Page 10 of The Highlander's Twisted Deal
“If ye recall,” he answered mildly, “I said that whoever wished to could follow me. I compel nobody to be in me company—not men, not women, not warriors.”
“Ye speak of warriors as if they are a third sex.”
“I suppose they are,” he reflected. “Me warriors—the famous McAdair wildcats—are men and women, and all are equally deadly. I thought ye might prefer me company to that of our dear Laird MacCarthy. I think his plans for ye were less than pleasant.”
Her face twisted at the mention of Laird MacCarthy. Callum remembered the accusation she’d leveled towards the old Laird. Good riddance to him, then. Callum hoped the old fool had suffered greatly and knew who was responsible for his death in the end.
Had he hurt Ava?
Callum pressed his lips together at that thought. He barely knew the lass, of course, but that didn’t matter. Callum was a fair man and prided himself on fair dealings. That meant he forced himself on nobody, and neither did his warriors. It was an inexcusable crime.
“Ye cannae possibly have taken me from him just to set me free,” Ava said, sounding incredulous.
He lifted an eyebrow, glancing down at her. He was keeping up a great pace—no point hanging around now, they needed to get out of MacCarthy territory as quickly as possible—and she was keeping up easily enough.
“Why nae?” he responded.
She snorted. “Who said I needed saving? From what I can see, ye are the one bleeding.”
Callum very nearly laughed at that. Instead, he stopped dead. The rest of the men stopped with him. An expression of unease crossed Ava’s face, but she struggled to stay composed.
“It’s a day and a half’s journey to Keep McAdair,” Callum said, his voice low and sweet. It unsettled her, that much was clear, but she didn’t back away, not one step. “We’ll travel through the night. Be warned, lassie, we travel quickly, and we travel in silence to save our breath. I wouldn’t recommend wandering off—I daresay Laird MacCarthy has men following us, and they’ll follow us all the way to the Keep. Step outside the bounds of the camp, and ye might find yerself swept up and taken back to our good friend. This time, there’ll be nay escape for ye. I willnae be coming back to save ye, understand? It truly is me or him.”
He watched emotions war across her face, like a trapped animal looking for a way out. When resignation had finally settled in her expression, Callum finished what he intended to say.
“When we get to the Keep, get yerself food, a bath, and rest a wee bit. By nightfall, I’ll want ye in me chambers. Understood?”
She flinched as if from a blow, her face paling, but she pressed her lips together and nodded shortly. “Aye, Me Laird. I understand.”
“Good,” he said approvingly. Her voice hadn’t even wobbled. She was a tough one, and no mistake. “Now, let’s get a move on. We’ve got a long way to go.”
* * *
Ava steered clear of Laird McAdair for the rest of the trip. His request had shocked her a great deal.
Stupid, stupid.Why did ye think he wanted anything else from ye? If this is the price I pay for me life and escape from Laird MacCarthy, I suppose I have no choice but to pay it.
She could see Laird McAdair just ahead, his broad shoulders and dark hair bobbing through the forest, leading the way. Ava had fallen behind early on and had been allowed to sit on the back of one of the carts bearing provisions and loot. Every muscle in her body ached, and her scalp throbbed. She felt grimy and dusty and itchy with dried sweat.
At least, I can have a bath first.
She deliberately didn’t let herself think beyond the bath. Laird McAdair was… well, it could be worse, couldn’t it? He was handsome, undeniably so, and there was something about the way his muscles rippled across his back when he moved that made Ava feel a little… a littleunwellin a pleasant sort of way.
The thoughts were resolving themselves into an unfamiliar ache low in her stomach, and Ava shifted on the uncomfortable cart, trying to make her mind go elsewhere.
It wasn’t as if she had anywhere else to go, anyway. There was no pressing need for a healer in Paisley’s clan, where one of her husband’s friends’ wife was said to be one of the greatest healers in the Highlands with a fleet of apprentices. Ava might be allowed to join if she convinced Paisley to ask for her, but somehow, her pride wouldn’t allow it. They didn’tneedmore apprentices.
And there was always the worry that hercustomerswould get wise to her little scheme. Most of them never got it, which was a relief, but one or two… she’d seen suspicion on a few faces before.
She couldn’t go back home now either. The look on Niamh’s face when she learned that her daughter was a lady of pleasure—
Nay! Woman of the night!It’s different.
Still, her mother knew the truth now, and Ava hadn’t even had the chance to stay and explain. She swallowed hard, closing her eyes. Maybe it was the long trip, her miserable thoughts, or the rocking of the cart, but she felt thoroughly sick.
Besides, dusk was growing, and she was starting to think that they would need to travel through another night.
Please, no.I’m nae a warrior. I’m a healer. No more marching.
