Page 54 of A Healer for the Ruthless Highlander
“Nay, that’s nae true! The sea helps me cough. Andhewouldnae do anythin’ to hurt me!”
“Who’s he?” Leana asked softly, which seemed to surprise him.
A tinge of guilt and nervousness flickered in his eyes, as if he’d realized he’d said too much. Some kind of secret, perhaps.
“I mean, he… ge… he… The god?” he offered.
Valerie rolled her eyes. “Hunter, this is serious!” she pressed, a little desperately.
Leana shook her head to calm her down. “Nay, it’s all right. Hunter understands that from now on, he has to be careful what he touches or eats when he’s near the sea, right?” she asked.
The boy nodded. “I will.”
“There we go. Good boy,” Leana praised, stroking his hair. “And maybe ye could tell… ‘the god’ to send me some candy. I want to taste it.” She gave him a smile, which seemed to cheer him up.
“Sure, I’ll bring enough for ye and Valerie,” he promised.
“All right then,” Leana said, getting up, and soon Valerie followed her. “It’s gettin’ late. Better to get some dinner.”
Hunter got up as well. “A run?” he suggested to Valerie, then broke into a run, laughing.
Taking advantage of his absence, Valerie looked worriedly at Leana. “Do ye think everythin’ is all right with Hunter?”
“I daenae ken,” Leana replied, biting her lower lip. A crease formed between her brows, and her gaze flickered with urgency. Her fingers tightened at her sides. “But I must talk to Kenneth. Right now.”
Without waiting, she ran back to the castle.
Only this time, she was not running for the fun of it, but perhaps to save Hunter’s life.
CHAPTER 18
“Me Laird,I apologize for the interruption. It’s about yer braither…”
Leana entered the meeting room after knocking on the door twice, which immediately drew the attention of everyone in the room.
Normally, such an intrusion would have been taken as an insult, even more so since she was a healer, but Kenneth didn’t hesitate to stand up, knowing from her tone that this was an urgent matter.
“Our meeting has gone on long enough. I invite ye to dinner. We have prepared a feast for yer stay,” Kenneth announced.
Immediately, all present realized that the Laird wanted to speak to the healer alone, so they did not tally. After murmurs of gratitude, they left the room and followed the servants to the dining hall, where the meal was to be served.
As soon as the door closed, Leana hurried to Kenneth, but he shook his head.
“Nae here,” was all he said.
He waited until the sound of footsteps faded before pulling Leana out of the room and leading her to the surgery, which was on the other side of the castle.
Once they were alone and she closed the door behind them, the soft click echoed in the quiet space, sealing them away from the world outside. Kenneth turned, his gaze falling upon her face—beautiful, yes, but now shadowed with worry, the delicate arch of her brows drawn together in silent unease. The dim light cast gentle contours across her features, illuminating the tension in her eyes, the way her lips parted slightly as if searching for words she couldn’t quite form. His chest tightened. He could feel the weight of whatever troubled her, lingering in the charged air between them. Slowly, he stepped closer, his presence steady, offering unspoken reassurance.
“Speak now. Tell me what’s wrong,” he ordered.
Leana didn’t hesitate to approach him once more. “Me Laird, I believe I have finally discovered the cause of Hunter’s illness.”
Finally!
“Well? Speak then,” Kenneth urged as she took another step toward him.
“I think somethin’… or someone is poisonin’ him,” she whispered.
