“I have men who serve me loyally.”
“Not the same,” she murmured, realizing that if he had to think on it, if he had to reach for names, then he had no true friends at all.
Before he could reply, the blankets stirred at their feet. Sprig scrambled up the bed, his tiny paws pressing against Rhodes’s side as he wormed his way between them.
Rhodes let out a sharp growl of annoyance. “Not in our bed, wife.”
She smiled, stroking the kitten’s back. “He’s only a tiny bairn. He wants warmth and safety, same as we do.”
“Not for long,” Rhodes muttered, glaring down at the small intruder. “He’ll grow fast enough, and then what?”
As if in answer, Sprig circled once and curled against Rhodes’s side, a small, contented purr rumbling.
Fawn bit back her laughter. “Then he’ll still want warmth and safety.”
Rhodes stared down at the scrap of fur nestled against him. His jaw flexed, but at last he let out an annoyed huff, pulling Fawn closer with his free arm.
“One night,” he warned, though the sternness in his voice lacked bite.
Fawn rested her cheek on his chest, hiding the smile that tugged at her lips, and whispered, “One night.”
Fawn’s breathing softened against his chest, her lashes fluttering once before settling still. Sprig purred at his side, the tiny sound oddly soothing in the storm’s howl. Rhodes lay unmoving, his arm wrapped around her, holding her more tightly than he meant to.
He should have been at ease, his wife safe in his arms, the fire holding back the cold, the storm keeping enemies at bay. Yet his thoughts churned.
Enemies.
He had spoken truthfully, every powerful leader had them. But this attack on the sheep was no random strike. It had been crafted, deliberate, meant to expose weakness. Someone sought to test him. Someone dared to believe he could be toppled.
His gaze drifted to the shuttered window, the snow seeping white around its edges. A darker thought crept in, one he had tried to ignore but kept poking at him. Had the witch kept her word? Had she ended the wish as she threatened?
For over a year no man had dared defy him, no blade had touched him, no battle had been lost. His name alone had been enough to silence dissent. Yet now… wolves were falsely accused, whispers circled among his people, doubt stirring where none had been before.
His gut twisted. If the witch had severed her spell, what was he now? Still Lord Rhodes of Clan MacBrair, aye… but now vulnerable.
He looked down at Fawn, her fiery hair spilled across him, her hand resting lightly over his heart. Fear cut through him, stabbing at his heart. Not fear for himself. Fear of losing what he had not known he craved until now… until Fawn.
He might have no choice but to find and confront the witch, discover what hand she played in this, if any. And if she hadn’t,then what man was strong enough to break past her spell? Or was he facing darker forces? It was a thought he hadn’t considered, and it did not set well with him, for that meant he might need the witch’s help.
Wind continued to rattle the shutters, the storm raging on. Rhodes closed his eyes but did not sleep. His arm only tightened around his wife, the weight of love and danger twined too closely to untangle.
CHAPTER 15
Morning crept pale through the shuttered window, the storm spent but leaving a deep hush over the forest. The fire had burned low, its glow casting amber shadows across the small cottage.
Fawn stirred beneath the furs, her cheek brushing against Rhodes’s chest, her breath warm against his skin. He tightened his arm around her, savoring the feel of her in his embrace, the temptation of another slow, lingering joining before the day began.
She shifted, her lips curving in a sleepy smile as she pressed closer, her hand sliding along his chest. His breath caught, heat sparking low and insistent. He rolled toward her, capturing her mouth in a kiss meant to deepen, to lead them back into the fire of the night before.
The knock came hard against the door.
Fawn startled, drawing back. Rhodes let out a sharp curse, pushing himself up on one elbow.
“My lord!” Boyce’s voice carried over the wood. “I brought horses to get you back to the keep. There are matters that need your attention.”
Rhodes swore again under his breath, his jaw tightening. He swung his legs off the bed, raking a hand through his disheveled hair.
“I will join you shortly,” he called out to Boyce.
