Page 4 of A Healer for the Ruthless Highlander
“Hmm,” he grunted, taking her in.
Leana closed her eyes and clenched her teeth in annoyance. She hated the way his voice made her feel, and even more so considering the situation.
One would think that she would feel instant revulsion toward her captor, but her body betrayed her. There was something about this man, with his coal-black hair and silver-grey eye, that made her feel unbalanced and vulnerable.
Control yerself, Leana. He is the kind of man ye should run from.
But the warning was in vain, for her body seemed not to respond to reason—and that overwhelmed her. It was the first time in her life that a man had managed to arouse such thoughts. Perhaps it was his shoulders, proudly squared as if he owned the air he breathed and everything around him, or perhaps it was simply his unyielding gaze.
Of course, her body’s reaction only served to smother her anger. She felt scared, and annoyed. And she didn’t know what the man planned to do with her. Why had he sent his men after her?
“Good. Prepare the horses. We will leave at once,” he commanded.
The two men hurried to obey. It was obvious that they did not want to risk the wrath of someone who had the presence of the Lord of the Night himself.
But Leana was not an easy nut to crack, and as the mysterious stranger bent down to her, she held his gaze. She shivered, not with nerves or cold but with the strange sensation he elicited within her—which made her grateful that he could not hear the pounding of her heart.
“Hold still,” he commanded in that imperturbable, authoritative voice. “Or I will keep ye gagged until I reach me destination.”
Leana obeyed, not because she felt any particular weakness for his orders, but because she wanted to be free of the gag.
That didn’t stop a shiver from racking her body, strong enough for him to feel it, as his fingers moved to the back of her neck. One of her eyebrows rose as she gave him a challenging look.
As soon as the gag was out of her mouth, she asked, “Who are ye, and what do ye want from me?”
It was not a mere question, but a demand. A lesser man might have reacted in some way to her gall, but the stranger maintained an imperturbable expression.
“Ye are Miss Leana Beaton,” he replied in a matching tone, ignoring her question.
“Who wants to ken?” Leana asked immediately.
For a moment, she could have sworn she saw a smile on his face, but the next second, she thought she’d imagined it all. The movement was fleeting and slight enough to make her think so.
Instead, she was distracted by the large, strong hands coming close to her face. Her heart was pounding, but no longer in fear.
She tried to pull away, but he held her firmly by the waist, preventing her from doing so. His touch was delicate, as if he was holding something precious between his fingers, but firm enough that she wouldn’t stand a chance if she struggled.
Still, she tried, but he was determined. He held her, placing his fingers firmly on her chin, forcing their eyes to meet.
His gesture caused in Leana a reaction that left her confused and annoyed her further.
“Who are ye?” she repeated, her tone a little softer this time but no less firm.
Instead of answering, the stranger brushed a damp strand of hair from her face, and the contact sent another shiver down her spine.
She felt the moment stretch out between them, unsettling her. The look in the man’s good silver eye rooted her to the spot, for his face was crossed by an eyepatch, which, contrary to expectation, only added to his allure.
“Do ye have all yer supplies and medicines with ye?” he asked.
“Do ye require the services of a healer? Is that why ye kidnapped me?”
“I dinnae kidnap ye,” he assured her blandly.
“I daenae agree. And the way yer men have treated me, neither should they.”
“If they mistreated ye, I will punish them,” he threatened, his voice icy. “I ordered them nae to force or hurt ye.”
“They werenae exactly kind, but they didnae hurt me either,” Leana huffed.
