"Come," he said."We best eat.It has been a long day and ye need sustenance."
He kept her hand in his as they followed Drunstan toward the firelight at the center of the camp.
He caught several of the men eyeing her as they approached, a couple letting their gaze linger where the gown pulled tight across her ample chest.His jaw clenched.He met the nearest man's stare until the man looked away, then drew Una closer against his side.
"Why are ye holding me so close?"she whispered.
"'Tis cold out."
"But I can barely breathe," she replied.
"Do ye prefer these men to ogle ye?"he said under his breath.
Una looked up and, for the first time, noticed where the nearest men's gazes had settled.
She inhaled sharply and turned her front toward Cormac's side.She heard him chuckle quietly as he wrapped part of his plaid around her shoulder.
He walked with her pressed against him and kept his eyes moving across the faces of the men around them.One word ran through his mind, steady and insistent.
Mine.
***
Chapter 9
The Camp Fire – That Evening
Ten men sat aroundthe fire.Weapons were close at hand and eyes were sharp even at rest.
Cormac settled close beside Una on the log nearest to the flames, his blade loose at his hip.Around the fire, every one of Drunstan's men was equally armed.The ale was being passed around freely.
A wooden board came between them bearing bread, cold meat, and a wedge of hard cheese.Una ate and said nothing.Cormac listened to the conversation around him and let his eyes move over the camp at intervals.
And in between, he reached across to the board and quietly set the choicest cuts on Una's side.The best piece of meat.The softest end of the bread.The sweetest part of the fruit.
The first time he did it, she glanced at him.
