Page 14 of The Wolf Laird's Obsession
Nay!
Sorcha pressed her heels into the horse’s flanks, riding at full speed towards Rowan. She drove the horse into the side of the second man, knocking him to the ground.
Rowan took advantage, about to swing his sword at the first man, but the bastard ran away. Sorcha watched as he ran into the shadows behind the tree line.
“Who are they?”
Rowan walked to the fallen man, using his sword to turn his head from side to side.
“Dead,” he said with a heavy sigh, wiping his blade on the man’s cloak before sliding it back into his sheath.
He leaned over him, checking his pockets, but his hands came up empty.
“Now he cannae tell us anythin’,” he muttered, climbing onto the horse behind her.
Sorcha finally took a moment to get a good look at the dead man. He wore dark, plain clothes with no crests. Bruises were forming where the horse had trampled him.
She hadn’t meant to be so reckless. But when she saw that boy all alone, she did not think.
I daenae regret it. I had to do it.
But the knowledge settled heavy in her chest all the same.
Rowan turned the horse toward the main road and took off at the same speed as before. She glanced up at his face to find he was already looking at her.
Her breath caught.
He looked angry, but there was something else. His eyes lingered on her for the briefest moment before turning away.
“I apologize, me Laird.” Sorcha lowered her gaze, heat rising in her cheeks. “I should have listened.”
He firmly gripped her arm, leaning close enough that his warm breath brushed the back of her neck. “If ye move again without me, lass,” he said quietly, “I’ll tie ye to me side.”
Goosebumps rose all over her skin.
“I saved yer life, ye ken. Ye could be thankful,” Sorcha scoffed, turning her head so he could not catch her flush.
His voice lowered further. “I wouldnae have been in that position if ye listened in the first place.”
She felt frustration rise in her chest, her jaw clenching at his words. “So what? Ye would’ve left the wee one out in the cold? Left him to die? Are ye that heartless?”
She saw his grip tighten on the reins, his muscles flexing. He took a deep breath, his chest meeting her back again, the warmth of his skin seeping into hers.
“Nay, I wouldnae have.” She looked up at him, surprised. Instead of meeting her eyes, he looked straight ahead. “But I would’ve been careful, nae run headfirst into danger.”
Sorcha opened her mouth, ready to fire another sharp reply. But the memory of the blade swinging toward her made the words die in her throat.
If Rowan hadnae reached me in time…
Her throat tightened at the thought.
She turned her eyes back to the road, letting the wind cool her burning cheeks.
And this time, she did not argue.
CHAPTER FIVE
Aquiet unease settled in Sorcha’s chest the moment MacLaren Castle came into view. Even in the dark, she could make out the massive stone walls looming over them as they approached.
