Her eyes swerved in his direction, sharp, furious.
“I’ve made myself clear,” he muttered.
“Aye,” she nodded, as she moved past him towards the horse. “You have. And ye’ll forgive me, Lachlan, if I wish to ride alone back to the Keep.”
He turned to call after her, but she had already scrambled her way onto the horse, driven her feet into its sides, and started away from the top of the mountain. He pushed a hand through his hair, watching as she went, half-wondering if he should go after her. If she truly wanted to ride alone, then she might not take too kindly to the thought of him stepping in to make himself her companion.
But, as she vanished down the side of the hill, he let out a sigh and moved for his own horse. He was not going to let her go so easily, not on terrain that she knew so little of. She might have thought he was nothing more than a beast using her for what he could get, but, deep down, he cared about her.
And he knew he would not be able to forgive himself if something happened to her.
Tears stung Innes’ eyes as she made her way back towards the Keep—or, at least, took a path that seemed familiar. She knew she wasn’t being entirely fair to her husband, but, after everything that had happened, he surely couldn’t expect her to forget what had led her here in the first place.
If it had not been for Isobel picking her brother, she knew that Lachlan would never have taken her as his wife. A notion that had crossed her mind before, but one that she had done her best to keep at arm’s length. But now that she had been with him, given her maidenhood to him, it was clear just how much of a mess she had found herself in.
And just what she might be risking if she allowed herself to be drawn any further in to this man.
She gripped the reins tight, steering the horse as best she could; she had tried to follow the same path that they had taken, but instead, she was sure that she had found herself in territory she had never laid eyes on before. Maybe she didn’t even really want to go back to the Keep, better off staying out there in the treeline where she felt, at least, like she knew who she was.
She dashed the tears away with the back of her hand, cursing herself for feeling it all so deeply. She knew she only had herself to blame for the position she was currently in; she could have stayed aloof, and no doubt he would have kept his distance in the same way, but no. She’d had to step into his world, let him take her in his arms, and now, she could not undo the brand that it had left on her.
So focused was she on Lachlan, in fact, that she did not notice the shadows moving at the edge of the treeline. Her first alarm that there was anything wrong came when her horse came to an abrupt halt, sending her sliding forward in the saddle and forcing her to grasp on to whatever she could to keep herself from tumbling out.
“Who’s there?”
The horse reared, letting out a piercing whinny; Innes did not see movement, but she heard a hiss and felt something split the air beside her. She shifted away from it on instinct, and the sudden motion, along with the movement of the horse, was enough to send her slipping from her seat entirely.
She landed with a crash on the side of the road, in a scratchy pile of heather and fern. The wind was entirely knocked from her body, her heart slamming into her ribs as she tried to make sense of what had happened. She lifted her head, trying to get a sight of what exactly had startled the horse so. The creature was pacing back and forth, protecting her from whoever might have been watching.
The world tilted, the sharp scent of heather filling her head. She slumped back, and it wasn’t until she heard the thunder of hooves closing the distance between them that she mustered the energy to look up once more.
Lachlan. He must have followed her there. He drew his horse around and leapt off, moving beside her and stooping down.
“Innes,” he called, and he glanced around; his eyes landed on something, narrowing dangerously. “You foolish girl,” he growled as he pulled her into his arms. “Come. We cannae stay here.”
She gasped as pain lanced through her ankle. She must have twisted it when she fell. He gripped her waist, lifting her into his arms.
“Ye’ll ride wi’ me,” he told her firmly. “Come. This way.”
He carried her towards his horse, quickly tying the reins of her steed to his saddle. And, with her cradled carefully in his arms, he drove his feet into the sides of the horse to urge it onward. She leaned against him, some part of her still wishing that she could undo the conversation they’d just shared. Another part of her, though, was relieved beyond all words that he had still come for her, even after what she had said to him.
She let the thundering of the hooves settle something inside of her and closed her eyes, promising herself that, for as long as this ride lasted, she could, at least, trust that she was safe.
Chapter Eleven
Lachlan burst into the Keep.
Innes was in his arms, her body curled against his in exhaustion and pain.
“Get the healer!” he roared out as he made straight for her chambers. A few servants stood around, clearly too shocked to react, till he swerved his gaze at them once more.
“What are you waiting for? Now!”
They rushed off to attend to his orders, and Innes fisted her hand in his tunic, a silent thank-you for making sure she did not have to deal with anyone else. The pain had been throbbing steadily in her foot since the moment he had lifted her onto the horse, and it only seemed to be getting worse. She knew that she had been lucky not to be harmed more seriously when it came to the commotion that had caused all this in the first place. As he carried her towards her chambers, she wondered if she was starting to seem like more trouble than she was worth to him.
Keith stepped out of the study as Lachlan made his way past, his brow furrowed.
“Is she alright?”
