“I’m no hearing that,” she barked, giving him a little push in the direction of the stool. “You favored yer side the whole way coming up the stairs so dinna you even think to deny it. Take it off.”
Robert stifled the urge to laugh at Isa’s demanding orders. “Yer a right bossy bit for a woman in danger,” he teased as he took a seat.
“It looks to me as if it’s you danger’s found. Now, hush yerself and do as yer told.”
He pulled the long shirt from his plaid, biting back a groan as he lifted it over his head and off. His shoulder was sore from the blows he’d blocked, but hardly worth noting.
It was the old scar over his ribs that concerned him. Swollen and tender to the touch, it looked like a wound only weeks into the healing process.
He had no choice but to face the obvious—that this wasn’t any normal injury but the beginning of the danger that Cate and Mairi had feared.
Cate’s warning rang in his memory.
“You’re going back to a time when you’re not supposed to exist. If the Magic seeks to equalize what should be with what is, you could be in real trouble.”
The steadily worsening wound on his chest was trouble, all right. It seemed clear to him that this was the Faerie Magic working to set history to rights.
Which meant his time here, his time to get Isa to safety, would be coming to an end.
His muscles twitched involuntarily in response to the cold, wet cloth she stroked over the scratches on his face.
“I’m sorry it’s cold. I’ve nothing to heat the water in.”
He shook his head, but didn’t reply, fighting to ignore his physical response to her hands on his body. Though her touch was gentle, as if she feared she might hurt him, it was the fire she trailed across his skin that made him flinch. When her fingers stroked over the Mark of the Guardian on his upper arm, he felt as if the air had been sucked from his lungs.
By the time she reached his chest, he could stand no more and grabbed her hands, holding them within his own.
“I need you to listen to me and think hard on what I say. Tomorrow morning, when we leave this place, let me take you to MacQuarrie Keep.”
The shake of her head foretold what her words would be. “I canna do that, Robbie. I’ve animals depending on me. I have to return to my home. I’ve no desire to leave there.”
His frustration got the better of him.
“Goddammit, Isa! Yer animals are the least of yer worries. There’s MacDowylt to consider, and after yer grandfather’s big announcement tonight, there’s Lardiner. My time here is limited, and I’ve no stomach for leaving you at the mercy of men such as these.”
She stared into his eyes, her expression serious and thoughtful, until at last she smiled, a sad little uplifting of the corners of her mouth.
“Yer a good man, Robbie MacQuarrie. You’ve no tried to force me to do this against my will and that means a great deal to me. If it will make you rest better, I’ll think on yer request this night.”
Force her? He could never do that, though he knew many a good man who would. Somehow, in this situation, it seemed wrong. Whether it was the knowledge of the Faerie edict against changing history or something else, something about Isa herself, he couldn’t bring himself to drag her away against her will.
That she even considered what he asked felt like a major step in the right direction.
“Then I’ll leave you to yer rest.” He started to rise, but found himself unable to stand, unwilling to do so, when she pressed down on his shoulders.
“I’d rather you stay here. There’s plenty of covers for me to make you a bed by the fire. And if whoever did this comes looking for you, it’s yer room they’ll search, no mine.”
The invitation was tempting. It was those men coming after her that worried him. In spite of how it looked, he could take care of himself. Here, in her room, he could see to her safety as well.
Still, it wasn’t right. Someone would see. Someone always did. Word would spread. “I’ll no compromise yer reputation by spending the night in yer room.”
“As if you suppose I care what anyone thinks?” she scoffed. Then, as if she could read the indecision in him, she stood and hurried to her bed, pulling covers off and bundling them in her arms.
“It’s settled, then. Yer staying here for the night.”
Chapter 16
The wind had picked up, moaning as it forced itself through the gaps in the wooden shutters high on the wall of the bedchamber.
