"I willnae miss."
"How can ye be sure?"
"Because I'm very good at catchin’ things I dinnae want tae lose."
Something in his tone made her go still. "Ye dinnae want tae lose me?"
He looked up at her, meeting her wide eyes in the moonlight. "Nae ye lass, me coins."
“I cannae believe ye!”
Tòrr smirked and stepped into position below her. "I'm goin’ tae grab the rope on the other side tae steady ye, then cut it. When I say three, it'll give way. Trust me tae catch ye."
"Trust ye?"
"Aye."
"The man who cares more about his coins?"
"The man who's about tae keep ye from breakin’ yer neck." He gripped the rope firmly, his dirk ready in his other hand. "One."
"Tòrr."
"Two."
"Wait, I'm nae ready."
"Three."
The blade sliced through the rope with a clean cut, and suddenly she was falling. Tòrr dropped his dirk and caught her against his chest, staggering slightly as her weight hit him.
His left foot landed wrong on a hidden root, sending a sharp jolt of pain up his leg. He bit back a curse, not wanting to worry her, and managed to keep them both upright.
"Are ye hurt?" he asked, looking down at her face.
She was breathing hard, her hands clutched in his shirt, her body pressed against his from chest to thigh. The heat of him seeped into her, steady and unyielding. For a heartbeat, neither of them moved, the forest holding its breath with them.
“I dinnae think so.” Her voice was unsteady, more from the closeness than the fall. “Are ye?”
“I’m fine.”
“Put me down,” she whispered, though the protest lacked its earlier bite.
“Yer leg hurts,” he said, already moving toward the camp. “So just keep quiet.”
Her fingers tightened slightly in his shirt before she forced herself to let go. She didn’t speak again after that, but she could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her cheek, and it unsettled her more than the snare had.
Good thing she kens when I'm serious.
They reached the camp with Aiden still sleeping, not knowing what was going on.
"Ye can put me down now."
He studied her face, trying to read her intentions. Finally, he set her carefully on her feet, though he kept his hands on her shoulders in case she tried to bolt.
“Look lass, me quarrel isnae with ye. It's with yer faither and the alliance he was tryin’ tae forge. Ye're caught in the middle of somethin’ larger than both of us."
"Then let me out of the middle."
