“Because Murray will be after her, in part tae reclaim his betrothed, but also tae punish me fer me disloyalty. He wants tae hurt me by taking away the lass I care fer.”
“All the more reason she’ ought tae be riding with me. She’s safer.”
“Nae if Oran or his men discover she’s nae with me. He’ll ken at once she’s gone home and come fer her in force. Sinclair Clan has more warriors who can protect her if it comes tae that.”
“Ye dinnae ken that yer kinfolk will protect her. They may want ye…”
“ENOUGH!” The strident, snarling loud whisper made both of them turn.
Reyna wasn’t sure which made her more furious – the fact that they were wasting time when their pursuers might appear any moment, the fact that Blake was being so stubborn about trying to carry her off when she’d already made it clear she had no wish to ride with him, or the fact that both men were talking about what to do with her as if she was some sort of prize pony, with no opinion of her own.
Her snarl made both men turn in surprise, and she glared at both of them with equal intensity. “The hunters from Murray clan could be upon us any moment, and ye’re arguing like a couple of stable hands fighting over the last bitch in a litter.” She crossed her arms. “Well, I’m nae a puppy, and we dinnae have time tae stand around arguing.”
There was a moment of silence. Then Finlay nodded. “Aye. Ye’ve the right o’ it about the pursuit.” He glanced at Blake.
Blake shot a quick look in her direction, then turned to her brother. “I ken ye need tae get word tae yer faither, and I’m happy tae help ye, but the greatest risk is Laird Murray’s army. And if we’re tae combat that and protect all our kinfolk, ‘tis best tae draw him tae Sinclair Castle, where we’ve greater numbers and a stronger castle tae defend ourselves.”
Finlay scowled, but after a moment, he sighed and tipped his head in agreement. “Ye’re nae wrong that Sinclair has the stronger forces, and what ye suggest is a sound plan. A few more minutes o’ rest, and we’ll ride fer Sinclair Castle, and ask sanctuary from yer kinfolk.”
Reyna scowled. She had no desire to go to Sinclair Castle, much less be in Blake’s debt after everything that had happened. She’d expected Finlay to insist on returning to Gregor Keep and force Blake to yield. “I think we should go tae Gregor Keep.”
“And ye’re entitled tae think so, but Blake’s a fair point about the strength o’ his clan over ours.” Finlay shrugged. “I saw yermedicine kit in the bags. Dae ye have a salve fer cuts and burns? I’ll ride better fer it.”
Reyna fetched it and began to tend to his wounds. She hissed in fury at the sight of them. “Ye say that, but how can ye trust the man who captured ye and put ye in that cell? Why would ye even consider traveling tae his clan?”
Finlay shook his head. “I never did see the face o’ the man who knocked me out, and I wouldnae have kent if he’d nae confirmed yer accusation. But kidnapper or nae…” His voice trailed off with a wince as she treated a particularly sensitive wound “...I said afore that I kent the risks o’ riding off alone. And I kent what me fate was like tae be when I woke up in Murray’s dungeon. But when I told ye it could have been worse, I wasnae joking.”
The earnestness of his words made her blink, her anger faltering. “What dae ye mean?”
“I mean that every time Murray sent his men tae torment me, or every time they decided tae hurt me fer the fun o’ having a Gregor at their mercy, ‘twas yer Blake who came and stopped them afore it got too far. And he was the only one who came tae give me food regularly, and cloths fer cleaning, and a fresh chamber pot when me own was stinking. He even brought me bandages and medicine when he could, and a blanket fer sleeping.”
Finlay took a deep breath. “Were it nae fer yer Blake, I’d nae be able tae stand, much less ride. Even when he was gone from the keep, he had that friend o’ his bring me something tae be sure Ididn’t starve or take sick. And while I ken now it was likely more tae dae with ye than out o’ kindness fer kindness’ sake, I’m still fair grateful tae him.”
Reyna listened to her twin’s words with shock. She’d never realized Blake had cared for her brother, despite the circumstances. He’d never mentioned that. And neither had Laird Murray.
Was his care o’ Finlay’s health part o’ the reason Oran Murray was so easily convinced o’ his guilt in aiding me?
After a moment, she shook her head. Maybe Blake had helped her brother, but he’d also been Finlay’s captor. Worse, he’d gone on to lie to her, and not even apologized for it, the bastard.
She dragged her attention back to the pressing argument at hand. “We should still go tae Gregor Keep, tae protect Faither as well as tae warn him.”
Finlay shook his head. “Nay. We’ll protect him better by going tae Sinclair Castle and sending word from there.” He looked at her face and heaved a sigh of exasperation at what he saw there. “Ye’re a smart lass, Reyna, so use that mind o’ yers. We ken our pursuers will be hard on our heels. We couldnae give Faither more than an hour or two o’ warning and certainly nae enough tae be prepared fer the might o’ Murray Clan tae show up at the gates.”
She wanted to argue, but he continued. “And even if we could... we’ve been in a feud instead o’ war with Clan Murray feryears because he’s tae strong fer us tae defeat without having a bloodbath on our hands. We might win, but we’d bury far tae many clansmen. Clan Sinclair has much greater strength tae withstand such an assault. We’d give our clan better safety by going tae them and seeking alliance, tae merge their strength tae ours and defy Murray taegether.”
It made sense, but she didn’t like the argument, and she still had no interest in being beholden to Blake Sinclair, or in a position where he might feel entitled to argue for her forgiveness or her acceptance of him again.
She was angry, but under that anger she could still feel affection, and desire. She didn’t want to give him any chance to convince her to set aside her grievances because her heart and her body were still wanting for his touch.
As she returned the salve to her bag, she thought of another argument, one that she was certain would convince Finlay, no matter what else he thought, or how Blake might argue his case.
She turned around. “Finlay, there’s another reason we need tae return tae Gregor Keep immediately. Ye couldnae ken afore ye left, but we discovered the reason Tessa was feeling so poorly.” She stepped forward. “Yer wife is pregnant, and she needs ye at her side. Nae matter what else is true, ye ken that is. A husband and soon-tae-be faither should be with his wife and unborn babe, tae care fer them.”
She saw the dawning joy in Finlay’s eyes, and thought she might have won, when they all heard the pounding of hooves against the ground.
The pursuers had found their trail.
Blake and Finlay both moved for her, but Blake had fewer injuries, and he was faster. Before she could say or do anything, he snatched her and tossed her into his saddle before jumping up behind her.
