Page 54 of Highlander Lord Of Vengeance

Torrance’s gaze returned to Brack. “Everything… or nothing at all. I’ll not know until I stand on that ground.” He paused, then added more solemnly, “But whatever waits, I’ll see it through—with Esme beside me.”

Brack gave a short nod, not pressing further, though a shadow of concern lingered in his eyes. “You should sleep, my lord. You have a long ride ahead of you in the morning.”

“You worry too much about me, Brack.”

“I take my duty seriously, my lord, and always will.”

“I expect nothing less of you, Brack,” he said and turned to face the hearth, stretching his long legs out for the fire to warm them.

“Sleep well, my lord,” Brack said and with a bob of his head walked toward the door, a figure slipping out of the shadows to grab Brack’s hand and hurry out with him.

Torrance lingered a while longer, reluctant to return to his bedchamber, to Esme, but with the journey looming tomorrow, he knew he needed to sleep and be prepared. He finally stood and made his way upstairs.

He eased the door open so as not to disturb her if she slept and to his relief found her asleep. Tomorrow would be soon enough to talk about tonight, if they discussed it at all. He had allowed his frustration and anger to rule, and the night had not gone as planned. The next time would be different.

He slipped out of his garments and into bed beside her and she turned in her sleep to rest against him as had been her way of late. He wrapped himself around her as had been his way of late and the one thing he intended to change about that was to have her in his arms naked.

With a soft smile on his face, he fell asleep.

CHAPTER 15

The sky stretched gray above them, a slate canvas that promised winter had no intention of delaying its arrival. Esme rode beside Torrance, her mare’s hooves crunching through the hardened earth. They had been traveling since early morning and not at a leisurely pace. They had covered much ground and would probably make camp not long from now.

She recalled his warning just before they departed.

“This journey is a dangerous one, especially with those meaning us harm. You will stay close to me, not leave my side.”

Several of Torrance’s warriors kept watch. None spoke, they were too busy being vigilant. The road north was long and uncertain, and none among them dared take a chance with their safety.

Esme pulled her cloak tighter around her as a cold wind cut across the open land. She wanted to discuss last night with him, but she hadn’t gotten the chance. He was gone from their bed when she woke this morning, and he had been too busy seeing to their departure to catch even a brief word with him. And now was not the time with his warriors so close around them.

“You never did tell me,” she said, breaking the quiet and shifting in her saddle. “What did the old woman mean when she said what you searched for was buried in blood and vengeance?”

Torrance didn’t look at her, his gaze fixed ahead, but he had caught her shift in her saddle.

“Are you uncomfortable?” he all but barked at her, annoyed at himself for being the fault of her discomfort. “And do not lie to me.”

“A bit, but only since traveling a while,” she admitted and hurried to move their discussion away from anything intimate so the warriors would not hear. “I am curious. Tell me what the old woman meant.”

“What I search for… what drives all this… it was born in blood, and vengeance buried so deep, even I don’t know all the truths.”

Secrets intrigued but they also could prove dangerous, so she asked, “What secrets were buried?”

“That,” he said, meeting her gaze, “is what I aim to find out.”

A chill ran through her, not from the wind, but from the weight of what she heard in his voice. Not fear, nor doubt, but purpose sharpened by something far more important than duty. And still, she wondered… was she riding beside a man searching for truth, or one who feared what truth might do to him?

Silence fell between them again. The chill wind tugged at Esme’s hood as her gaze drifted to Torrance, or rather, to the way he scanned the land around them. His head would shift slightly at any sound. His shoulders would tense, then ease, when they passed a grove of trees or a formation of boulders. He was ever alert, as if expecting trouble to rise from the land itself.

She angled her horse a bit closer to him, her concern growing. “You keep watch as if you expect an attack.”

He didn’t answer right away. “One can never be too careful or too complacent.”

“But you didn’t bring many men. If you truly feared an attack, wouldn’t you have brought more?”

A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but it never reached his eyes. “There are more than you see.”

She frowned, glancing behind them. “What do you mean?”

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