Evander squared up to him. His stance remained loose and almost casual, but his eyes turned steely and unblinking. A muscle drummed in his cheek.
That’s how he looks when he’s angry,supplied a small voice at the back of Skye’s head. She frowned, trying to work out how she knew this.
“I had nothing to do with her disappearance,” Evander murmured. “I told ye this at the time. I am just as furious at this as ye are. Whatever the reason for her disappearance, if it were intentional, it is an insult and a danger to me as well as ye. Rest assured, I want vengeance as much as ye do. Let’s nae bother bickering when the real danger remains out there.”
Creighton pursed his lips and glanced over at Skye. “Do ye remember if ye left of yer own accord or nae? Think, lass.”
She screwed up her eyes, vainly willing memories to come forward. It was no good. The last year remained a blank. She still could not quite believe that there hadbeena last year, that a twelvemonth had gone by and left her behind.
“I… I daenae ken,” she whispered.
“Try.”
“I cannae, Creighton.”
“Justtry.”
“Enough,” Evander interjected, stepping between Creighton and Skye. “I want her to remember just as much as ye, man. But pressuring her will do no good. In fact, it might make the memories retreat. She cannae conjure them at will. She’ll have to wait for them to come back of their own accord. We all must wait,” he added pointedly, meeting Creighton’s eyes.
Creighton pressed his lips together, but then gave a reluctant nod and turned away.
“I chose to be here,” Skye said suddenly.
Both men glanced at her. She stared at the mat between her feet.
Here was the intersection of two mats laid across the tent floor. There was a tiny, finger-width scrap of grass between the two edges, where they did not quite overlap. She felt the urge to reach down and dig her finger into the earth, as if that might ground her and draw out the truth.
“What do ye mean?” Creighton prompted.
“I mean that me braither didnae want me to go to Keep Bryden, but I chose to. Ikenwho I am and what I want. I chose to be here, and I chose to marry Evander. If I did all of that, Icannae imagine that I would simply change me mind for no good reason.”
“Something could have happened on yer wedding day to change yer mind,” Creighton suggested.
She shook her head slowly. “It could have, but somehow I daenae believe that. It doesnae sit right with me.”
“Ye can hardly trust yer instincts right now,” Creighton snorted. “Ye cannae even remember the past year.”
“True,” Skye acknowledged. “But I cannae imagine that I would suddenly change me mind and want to leave. Imusthave been taken.”
There was a long silence after she’d spoken, reality sinking in. Skye glanced between the two men’s faces, wondering if she dared break the silence just yet.
“Well,” Creighton said at last. “This is bad. Perhaps ye had nothing to do with it, Evander, but I’ll nae take the chance. She’s coming back with me to Keep MacColl. Ye can come if ye want, but?—”
“Nae a chance,” Evander interrupted. “She’s me wife. She’s coming back with me.”
“She doesnae even remember marrying ye! And I bet that she wouldnae marry ye now if ye asked.”
Evander missed a beat, glancing briefly over his shoulder at Skye. Their eyes met, just for a heartbeat, then he turned away. “This is me problem to solve. She is me wife.”
“And me cousin. And Laird MacCrimmon’s sister. She comes with me.”
“She stays.”
“I am right here, ye ken!” Skye burst out. “Ye could justaskme what I want.”
Evander turned to her. “All right, then. What do ye want?”
She hadn’t expected either of them to actuallyask. She blinked, floundering for a second.
