Chapter five #2
I stared at him, dumbfounded. Not only was this man trying to comfort me, but he was also trying to do so without making me feel embarrassed by noticing my tears.
An instant liking for him sprang up in me, and, unfortunately, so did the memory of Gillie’s words about allowing myself to know the pleasure a man could bring me.
Heat singed my cheeks, so I mumbled, “thank ye,” and quickly turned my face back toward the passing village.
James didn’t try to speak anymore, and I appreciated his respect for my wishes as well as his kindness.
If I were going to give myself to a man, he was certainly not a bad prospect.
He was more than pleasing to look at. He had a ruggedness and vitality; I would wager he had drawn many women to his bed, so he likely knew exactly how to pleasure a woman.
The thought amused and horrified me at the same time.
Why was I even considering Gillie’s suggestion?
I stole a glance at him. He was staring off in the other direction, so I allowed myself a moment to study him.
His powerful legs rested on either side of his destrier, keeping him firmly in place.
He rode the beast easily, as if he had been born in a saddle.
His body swayed in a natural rhythm with the horse, somehow telling me he had complete and utter command of the beast. Still, I noted he rolled his shoulders as we cantered along, almost as if he had too much restless energy to be contained by simply sitting and riding at a leisurely pace.
I let my gaze travel up to the dark curls clinging to his neck, then to his profile. His full lips and strong jaw held a certain sensuality. He was, I thought, suddenly, the most compellingly handsome man I’d ever seen. Even more so than Alec, whom I had ruined my life for.
As the horses clopped down the dirt road and the shadows lengthened across the sky, slowly swallowing the sunlight, I judged we would not have long before darkness fell.
Surely he did not mean for us to ride through the night?
Da had always said it was dangerous to do so, not only because it was harder to spot wild animals and any enemies who might be lurking in the cover of night, waiting for you, but also because you could simply fail to see the correct path and ride yourself straight off a mountain.
“Will we stop when night falls?” I asked.
James turned toward me, and a slash of the last rays of sunlight struck his black hair, making it glisten. “Nay, I want to travel straight through to a small settlement near Loch Sunart.”
“Loch Sunart?” I asked, confused. Admittedly, I wasn’t good at geography. I’d always struggled with the lessons Da had given us, and I recalled that he would chide me, saying, ‘What if ye must escape an enemy someday, lass? Ye must ken yer east from yer west and yer north from yer south.’
Traveling so much with the Summer Walkers had helped me, but I would still be hard-pressed to find my way to Skye alone, which was another reason I’d known I needed not only a man who could be my protector but also my guide. “Isn’t that in the wrong direction?”
The line of his mouth tightened a fraction before he spoke. “I’m avoiding the coast. ’Tis too exposed.”
“I see,” I replied, nodding. I’d have to trust him. Still… “How many days will the journey take us?” I asked. I may have to put my faith in him, but I’d like to hear the details to ease my mind.
He gave me a long look, and I had the distinct feeling he was judging me. “Eight, if I were traveling alone,” he finally said.
“Are ye implying I’m going to slow ye down?”
His firm mouth curled as if on the verge of laughter. “Aye, lass. ’Tis simply that ye’re a woman.”
I scowled, and he pressed his lips together as if he were holding back laughter.
“If I were nae with ye, ye would be able to do it in eight?”
“Aye, but I would be riding hard and fast, as I said, and I would stop very little.”
“Then we will do it in eight,” I announced. I was an excellent rider, and I desperately wanted to reach the Dark Woods, face Morgana, and, hopefully, reclaim my life.
James shook his head. “Ye’ll nae last.”
“Men!” I grumbled. “Why are ye always so certain ye are superior?”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise, then he shook his head. “I do nae think I’m always superior. There are many things I ken well that a woman can do better than me, but I can outlast ye on horseback. I’m hard in all the right places, but ye—”
His gaze swept over me, lingering near my arse. When his eyes met mine, I sucked in a breath at the heat I saw there. Was that desire? My belly tightened at the thought, but I pushed it away. If we had eight days together, there would be time to consider what, if anything, might happen between us.
“Ye’re soft,” he finished, then quickly added, “’tis nae a bad thing.”
Had his voice grown husky, or was I imagining things?
“Ye’ll need to stop too often.”
“I’ll nae.”
“Ye’ll be exhausted.”
“I will nae be exhausted.”
“Ye’ll complain of hunger, and—”
“I’ve got a stash of food right here,” I said, patting my satchel.
“Ye’ll need to wash the dust of the road off, and ye’ll need proper inns for that.”
“I’m perfectly happy to wash in a stream.”
“Do ye have an answer for everything?” he demanded. His tone was amused, and he wore a smile.
I thought about my curse and shook my head. “Nay,” I said, smiling, “just these things. So,” I said, “we will ride hard and arrive quickly.”
His expression grew almost somber, but he nodded. “Aye, we will ride hard,” he said as he maneuvered us onto a much narrower path. We still rode side by side, but we were so close that our horses were nearly touching.
We rode in companionable silence for a moment, me feeling rather like I’d won some contest of wills, while James kept scanning around us.
I frowned as a concern rose. “Ye watch the road as if ye expect an attack.”
“I watch because I have seen what happens when ye do nae stay vigilant.”
“We’re ye watching when ye got that wound?” I asked, unable to help myself.
He smirked. “Nay, ye see what my distraction got me.”
“Mayhap ye should nae have traveled alone,” I said. “It’s impossible, is it nae, to remain vigilant at all times.”
“It is,” he agreed, “but in this instance, there was nae a choice.”
“Because yer mission was a secret,” I said, hoping he’d tell me more. It would be nice to know what kind of man I’d put my trust in.
“Aye,” he replied. Clearly, I was going to have to be clever to get answers out of him. “What did ye say the mission was?” I tried to ask casually.
He grinned. “I did nae say,” he replied, looking away.
I glared at the back of his head. “Is that yer rude way to end our conversation?”
“That,” he said slowly, “is my way of ending yer interrogation.” He looked at me again, mischief gleaming in his eyes. “If ye really wish to talk, we can talk about ye and yer past.”
I scowled. “I do nae wish to talk that much,” I muttered before he turned away again, chuckling. Blast the man.
I settled into silence and tried to enjoy the ride.
The temperature was dropping, but I was warm enough in my heavy cloak.
I took a long breath, and the scent of damp earth and peat filled my nose.
I knew that as we drew closer to Skye, I’d catch the scent of salt drifting inland from the sea.
I studied the twisted oak trees as we passed, their moss hanging like curtains, and I thought of my own life, the twisted path it had taken, and the curse that hung over me, shrouding me in darkness, much like the moss shrouded the trees. A knot lodged in my throat.
I could not say how long I rode that way, lost in melancholy thoughts, but when James spoke, his voice startled me. “Drop back behind me, lass.”
The tension in his tone made me jerk my gaze to him even as gooseflesh peppered my arm.
He pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted, drawing his sword as he did.
There was barely any light left in the day, but there was enough for me to see a body lying across the narrow path, blocking our way.
It was a man, and his neck was at an angle I’d seen before in my travels in the lowlands.
It looked as if someone had twisted his head backward, and the shocking, horrible truth was that someone had.