As he stood, Trulie’s head fell back, her mouth sagged open, and her limp arms swung free. Rage pounded through Gray. Vengeance burned through his veins with every beat of his heart. Be they god or be they human, whoever caused his woman such harm would rue this act if it took him an eternity to find them.
He lowered Trulie into the bed, holding his breath to keep from roaring out his pain as he straightened her head on the pillows. With a shaking hand, he smoothed a silky curl away from her damp forehead. He traced the backs of his fingers across her cheek. “What happened,mo chridhe?” he whispered. “Pray tell me who did this to ye?”
Trulie didn’t move. Her breathing seemed shallower.
He looked up as Granny and Coira hurried into the room. “Tell me.” He struggled to keep from shouting. “Tell me everything so I might seek revenge.”
Granny barely shook her head as she clasped her hands in front of her waist. “I sent for you as soon as I found her lying on the floor.”
Gray eased down on the bed beside Trulie. He kept one hand resting atop her motionless arm and nodded toward Granny. “My love said ye ken how to heal as she does. Come. Lay yer hands upon her. Ye must make her well.”
Granny’s eyes filled with tears. “I can’t,” she whispered with a trembling shake of her head. “It is a rare occasion when the Fates allow us to heal our own bloodline.” She wheezed out a shaky sigh. “And I already tried.”
“Ye lie!” he roared, springing toward Granny. He would force her to lay hands on Trulie. Force the power through her. By the gods, he would not allow his love to die.
Karma leaped forward and slammed into him. The dog’s bared teeth snapped at the end of Gray’s nose. The heat of the beast’s lungs blasted Gray’s face as Karma’s guttural snarls shook through him.
Granny rushed forward, pushing her slight body between the enraged pair. “Enough. Both of you.” She yanked on Karma’s ear while she pounded a shaking fist against the center of Gray’s chest. “This does not help Trulie.”
Gray forced the hand he clenched about Karma’s still-vibrating throat to slowly relax. Granny was right. Trulie loved Karma. He could not kill the beast, especially when it was the animal’s love for his mistress ruling his actions. He pushed off from the dog and stepped back.
Granny nodded toward Coira. “Go find Tamhas and Colum. Alert them that the keep is no longer safe.” Then she turned to the still-rumbling dog. “You go with her. Protect her, Karma. I will stay here with Trulie.”
The dog shook, then growled a grudging acquiescence as he followed Coira out of the room.
Granny remained silent until the door clicked shut behind them. “All right, Trulie. Time to involve Gray before he goes on a bloody rampage and kills an innocent bystander—namely your dog or me.”
Trulie’s eyes opened and she pushed herself up to a sitting position.
Gray stumbled and sank back down on the bed to keep from falling to his knees. “What the...” A strange mixture of relief, confusion, and a sudden certainty he was about to get sorely vexed hit him dead center.
He snatched her up by the shoulders and gritted his teeth against the urge to shake her. “Are ye trying to kill me, woman? What the hell kind of game are ye playing at?”
“We discovered someone put poison in the water. We want them to think they almost succeeded in getting rid of me.” Trulie gently pulled herself out of his grasp and sat cross-legged in the center of the bed. “That way we should be able to catch who did it just by watching how everyone reacts.”
He didn’t know if it was the plotting gleam in her eyes or her tone that fanned his rage even more. He yanked her up by the shoulders again and this time shook her hard. To hell with attempting to control his ire. “Ye scared damn near ten years off me. Did ye not even think how I might feel when I thought ye would surely die?”
She opened her mouth to speak—
He shook her again. “I’ve half a mind to redden yer arse with the flat of me hand until ye canna sit. What the hell were ye thinking?”
She dug her nails into his forearms and hissed an enraged whisper, “Shut. Up. The plan won’t work if you bellow it across the Highlands.”
Granny ran to the door, pulled it open, and checked the outer sitting room. After a few moments, she quietly eased it shut and lowered the crossbar into the latch. As she hastened back to the bedside, she patted her hands together. “It’s all right. There is no one out there. But Trulie is right, Gray. You need to keep your voice down.”
He stared first at Granny, then back at Trulie in disbelief. Had they both lost their minds? With an irritated growl, he tossed Trulie back against the pillows. “I should have ye both flogged.”
“Would you swallow that hardheaded Highland pride of yours for about five seconds? Think about what I just said. It makes perfect sense.” Trulie scooted to the center of the bed and yanked her clothes back in place. “Dammit, Gray. Don’t you know the best way to catch a murderer is to use their target for bait?”
He stomped to the far side of the room. Better to put a bit of distance between himself and the sharp-tongued woman he had been foolish enough to love. He turned and stabbed the air with a shaking finger. “If ye ever put a scare into me like that again...” His voice trailed off. He didn’t know what he would do but he would damn well make sure she would not like it.
Trulie slid off the bed and went to him with both hands held out. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, but the fewer people who know the truth, the more effective the trap.” She motioned for him to join her over on the bed. “Come back over and sit down. We will fill you in on the details.”
Gray glared down at her small, upturned palm. So soft. So tiny. How could a mere slip of a woman cause such a stir? He shifted his focus to her eyes. The emotions shining in their depths pulled at his heart and answered that silent question.
With an exhausted groan, he scrubbed a hand across his face and slid the other into Trulie’s grasp. She owned him—body and soul. He might as well accept that fact and admit defeat. “So, tell me of this grand plan devised by the Sinclair women.”
* * *
