“Aye?” His eyebrow quirked up. “Is that what this is?”
She lifted her chin defiantly, but her fingers tightened around the cloth in her hand. “You take too much pleasure in unsettling me.”
“And ye take too much pleasure in pretending ye arenae unsettled,” he countered quietly.
The words settled between them, heavy and charged.
His hand moved, almost without thought, hovering near her waist. The restraint in the motion only made the space between them feel smaller.
Her breath brushed his jaw.
“Someone might see us,” she said softly, though she did not step away.
“Let them,” he replied, voice low. “It might silence a few wagging tongues.”
That struck something deeper. Her gaze sharpened, but before she could answer, his eyes softened, and he leaned closer, as though drawn by something he had long tried to deny.
For a moment, it seemed inevitable. The world beyond the healer’s quarters faded. But then the door creaked open.
Rua padded inside, his nails clicking against the stone floor.
The spell broke instantly.
Kayden exhaled sharply through his nose and straightened, while Lilliana turned away under the pretense of adjusting her tools, her hands trembling faintly.
Rua wandered over to them, and Kayden extended a hand, but to his surprise, his dog walked over to Lilliana and nosed at her hand.
She giggled as she petted the dog. “He seems to have picked his favorite person,” she said coyly, giving him an impish grin.
Kayden’s lips twitched, and he looked away so she would not see his amusement.
He got to his feet and nodded to her. “I thank ye for yer service, Me Lady,” he said before leaving the room.
He could feel her eyes on him, and her scent lingered in his nostrils long after he left the room.
Later that evening, Jacob and Kayden were walking along the battlements, the fields stretching far and wide below them. From their vantage point, they could see almost to Inverness.
“This healer they speak of, I sent men after her, but they have been unable to locate her,” Jacob said.
Kayden shook his head. “Is she hiding from us?”
“Well, she isnaelookingfor us at least.”
Kayden looked away from his cousin, scanning the vast verdant hills beyond. “Shewillbe found eventually. Unless she leaves our lands and returns to the Lowlands, she will be found.”
Jacob nodded. “Hopefully, she’s nae spreading harm while she sticks to the shadows.”
“Send word to all the trackmen that finding her is of the utmost importance.”
Jacob nodded. “I will.” He turned to study Kayden. “Ye’ve been quiet about yer marriage lately. Quiet and distracted.” He briefly touched Kayden’s arm, which was still securely wrapped beneath his sark.
Kayden shrugged. “They do say marriage is hard, so I daenae expect it to be easy.”
Jacob chuckled. “Especially when ye make it harder than it has to be.”
“How so?”
“Ye agreed to marry her, but ye keep her at arm’s length. Why?”
