She drew in a deep breath, then swiped a hand over her face before brushing her hair back with her fingers.
“We lost them,” Lily finally said, then let out a deep breath before bursting into a short laugh.
Her body shook as she laughed, and Killian joined in before he could stop himself.
Wondering why she found their situation amusing, he angled his body to face her and watched her intently. Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she laughed, and her cheeks gained a rosy color.
“You just saved my life,” she breathed out after her laughter died down. “You kidnapped me, but you saved my life. It makes me wonder what exactly you want from me.”
“Was I supposed to let ye die?” Killian answered, still watching her.
He enjoyed seeing the light in her eyes. He hadn’t seen anything like it before.
“If you are going to keep me captive, anyway, it is best you kill me now.”
“Ye really are eager to die, are ye nae?” he asked with a short laugh. “It is almost as if ye want me to kill ye, lass.”
“I have nay intentions of hurtin’ ye. Ye arenae the one I am after, and once all of this is over, I will let ye go.” Suddenly, his jaw hardened, and he looked away from her. “Although, I am wonderin’ why men dressed as McLennan guards are tryin’ to kill ye.”
A shadow fell across Lily’s face, and her expression turned serious again. “There must be some kind of misunderstanding. Those men cannot be McLennan men.”
“They just tried to kill ye,” Kilian pointed out as he rose to his feet. “I just saved yer life.”
Is she so blinded by her trust in Laird McLennan that she doesnae realize how vile he is? He probably sent people to kill us both and end this here.
Lily shook her head vehemently. “You are the one who has tried to kill me many times since we met,” she threw at him and rose to her feet too. “Do not act like you are better.”
“And ye too have tried to kill me. In fact, ye killed two of my men. Ye and I arenae different, Lily. We are fighters, and we just fought to save our lives.”
“I am nothing like you.”
Killian loved the passion in the words she spat at him. They made his body burn hotter for her. No matter how much he tried to deny it, she still made him crave her.
How do I survive these feelings?
There was nothing he could do about them. Every second in her presence made them grow.
Killian shoved them down immediately and found his voice again. “Deny it all ye want. Those men tried to kill ye, and they were probably sent by Laird McLennan. I saved yer life, and now ye’re indebted to me. So, for the rest of our journey, ye stay quiet, or else.”
“We should move fast,” Lily said and folded her arms over her chest. “They might still be out there searching for us…”
Killian winced as shooting pain suddenly spiraled through him. He looked down at his stomach and saw that blood had seeped through his léine and formed a wide spot.
Lily gasped loudly, forcing him to look at her again. “Goodness… you are injured… You are bleeding,” she cried out and came to him to check his side.
“Easy,” Killian cautioned when her touch made the ache cut through him again. “I will be all right. I have been cut worse before.”
“You are losing a lot of blood,” she pointed out. “Do we not still have to cover ground? How will you travel if you are weak from blood loss? We have to treat it now. Let me help you.”
She moved away from him and spun around in a circle as if she were searching for something. “I could find the herbs I need and make a slave for the wound. Do you have that tonic for the pain?”
“I gave it to ye at the inn,” Killian said in a low voice as he watched her begin searching around for herbs.
“I’ll make another.”
She began marching away, but Killian strode to her quickly, grabbed her arm, and stopped her. “Dinnae even think of escapin’. If this is another trick of yers, then I will—”
“I will not leave you out here alone while you are injured. Especially now that I know there are men searching for us. Trust me.”
