“He drank too much ale for most of the day. He shouted. He broke things… Broke people.” She used a corner of the towel to wipe her forearm, as if the motion could make the words gentler. “I did what I could to shield me younger sister. I told her stories. I hid her whenever he came home in a rage. I wanted a different life for her, ye see. Later, I realized I could want a different life for meself as well. A caring family. A home that didnae frighten anyone.”
The wordcaringhung in the space between them.
Neil stepped closer and held out his hand. She extended her left one without thinking. He took it and began to dry her fingers, slow and careful.
His touch was steady, and his head was bent. She watched him as if she might find an answer in the set of his mouth.
“I cannae promise ye that kind of life.” His tone was soft, almost apologetic. “But I can keep ye safe. That much I swear.”
She nodded once. Gratitude rose and met disappointment in the same breath. Safety wasnotnothing. But it was not everything her heart wanted at this point.
He took her other hand and ran the towel over each knuckle, then pressed the cloth to each nail to blot the last of the dampness.
The work was exact. The care was real. The distance, however, did not dissipate.
“Thank ye,” she murmured.
He folded the towel and set it aside.
She stood up and pulled a clean sheet from the chest, wrapped it around her, and tucked the corner tight. Her hair fell loosedown her back. Droplets slid down her skin and caught the candlelight, before falling away.
She was half-naked, yet she did not feel cold.
“Is that why ye daenae want children? Because of the men who captured ye?”
Neil shot her a confused look. “What?”
Kristen exhaled. “I suppose what I am asking is that when ye find the last bandit, will ye want a child then? Once they are gone, will ye finally want one?”
His jaw clenched. “Probably nae.”
She went still. Something small and bright folded in on itself. Neil did not see it.
He continued, his voice flat, “I want to focus on the clan. I have an heir. Finn already gives the people something to rally behind. I daenae want to sire another child and make them choose.”
Kristen felt the ache rise and schooled her features. She kept her chin up and smoothed the sheet at her hip. “I see,” she whispered.
Neil took a step toward her, his hand hovering mid-air. She took a step back, and his hand fell to his side.
The fire popped. Water dripped down the rim of the tub and made a small ring that widened and then vanished.
“Thank ye,” she croaked. “For taking care of me tonight.”
The words were simple. They were also the closing of a door.
She lifted her chin a little higher and held his eyes.
“Ye daenae need to sleep here,” she added, her voice too quiet for the gravity of her words.
Neil blinked. “What?”
“Ye daenae want to sire an heir, Neil. That means ye daenae plan to claim me.”
23
Neil did not move at first.
The chamber held the quiet of damp stone and low flame. The candlelight picked up the shine on the rim of the copper tub and the droplets in Kristen’s hair.
