Legacy of the Mist Clans Box Set (73 page)

Aidan pulled the horse to a walk, allowing it to pick its way through the rocks, heading for the larger ones. They turned slightly, and Kenna spotted a dark crevice in between the huge boulders. Her eyes widened as Aidan rode the horse straight into the crevice and stopped. He swung his leg over the horse’s neck and slid off.

Kenna frowned, noting he did not offer to help her dismount. In fact, his jaw was set entirely too tightly for her liking. His body seemed to coil and he clenched his fists, refusing to look at her. Holding onto the saddle’s cantle, she also slid off. The horse rolled its eyes and snorted.

“Easy,” Aidan said and patted its neck. He led it deeper into the small cave formed by the huge rocks. Kenna followed at a distance, fearful the horse might spook at being in such a confined space. The air was damp and cold from the water pouring over the rocks. It dripped and puddled in several places, but all things considered, it could have been much worse.

Aidan stepped to where water trickled through a larger crack and peered through. She realized he could see the trail from their vantage point. She found another small gap between the rocks and looked through.

The brigands pursuing them followed the trail through the ravine and galloped on without breaking stride.

Aidan breathed an explosive sigh of relief and spun to face her. “What in the bloody bleeding hell did ye think ye were doing?”

She swallowed hard at his unexpected fury but stood her ground as he approached, towering over her. A muscle ticked violently in his jaw.

A sudden unbidden terror shot through her. He would beat her for her error. She ducked her head, fighting not to flinch away from him. Tears burned in her eyes. But anger also rose within her. Didn’t he understand that she couldn’t stand by and do nothing?

“Ye could have been killed,” he snarled.

Kenna risked a glance up at him, surprised he had not struck her. Then she saw that his entire body was shaking. In the dim light, his blue eyes appeared much darker, and she was stunned to see fear in them. She blinked in confusion.

“When I tell ye tae ride, ye ride,” he growled.

“They were going tae kill ye,” she whispered.

“Damnation!” he roared. “Ye could have been killed yerself! What in blazes were ye thinking?”

She had frightened him. The realization startled her, but it made her see that his anger was simply bluster because of his fear. With that came new understanding. Aidan had said he had been raised to never raise his hand against a lass and never would. Now she believed him. If he had wanted to strike her, he would have done it by now. He was frightened and angry at her because he cared.

“Ye were in trouble,” she snapped, her own anger rising. “Ye bloody hardheaded fool! Dinna ye see ye wouldna have escaped them if I hadna come after ye?”

He blinked at her, sucked in a deep breath, and looked upward as if seeking divine intervention. When his gaze returned to her, his furious expression had vanished, but his shaking grew worse. “Please,” he whispered, the softness of his voice an abrupt contrast from his bellowing only a moment ago. “Dinna ever do that again, Kenna. If anything ever happened tae ye—” He bit off his words, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close. Before she realized what he was doing, he lowered his head and kissed her.

Taken aback, she remained stiff against him, but his lips were warm and soft against hers. At first, fear tried to rise, but something else within her also rose in defiance of it. She couldn’t define it nor did she wish to as Aidan’s kiss was wonderfully pleasant and set off a riot of sensation within her. He traced his tongue over her lips and she opened her mouth. He swept his tongue over hers and Kenna nearly melted against him, wrapping her arms around his neck to remain standing.

He had saved her life, risking his own, on more than one occasion. He had watched over her, helping her recover from illness, and never once made her feel threatened. It was because of him she had a new future. She trusted him.

Their tongues met and she tentatively mimicked his actions, warmth blooming deep within her. His arms tightened around her as he deepened the kiss. Never before had she experienced such a thing, and she didn’t want it to stop. But all too soon, he cupped her face in his hands and gently ended the kiss. He lifted his head only slightly, his blue eyes searching hers.

“Please, Kenna,” he whispered. “Ne’er do that again. My heart canna take it.”

She blinked up at him, trying to catch her breath, trying to gather her wits. “Only if ye promise ye willna take chances with yer own life like ye did.”

The fear in his pale blue eyes faded, and his lips lifted slightly. “I canna make any promises.”

“Then neither can I.”

A soft chuckle rumbled through him, and he pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing the top of her head.

Shouts from the trail caused him to pull away, and he quickly released her to stare through the gap again. Kenna also looked out and saw the brigands return, but they galloped along the trail without breaking stride and disappeared back the way they came.

“Good,” Aidan said. “We can catch up with Connell and Mairi.”

“How did ye ken of this place?”

He took her hand, the other gripping the reins, and led her and the horse from the small cave. “I ken this trail well, which is why I chose it.” He paused and winked at her. “Remember my profession, lass; I’ve had tae use this hiding spot on more than one occasion.”

They left the cave, and Aidan mounted the horse then reached down and helped Kenna on behind him.

“I am sorry, Aidan,” she said wrapping her arms around his waist. “I didna mean tae lose my horse. But when I saw ye in trouble . . . ”

“Dinna worry over it,” he said gently, covering her hand with his. He kicked his mount into an easy gallop up the stream and returned to the trail.

“How will we find Connell and Mairi?”

“As I said, I ken this trail well. It has several hiding spots. I spoke with Connell at length. He kens where tae hide so that I can find him.” He paused and glanced over his shoulder at her. “The first thing we will have tae do is find ye another mount. The closest village is one we passed two days ago.”

“Forgive me.”

“Enough, lass, I just dinna wish ye tae endanger yerself like that again.”

“If you dinna, then I willna either.”

He chuckled softly but said nothing more.

HHH

They found Connell and Mairi easily enough and made their way back to the village. While Aidan kept the pace moving, Kenna was grateful that it was not an all-out run as before. By nightfall, they arrived at the village, and Aidan located the watering hole the villagers gathered in after a hard day’s work. Aidan spoke to one of the farmers about a place to bed down for the night since the small village did not have an inn or a true tavern with rooms for let.

The farmer offered a place for them in his barn. With lantern in hand, he led them to it. Thankfully it was warm and dry. He showed Aidan the only horse he was willing to sell: a courser he claimed to have won in a bet, but he warned Aidan that the animal was a demon and much more than the farmer cared to handle, plus it was not built for hard work on his farm, which was what he really needed.

Aidan examined the animal with an experienced eye. It was a large dapple gray beast; the dapples appearing like dark silver circles against white hair. It snorted and pawed as Aidan entered the stall, but he patted its neck and spoke softly and the animal calmed. He checked its legs, looked at its teeth, then faced the farmer. It took some haggling, but Aidan managed to buy not only the horse but the tack to go with it. He handed a gold piece to the farmer, who nodded delightfully. His wife brought a meal to them, and the couple bid them to make themselves comfortable for the night.

Aidan winked at Kenna. “It appears yer riding skills are tae be tested.”

She stared up at the giant horse and shook her head. “Surely ye canna expect me—”

“Nay,” he said with a grin. “This mount will test even my skills, but I will be riding this one. In turn, ye shall ride mine.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. His horse had been much more spirited than hers but definitely calmer than the gray mount he had just acquired. “Then I hope my skills have increased as rapidly as ye think they have.”

He chuckled and gestured for her to join the others in the hayloft. She did so and Aidan followed her. Since she no longer had a bedroll, she was grateful for the hay. Aidan sat next to her, and they ate the food the farmer’s wife had provided.

Soon their meal was finished, and Mairi settled with her bairn, quickly falling asleep. Connell also claimed his bedroll, and his soft snores rumbled through the barn. Kenna wished she too could rest, but the day’s events had unsettled her. Her thoughts kept returning to Aidan’s kiss and the strange sensations he had ignited within her.

Her only experience with men had been agonizing to say the least. Except for Aidan. He was much more powerfully built than her father and even the brigands, but never once had he turned that power against her; he never once made her feel threatened in any way.

Aidan laid out his bedroll and paused, looking at her. “Kenna, what’s wrong?” he whispered.

She shrugged, unable to find the words to describe her tangled emotions.

He sat on his bedroll and looked at Connell and Mairi as if to make certain they were really asleep then held out his hand. “Come here,” he said softly.

She studied him a moment then took his hand. He pulled her to sit beside him, and to her surprise, he flopped on his bedroll and tugged on her hand again. “I will keep ye warm.”

She stared at him, uncertain.

Aidan tilted his head curiously. “What be this? Ye trusted me afore tae hold ye while ye slept. What has changed?”

What had changed was the strange emotions rioting within her from his kiss. She couldn’t define them. She didn’t understand why she suddenly felt so shy and nervous.

She lowered her head and sighed miserably.

“Hey now,” he whispered. He pushed himself up on his elbow, gently tugging a strand of hair that had escaped its braid from her face.

“I . . . I . . . ” God she had no idea what to say.

He sat up a bit more. “I hope I didna frighten ye today.”

“What?” she asked. She had not expected that from him.

“I was angry with ye because ye scared me so. I hope ye didna think I would strike ye.”

Her jaw went slack, but she snapped it shut and shrugged. “At first I thought ye might, but then I realized ye meant what ye said.”

“Good,” he said softly. “For I will ne’er raise my hand against ye.” He paused and thought for a moment. “But I may still yell if ye frighten me like that again.”

Kenna felt her lips twitch. “I can always yell back.”

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest. “I canna describe what I felt seeing ye charge into the fray like that. I was certain they would kill ye.”

“And I was certain they would kill ye,” she replied. “I canna describe what I felt either, only that I couldna stand back and watch them slay ye.”

He lay back on his bedroll, pulling her with him. Kenna didn’t resist and settled her head against his chest.

“Unless we wish tae retrace our steps even farther, the next township is days away. The farmer had nothing more tae sell, so I canna replace yer bedroll and clothing until we reach it.”

Kenna sighed softly, resting her head against his chest. Her thoughts continued to spin. Why had he kissed her? Why did she want him to kiss her again? She abruptly wanted to kick herself. What was she doing? How could she possibly think a man like Aidan would be interested in her? She closed her eyes only to stop her tears from escaping, but the stress of the day claimed its due, and she quickly fell asleep.

HHH

Aidan awoke to the pleasant sensation of Kenna sleeping in his arms. He couldn’t help but think how pleasant it would be to have this sensation on a daily basis but quickly pushed the thought from his mind. But that opened the door to the memory of how terribly she had frightened him when she charged into the fray. Never had he felt such a thing. He regretted raging at her, but his fear was not to be denied. He worried his anger would ruin the trust he had earned but was thankful it had not and resolved to keep a tighter rein on his emotions for her sake.

He had surprised himself and her when he had kissed her. What surprised him even more was that he wanted to kiss her again. It had taken him only a moment to realize she had never been kissed properly, but he had some idea of her past, so that shouldn’t have surprised him. What pleased him the most was that her response to him had been one of innocent curiosity. After knowing only beatings at the hands of at least two men, he worried she might fear all, including him.

As he gazed down at her beautiful face, relaxed in sleep, all he saw was her strength, her ability to overcome and reach for a new future. He could not put to words how much he admired that in her. If things had been different, if they had a chance for a future, he would have pursued her with dogged determination.

But there was no use in breaking both of their hearts, and he would not destroy the faith she had in him. He sighed softly, and despite his promise to himself, his arms tightened around her and he buried his face in the strands of her hair, nuzzling her soft skin, bringing his body brilliantly alive. He groaned to himself and lifted his head. Perhaps one of these days he would actually listen to his own warnings and not torture himself.

Through one of the stall doors, he saw the predawn light growing in strength. Reluctantly, he rose. Kenna stirred, mumbling.

“Hush,” he whispered, tucking the blanket firmly around her. “Sleep a bit more.” He stroked his fingers through the soft locks of her hair, noting with a smile that her braid was now quite tattered, making an endearing picture. She settled and he slowly pulled away, stretching, his joints popping. He grabbed his sword belt. The early dawn would allow him to check the area and make sure they could return to their journey safely.