Page 76 of Conquer the Highlander

“It’ll be yer last look,” Titus said. “Drink it in, sweetheart. It’ll never happen again.”

As Galan laughed softly, Cam put a hand on Titus’ dirty shoulder. “That was quite a blow,” he said. “Are ye sure ye’re all right?”

Titus nodded, moving his jaw around. “Truth be told, it was surprising,” he said. “I will admit that I saw a few stars.”

“Just a few?”

Titus laughed. It had been more than that, but he wasn’t going to admit that part of it. The group chuckled, mostly with relief because the ending could have been much worse for Titus had he not been so swift or alert.

“It’s over now,” Brody said. “We’ll retreat tae Cam’s cottage and make the women serve us food and drink. Let’s make a night of it and wait out the departure of Ayr and his son.”

Titus had nearly forgotten about the pair because he’d been so caught up in his fight. He was grateful for the reminder, but he was also grateful that Brody wanted to stay with him until the threat had passed.

It was a true mark of friendship.

He smiled weakly.

“Let me get the grime off me,” he said, referring to the obvious – his entire backside was covered in mud. “I doubt Bee would appreciate me if I showed up like this, so I need tae clean up. Quickly, though. I want tae return tae her as soon as I can.”

The group seemed to be in agreement. “If ye want, I can go tae her now as a measure of protection while ye bathe,” Cam said. “There’s no need for me tae go tae the bathhouse with ye.”

They had walked into the staging area by now, full of workers and competitors after the night’s events. People lined the fence overlooking it, screaming Titus’ name as he entered the area. But Titus was focused on his friends.

“I’d be grateful,” he said to Cam. “I’d feel better if a man were there. Isadora is a fearsome warrior, but she’s with child, Cam. I dunna want her tae risk herself or her babe.”

Cam was in full agreement. He was about to turn for the stairs leading up to the exit when Titus suddenly threw out a hand, stopping him. When Cam looked at him curiously, he could see that Titus’ gaze was on the fence above.

“Great Bleeding Christ,” Titus muttered. “There they are.”

Everyone strained to catch a glimpse of what he was referring to. “Who?” Brody demanded. “Where, Titus?”

Titus didn’t gesture, but his unblinking gaze was fixed on something along the fence.

“On the left side near the end,” he said, his voice full of hazard. “The man with the gray hair to his shoulders and a beard is Ayr. The man standing next tae him, taller and blond, is his son.”

The group spied them, like hunters sighting prey. Brody started to move, but Titus stopped him.

“Nay,” he said. “Tell Clegg. He said he would remove them, so let him do it. Leave it at that for now.”

Brody wasn’t in agreement. He began pounding a fist into his hand. “They’ll return unless we deter them,” he said through clenched teeth. “Let me deter them, Titus.”

Titus tore his gaze off of the pair long enough to look at Brody, a smile on his lips. “Ye’re a bloody brute and I love ye for it, but let Clegg handle the situation for now,” he said. “Ambrose is a duke, after all, so Clegg should be the only one tae throw him out. But if he returns…”

“If he returns, I’ll make him wish he hadna,” Brody said.

Titus nodded slowly. “Exactly.”

That seemed to satisfy Brody’s bloodlust. Meanwhile, Galan was still standing with them, wondering what was going on. Christos and Aurelius had joined them also, all of them looking up into the crowd, evidently sighting something that had Titus greatly upset, but the newcomers had no idea why.

“What’s happening?” Galan finally said. “What’s the issue, Titus?”

Titus didn’t mind if Galan knew, but he didn’t want to have to explain the whole sordid story again. He’d done enough of that lately. He tore his gaze from the view above and turned to Galan, Christos, and Aurelius behind him.

“Men from my past who want tae do me and Esme great harm,” he said simply. “I’m hoping they’ll leave without trouble, but if they dunna… I’ll give them more trouble than they can possibly imagine.”

It was a simple enough explanation that had Galan, Christos, and Aurelius posturing angrily as Cam gave them a description of the offenders and discreetly pointed them out. At that point, Titus just wanted the evening to be over. Truth be told, his head and jaw were hurting from the blow, and he was focused on getting over to the bathhouse and cleaning up.

And then he wanted to get home to Esme.