Erik sat. Then, moving with careful precision that betrayed how much pain he was in, he peeled the ruined shirt over his head.
Claricia’s breath caught.
“Enjoyin’ the view?”
Heat flooded her face. “Dinnae flatter yerself. I’m assessin’ the damage.”
“Mm-hmm.” But his mouth curved in something that might have been satisfaction.
The wound itself ran in a deep gash along his shoulder. Blood had dried in rivulets down his arm, mixing with the ink there, and she could see where it still seeped sluggishly from the cut.
“This is goin’ tae hurt,” she warned, dampening a cloth with the herbal mixture.
She pressed the cloth to the wound. Erik hissed through his teeth but didn’t pull away, didn’t flinch.
“Ye’re good at this,” he said quietly.
“I’ve had practice. Logan used tae come home with cuts and bruises.” The memory made her throat tight. “He said I had gentler hands than any healer.”
Erik’s good hand came up, caught hers where it rested against his shoulder. “I’m sorry. About yer braither. About all of it.”
Claricia blinked at him and found genuine regret there.
“Tell me about yer parents,” she said softly. “Liv wouldnae. Said it was yer story tae share.”
His jaw tightened. For a moment she thought he’d refuse.
“I was fifteen. Liv was barely five.” His voice came out rough, scraped raw. “There was a raid. Highlanders crossed our lands in force—largest attack we’d seen in years. Me faither led the defense. Me maither and aunt were supposed tae be safe in the keep.”
Claricia resumed cleaning the wound, while Erik continued.
“Some of the raiders got inside. Found the women.” His free hand clenched into a fist against his thigh. “By the time we drove them back, me faither had died on the beach, sword in hand. Me maither and aunt… they didnae die quick.”
“Erik...” Her hand stilled, her heart breaking for him.
“I found them. Liv was with me.” His eyes had gone distant, seeing things she couldn’t. “She was so small. She kept askin’ why Mama wouldnae wake up. And I… I had nay answers. Just rage and grief and the knowledge that I was suddenly responsible fer keepin’ her alive in a world that wanted us dead.”
“Ye were just a lad.”
“The moment me faither fell, I became laird. The moment me maither and aunt died, I became Liv’s only family. There was nay time fer bein’ anythin’ else.”
Claricia set down the cloth and moved to stand between his knees, her hands coming up to cup his face. “I’m so sorry ye had tae carry that.”
“They’re why I fight. Why I lead.” His hands came up to cover hers, holding them against his cheeks like an anchor.
“One of yer raids killed Logan.” The words she’d thrown at him before felt different now. Softer. “I cannae forget that. But I understand it now. He was daein’ his duty. Yer men were daein’ theirs. Andbothsides paid the price.”
“That’s why we’re married.” Erik’s thumbs stroked across her wrists. “Tae end this. The cycle has tae break somewhere.”
“With us?”
“Aye, little bird. With us.”
The silence that fell between them felt sacred somehow. Heavy with shared grief and new understanding and the tentative beginning of something that might be healing.
“I miss me faither,” Claricia admitted. “And I?—”
“I sent him an invitation.” Erik’s hand moved to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Tae visit.”
