Page 29 of Hunted By the Hard Highlander

The older woman was not the only one in the castle who appreciated the efforts that Aurora had been making. He could not deny that she had been essential in maintaining the herbs. Other members of the clan had noticed her attentiveness as well.

They can see that she isnae just some stranger.

“I’m quite happy that she was so welcomin’,” Aurora said. She looked at the candles along the table, her eyes following the flames as they danced. “Ye have been more welcomin’ than I imagined ye would be.”

Hendry chuckled under his breath, the whisky he had been sipping throughout the evening making his carefully held mask in place. “I amnae a savage man, Aurora. I keep to meself.”

“Aye, I ken that now,” she said warmly. When her emerald irises finally turned back to him, it was as if all of the alcohol that he had consumed hit him all at once. “But at first, I truly did think that ye would throw the two of us into yer dungeons.”

“Nay, I wouldnae do that,” he said. Then, the corner of his mouth twitching, he said, “Ye have proven that ye would have been a fine maid or healer’s apprentice. Keepin’ ye in the dungeon would be a waste.”

Aurora blinked. Then, sounding almost surprised at herself, she giggled. It was such a sweet sound, pushing the subdued sounds of waning celebration out of his mind. Before he even realized it, he had leaned in even closer to her.

“Well, then I am grateful that I wasnae ever goin’ to be locked away,” she said.

For a beat, they were silent, crackles of energy passing between the two of them. He nearly lost his head, the warm lighting and easy conversation making the moment dreamlike. If it were not for Willy barking out a loud laugh just a few seats away, Hendry was sure he was going to reach out to her.

“I should take meself to bed as well,” Aurora said when the noise died down a little once more. “It is growin’ quite late.”

“Aye,” Hendry agreed, clearing his throat as he tried to force normalcy into the interaction. Still, it felt anything but. “Rest well.”

“Ye as well,” she said, staying in her seat for another second before slowly pushing herself away from the table.

As she made her way through the great hall, several of the clan members bid her a good night. Without his permission and before he could stop it, he realized that she may belong here much more than he ever thought possible.

Chapter Fourteen

Too many rules between us.

Aurora turned over in her bed, pushing the comforter down from around her shoulders roughly. She had been trying to sleep for hours, but her mind would not leave Hendry alone. It simply refused.

If she were not thinking of his lips against hers, she was thinking about the words he had whispered to her in the great hall.

“Why would he say that?” she asked the quiet air around her. “What could he possibly mean by it?”

With a soft groan, she pushed herself upright. Her body felt heavy with the weight of the day’s festivities. It was completely at odds with her racing mind.

The beams of the castle creaked as the castle was battered by harsh Highland winds. It seemed almost as if the land itself could not rest either. She closed her eyes, listening as the leaves rustled in the distance. Then, from the far end of the corridor, she heard the distinct sound of footsteps sliding across the stone floor.

They moved slowly, landing with a solid thud that did not echo. Whoever it was, they were attempting to keep from waking anyone else. Had she not been listening for it, Aurora doubted she would have heard it even now.

“Who is that?” she murmured to herself, curiosity getting the better of her as she got out of bed and padded over to her door.

She stood, gripping the handle as the heavy steps passed her. They must know the castle well, as they moved with the certainty that only comes from years of navigating this space in the dark. Her fingers tightened as she resisted the urge to throw it open and step into the hall.

Her heart wanted to believe it was Hendry even though she knew it could be any man in the castle passing her by. The steps were muffled, as though the man were intentionally concealing his identity. Somehow, she did not feel afraid of the person in the hall.

Waiting until she was sure that whoever it was would not hear her door opening, Aurora poked her head into the corridor just in time to see Hendry turning a corner. When his form registered in her mind, it was almost as if her body moved of its own accord. She did not give herself time to think, grabbing a robe before leaving her room.

As silently and quickly as she could, she followed his retreating form. Her steps were normally soft, but now they were feather-light. She traced her fingers along the wall as she went, trusting that she would not collide with anything so long as she stayed at the edges.

Dying torches flickered as she trailed Hendry. She held her breath each time he turned, ducking into alcoves and behind pillars to conceal herself. She was certain that he would be furious if he were to find out that she was following him.

It was not as if she had any other reason for being out of her room so late at night.

When he walked into the library, leaving the door cracked just a bit, she stopped several steps away from the room. Perhaps he had simply been unable to sleep and had come to read. Even as she told herself, though, another voice told her that he was not just going to read.

So, summoning the same courage that coaxed her out of her room, she approached the door and looked inside. Her fingers rested against the wooden frame, and she used the darkness of the passageway to her advantage. Still, she held her breath, afraid that even the smallest sound might alert Hendry to her presence.