Highlander's Rebellious Love (16 page)

Hunter grabbed Ewan’s arm when he went to move away. “I will do whatever it takes to keep my wife safe and if any harm should befall her, I will seek revenge. Pass that message on to the Dark Dragon as well.”

“He does not take well to threats,” Ewan cautioned.

“Either do I.” Hunter turned and walked off, annoyed that Ewan was not only much more involved with the Dark Dragon than he allowed anyone to believe, but that there was much more to Heather’s abduction than anyone realized.

Hunter made his way toward his wife, his mum stopping him for a moment.

“Ewan is a good and honest man,” she said with a gentle smile that quickly tempered his annoyance.

“A bit of a disagreement between us, nothing more,” Hunter assured her, not wanting her to worry.

“He has been a good ally to our family through the years and will continue to be if you let him. He has kept me from harm on more than one occasion.”

“I did not know that. How so?” Hunter asked concerned that his mother had been in harm’s way and he had not known about it.

“Stories better left for another day,” she said, patting his arm. “Just promise me that you will trust Ewan, for he is a good man.”

“As you wish, Mum,” he said, though he would remain cautious when it came to Ewan. “Now are you well-rested and ready for another day’s journey?”

“Aye, that I am and looking forward it to it as is Beast,” she said, giving the dog a good rub behind his ears. He leaned against her, enjoying the attention.

“So, Beast, what do you say to a quick walk in the woods before we take our leave?” Patience called out as she approached.

The dog’s head shot up and he looked to Una as if asking permission.

“Go on with you,” Una said with a smile and Beast trotted over to Patience.

“I will go with you,” Hunter said.

“It is privacy I want, not company,” Patience said, coming up alongside him. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and walked off, Beast trotting eagerly beside her.

“She is strong-willed,” Una said as if her son needed reminding.

Hunter leaned down and gave his mum a peck on the cheek, then smiled. “That she is, Mum, but if there is one thing I know best, it is how to handle women—all kinds.”

Una laughed. “You may be in for a challenge with this one.”

“Yea of little faith, Mum,” he said with a laugh and followed after Patience.

~~~

Patience saw to her needs quickly, knowing her husband would not be far behind her and because she wanted some time to scout the area. Something did not feel quite right to her. Her scouts had reported that they had spotted no signs of anyone following them, but for some reason Patience thought otherwise.

She looked around for any signs that might be present. It was the reason she had brought Beast with her. He just might be able to detect something.

The dog’s head popped up from a spot he had been sniffing intensely and he stood perfectly still gazing straight ahead.

Patience hunched down and looked to where the dog had focused. Something had caught his attention. It could be a small animal roaming about or a creature out of its element.

Beast turned his head, his eyes searching the area behind Patience and she knew the animal had heard Hunter’s approach. She kept her eyes straight ahead, concerned that Hunter’s steps had interrupted Beast’s attention to another’s presence. But the animal quickly shifted his attention back, and Patience was quick to once again follow where his eyes went.

She caught the quick movement, then the glint, and she did not waste a minute, she ran toward Hunter, and Beast charged the intruder.

The arrow flew before Beast could reach the man and Patience flung herself at Hunter, knocking him to the ground with her one shoulder and her other shoulder feeling a searing pain as she went down on top of him, though not before another arrow barely missed her head.

An anguished cry echoed through the woods and Patience was quick to get to her feet and after a brief glance to see that Hunter was all right, though a bit winded, she took off. She came upon Beast attempting to tear the assailant apart. She ordered him off the man and he obeyed without question, coming to stand by her side, though on alert if he should be needed.

The man writhed in pain, holding his arm that Beast had badly mangled. “Help me,” he begged.

“Are you alone?” Patience demanded.

He nodded. “Please help me.”

“You are one of Greer’s men?”

He shook his head and winced. “Hew McDolan. Please... the pain.”

“You cannot be the only man they sent.”

“Please help me and I will tell you anything you want to know.”

Her warriors would never beg an enemy if captured, their honor would never permit it. This man felt no honor to his laird and that told her something about Hew McDolan. He was not a man his men respected.

Rushing footfalls from behind her let her know that Hunter had recovered and was heading her way.

“I will see you tended, but first how many—”

“You have been injured,” Hunter said, stepping in front of her, his hand going to her bloody shoulder.

She pushed it away, gave him a scathing look that had his brow rising, and pushed him to the side. She glared at the man on the ground, though the annoyed glare was meant for her husband. “How many men follow you?”

“As many as needed to see him dead,” the man said with a nod to Hunter.

Patience turned to Beast, pointed behind her, and ordered, “Go bring help.”

The dog took off.

She turned her attention back to the man, but Hunter once again stepped in front of her. She went to shove him out of the way again, but this time he took firm hold of her arm and eased her a few feet away from the writhing man on the ground.

“I will not be put off this time,” he said with a command that surprised her. “You have been wounded and I will see how badly.”

“It is nothing,” she insisted and went to yank her arm free. His grip was too firm and his expression determined, not to mention the spark of anger that flared in his eyes. Something she had never seen in him before.

Hunter kept tight rein on his anger. If he did not, he would have scooped her up in his arms by now and taken her back to camp to see to her wound. He could not believe how fast she had reacted or that she had taken him down with one forceful blow of her shoulder. It had taken several minutes for him to regain his breath and when he finally had, she had been nowhere to be seen. Fear had gripped him and it had turned to anger fast enough. The woman was fearless and that frightened the hell out of him.

“Tell me if I hurt you,” he said his hands going to her bloody shoulder.

“Be done with it,” she snapped, tilting her head to look past him at the groaning man on the ground. “Are others far behind you?”

“When I do not return to camp another will come.”

“What camp?” she demanded and went to move.

Hunter’s hands went to her waist and held tight. “Listen well, wife, you will stay put until I see to your wound or I will snatch you off your feet and carry you back to camp.”

Her brow knitted as her eyes narrowed. “You would not dare.”

He planted his face so close to hers that their noses touched. “Do you truly wish to find out?”

His determined tone and stormy blue eyes warned her not to challenge him, so she said, “Hurry and be done with it.”

“Wise choice,” he said and gave her lips a quick kiss and for some reason she calmed.

Hunter worked as tenderly as possible, not wanting to cause her any pain. After spreading the tear in her shirt further apart, he was relieved to see that it was not serious. The arrow had grazed the surface of her skin and her shirt had soaked up the blood that had spilled, though spilled no more.

They heard Beast in the distance, his barking letting them know he would soon be there with help.

Patience lowered her voice. “I would prefer my warriors not see me so vulnerable.”

He nodded. “It is nothing, though it still needs tending. I will help you with it when we return to camp.” He stepped away from her, seeing Beast barreling through the woods, her warriors close behind.

He moved aside and waited as Patience praised a prancing Beast for his valor, then she issued orders to her warriors upon their arrival. He watched Edward give a nod to her wound as he followed her command. She shook her head and he nodded once more. She worried about showing weakness to her men, though he wondered if she also worried about feeling vulnerable.

He was glad for this time with his wife. It allowed him to catch glimpses of her, he doubted others ever saw. And with each glimpse, she became more intriguing to him.

Her men got the wounded man to his feet and assisted him back to camp while Edward remained behind speaking to Patience, and Hunter did not like what he heard.

He walked over to the pair, Beast trotting alongside him. “You cannot mean to join your men to attack the camp that idiot assassin spoke of?”

Patience turned a look on Edward that had him bobbing his head and heading back to camp. She then turned to Hunter. “Do not question me again in front of my men.”

“Then do not make foolish decisions and I will not do so. You are wounded and what do you think will happen if you attack that camp and kill Greer’s warriors? It will start a war we married to prevent.”

“I attack those men to delay them, not kill them. Greer will find them trussed up, waiting for him.” She held her hand up when he went to argue. “My warriors and I have done this before without an ounce of blood being shed. It will afford us extra time to reach Macinnes land.”

“I will go with them,” Hunter said as if it was done.

“No you will not.” She turned and began walking away and Hunter fell in step beside her. “You are not trained like my warriors and you will only get in our way. You and the others will take your leave and we will join you as soon as we are done.”

Hunter did not say a word and when they entered camp, she was surprised that he walked away from her. She supposed he was angry, but she had made it clear before they wed that he was not to dictate to her. She shook her head. He would learn. He had no choice.

Chapter Fifteen

Hunter found Ewan talking with his mum by one of the three doused campfires.

“Is everything all right?” his mum asked anxiously when he joined them.

Hunter rested a gentle hand to her back. “Everything is fine, Mum, but Patience did suffer a minor wound. Could you tend to it for me?”

“Of course,” his mum said and hurried to fetch her healing pouch.

“I will join you after I speak with Ewan,” Hunter said.

His mum nodded and hurried off.

“A problem?” Ewan asked.

“A small one. No doubt the Dark Dragon is following our situation closely while we are on his land, but there is something he does not know and should be made aware of immediately.”

Ewan bent his head forward to listen.

~~~

“You have a delicate and knowledgeable touch,” Patience said as Una tended her shoulder. “My sister Emma would admire your skill and probably delight in talking with you.”

“I have heard of your sister’s exceptional knowledge. I would also enjoy talking with her and hopefully will be able to soon.” Una finished wiping the blood away from the wound. “I have cleaned it well and it bleeds no more. It is a minor abrasion and should cause you no problem.”

“I am glad to hear you confirm what I thought,” Hunter said, joining them. “And now that you have finished and Patience’s warriors stand in wait, we can all take our leave.”

“Another day’s journey.” Una nodded and patted her son’s arm before walking off.

Hunter stepped close to his wife, his fingers going to gently probe the wound through the tear in the shirt. “You are lucky.”

Patience smiled. “I am skilled.”

“Foolhardy as well. I can well defend myself.”

“So you saw the arrow headed straight for you?” she asked her smile growing.

He took hold of her chin. “I would have rather suffered a wound than see you suffer in my stead.”

She pulled her chin away. “And I would rather not become a widow before I was made a proper wife.”

He slipped his arm around her waist and pressed his lower body against hers. “Just say the word and the deed will be done with much enthusiasm.”

She laughed softly. “”You make it sound so romantic.”

He slowly stroked her cheek with a single finger. “I will make certain that you never forget our first night together. It will live long in your heart and memory and some day when I am gone you will have that memory to keep you warm beside you in our bed.”

Patience felt a wrench to her heart, followed by one to her stomach. The thought that he would one day die, leaving her alone, left her with a loss that overwhelmed and also left her feeling more helpless than she ever had. Why did it trouble her so and why did she suddenly want to be as close to him as she could possibly get? She ignored the haunting thoughts and wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his chest. His shirt smelled of earth and pine and she inhaled deeply, as if she was breathing part of him into her.

He pressed his lips near her ear. “You will take care, wife, and come back safe to me.”

That he was letting her go without any further argument surprised her. She had thought for sure he would once again strenuously voice his objection.

He eased her from his arms and kissed her lips softly. “Be safe.”

When he turned and walked away, she felt a sense of emptiness pervade her. It went deep and it disturbed her. She was beginning to feel more and more for this man, her husband, this stranger. Or was he? He was becoming less a stranger to her and more a man she admired, and one that definitely made her smile more than any man ever had. And she liked that.

Heather had warned her numerous times about being too serious. She had cautioned her to smile and laugh more often, and when Patience had told her that there was not that much to laugh about, Heather had told her that that was her problem. She did not see enough joy in simple things. She, of course, had argued, but now that Hunter brought a smile to her face and made her laugh, she could see what her sister had meant.