“We both need what sleep we can get. Come closer, so ye can keep me warm.”
“Me keep ye warm? Ye’re a bluidy roasting pit to sleep next to.” She adjusted the extra plaids they had. Each man always had one in his saddlebags, and they had the extra one from their chamber. They were soon curled together beneath their layers. She couldn’t stifle her yawn once she was comfortable. Her eyes drifted closed before she knew what was happening. She didn’t stir until Thor shook her shoulder. As she came awake, she realized he wasn’t gently nudging her to come round in the morning. His movements told her it was urgent.
“Dinna say aught,” Thor whispered beside her ear. “We heard wolves circling. I need ye to stay right here. Dom’s going to light the fire while Keenan and I get the horses. If aught happens, go with Dom.”
Greer’s eyes swept around their campsite, but she froze when she heard the howl. She nodded before Thor slipped into the darkness. She knew he was no more than ten yards from her, but she couldn’t see him. She spun around when the fire sparked. She grabbed pieces of wood and helped Dominic feed it. They didn’t make it too large, but it should have been enough to deter the wolves. At least, she prayed it was large enough to frighten the feral animals more than the horses tempted them.
She clung to the plaid she’d wrapped around her, relief coursing through her when Thor and Keenan stepped into the firelight. Her head whipped around to the right when she caught movement in her peripheral vision. She knew the wolves circled their camp. Each man had his sword drawn, and she wielded her own dirk that she’d pulled from her boot.
“They may remain all night,” Thor explained in a hushed voice. “If I put ye on yer horse and tell ye to ride, ye do it. Ye dinna wait for any of us, and ye dinna look back or slow down. Do ye understand me, Greer? I dinna jest. Dinna do aught ye think is noble. If I tell ye to go, then go.”
“I understand.”I dinna like it. But I understand. Greer knew she would only be in the way if she remained. The only reason Thor would send her off was if he believed she had a greater chance to survive that way. If she didn’t listen to him, he was more likely to die trying to protect her. She accepted the makeshift torch Dominic handed her. The men held theirs and swept them in front of them as they each faced a different direction.
Eyes glowed in the dark, and when Greer held hers out, she watched one beast snarl. They appeared to fear the people and horses not at all. When the one Greer assumed was the leader of the pack stepped toward them, then pushed his front paws forward while shifting his weight back, she feared it would pounce. The animal was closest to her, and Thor must have feared the same thing. He pushed Greer aside before pulling a stick from the fire and hurling it at the animal. It landed across the wolf’s muzzle, making it whimper. It snarled but backed up. Another wolf tried to approach closest to Keenan. He did the same thing as Thor, striking the animal between the ears. This one howled with pain, and no more stepped forward. But they continued to pace circles around the camp. The horses nickered and shifted restlessly, stomping their hooves and their eyes rolling.
Eventually, Thor decided it was safe enough for Greer to sit. The men remained on their feet until the early rays of sun drove the wolves back to their den. As soon as Thor stepped away from the fire, Greer hurried to gather their extra plaid and shoved it into Thor’s bags. She’d shoved their spare clothes into her saddlebag before they’d settled for the night. She helped by saddling her own mount. She gladly accepted his assistance to mount, and she was ready to leave when the men were.
“We travel east through the forest. We need to hide because we dinna ken how long the English tracked us,” Thor explained to Greer. “It’s likely two more days to Varrich if we have to travel slowly in the woods. If we can ride in the open, it’s still a day-and-a-half.”
“If I can keep using the salve as I need it, then I’ll be all right. Dinna fash, Thor. I can keep up.”
He knew sheer tenacity and resilience would drive her to keep up, even if she struggled physically. He knew no braver person than the woman riding beside him. He wished they were in their chamber at Dunbeath, tucked away for a sennight of newly wedded bliss. They’d spent much time together the week following their reconciliation, but once they reached their home, he intended to shut the world out morning, noon, and night, only opening the door for food.
“What are ye thinking?” Greer asked when she glanced at Thor, otherwise keeping her attention on not smashing into a tree. She felt heat rise in her cheeks when she looked back and found Thor’s eyes devouring her. She canted her head toward Dominic and shot Thor a disapproving mien. He grinned and licked his lips. She glanced back at Keenan, who she knew pretended to see nothing. When Dominic choked on his chuckle, Greer threw up her hand and huffed.
“Ye are nay better than lads.”
“We ken,” three deep voices responded.
“It’s a bluidy good thing I love ye, Thormud.”
“Ye ken ye like ma cheeky side.”
“Aye. All four.”
Thor blinked at her before he grinned. He reached out and plucked her from her horse, settling her sideways on his mount. “Ye ride with me, Wife.” He kissed behind her ear before she sank against him.
“I ken ye did that as much to give me a break from riding astride as aught else, but I willna complain, Husband.”
“Good. I wouldnae have listened anyway.”
“I ken.” Greer pressed a quick kiss to his jaw before settling back against him. She found herself more tired than she could ignore. She closed her eyes and let herself drift off.
* * *
It was midafternoon before Thor and his two warriors agreed it was likely safe enough to test leaving the forest. It would soon end, so they would have little choice, anyway. Keenan set off to scout, and he soon disappeared as he rode south to the edge of the trees. Thor, Greer, and Dominic remained silent, the only sound coming from the horses’ hooves striking the ground. There was enough room between the trees for the horses to trot, but they could go little faster than that without having to weave and risk their mounts stumbling.
Thor glanced at Dominic over Greer’s head several times as the minutes ticked by. Dominic returned his gaze, his expression grim. Greer sensed something was amiss. She knew Thor and Dominic continued to exchange looks, and it seemed as though Keenan should have returned by then. Movement to Thor’s left made them all look, praying it was Keenan. Instead, they found a buck darting to safety from a perceived threat.
“This isnae right,” Thor whispered. “I canna send ye alone, Dom. But we also canna remain without kenning. We ride toward the forest’s edge and wait. We dinna reveal ourselves until we ken what surrounds us. If naught appears, then ye can ride back to find him.”
“And if we spy anyone? It isnae easy riding around here. There’s little more than bogland. We ken how to navigate, but if we’re pushed to gallop, it’ll be hard to pick our paths.”
The massive expanse of peatland stretched twice the size of Orkney and made up much of the areas of Caithness and Sutherland. It was land that belonged to the earldoms to which Thor’s family claimed. The areas where he’d never ventured, he knew from maps he’d studied as a child. There were vast expanses of Caithness and Sutherland that were inhospitable to people and remained uninhabited by anything but wildlife. When Thor traveled between Dunbeath and Varrich, they usually followed a coastal route to avoid this landscape. He debated turning them toward the sea, but if their pursuers guessed they headed to Varrich, he feared they would assume that was the path he would take. He wanted to remain unpredictable to them.
“If we truly must, then we travel the way we normally would.” Thor prayed it wouldn’t come to that, but if no one suspected their destination, then it would be the safest course to traverse.
When the tree line was visible, they slowed their pace. With only ten yards of trees left, Dominic nudged his mount forward while Thor and Greer hung back. Greer returned to her horse, and now both men had their swords drawn. Dominic rode with his arm poised to swing while Thor waited with his weapon resting across his lap. Greer focused on not fidgeting as her horse swayed, sensing its rider’s tension. They watched Dominic’s horse step past the last tree. Immediately, men swarmed him, encircling his mount, pulling him from it.
