Chapter 4 #2
“At least ye’ve done somethin’ right,” Lucas said with a growl.
“Now, get back there immediately.” Then, he turned away, focusing on the rest of his men.
“Hector, ye’ll be ridin’ with one of these women.
” He paused, shifting as his eyes scanned the crowd.
Flora didn’t see who he was pointing to, but he firmly said, “Ye two will also take one. Ensure they’re safe.
We will speak again once they’re settled. ”
“Aye, Me Laird,” they all said in unison, immediately moving to their horses to prepare.
“The rest of ye,” Lucas continued, marching toward the other men who were gathered and waiting for instructions.
“Ye will ride on the sides and behind those of us transportin’ the girls.
Keep an eye out for bandits and anyone who may cause them harm.
The journey will be issue-free. Do ye understand? ”
“Aye, Me Laird,” they said in unison before they started to make their preparations.
Flora’s eyes fell closed again as the men began shuffling around, the exhaustion threatening to take her away from consciousness.
It came in waves, the bone-crushing heaviness that was born from the last several months of her life.
She desperately wanted to get somewhere that she could safely rest, but even if she was able to make herself speak, she wouldn’t voice the request. The last thing that she wanted to do was come off as demanding or do anything that could sacrifice the safety of her friends.
“Ye’ll be with me,” Laird McGowan said, his voice cutting through the fog as his hand came down on her shoulder softly. His light but firm touch still made her jump despite how careful he was being. “We’re leavin’.”
She nodded a little numbly, not quite understanding how he was going to transport her.
There wasn’t a carriage here, nor were there any extra horses.
Even if there were, it wasn’t as if she’d ever had the opportunity to learn how to ride.
Perhaps she should have been paying attention to the conversation.
Her feet shuffled along the ground as he led her to his horse. Then, without warning, she was picked up by the waist and deposited into the saddle. She didn’t even get a chance to orient herself to her new position before he joined her.
Lucas’s body was solid against hers. His arms bracketed her torso as he took hold of the reins.
She felt each breath he took as his chest pressed firmly against her back.
He was so close that she couldn’t ignore the raw strength that he kept hidden beneath his clothes, and at the moment, that strength was directed at keeping her safe.
Me head’s spinnin’... Is it from him or the past few days?
“The journey will take a few hours,” Lucas said against Flora’s ear. “I apologize for the distance, but I promise ye the road is nae too bumpy.”
The girl, Flora, nodded in response. She still hadn’t spoken, but he was fairly certain that exhaustion had stolen her voice. The poor thing had nearly fallen asleep on her feet waiting for them to leave.
Still, he longed to hear her voice again, if only so he could make arrangements to get her to her family.
“When we get back to me castle, me cook will want to feed ye,” he said after a few moments of silence punctuated only by the sound of hooves against the ground. “So, if ye’ve got a favorite dish, just tell me, and I’ll make sure me kitchen has the ingredients on hand.”
He may have cited the cook wanting to feed her, but in reality, it was his own protective desire.
As he tightened his fingers in the reins, bringing his elbows in, he could tell she wasn’t just small but malnourished.
It spoke of a kind of neglect that went deeper than just the hunt, and he was determined to erase all of that hurt.
Digging his heels into the side of his stallion, Lucas pushed them forward. He’d instructed his men to follow, and he didn’t need to watch over them to know they would.
“Ye ken,” he said, no longer expecting a response from her—he probably wouldn’t get one until after she rested, “it’s quite impressive that ye were willin’ to go toe to toe with me.
I respect that, Flora. I meant what I said when I called ye a fighter.
Though I’m surprised ye dinnae curse at me when I picked ye up.
I’d expect it from someone as spirited as ye. ”
Ach, I’d welcome bein’ cursed if it meant I got to hear her voice again. She dinnae even tell me her name. If the others hadnae been concerned about whether or nae she was hurt, I still wouldnae ken.
“Ye must be tired, aye?” Lucas asked, his mouth still dangerously close to her ear.
This time, he felt a shudder go up her spine, and a treacherous part of him wondered if that was from something other than fear.
He stamped it out immediately. She was afraid, and this proximity couldn’t be helping soothe her.
“After I get ye to me castle and ye get yer wounds clean, ye can sleep.”
She nodded, which seemed to be her only means of communication, the movement a little sluggish.
Her body stiffened a bit as the horse picked up speed, pressing her more firmly against his chest. When he brought his elbows in tighter, straightening her out and supporting her form, steadying her as the scenery passed them by, she didn’t relax at all.
The closeness was most certainly difficult for her.
As they passed by the village, Flora sank further into him reluctantly.
She must have been hiding herself from the prying eyes of the villagers.
Word would have spread quickly after his men brought members of the hunt to the inn, and now, these people who lived normal and uneventful lives wanted to gawk at them as they passed by.
The anger that flared in his chest was sharp, and he struggled to temper it.
It wasn’t as if they could be blamed for indulging in their morbid curiosity.
Events like the hunt, while sometimes whispered about over pints of ale in pubs, weren’t a common occurrence.
Of course, the people living here were curious.
But all of them were looking for a story to tell. They wanted to be the person who was most informed about what had happened. It was as if they believed that this would give them a type of social currency, and that made Lucas sick.
As they passed by, he made himself bigger, glaring at each person gawking to send the message that these women’s suffering wasn’t for their consumption.
The way Flora was choosing to hide herself against him despite her obvious fear only made him angrier, his gaze sharper.
But it wasn’t as if he could stop to yell at them.
Instead, he pushed the horse to go faster, needing to get her as far away from here as quickly as possible.
After nearly ten unbearable minutes, the scenery changed.
Lush trees and flowering bushes lined the path rather than the stone and wooden houses of the village.
It was largely untouched by people here, only used for travelling between settlements.
Flora relaxed when Lucas loosened his hold as the distance between them and the village grew wider.
The silence between them morphed from tense into something tinged with understanding. Lucas could tell that she was still guarding herself and likely would for a very long time. She didn’t speak, nor did she look anywhere but directly ahead of her.
Ach, I kent that I’d have to work hard to earn the lass’ trust. It seems as if I’m goin’ to have to work even harder than I thought with Flora.