Page 31 of Laird of Wrath

And she was almost certain he would.

But maybe, just maybe…

Instead of answering, Callum turned to her and cupped her face in both hands, forcing her to look at him.

Her heart leapt to her throat. They were standing in front of the entire village, their faces so close that their noses were almost touching. She swallowed hard, staring into his gray eyes just as he stared into her own.

“Listen to me very carefully,” he murmured. “Ye shouldnae feel the need to ask for me permission for such things. Of course yer sister can come. Ye can invite anyone ye wish. It’s yer home as much as it is mine, Rhea, and I daenae want ye to feel like ye must ask for me permission for everythin’ ye do.”

“But…” she trailed off, uncertain.

“But what?” Callum prompted. “Did ye ask for anyone’s permission to bring guests back home?”

Rhea hesitated, but then shook her head. “Nay.”

“So why are ye askin’ me if ye can invite yer sister to the feast?”

“Because it’s yer home,” she said weakly.

“Well, like I said, it’s yer home too.”

Oddly enough, that was one of the kindest things anyone had ever said to her.

“All right.” She gave a small nod. “All right, I’ll ask her to come.”

Seemingly pleased, Callum released her, and she couldn’t help but smile to herself as she walked between the stalls, bringing the magnolia to her nose to smell it.

For a while, they perused the stalls, Rhea wandering off down the street to look at more of the items on offer. But just as she reached a stall selling freshly baked goods, she caught a flash of brown at the periphery of her vision, followed by a tug on her belt and a sudden shove.

The world tilted instantly, and she lost her balance. She fell on her hands and back, scraping her palms on the dirt, the impact knocking the wind out of her for a moment.

And there, in the distance, was a cloaked figure running away, looking frantically from side to side to make sure no one was following.

10

“Rhea!” Callum’s voice boomed, cutting through the ruckus of the people who had surrounded her.

Half the village was hovering over her, all of them worried about her, but then she saw Callum push his way through them to get to her. When he reached her, his hands hovered over her for a moment, as if he was uncertain what to do.

“I’m all right,” she assured him before he could even ask. “I was startled, that’s all.”

“Ye’re nae hurt?” he asked.

She shook her head. “It’s nothin'.”

The only injuries she had sustained were a few scrapes on her palms, which she now dusted, and perhaps a bruise on her rear after landing so hard on the ground. She was more concernedabout her coin purse, which contained a significant amount of gold.

“Stay here,” Callum told her, pressing a gentle hand to her shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

With that, he took off, rushing after the attacker.

He had seen the entire attack, but he had been too far to intervene, and now he cursed himself for it. He should have stayed close to Rhea. He should have kept a closer eye on her instead of letting her wander off on her own, but he had never thought that the village would be a dangerous place for her.

His people were good. There were thieves among them, of course, as there were thieves in every place, but he had thought Rhea safe in the middle of the market. He had been mistaken, and now he would never let her out of his sight again.

What if he hurt her? What if he killed her for the gold?

Callum would have never forgiven himself if something had happened to her. The mere thought of her being harmed was enough to send his heart racing, to make bile rise in the back of his throat.