Roark kissed his perceptive little owl’sforehead.“They are still, I believe, though neither one of themhas or would ever act against my mother’s marriage vows.As far asI know.”
“So why?”
“Why does Logan stay?”Roark said with a wryhalf-grin.“He stays to watch over her.To be her friend andprotector, as he was mine for a while.”
Alina tilted her head and looked into Roark’seyes.She traced a finger along the line of his clamped jaw to hischin.“What did he protect you from?”
“My father,” Roark said on an exhale.“Henever beat me or anything like that.It was more that he had hisfirst-born son, his golden boy, Ryan, and so I was never much of aconsideration for him until I became of use to send to Roger andall that brought with it.”
Alina laid her hand on Roark’s cheek.“I’msorry,” she said.“To not know a father’s love.”She dropped herhand and held his gaze.“What about your mother?”
Roark smiled.“My mother’s love made up forthe lack of my father’s my whole life.”
“Are you much alike?”
“My sister, Rowena, and I both look like ourmother’s side of the family, red-haired and freckled.My brother,Ryan, could be our father’s twin in looks and manner.Tall and leanwith brown hair, unblemished skin, and giant sticks up theirarses.”
Alina laughed.
“Logan says that looking into my eyes is likelooking into my mother’s, which is likely why he let a bothersomelad follow him around day in and day out from the time I was eight’til the day I left for North Shore Keep at ten and two.”
Alina twined her fingers through Roark’s andlaid her head on his chest.“I cannot imagine how it would feel tobe taken from your family at such a young age and made to liveamongst that pit of adders.”
“I learned how to survive it pretty quickly,”he said, touched yet not surprised Alina, out of all his so-calledfriends and family, understood and sympathized with him.“Luckily,Logan had already taught me how to be patient on the hunt, how towatch and study prey and predator, to make myself seem harmless orthreatening, depending on the situation.To know when to strike orwhen to remain hidden, or even,” he gave her shoulder a nudge,“when to flee.”
“Because of me,” she said.“To protectme.”
“Ach, Ali girl,” he murmured into her hair.“Don’t you know I’d give my life for yours, and gladly.”
“I do,” she whispered roughly.
The dog’s low woofs and a soft persistentknocking roused Roark from the little cocoon he and Alina formedbefore the fire.
“Logan?”he said through the closed door,short sword in hand.
“Aye, lad, open the door.”
By the moon’s position, it was late into thenight, and by Logan’s bright eyes, he had much to tell.Roarkpoured them all cups of ale while Logan, always a man of sense andorder, hung his cloak and cap on their pegs by the door.The threeof them sat at the table, the dogs at Alina’s feet, and Logan tooka long draught of ale and set his cup down.
“Donald and two of the laird’s men showed upat the manor house not long after I did,” he told them.
“They wasted no time coming after us then,”Roark said.He looked at Alina.“You can wager coin on Leif havingtold them you and I set a trap for him.”
Logan shook his head.“It’s worse than that,lad.Leif is dead.”
“What?”Roark and Alina said at the sametime.“How?”
“A scythe to the chest.”
“Damnation.”Roark shot up and paced from thetable to the hearth fire and back again.“He was alive when we lefthim,” he said, trying to make sense of what could’ve happened.“Hewas tied, gagged, and unconscious, but he was alive with a strongpulse and steady heartbeat.We checked twice.”He held up twofingers.“I wanted to slit the cur’s throat, but Alina stopped me.She said it would only make things worse, that I, we, could behanged for murder.Ah, fuck.”He looked to Alina, whose eyes werebig and round in her pale face, and swallowed past the fist-sizestone in his throat.“They’ll think we did it.They’ll charge uswith Leif’s murder.”He opened his arms to Alina, and she flew intothem.“I’m sorry, Ali,” he rasped.
She rolled her forehead into his shoulder andthen lifted her gaze to his.“Don’t be.You saved me from certainrape and who knows what else.We didn’t kill Leif.You and I havenothing to be sorry about.”
“We know that,” he said, “but without anywitnesses, or the actual murderer stepping up and admitting theirguilt, it’ll be our word against Roger’s.”
“The lying snake,” she hissed.She shudderedand Roark tightened his hold on her.“What do we do now?Will yourfather stand with you against Roger?”
Logan pressed his lips tight and shook hishead.“Laird Ronan has already proclaimed he’ll stand with Roger onthis.”
