“Ye could numb it.”
I shook my head and went back to scrubbing. “Don’t worry, I can barely feel?—”
Then he straightened, waist-deep in the river, water streaming off his chest. His gaze focused past me to the trees beyond, every line of his body suddenly sharp.
I whispered, “What?”
He pressed a finger to his lips. “Wheesht.”
The shirt slipped from my hands onto the rock. My heart thundered as I glanced over my shoulder. Nothing. Just woods and silence.
My heart was racing.
He waited, still as stone, then in a sudden burst splashed up out of the river, water flying in all directions. “Get down!”
I dropped flat on my stomach against the cold rock as he streaked past me. He snatched up the wet shirt and yanked it over his head as he bounded up the bank. It clung to him, soaked and translucent, plastered against muscle. The hem fell only to mid-thigh, and modesty was long gone. I had seen his whole…everything.
Torin bounded past the blanket, scooping his sword in one fluid motion. Two more strides and he stopped, rooted, blade raised toward the trees. The surge of motion stilled into coiled strength — every line of him braced, dangerous.
Then I saw them, shadows, just beyond him, two men.
If I could see them, they could see me. My stomach dropped. I flattened myself further to the rock and crawled backward, then slid over the lip of the rock into the river.
The water was deeper than I thought. My foot scrabbled for a hold, finding nothing. My hands slipped from the stone and suddenly I was under, the current seizing me, tumbling me downstream.
I broke the surface choking, ears filled with the roar of water, and Torin’s voice far away, yelling at the men: “Daena come any closer! Keep goin’, or ye winna leave alive!”
I flailed, my chest burning, certain I was drowning. This was it — I would vanish, and Torin would never know what happened to me.
My last thought before the river pulled me under again was that he would be so worried.
Then my knee slammed into something solid. A rock. I grabbed, clawed at it, and hauled myself upright into water that barely reached my waist. Three feet deep. That was all.
I staggered to the edge and dropped to my knees, shivering, the icy current tugging at my dress. From there, half-hidden by reeds and rock, I watched as Torin, completely tense, sword raised, held two men at bay with nothing but the commanding threat in his voice.
They all yelled and carried on in rough voices, in words I couldn’t make out. The standoff stretched far too long — every breath felt like a year. My chest heaved, my teeth chattered, and my mind kept circling the same thought:what if he died, what would I do if he died?
And then, something shifted. One of the men spat into the dirt, barked something that sounded like a curse, and jerked his chin toward the path. The other scowled but backed away, lowering his knife. They still looked angry and menacing, but they were leaving.
Torin never moved, never blinked, his sword steadily held between them. Finally, with a last shout they were gone, crashing through the undergrowth, their footsteps fading away into the trees. Only the sounds of the rushing river remained.
Torin kept his sword up, watchful, but his shoulders eased, just a fraction. Without looking back, he said, low and steady, “Ye can come up now, Princess.”
I splashed out of the river and stood there, dripping like a drowned rat, before bursting into tears.
Torin turned to look. “Och nae, Princess… ye are verra drenched. What happened?”
“I thought I could hide!” I wailed, piteous and raw. “The river grabbed me and dragged me down!”
“Och nae.” He put down his sword, picked up the plaid, and came to me where I sagged, bedraggled and forlorn. He wrapped the wool around my shoulders, holding it snug under my chin, looking down on me.
I cried, “I thought I was going to die.”
His arms came around me, pressing me against his chest. We stood there, still, until my sobs eased and I simply leaned into him. Then his hands began to move, slow and steady, rubbing up and down my back, drying me through the plaid, warming my arms and shoulders with his touch. The care of it nearly undid me more than the river had.
Then he raised my chin and his expression was grave. “We hae all our valuables laid out on the blanket. The men saw. We are rested enough, we ought tae get ye home, as soon as ye are able.”
I nodded, though my chin trembled. “Everything is wet. I’m cold.”
