Page 12 of Bound to a Warrior
A sudden gust of wind swirled around them, stirring leaves and her skirt, and startled them into moving.
“There’s a stream nearby,” Duncan said. “We’ll make camp not far from it.”
Mercy wanted to run to it, drink until she burst and then soak her aching feet. Instead, she kept her pace steady alongside Duncan. And before she knew it they were there, and for a moment she was so overwhelmed with relief that she almost cried. Almost, but didn’t.
Tears were something her mother had taught her to control. She had told Mercy that tears could help or hinder a woman, and she needed to know when it was wise to hold her tears and when it was beneficial to let them fall. So Mercy had gained control over them and could cry at will, or halt a tear from ever staining her face.
Mercy was relieved that Duncan didn’t stop but went straight to the stream. She followed when he went down on his knees and cupped his one hand to drink from the clear cold water.
She did the same, refilling her cupped hand time and again. She quenched her thirst before him and saw how he struggled to keep a good amount of water in his cupped hand. She realized why she had no difficulty and he had. She had use of her right hand, while his right hand was shackled to her left one.
Of course for her it would not have mattered for she was just as skilled with her left hand as her right. Another aptitude her mother taught her, insisting that one never knew when another skilled hand would be needed. And a talent, she warned her daughter, that would be best kept a secret.
“Perhaps an extra hand would help,” she said extending their joined ones.
“You sure you’ve had enough?”
“For now,” she said, appreciative of his thoughtfulness.
The refreshing water dribbled down his mouth and onto his shirt, but that didn’t stop him from assuaging his thirst. And she couldn’t blame him. She had never been so thirsty in her life, nor had she ever been hungry until these past three days.
Life had changed for her in one split moment and she had yet to fully grasp the enormity of it. There were too many questions she had no answers to, and certainly too many problems with no solutions. For the moment she could only focus on staying alive; the rest would have to wait.
When he finished, he turned to her. “I noticed your gait changed a couple of hours ago. Do your feet pain you?”
This Highlander noticed more than she realized. She would need to be careful.
“Yes, they do, and I would like nothing more than to slip my boots off and sooth my aching feet in the stream.”
“I’ll join you,” he said and yanked his boots off.
Mercy, however, winced when she tried to remove her boots.
“You’re not used to walking, are you?” he asked.
“Not long distances without a chance to rest,” she admitted.
Duncan took hold of her ankle. “This may hurt, but bear the pain. Sound carries too far in the woods.”
Mercy nodded and squeezed not only her lips tightly closed, but her eyes as well.
Duncan was quick about it, and she opened damp eyes caused by the stinging pain to survey the damage. As she suspected, patches of skin had been rubbed raw here and there, the most painful being the small toe on her right foot.
To have a man, truly a stranger, take hold of her ankle was an act of intimacy and much too improper, or so she had been instructed. She almost laughed at the thought, for just last night she had slept naked in this man’s arms and had been glad for it.
Besides, this large Highlander had a tender touch she favored.
Duncan cradled her ankle in the palm of his hand, while he examined her injuries. “These will need to be tended, or you’ll not travel well tomorrow.”
He traded one ankle for the other and winced. “This tiny toe is the worst. A good soaking will clean it off.” He glanced at her with a grimace. “It’s going to hurt when the cold water rushes over them.”
“What’s a bit more pain before they numb?” she asked with a weak laugh.
“Pain is pain, long or short; it’s still felt, still suffered,” Duncan said and one by one he carefully placed her sore feet in the cool stream.
The harsh sting clouded her eyes with tears, though not a one fell. It took only a few moments before the throbbing pain faded, and she sighed with relief.
“You should have told me you were in pain.”
