Chapter 4 #2
As he turned around, pushing the image of the odd, unfamiliar woman he was taking home from his mind, a few drops of icy water pricked against his forehead.
The air turned cold, and a gust blew Katherine’s hair wildly against her back.
Cursing, he ducked his head and dug his heels into his mare’s sides.
While he wouldn’t push their speed much, he was sure they could afford to go a bit faster.
I cannae imagine that ridin’ through a terrible wind storm would be better for her than a few extra bumps.
Behind him, Brimstone whickered. Katherine’s voice filtered through the sound of the drizzle, soft and gentle.
For a few brief moments, it seemed as if her consoling was working.
If it weren’t for the sudden flash of lightning and a loud crash of thunder, Liam was certain that she would have calmed him down.
However, before he could react, the horse spooked. Instead of bucking Katherine off, Brimstone dashed for cover. His escape was wild, quick, and reckless. When the skies opened, his hooves dug into the ground even more, kicking up dirt and rapidly splattering mud.
Katherine held on tight, meeting each one of the horse’s movements as though they were communicating silently. Liam cursed, yanking on his horse’s reins and shooting forward. As he passed by Cillian, he ordered, “Get Lady Agnes to the castle.”
He rode his mare hard, urging her forward after the fleeing forms of Brimstone and Katherine. Brimstone darted into the tree line, heading straight for a thicket of branches. Despite ducking low, she couldn’t avoid being knocked from her saddle.
“Nay,” he hissed as he pulled his mare to a sharp stop.
He leapt from his saddle as Katherine’s back hit the blanket of leaves and twigs. A ragged wheeze escaped her lips as all the air was forced from her lungs. Her hands scrambled for grip, but the rain made the debris beneath her palms slick.
“Careful, lass,” he barked, approaching her with his hand outstretched. “Come now. Take me hand so I can get ye to the castle.”
“Nay!” Katherine cried, looking up at him as though he were crazy. Long strands of hair stuck to her forehead, crawling down her cheek and settling against her jaw like a caress. “We cannae just leave Brimstone!”
“He is a horse!” Liam growled, his patience snapping at the ridiculousness of the situation.
They were becoming more soaked by the second, and Katherine was still sitting in the mud.
Somehow, she had the nerve to look at him as though he were the undignified one.
“We are near enough to the castle that he will find his way back. Now, give me yer hand, so we can get out of the storm.”
“Nay,” she shot back petulantly, crossing her arms and glaring up at him. “I willnae be goin’ to the castle without Brimstone.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face, the rain seeming to fall harder. The thunder rumbled steadily now, like a drum keeping time for troops marching into battle. Lightning flashed setting the sky ablaze. The path back was likely already waterlogged.
“I will give ye five minutes to look,” he finally conceded, looking back down at her. They would be riding back in the worst of the storm regardless of how long he let her search. “If we daenae find the horse in five minutes, we will be leavin’ without him.”
She was quiet for a beat, the rain plastering her hair to her face. Finally, she pushed herself to her feet. “Fine,” she said, turning away from him and rushing in the direction that he’d galloped off in. “Brimstone!”
“Daenae get lost,” he groaned, running after her.
For the next five minutes, Katherine tried many different methods to call the beast back.
He didn’t respond when she shouted his name at the top of her lungs, nor did he return her soft cooing.
She couldn’t help but feel the weight of her disappointment when he finally told her it was time for them to leave.
“Brimstone will find his way home,” he assured her as he expertly led the two of them back to where his mare was dutifully, though a bit impatiently, waiting. “He kens his way around these lands. He’s probably waitin’ out the rain before comin’ home.”
“Aye,” she muttered, her shoulders slumped, her bottom lip jutting out. “I suppose ye’re right. Ye do ken the creature better than I.”
“That may be true,” he said, stopping next to his horse and wiping the water from the saddle, “but ye do seem to get on quite well.”
He didn’t give her a chance to respond, grabbing hold of her waist and lifting her from the ground. She squeaked indignantly, rearranging herself to sit more comfortably. After giving her a few moments to settle, Liam threw himself into the saddle behind her.
She went incredibly still as his arms came to rest around her. Her gown, which he now realized wasn’t very thick at all, clung to her skin. A shiver went through her body, likely because of the chill in the air.
“I was just speakin’ to him the way I would to anyone,” she whispered, sounding as if she were far away.
He grunted in response, his arms tightening around her as he spurred the horse forward. The motion pressed her into his chest, and he could feel her breath catch at their closeness. In fact, he was acutely aware of every move she made. The moment she relaxed against him, he knew it.
Ye were better off before, lass. Daenae lower yer guard, especially around me.