She stopped, trying to turn away, but he wouldn’t let her. He caught her arm and forced her gaze back to his. Had someone tried to hurt her? Was that why she was so upset? God, he’d kill him!
His voice was as hard as the steel that had just filled his veins. “What happened today?”
She lifted her eyes to his. “I was in the forest playing with Eddie, and I saw him—or thought I saw him.”
“Saw who?”
“The man who attacked my mother.”
He let her go, his expression automatically shuttering. “You were mistaken,” he said flatly. End of subject. End of conversation.
But Cate wasn’t finished. “Yes, but he looked so much like him.” She shuddered at the memory, and the momentary glimpse of vulnerability made him want to reach for her. But it lasted for only an instant before the fierce expression returned to her face. “I don’t want to be scared.”
“Did he threaten you?” The menace in his voice only hinted at the fury roaring inside him. Gregor rarely lost control. As an archer—a marksman—he had to be cold and methodical. Precise. Perfect. But just the idea of Cate in danger made him want to lash out wildly around him, striking indiscriminately and uncontrollably at anyone who would harm her.
Where had that rage come from?
She shook her head. “I thought he might be following me, but I must have been mistaken. He did nothing more than stare at me for a moment before continuing on. Did you perchance have a messenger today?”
“Nay. In which direction was he heading?”
“East, I think.”
He questioned her a little more until he was satisfied that it was probably nothing. Solitary riders avoiding the road and traveling through the forest were not common, but neither were they that unusual. He would do some checking into it, however, just to be sure, and insist she take an escort if she was going to stray too far from the castle. Guessing how she’d react to that, he kept it to himself.
At least now he had an explanation for her quietness at the midday meal, and perhaps also for her intensity on the practice field.
She bent down to pick up the knife, slipping it in her hand for a moment before handing it to him. “Would you do something for me?”
Anything. But that was not a promise he could make. “If it is in my power.”
“I don’t want to presume…” She caught her lip between her teeth and peered up at him uneasily. “Am I right in thinking that you know the king fairly well?”
He schooled his features to impassivity, the question startling him. She’d never asked him about his role in the king’s army, so he’d never had to lie to her. He didn’t relish the idea of having to do so now. Bruce and his followers were a topic that she normally avoided. He sensed she still had no love of the king and blamed him for what had befallen her village. “Why?”
“Do you think you might ask him to make some enquiries? I know you’ve tried to find out his name, but maybe the king would have better contacts…”
“I’ve done everything that can be done.”
“I don’t understand why the soldier’s name should be so hard to discover. Surely there can’t have been that many captains with the Earl of Hereford in Scotland at the time?”
He didn’t want to talk about this, damn it. “I thought you agreed to let me handle it.”
“I did. It’s just that it’s been so long, and I know you’ve been busy.” She stepped forward, putting the hand that wasn’t holding the knife on his arm. “I don’t want to keep looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. He has to pay.”
Gregor agreed, but he wouldn’t risk her going after him herself. Just the idea of it made his blood run cold. She was too stubborn for her own good. “So what do you plan to do when you find out, Cate, kill him?”
Her eyes narrowed at the hint of scorn in his tone. “Why shouldn’t I? He deserves it.”
“You think it’s just that easy to take a life? You think you can kill him and escape unscathed? You think it won’t change you?”
He realized he was shouting only when she released his arm and stepped back. She was staring at him with far more understanding than he would have liked.
Feeling as if he’d just revealed more than he intended, he forced his temper to cool. Taking the dagger from her, he slipped it into the belt at his waist. “I don’t want that for you, Cate.”
“But what about you?”
It was too late for him. “It’s what I was trained to do.”
