Page 56 of Craved By a Highland Beast

Bonnie jumped onto her horse just as Evan swung around, grabbed the reins to his, and still running alongside it, heaved his body up to the saddle. Something akin to awe sparked within Bonnie as she watched him, the feat nothing short of impressive, a display of his physical strength that left even the two attackers stunned, unable to do anything but watch as she and Evan fled the clearing. They had no horses, after all, at least not nearby. It would take them too long to grab them and follow in pursuit, especially in the dark, and they knew it just as well as Bonnie and Evan did.

Steering and controlling their frightened horses was no easy task. Bonnie felt the mare’s fear, her panic as she galloped erratically down the path, eager to get as far away from the commotion of the clearing as she could. A less skilled rider would have already fallen off the saddle and the only reason why Bonnie could still hold on and even fought the mare’s instincts was her early training and the fact that her father had encouraged her to ride instead of taking the family carriage ever since she was a young girl.

For a while, she rode alone through the narrow path that led away from the forest. Evan’s own spooked horse had taken him somewhere through the woods, through a more treacherous path, and Bonnie kept her eyes open for any sign of him—but also for any sign of danger, which could still lurk in the shadows. The men who had attacked them didn’t look like brigands. From the glimpses Bonnie had caught, they were well-groomed, with cropped beards or clean-shaven, in cloaks that may have been patched and mended, but had been done so with care and expertise. Their swords had glinted in the light of the fire, newly polished and sharpened.

No, those had been soldiers, not brigands. But that didn’t mean that there were no brigands lurking around, waiting for the right moment to strike, and Bonnie was defenseless without the use of her arm.

It was then that her shoulder began to ache once more, that throbbing pain returning in waves of increasing intensity. At first, it did nothing more than bother her, distracting her attention from the shadows. As she rode, though, her arm stiffened, pain shooting down its length with every movement she made, as though the tip of that arrow sank into her flesh again and again, relentless in its search of a target.

A whistle cracked the silence around her, loud and clear, and Bonnie had to swallow back a cry of pain as her horse reared once more, forcing her to tighten her grip. Then, it stopped, idly turning to the left and right as Bonnie took a moment to catch her breath.

Evan found her moments later, bringing his own horse to a halt next to her. Sweat coated his brow, glistening on his skin under the light of the moon, and his cheeks were flushed with exertion, eyes wide as he reached for her arm and cradled it gently in his hand.

“Are ye alright?” he asked. “Were ye hurt?”

“Nay,” said Bonnie, shaking her head. “Ye?”

“Nay,” Evan assured her. “But we must keep ridin’. It’s too dangerous tae stay here much longer.”

“Aye,” said Bonnie, already gripping the reins once more. “How far is Castle MacGregor?”

“We should be there by morn,” Evan said. “But we could stop an’ rest once we’re far enough from Ruthven.”

“I dinnae need tae rest,” Bonnie said, knowing it would be for her benefit rather than Evan’s. She would much rather keep going, riding as far as the horses would take them before they reached the point of exhaustion, putting as much space between her and Ruthven as she could.

Those men werenae brigands.

That thought had bothered her ever since it had first appeared in her mind. The only one who could have any reason to send men after them was Ruthven himself, but that had to mean that he knew the truth, at least partially.

Or was he simply so angry we left that the sent men after us?

It sounded absurd, but then again, she had found out plenty about Ruthven that would seem absurd at first glance. He had always seemed like the perfect gentleman, up until he wasn’t.

“Let us continue, then,” said Evan, his voice pulling Bonnie out of her thoughts. She didn’t share any of them with him yet, though she would be surprised if he wasn’t thinking the same things as she did, suspecting Ruthven just as much as her. It was the only explanation that fit.

What if those men who attacked us near the loch were his men, too?

But why would he risk the bride he so wished tae have?

Maybe the arrow that struck her was meant for Evan and not for her, after all. Maybe he was the one they were trying to kill, Ruthven eager to get him out of the way so he could have Bonnie under his thumb, doing as he pleased with her with no one around to stop him.

The thought sent a chill down Bonnie’s spine. They had both been so much closer to peril than they realized.

For the rest of the night, they rode in silence, pushing their horses as much as they could to reach Castle MacGregor by the morning. The sun had just risen in the horizon when the hill appeared before them after a bend in the path, the castle sitting atop like a gleaming jewel in the morning sun.

“There it is,” said Evan as he and Bonnie came to a brief stop, letting the horses drink from a small creek and munch on the grass that grew on its banks. “Home.”

Bonnie gazed upon the castle, taking in the pale rock of its walls, the turrets and the steepled roofs, the green valley that stretched under the hill. It was a beautiful place, one that she would be happy to call home, though she didn’t know if she ever would.

Evan had been clear: he had to speak with his council first, and that could either mean that he truly meant it and there was a chance his council would reject his decision or that he was merely trying to avoid any commitment by using them as an excuse. Either way, Bonnie feared her chances were lower than she would have liked.

Once the horses were ready to continue their journey, they made their way down that hill, through the valley, and up the next, finally reaching the gates of Castle MacGregor. Upon seeing their laird, the guards threw the gates open while shouting for Alaric, who appeared in the courtyard before Bonnie and Evan had even had a chance to dismount, his face pallid and waxen with concern.

“Ruthven kens,” was the first thing Evan told his brother, confirming Bonnie’s suspicions that he had come to the same conclusion as she had. “He sent men after us. Or after me.”

“Well, he certainly kens we’re nae Bonnie’s cousins,” Alaric said, rushing over to Evan. “I dinnae ken how much else he kens but . . . I wouldnae be surprised if he kens everythin’.”

“We must prepare fer?—”

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