Ice crawled over her skin, but she managed to pull away once again, touching the first rung of the ladder. “Th-thank you.” Her teeth were chattering from the cold, but it wasn’t merely the frigid air.
He stopped her from climbing the ladder, his hand snaking around her waist. With a smile, he said, “You spent the entire night staring at MacEgan. I was hoping for an opportunity to speak with you myself.”
When he stepped closer, she could smell the fermented mead upon his breath. No doubt it had given him the courage to be so bold.
The world seemed to hold still when his mouth moved toward hers. She wanted to run, but she froze. His kiss wasn’t meant to threaten her, but at the unwanted touch of his mouth, she shoved him back.
Memories shattered inside her of the men hurting her. Of the searing pain and humiliation. The wild anger burning up inside suddenly broke free like an unstoppable wave. Though she knew she was behaving like she’d gone witless, she couldn’t stop herself. Adham tried to soothe her, touching her shoulders, and again, she pushed at him. “Don’t touch me! Please, just don’t!”
He mumbled through an apology, but she couldn’t seem to stop the torrent of rage pouring through her. Not again. Never again would she allow a man to take what she didn’t want to give.
When Adham gaped at her, she seized the torch from his hand and pointed to the ladder. “I don’t want you. Get out, and don’t come near me again.”
He took a hesitant step forward, and she waved the torch at him. Struck senseless, he climbed the ladder, and it was then that she heard the voices.
Trahern was there. She caught angry words and the sound of a fist hitting flesh. Seconds later, he climbed down to her. She was shaking, the torch casting erratic shadows on the wall.
“He’s gone,” Trahern said softly. “I sent him away.”
The torch fell from her hands, dropping to the ground. She sobbed, clutching her middle while she sank against the wall.
“Did he hurt you?”
“He tried—tried to kiss me.” Lowering her head to her knees, she poured out her fury. “I know it was just a whim. He didn’t plan any of this, but I didn’t want him to touch me. I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. Not again.”
Her words weren’t making sense, but Trahern mumbled something about flaying the skin from Adham’s body. “No.” She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. One breath, then another.
Gradually, the rage disappeared, and embarrassment came over her. “He only thought to steal a kiss. He doesn’t know what happened to me. I suppose he thinks I’ve gone mad.”
Gray eyes regarded hers with seriousness, but Trahern bade her wait a moment. He climbed the ladder, and she heard him ordering the people back to their huts. “She’s fine,” he said. “I’ll bring her back in a few moments.”
When she heard her sister’s voice mingled with Trahern’s, relief broke through her. Trahern climbed back down and sat beside her. “Jilleen went to give her confession to Brother Chrysoganus during the storytelling. She never left the cashel.”
“She’s safe?”
Trahern nodded. He drew up his own knees, resting beside her.
“You don’t have to be here, you know.” She wiped at her eyes, knowing that she must look like a mess. “I’ve created more trouble than I intended.”
He waited for her to continue, offering no judgment. The tears stopped, and she felt drained. Tired.
“I wouldn’t let him touch me,” she said at last. “I fought back. The way I wanted to fight that night.” She shivered, and he set his cloak across her shoulders. Not once did he touch her, respecting her need for physical distance.
“I was afraid,” she admitted. “And angry with him. I never knew I could feel that way. And now—“ She rubbed her arms, drawing his cloak tighter around her. “Now, they’ll talk about me. They’ll know what happened that night. I can’t bear it.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“I know.” Though she uttered the words without thinking, a part of her wondered if it was true. If she’d fought back against the men, as she had tonight, could she have escaped? Would everything be different?
“I want to ease your fear,” he said quietly. “But I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”
She lifted her face to his. In the flickering torchlight, his gray eyes were filled with compassion. His chiseled jaw was strong, but there was no judgment cast against her.
When he opened his arms, she went to him. His strong embrace pushed away all else, and she gripped him hard, sitting upon his lap. He’d come for her, and she realized she’d wanted that.
She’d hoped that he would come. This man, who drove away her demons and kept her safe. The barriers seemed to fall away, and she breathed in his scent, letting him hold her. How could she let him go, after all this? It hurt, just thinking of it.
“Trahern,” she whispered.I care for you in a way I don’t understand. I need to be with you.
