“Ye should never travel alone in the Highlands,” Gray said. “’Tis unsafe.”
Hackles raised and teeth bared, Karma leaned against Trulie’s leg and rumbled a warning growl. She pulled the heavy arisaid tighter around her body and hugged her arms across her chest. Shooting a dismissive glance back over one shoulder, she hurried to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Chieftain MacKenna looked as if he had a royal case of the red arse.
“I am never alone.” She nodded down at the dog. “I believe you’ve met Karma.”
“Aye.” Gray scowled at the dog and risked a step closer.
Karma’s clicking growl shifted into a faster gear as he hunkered down and prepared to spring.
Gray backed up a step. “I agree ye are quite safe with that great beast watching over ye.” Gray widened his stance. “But nonetheless, I shall see to it that ye travel safely back to the keep.”
Trulie rested a hand on Karma’s velvety head and dug her fingers into his hackles. “That’s enough, Karma. You know Chieftain MacKenna means us no harm.” And he didn’t. The poor man was as much a pawn in Granny’s scheme as she was.
“I would hope ye both know I would never harm ye.” Gray spared a disgruntled scowl at Karma. “Either of ye.”
Something in Gray’s tone triggered an even warmer flash of tingles. Trulie loosened the wool wrap a bit. “I know you’re a victim here too. And I’m sorry I yelled at you back there.” She took a step closer and held out her hand. She really did owe him an apology. “I am mad at Granny and Tamhas for their manipulative little game. I am not mad at you.”
Gray looked down at her hand long enough to make Trulie wonder if he was going to shake hands and play nice or not. She kept it extended and lifted it a bit higher. “Friends?”
The hint of a smile played across his mouth as he took her hand, lifted it to his mouth, and pressed a gentle kiss to the inside of her wrist. She swallowed hard as a delicious surge shifted all her senses into a breathless fury. Well, dammit then.
His watchful gaze gave her the urge to squirm as he stepped to her side and tucked her arm through his. “I would be more than honored to claim ye as friend.”
Claim ye.There was something about the way he said those two words that made her look forward to his claiming whatever he wanted. She blinked free of the sensuous spell and motioned toward the keep. This erotic spiral needed to be slowed. “Karma and I were headed back to the keep to have a chat with Mr. Fearghal. Would you like to walk with us?”
Gray scanned the land, then nodded at the keep. “’Tis a bit farther then ye ken. That is why Tamhas had the lot of ye brought up here in the wagon. Are ye certain ye wish to walk?”
Trulie eyed the sprawling land. It was a pretty good distance. “We have to walk. We can’t leave them without a wagon.”
“Nay, lass. We dinna have to walk.” Gray grinned, then split the air with a sharp whistle.
Karma perked his ears and turned toward a dirt path disappearing around a swell of scrub and stone. The ground trembled as the biggest horse Trulie had ever seen thundered up the path. Black as coal from the tips of his ears to the shaggy feathers skirting each foot, the monstrous beast miniaturized everything around him.
“Cythraul will carry us to the keep.”
Trulie backed up a step. The horse was huge. “Uhm. All right.” She couldn’t very well refuse on the grounds that heights terrified her. It was either ride the four-story horse to the keep or wait and travel with Granny and Tamhas. She was not in the mood to ride with them.
Amusement and something not quite readable sparkled in Gray’s eyes as he held out his hand. “M’lady?”
If she didn’t know better, she would swear Gray was waiting to see if she was going to accept the challenge or turn tail and run. She stepped forward and grabbed his hand. She didn’t run from anything.
He turned her, set his hands around her waist, and lifted her up into the saddle as though she weighed no more than a whisper. She locked onto the lip of the saddle with both hands and concentrated on the thick tuft of mane directly in front of her knuckles. As long as she didn’t look down at the ground, she would be fine. Hopefully. A high-pitched squeak escaped her as Gray swung himself up into the saddle behind her.
“Something wrong, lass?”
“No.” Her voice cracked. Trulie cleared her throat and tried again. “Nothing.”It broke again. She sounded like a schoolboy whose voice was changing. “Nothing is wrong.” There. That sounded much better. She had to admit, the wall of muscle at her back and the safety harness of Gray’s arms on either side of her did make her feel a lotbetter.
His warm breath brushed her cheek as he leaned forward, scooped up the reins in one hand, and wrapped his other arm around her waist. “I willna let ye fall.”
Trulie shivered and couldn’t resist melting back into his warmth. At this point in time, falling from the horse was the least of her worries.
Cythraul lurched forward into a rolling gallop thundering down the hillside. Trulie shut her eyes, tucked her chin to her chest, and dug her fingers into Grays’ arm.Shit. Shit. Shit.
His deep chuckle rumbled against her back as he held her tighter. “Rest easy, lass. I will slow the beastie down.”
She barely opened one eye and peeped out from the folds of her wrap, which she clutched over her face. They were moving much slower now. Gray had reined in Cythraul to a peaceful trot. “Thank you.” She loosened her grip on his arm, horrified as four half-moon slits cut into his forearm beaded up with blood.
“Oh good heavens, I am so sorry.” Trulie worked a square of linen free of her tightly laced kirtle and dabbed at the cuts. Thank goodness Coira had insisted she tuck the handkerchief into the cleft of her bosomjust in case.“I am so so sorry. I didn’t mean to dig my fingernails into you.”
