Page 17 of Highlander's Runaway Seductress
Damien stepped away and his eyes closed over, it was as though he had summoned a brick wall, and it had slammed itself between them. His gaze was cool and detached when he opened his again.
She felt like a foreigner to him instead of the woman he had just unknowingly seduced.
“This will never happen again.”
7
Turning away, Damien bent to pick up the pile of dried wood Amelie had not noticed before and stood, waiting for her to turn back to the makeshift path.
He must have seen the distress on her face, but mercifully, he did not say a word as they returned to Ben. While Damien built the fire, she did her best to eat, and managed to get the meal down. The fire was crackling when Amelie sank to the makeshift bed and clutched her pendant tight.
With her eyes closed, she felt the kiss permeate her senses again, the thrill of his pleasure and the dismay of his rejection swirling in its wake. Why was it that for all the times she was given to discover her passion, why did it have to come from a man who confused her more than any other?
This will never happen again…
Why? She wanted to ask but could not dredge up the strength to do it.
Damien suddenly stood and moved away and disappeared through the tress. She stared at the spot for a while then, decided to go after him as she was unwilling to let this avoidance stretch.
Amelie set after him but found the trail was thick with snow. His boot-marks were in it, so she knew where he had gone, all she had to do was follow him.
Gathering her skirts, she carefully moved, step by step, avoiding the sheets of ice she could see while fearing the ones she could not. She inched her way down the slope and turned around a broad tree, only to stop in her tracks.
A wolf, thin and scraggly with a hollowed-out middle was sniffing at the base of another tree, but its ears twitched, and its head snapped to her. Panic lanced up Amelie’s spine and she began to step back but a warning growl from the creature had her freezing in place.
Its black lips curled over its white muzzle, baring its fangs to her and she panicked. Looking quickly to the side, she spotted a fallen branch and grabbed it.
The wolf lurched and its fangs clamped down on the wood, nearly snapping it in half—Amelie screamed.
When the animal found that it was not biting into meat, it pulled away and made to spring on her, but Amelie swung the branch like a bat and it connected with him so hard, it was flung into the scraggly bushes at the side, which only made it angrier.
It got up and growled, just as Damien rushed onto the path, dropping the sticks he was holding. He tore a knife out of his boot then sprung himself toward the snarling wolf.
With fear clogging her throat tight, Amelie watched them fight, the wolf fangs snapping and his claws ripping through the air.
Damien begun to stab it, over and over and over again, but the wolf struck out and its claws raked down Damien’s chest. Horrified, Amelie could not do anything but stand there until Damien finally killed it and it lay still, dead at his feet.
He stood and staggered back, while holding the bloody knife and Amelie rushed to him. He was splotched with blood stains and his left hand that was holding the knife was covered in it. His ripped shirt showed lined of blood on his chest and Amelie was in agony.
“Damien—mercy!” She grabbed at him while tears began to burn at the back of her eyes. “I am sorry. I shouldnae have come to find ye!”
“Nay, nay lass. It is all right.” He shook his head.
“But-but yer injured,” she cried out.
With his free hand, Damien plucked up a section of his tattered shirt, “I’ll be fine, it’s only scratches. I’ve had worse.”
Amelie’s eyes ran over him worriedly. “Are ye sure?”
“Aye,” he said, “I just have to grab the kindlin’ for the fire and we’ll go back.”
“Let me,” Amelie said. “It’s the least I can do.”
She went a few steps further and gathered the sticks in her arms to find Damien waiting for her at the other end of the trail. Slowly they walked back to the clearing to find Ben looking at them with worry etched all over his face.
“Lass! Are ye all right!?” He then looked at Damien. “And ye, why so much blood?”
“Lone wolf, Ben,” Damien said. “It attacked Amelie and I saved her.”
