“It’s just ye and me now.”
Her cries were soft.
The only way out was forward. He would not make it with this speed, and she did not seem to have enough energy to lift him.
Suddenly, the ceiling beams came crashing down. They jumped out of the way, but he felt heat sear his back. His skin felt as if it had been torn open and burned as if it were afire. If they weren’t on the precipice of death, he would have been bothered by it.
“Willow.” She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, but he wasn’t sure if she saw him, so he pressed his forehead to herflank. “Ye’re going to go, and ye’re nae going to stop, ye hear me?”
She was a big horse, but he did not have difficulty mounting her without a saddle. He clung to her tightly, closing his eyes. She was loyal to a fault. Even in her fear, she was resolved to obey his command.
There was no point in deliberating it further. They would have to rush into the flames and hope that a falling beam did not get them first.
Her muscles trembled, and his ached. When he gave the command, he felt a rush of energy surge through her. “Go!”
“I didnae think there would ever be a time when ye would have me in yer bed.”
Talia did not appreciate the joke, but was grateful he was able to joke. Her hands trembled as she held a steaming bowl to his nose.
Her eyes were wide with worry. Darragh was not even sure she had heard him. She was too busy looking at him as if she were seeing a corpse.
When he came out of the flames, Jenson and Cohen had dragged him to safety. Willow had instantly collapsed and almostcrushed him with her weight. If not for them, he would have become a burgundy speck on the soil.
Talia took the bowl away and placed it on her desk. “How’s yer breathing now?” Her voice was shaky.
“I feel better, thanks to ye.”
The poultice was soothing on his back and hands. The debris that slashed his back had cauterized the wound. If Talia had screamed when she undressed him, he would have needed stitches.
“Ye can stop looking at me like that.” He reached out his hands to her, and she did not waste time taking them.
Though he could not feel anything through the bandages, her hold comforted him, and he hoped it did the same to her.
“When Cohen told me what was happening, I thought I was going to lose ye.”
“Never, Talia. Ye will never lose me.”
They stared at each other intently, as if they were afraid it was the last time they would see each other. Near-death experiences did that to a person. It made one understand how valuable life is and how precious their loved ones are.
Even before the fire, Darragh understood how precious she was. She was the best thing to ever happen to him, the light to his darkness. He understood how valuable she was because he loved her.
He gripped her hip and lowered his mouth to hers. Just as their lips touched, Cohen came into the room. Talia jumped back, and they both turned to face the man, who wore a knowing look.
“Talia, see if the veterinarian needs yer assistance.”
She could not stand the awkwardness of the situation; she quickly nodded and left.
“What have ye found?” Darragh shrugged on the fresh shirt a footman had brought in.
Cohen looked drained. He had to put out the fire and then rally the horses, which was the hardest part. He closed the door behind him and placed a handkerchief on the desk.
“Two arrowheads were found in the stables, and the other was pulled from Angus’s leg.”
Darragh inspected the metal. It could not be their blacksmith’s. For one, there was only one clan whose blacksmith left their initials on their work.
“How are the horses?”
Cohen sighed. “The foal died.”
