Page 55 of Craved By a Highland Beast

“Did ye enjoy it?” Evan asked, and Bonnie looked up to give him an unimpressed look. She was quite certain that her enjoyment had been more than clear, and yet Evan still asked. She could only assume he was trying to stroke his own ego.

“Must ye ask?” she said, giving him a playful shove. “I think ye ken the answer.”

“I wish tae hear it from ye,” Evan said with a small shrug. “I truly dae. Is that so bad?”

It occurred to Bonnie then that Evan was not asking because he wanted to hear her admit it, but rather because he feared there was a chance, no matter how small, that she had not, in fact, enjoyed it. The realization stunned her into silence for a few moments, but then she rolled on top of him, bracing her hands on his chest to look at his face.

“I enjoyed it very much,” she said. “In fact, I dinnae think I have ever enjoyed anythin’ as much as this.”

As he looked at her, Evan’s lips split into a wide grin, genuine joy radiating off him in waves. “I’m glad,” he said. “I enjoyed it very much, as well.”

For a while, they stayed like that, content to simply enjoy each other’s presence. Then, they quickly cleaned up and dressed, before settling in for the night, once again in each other’s arms. The only difference now was that Evan had his sword right next to him, and the mere sight of it brought some uneasiness to Bonnie at the thought that there could be an attack.

There was another thought, too, which filled her with unease. She remembered what Evan had said about the two of them getting married, and she didn’t know if she should believe him or if he was only using the council as an excuse. He had told her repeatedly that he loved her and his actions spoke of the same, but Bonnie had long since learned to be wary of people.

What if he doesnae wish tae wed me? What if it was naething but an excuse?

“Hush,” Evan said, his eyes closed, as though he could sense what Bonnie was thinking. “Relax . . . go tae sleep. I’m right here.”

He’s right here . . . he’s nae lyin’ tae me.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Bonnie’s eyes shot open only to find that everything was dark. There was little light around her, only what remained of the dying fire and the few rays of moonlight that penetrated through the branches of the trees. She didn’t know at first what it was that had woken her. Could it have been a dream? Could it have been pain from her shoulder injury? Could it have been nothing more than the stress of the past few days?

But then she heard it. There was a sound not too far from her and Evan, a sound which reminded her too much of footsteps. It wasn’t the natural rhythm of the forest. It wasn’t a small critter, trying to find some prey in the middle of the night. No, Bonnie was quite certain it was a human and the only reason she could come up with regarding their presence was an attack.

Which could only mean there were more than one of them.

Slowly and quietly, she shook Evan awake, instantly motioning at him to stay silent. At first, he opened his mouth to speak,confused as he was so suddenly woken from a deep sleep, but Bonnie was quick to clamp a hand over his mouth silencing him.

Then, his gaze snapped away from her when another sound echoed around them and he, too, knew that there was someone watching them.

Bonnie pulled her hand back, knowing Evan would stay quiet. The darkness around them was thick, but it was even thicker the farther she looked from the fire, where whoever was watching them was hiding. It hid them better than it hid her and Evan, who were close to the small flames and every movement they made was much more visible to their attackers.

Just as several footsteps suddenly sounded, rushing towards their small clearing, Evan stood, his sword already in his hand. Bonnie saw three men, all of them large and armed, approach, circling around them as she cowered by the fire.

What was there for her to do? She had no weapons on her and even if she did, her dominant hand was useless. She couldn’t fight. All she could do was hope that Evan could kill or at least chase away all three of them while she found a place to hide.

But she couldn’t move. From the way the three men were circling them, there was nowhere for her to go without running straight into one and that would only make matters worse. It was safer, she thought, to stay where she was rather than try to hide or escape.

The only sound in the clearing was that of the men’s footsteps and of the night—the rustling of the leaves, a nearby river whose gurgle could be heard even there. Before her, Evan stood perfectly still, waiting for the first attack.

“When I tell ye,” he said, his voice quiet so that only she could hear him. “Run tae the horses. Untie them an’ flee. I’ll try tae follow.”

Bonnie’s voice died in her throat as Evan spoke those last words. She knew there was no time for arguing, not when death was so near, but the last thing she wanted was to leave him there all alone against three men. She couldn’t flee without him. She couldn’t go on, knowing that he would die there.

What she could do, though, was follow his orders and untie the horses at his command. It would give them a chance to escape, no matter how small, and so Bonnie pushed herself up but didn’t stand quite yet, as she didn’t want to make herself into a target. She only watched carefully, keeping her ears open for Evan’s command.

The first man to attack was the one from the right, charging towards Evan. He was savage in his attack, swinging his sword wildly as the other two joined him in an unfair fight, the three of them quickly threatening to overwhelm Evan. With all of them occupied, though, Bonnie saw the same opening as Evan would and stood, muscles tense as she waited one moment, then another.

“Now!” Evan shouted and Bonnie shot into a sprint, rushing to the horses. No pain slowed her down. She could feel nothing but the wild beating of her heart even as she used her right arm, trying to untie them as quickly as she could. In that moment, she was certain she could have even shot her bow or fought with a knife. Such was the adrenaline that kept her going, allowing her to feel no discomfort from her injury, no fear from the attack.

“Go!” she heard Evan say, but she decided right then and there that she would go nowhere without him. The clanging of the swords and the shouts of the men, the grunts coming from Evan all filled the clearing with deafening sound. The horses, spooked as they were, reared and neighed, trying desperately to get away from Bonnie’s grip as she held tightly onto the reins, trying to stop them.

Soon, they would overpower her, she knew. They were both young, strong horses and the only reason why they hadn’t yet fled was because they were too confused and terrified to even flee in the dark. Behind her, she heard a grunt of pain and turned with wide, fearful eyes to see that one of the men dropped to the ground, dead, blood pouring out of the wound in his chest.

The other two men took a few steps back from Evan, who was looking at them as though he was issuing a challenge. Before any of them could move, though, Evan’s horse reared once more and this time, it managed to escape Bonnie’s hold on it, rushing into the clearing. Bonnie’s eyes met Evan’s for a moment so brief, it was almost as though she had imagined it. It was enough, though, for them to know they had both reached the same conclusion: there was only one way out of this that could almost guarantee the safety of them both.

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