Page 13 of Claimed by a Highlander
She looked so beautiful that he had trouble breathing.
“Ye look…fine,” he managed to say. “And there’s no one to see ye but me.”
The look she gave him confirmed his answer had been a poor one indeed. He was usually better with women than that.
“We must go.” He looked around, his sense of urgency returning with the force of a fist to the chest. “Now, Sybil.”
“First let me tie a new bandage on that leg of yours.” She motioned for him to sit beside her and pulled the dirk he’d given her as if she’d done it a hundred times before. The lass was a quick learner, he would give her that.
“Not now.” He took her arm and pulled her to her feet. “We must put a few more miles between us and the queen’s men.”
“The bandage will take but a few moments,” she said.
Must the lass argue? Ach, she was stubborn. “We’re goingnow.”
Rory barely got the words out when he heard a twig snap behind him.
CHAPTER 5
Sybil’s throat went dry. The keen alertness radiating from the Highlander signaled that something was dreadfully wrong. When he put his finger to his lips and shifted his gaze to the side, she gave a slight nod to show she understood that someone was hiding in the foliage behind him.
“Ye look so lovely,” the Highlander said in an easy tone, and touched her cheek.
Evidently, he did not wish to alert whoever was creeping toward them that they were aware of his presence. She wiped the fear from her face and made herself keep her gaze on the Highlander’s face instead of darting glances into the brush.
“Ye must have had all the men at court following ye around like puppies,” he said in the same flirtatious tone.
Despite the danger they were in, she was struck by how easily compliments flowed from his tongue when he was under pressure.
“I would have preferred puppies,” she said, forcing a smile, “but the courtiers did make better dancing partners.”
The Highlander laughed. Then, in a startling blur of movement, he spun around and sent his dirk flying through the air. It found its target with a sickeningthunk,followed by a man’s cry and the sound of something heavy falling into the brush.
Before she could take in what had just happened, she was grabbed from behind and hauled backward. She lost her footing, but she still had her dirk in her hand, and she flung her arm wildly, trying to stab her attacker.
Just as suddenly as he appeared, her attacker fell backward and released his hold on her. As she fell, she saw the Highlander plunge a dirk into her attacker’s neck. He caught her around the waist before she landed on top of her attacker.
It all happened so quickly. Her scream was still caught in her throat when Rory hauled her against his side and covered her mouth.
“Quiet, lass,” he said in her ear. “There may be others.”
Others?When she nodded, he released his hand from her mouth.
“Curan is saddled,” he whispered. “We’re riding out of here as fast as we can.”
He took her hand and led her through the brush toward their camp. When she caught sight of the second man’s boot poking out beneath a bush, she drew in a sharp breath.
“Don’t look,” Rory said as they crept forward.
She ignored his advice and wished she had listened. The dead man was on his back with the hilt of Rory’s dirk in his chest and his eyes bulging with the surprise of his last moment. When Rory jerked the blade out, Sybil started to weave on her feet before she got hold of herself. This was no time for weakness.
“These men wear the queen’s colors,” she said in a low voice.
The Highlander had killed two of the queen’s men. If anyone learned of it, he would be in grave danger. This was all because of her—and the lie. Though it was not her lie, she had let him believe she was his to protect.
“My guess is that they split up to search for us,” Rory said. “Let’s hope none of the others are nearby.”
At the edge of the brush, he paused to scan the rolling hills and valleys in both directions. He started to step into the open, then halted. He stood perfectly still, his gaze fixed on a point in the distance.
