tae ye.”

Bonnie responded with a heavy sigh of her own. Evan was only concerned; as embarrassed as she was, she shouldn’t resent him for it. “I was fine. I only dipped me head in the water tae wash me hair.”

It wasn’t the truth, but Bonnie didn’t know how to explain the truth to Evan. How could she put into words the desperate need for a few moments of quiet away from the world? How could she stop that need from sounding desperate?

She wasn’t desperate, she told herself. She was only tired, weary to the bone. Once all this was over, she would be back to normal.

Unless I cannae avoid this marriage. Unless I end up weddin’ Ruthven.

“That’s good,” Evan said and if he had any suspicions regarding her lie, then he didn’t make them known. There was only relief in his features, in the way his shoulders finally slumped, falling from his ears. “I can only ask fer yer forgiveness fer comin’ intae the room without yer permission.”

“Yer forgiven,” Bonnie assured him. “Ye were only concerned.”

“Aye,” said Evan, taking a stumbling step forward before stopping himself, as if he didn’t want to get too close to Bonnie even now. “Aye, I’m very concerned, Bonnie. Ye must stay as far away from Ruthven as ye can.”

Bonnie wanted to point out that she was doing her best all this time, refusing to be alone with him whenever she could avoid it. The worry in Evan’s tone, though, stopped her. Instead, she asked, “Did somethin’ happen?”

Something must have happened, she thought, if he was so eager to come into her chambers and warn her. Surely, Evan already knew she had no desire to be around Ruthven if she could help it.

“We found a letter which proves everythin’ we suspected,” Evan said hurriedly, his voice hushed as though he feared someone would overhear him. “Alaric has already left with copies o’ it. He will distribute them all tae our allies.”

Bonnie couldn’t stop the relieved laugh that escaped her, her hand laying over her chest as the reality sank in. They finally had proof. The world would know Ruthven for the man he was and she could rest assured this wedding would never happen.The council wouldn’t allow it once they found out Ruthven was connected to Balliol.

“Yer certain ye have all ye need?” she asked, needing that final reassurance that she was truly free from Ruthven.

“The clans have nae reason tae doubt us,” Evan said. “But if they dae, I will steal the original letter an’ show it tae everyone who doesnae believe us.”

It wasn’t as reassuring as Bonnie wanted it to be, after all, but she didn’t allow herself any doubt. This would work, she told herself. Like Evan pointed out, the clans had no reason to distrust him or Alaric.

In her relief, in the joy of the moment, Bonnie flung herself into Evan’s arms, laughing delightedly at the news. For a moment, he stiffened against her, staying still like a pillar of salt, before his arms finally wrapped around her in a tight embrace.

His body was solid heat against her, his arms enveloping her entirely as she laid her head on his shoulder. It occurred to her then that this was the feeling she had been seeking in the tub—this quiet warmth, this certainty that everything would be alright.

Pulling back just enough to look at him, Bonnie found Evan already staring at her, lips slightly parted as he drew in a soft breath. The golden light of the morning brought chiseled away the usual chill that his features held, replacing it with a pooling warmth in his dark eyes. The severity of the lines of his face wasstill there—the sharp, bearded jawline, the strong nose, the dark, heavy eyebrows—but it had shifted to something softer, as if the walls he always kept around him had begun to crumble.

It was in moments like this that Bonnie regretted the circumstances of their acquaintance. If only her council had decided Evan would be the best choice as her husband; if only she had been allowed to make that choice herself; if they had met at a gathering or by sheer chance then perhaps, they could be happy now.

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