She knew the instant the grays emerged from the wood by the highlander’s hoarse shout of surprise. She crouched down near the floor to peer through a small knothole in the door. Alinor pressed her wide head to Evelyn’s ear, as if also trying to see.
Evelyn spied the backs of the man’s boots. He was facing the forest now, and had dropped the sheep’s tether. The poor animal bleated in fright.
“Hah!” the highlander shouted, taking a step away from the cottage. “Get from here, you hell-beasts!”
Evelyn kept her eye steady on the view through the knothole and slowly, carefully, silently, reached both arms above her head to remove the bar from the door.
The man took another step toward the edge of the forest and Evelyn saw a flicker of steel swing in a wide arc. “Hah! Get back!”
Evelyn jostled Alinor to the side with an elbow and eased the door open just wide enough to squeeze her hand and forearm through. Her fingers dug in the snow until she felt the sheep’s rough tether. She opened the door a bit wider and pulled hard on the rope.
The sheep bleated and popped through the narrow opening.
The highlander turned with a surprised shout.
Evelyn slammed the door once more and dropped the bar back in place. Behind her, Alinor growled.
Evelyn turned on her heels and rose to see the giant black wolf with her jaws around the back of the small sheep’s neck. The brown and white animal’s eyes rolled in fright and it screamed as its forelegs rose off the floor.
“Alinor!” Evelyn chastised. “Naughty!”
The wolf turned sorrowful, yellow eyes up to Evelyn but did not release the sheep.
“Let her go, immediately.”
Slowly, reluctantly, Alinor opened her mouth and the sheep fell out. Alinor sat on her haunches and licked her muzzle three, four times in rapid succession.
“Naughty,” Evelyn scolded the wolf again as she grabbed for the now slobbery, panicked sheep, who once more ran in frantic circles. She pulled the sheep to one of the pens and shut it safely behind the gate.
The door to the hut thudded again. “Woman, you had better—aaghhh!”
The highlander’s shout was drowned out by a ferocious snarl and Evelyn cringed, trying not to imagine long fangs sinking into the man’s thick neck. Then she heard a shuddering squeal and the snarling was abruptly silenced.
Evelyn rushed to the door again and pressed her ear to it—she couldn’t bear to look through the knothole at the carnage that lay inevitably beyond.
“Sir?” she called. “Sir, are you injured?”
A beat of silence and then a loud groan.
“Oh God, forgive me,” Evelyn breathed. She looked to Alinor. “We’ve killed him!”
The wolf whined.
“I know, he did ask for it, but—” Her conscience kicked at her. “Sir!” Evelyn shouted at the door once again. “Sir, answer me!”
“Och, lass,” the highlander moaned. “They got me, they did. Oh, the pain!”
Alinor lay down near Evelyn’s feet and covered her muzzle with one paw.
A strangled cry of dismay burst from Evelyn’s throat. She drew her dagger from her belt and then grabbed for the bar. “Hold on! I’m opening the door!”
No sooner had the rough length of wood scraped clear of the brackets than the door flew open, knocking Evelyn to the dirt on her backside, her dagger skittering across the floor. The highlander ducked inside quite ably, his face dark with rage. He slammed the door shut and replaced the bar.
He turned back to Evelyn, murderous fury sparking to life in his amber eyes. He bore not one scratch on his person, although the length of his sword was bloodied.
Alinor scrambled to her feet and fled to the other pen.
“You…youliedto me!” Evelyn stuttered.
