Page 37 of Kilty Until Proven Innocent
The small bolt made a heavythwackas it sank into the straw a good foot from his right shoulder, exactly where she’d aimed. Brigit didn’t want to hurt him, after all: just get his attention in an undeniable way.
It worked.
With another curse, Drum yanked his arrow from the target, fitted it against his bowstring, and whirled into a crouch, halting himself from raising the weapon only when he saw her striding toward him.
Well, thank God for small miracles, then.
“What in the absoluteshite, Brigit?” he bellowed. “Ye could’ve killed me!”
“Nay, I could no’!” she yelled right back, marching up to him and stopping an arm’s length away. She forced her voice to lower. “I hit what I aimed at. I was tired of ye ignoring me.”
She couldn’t see his expression but had the impression he was gaping at her. Finally, he repeated, “Ignoring ye,” in what could only be called an incredulous tone.
Well, too late to back down now. Brigit raised the stakes by stepping forward, tipping her chin up to show she wasn’t afraid. “Aye! I’ve come to apologize to ye, and ye were ignoring me. So, I got yer attention. It worked, did it no’?”
The sound he made was difficult to identify beneath that helm, but she wondered if it might have been a sort of chuckle.
“It worked,” he rumbled, slowly lowering his bow completely and rising from his crouch. “Ye have my attention.”
“Good.” Suddenly, she wasn’t certain how to proceed. She nodded and repeated, “Good. I’m…um…I’m sorry.”
A pause. Then, “Ye’re shite at apologies, Brigit.”
Bah, he was right. “Then I’m sorry for that too!” Deciding ‘twas easier not to look at him, she turnedand reached for her bolt which had embedded only partially into the straw. “And I’m sorry for getting yer attention in such a stupid way.”
But as she yanked the small bolt out, Drum’s larger hand closed around her wrist.
“What is this?” he asked, turning her whole hand so he could examine the bolt.
“’Tis my crossbow bolt,” she said a bit uselessly.
“So small.”
“Aye, well, Angels realized ‘tis easier to be dismissed as a danger if yer opponent cannae see yer weapon.”
Still holding her wrist, Drum turned to her, and she had the impression he was studying her. Finally, he said, “What other weapons do ye carry, then?”
He hadn’t found any on her the times they’d made love, she’d been certain of that.
With her free hand, Brigit lifted the small crossbow and he released her to take the weapon from her. The helm tipped forward as he examined it.
“This is small.”
“Aye, well, I am small.”
Another sound that could be a snort. “Do all Angels use these?”
She realized with a jolt that he was accepting the fact that she was a Queen’s Angel, and that there were others. Did this mean he knew she’d only been following orders?
What had he asked? Och aye. “We’re all trained with them. Some are better with larger weapons, but my partners and I always relied on these smaller ones.”
He hummed, turning it over a few more times as if analyzing the design, then handed it back to her to hang on her belt. Straightening, he slid the arrow he still held back into his quiver and tucked the bow over his shoulder while he studied her.
Her stomach was in knots. Was he her judge, then? And what would the verdict be?
Finally, he asked, “What else?” as his right hand closed around the hilt of his sword. “Do ye fight with a blade?”
This was a fragile truce, but at least he was speaking to her without anger, so she answered carefully.
