Page 16 of In Bed with a Highland Beast

“At least here, we can have some security,” she said, a sob catching in her throat. “It’s more than we had afore.”

Tiernan listened to Lucia’s story in silence, glancing between her and Alaric. He was a closed book as much as Lucia was, revealing nothing to Alaric about what he could be thinking.

This was not the kind of situation in which Alaric ever wished to find himself. From one moment to the next, he had been caught in a web of lies and thrust into an uncertain, dangerous future. There were too many unknowns, too many variables—two of them sitting right next to him and conversing through the veil of deception that only served to unsettle him even more.

“It willnae be easy,” Tiernan said after a short pause. “I’m sure ye ken that. The men may have accepted yer victory, but they willnae stop challengin’ ye an’ they can be… inventive.”

“Let them try,” said Lucia simply. “Ye saw what I can dae.”

“Aye,” said Tiernan. “I did.”

He and Lucia stared at each other; Lucia narrow-eyed, a muscle in her jaw ticking as she bit down hard, and Tiernan with an open, obvious curiosity.

This is a disaster.

“I think it is time fer us tae retire,” Alaric said in that polite, detached tone he only used back home in the castle, whenever there were guests who overstayed their welcome. “It has been a long night an’ an even longer day fer us. Thank ye, Tiernan.”

Tiernan dragged his gaze from Lucia to Alaric, smiling. “O’ course,” he said. “If there is anythin’ else ye need, ye can ask me.”

With that, he took his leave, disappearing into one of the tents. Suddenly, they were plunged in silence, nothing around them but the sound of the wind and the critters that roamed the forest at night. Above them, the sky was beginning to clear, the threat of the storm dissipating, but Alaric still fell ill at ease.

“How long dae ye expect us tae stay here?” he whispered to Lucia as she tore into a strip of cured meat. “This is far too dangerous, even fer ye.”

“Ye dinnae ken what is dangerous fer me,” Lucia pointed out and rightfully so. How could Alaric claim to know anything about her? “We will stay fer as long as we need tae stay.”

A cryptic answer, as always, and one that didn’t satisfy Alaric’s curiosity, but Lucia stood before he could ask her anything else. He watched her as she walked to the designated space for them, where there was no shelter save for the thick branches of an old oak, and settled in for the night, curling up on the ground and pulling the cloak tightly around her shoulders.

Alaric considered staying by the fire, even if its dying coals provided barely any warmth. He and Lucia were supposed to be married, though, he reminded himself and even as the thought left a bitter taste at the back of his mouth, he stood and joined her, throwing his cloak over them both.

CHAPTER NINE

Even as he lay there, Alaric didn’t sleep. He didn’t trust any of those men—he would be a fool if he did. They were mercenaries, cruel and ruthless, the kind of scum even he avoided in his travels. He didn’t want the trouble that came with associating with them, even in passing, but now he had no other choice but to be prepared for it.

Those who remained outside the tents and kept watch for the first part of the night were watching him and Lucia more than they were watching their surroundings. Alaric didn’t know if that was part of the orders they had received, Callum telling them that they were more of a threat than anyone who could come across them in the middle of the woods at night, or if they were simply curious. Either way, he refused to let his guard down even for a moment, tracking their beady, glinting eyes in the dark to make sure no one would come too close.

It wasn’t only his safety for which he feared. Lucia was right there with him and despite everything, Alaric couldn’t bring himself to let anything happen to her. She had lied to him, shehad deceived him, and she had dragged him into this mess, but even so, he couldn’t help but feel some responsibility towards her. After all, he had agreed to help and even if it was for her personal gain, she had saved him from those men.

Lucia was still as she slept next to him, curled up into herself, either to battle the chill or because it offered her some sense of protection. Under the combined weight of their wool cloaks, her body was warm and Alaric could feel the heat emanating from her, providing him with a strange comfort. He always made a point of sleeping alone. Even on nights when he joined a woman in bed, he left before he could fall asleep, even if he planned to return to them the next night. This was too unfamiliar for him. Having a warm body next to him in bed—as much as the soil where they lay could be called a bed—was a sensation so foreign that it was enough to set him on edge.

He wondered if he would have to get used to it now that he would be marrying Kayla. With any luck, she would be one of those married women who preferred having their own chambers, something Alaric could easily arrange for her. This was only a marriage of convenience, after all. Their only desires were tied to their duties: uniting their clans and producing heirs. Neither of those things required them to share a room.

Concerning himself with the specifics of their arrangement when he was in the middle of the strangest mission in his life seemed foolish to Alaric. Home seemed so far from where he was, not only in physical distance, but also in his mind. Never before had he felt so removed from his regular life, the one he spent with his family in the warmth and comfort of Castle MacGregor. Even when he was on a mission, he always had a sense of when hewould return and he had always acted like himself, but now he was no longer Alaric MacGregor. If the Ravencloaks found out his true identity, he would be a dead man.

Has me braither received me letter? What if he thinks me dead?

Evan would be concerned for him if he was still in the dark about his plan. Even in his letter, Alaric hadn’t managed to write enough to explain where he would be going, what he would be doing, or how long it would take him to go back home, since he had no answers to those questions himself. He wouldn’t put it past his brother to send a search party out for him if he took too long without sending any correspondence, and that was precisely what Alaric feared. The smallest wrong move could reveal his identity to the Ravencloaks and then both he and Lucia would be in danger.

“Must ye breathe so loudly?”

The question caught Alaric by surprise and he jumped a little, suddenly pulled out of his thoughts. All this time, he had thought Lucia was asleep next to him, but she sounded perfectly awake now, and it was then Alaric realized she had not fallen asleep at all, but was rather pretending.

Was she watching the Ravencloak men like he was? Was she thinking about her plan?

She was much more devious than she appeared, Alaric knew as much now, but her sweet appearance and her angelic face were enough to make him forget that every time he looked at her. Heonly remembered the truth when she revealed something that reminded him of her true self, of all the things of which she was capable.

“How does even that bother ye?” Alaric hissed, focusing on his irritation instead of the conflicting feelings that had blossomed inside him ever since he had first met Lucia. It was easier this way, he told himself—safer. The physical proximity alone would be enough for them to bond, especially if they were bound to spend a lot of time near each other. Alaric had made many a friend simply because they were joined by a common cause and spent their days near each other. With Lucia, though, it wasn’t simply the physical proximity that drew them together. It was her tenacity, her strength, and as much as Alaric hated to admit it, her physical beauty; all traits he could not easily resist.

“It bothers me when ye dae it right next tae me ear,” Lucia said, squirming under the cloaks as she turned to face him. Suddenly, they were face to face, their noses almost touching, and Alaric’s breath was cut short.

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