“The wind.” I pointed toward the distant slope ahead. “The shape of hills. Trees growing bent from prevailing storms. Rivers. Animal trails. Even stars if the sky’s clear enough.”
“And if there are no stars?”
“Then ye pray ye ken the land well already.”
That earned the faintest twitch of amusement from her, which I found made me relax slightly, except I could not completely shake my worries from a moment ago. “Why the sudden interest?” I asked. “Do ye fear being taken again?”
Something strange crossed her face then. It wasn’t fear exactly, possibly a slight worry. Her mouth turned down ever so slightly, and she jerked her head in a short nod. My chest tightened at her reactions, and guilt pressed down upon me that she did not feel completely safe with me, given she’d run from me and Siward had taken her. I guided my horse near her until our knees nearly brushed. I could have sworn she stiffened,which brought me back to my original thought that she was angry at me, but first, I wanted to address her safety concerns. “That will nae happen again.”
She kept her gaze ahead. “Ye can nae promise such things.”
“I can.” My voice roughened. “Ye ken all now. There is nae anymore reason for ye to run from me, and as long as we are together, I will protect ye, and I plan to stay by yer side at Court.”
That odd look crossed her face again. May the gods help me, I was missing something. My words should have reassured her. Instead, I vowed she looked almost, well, almost heartbroken. I opened my mouth to ask her once more if she was vexed with me, but she said. “I’m just overly worrying,” and offered the faintest of smiles before she began humming softly beneath her breath. I watched her as she pulled ahead of me once more, and after a few breaths, her shoulders relaxed. Despite my lingering unease, I found my thoughts drifting back to our time at the riverbank, to her beneath me, to the soft sounds she’d made against my throat, and the way she clung to me afterward as though she wished the moment did not have to end, as I had been wishing.
I had bedded women before, but none of them had ever made me want to linger after the joining, to hold them, to talk of things such as their past, and their hopes for the future. And certainly, none of them had made a mark on my mind as Katreine had. If she and I were to part at the Court, and she decided she did not want my attentions, some part of me would go with her. As we rode, I thought on this and what it meant, but came up with no answers, only circles in my mind. By the time dusk settled over the Highlands, I had us make camp beside a narrow burn sheltered by thick pines, and to my surprise, the moment I suggested finding supper, she picked up a bow without hesitation.
“I’ll gather rabbits,” she said matter-of-factly.
I barked a laugh. “Will ye now?”
She arched one dark brow at me. “Do ye doubt me?”
“Aye.”
Her lips twitched. “Then prepare to be humbled.”
God’s blood, but she looked beautiful stalking into the woods with determination flashing in her eyes, and I followed, glad that the tension I’d felt before from her seemed to be gone. As I was scanning the woods for a rabbit, she let out a woot beside me. I turned to find her running toward a rabbit she’d shot. As I started toward her, she picked it up, and turning my way, gave me a grin that made her eyes twinkle and nearly stopped my heart. “Well now,” I drawled as she lifted it a bit and gave me a smug look. “I’m surprised ye ken how to hunt.”
“There is much about me that would surprise ye, James.”
Something in her tone snagged my attention.
“Like what?”
She shrugged lightly as she started down the trail we’d come up. “I ken how to spear fish.”
I chuckled softly. “Do ye?”
“Aye,” she replied, striding faster now, so that I had to increase my own pace. “I can also trap wolves. Spot snakes beneath leaves. Find clean water during droughts.”
I followed behind her to our camp and aided her as she took the lead to build a fire and then set about skinning the rabbit. Her hands moved confidently with my dagger. “Ye seem to possess a lot of knowledge most lasses I have kenned do nae.”
“Well, I am certain I am nae like most lasses ye have keened.”
“Nay,” I murmured. “Ye certainly are nae.” The fire crackled softly between us as she put the rabbit on a stick and began to cook it. The savory smell of meat made my mouth water, but a question tickled the back of my mind. “Why have ye nae wed? A man could do these things for ye.”
Katreine scoffed immediately. “Why would I require a man to do things I’m perfectly capable of doing myself?”
I grinned faintly. “There are still some things a man does better.”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Such as?”
I leaned back against a fallen log, enjoying myself perhaps too much. “Ye can nae pleasure yerself the way a man can pleasure ye.”
The rabbit nearly slipped from her hand, and a blush immediately stained her cheeks. I nearly laughed out loud.
Then she lifted her chin stubbornly. “Make no mistake, James. I am fully capable of pleasuring myself.”
