her as he hurried forward.
The steady thrum of hooves increased.
A branch slapped her face; she caught the next one and shoved it away.
He reached toward the moss, tugged the blanket, and moved aside.
Linet hurried in.
Seathan followed. The moss-sewn cover flopped against the entry, smothering them in muted darkness. “Wait.” He leaned against the wall, his chest heaving. “Le-Let your vision adjust.”
A horse whinnied. The thrum of hooves sounded nearby.
“Over here,” a man called out.
“What have you found?” another man asked.
“Footprints,” the first man replied.
Linet gasped.
Seathan motioned for her to keep silent, his pulse racing, the wound in his right side sticky with blood. Bedamned. If only there had been time to erase their tracks.
“It looks as though the tracks lead to the rocks,” a man said. “Methinks they went into the trees.”
“Mayhap,” a second man replied. Long seconds dragged past. The clomp of hooves upon rock and leaves echoed from outside.
“I do not see anyone,” the first man said, this time his voice closer.
Linet’s body trembled against Seathan’s. He leaned against the wall for support. Out of reflex, he drew her to him, his other hand clasp around his dagger.
“They must have traveled farther,” yet another man stated.
“With the freshness of these tracks,” the second man said, “not very much. Wherever they are, they are close. We will break up. Ulric, take two men and ride east. Everyone else, we will circle to the west and meet on the other side.”
Hoofbeats sounded, and then slowly faded.
Seathan heaved a sigh.
“They have left,” Linet whispered.
“Fo-For now. When they do not find me, they will return and search this area again. Come.” Head pounding, he released her. In the muted light, he staggered toward the rear of the cave, focusing on each step.
The dismal surroundings grew brighter as they moved deeper inside. They rounded the corner and the cavern opened to the outside. Sunlight streamed into the darkness like a golden rain to erase the shadows.
A look of awe painted Linet’s face. She stepped to the ledge, scanned the gorge sprawled below. “It is beautiful.”
“Aye.” He stumbled.
She whirled. Worry streaked her face as she hurried back and set his arm over her shoulder to steady him. “You must lie down.”
He grimaced. As if he had an option. His legs were beginning to give, and his mind was quickly following. Even now, he fought for coherent thought. With her help, he settled against the layered rock, the sun upon his face.
Linet glanced at his right side, frowned. “Why did you not tell me you were bleeding?”
“Na-Naught but a wee scratch.”
“A scratch?” she scoffed. “I have tended to warriors from enough battles to know the injury is more than that. I need to cleanse the wound. Stay here.”
Before he could object, she stood, removed her cape, and withdrew the water pouch she carried. Sunlight streaming behind her framed the slender lines of her body shielded beneath a linen gown.
His rebuke fell away as he took in the smooth curve of her ankle. Her gown concealed neither her slim waist nor generous breasts. Even confused by fever, he couldn’t help but admire her supple curves.
Ignorant of her effect on him, after giving him a drink of water, she knelt before him. “I must remove your tunic to see the extent of your injury.”
A part of him wanted to refuse. But the warrior in him understood the threat of a wound untreated. This lass, wrapped within her innocence, knew naught of her potent effect.
“I can remove it my-myself.” Seathan tugged the tunic over his head, his muscles screaming at the movement.
She grimaced as she leaned closer. Her soft breath skimmed across his inflamed skin, and he gritted his teeth.
Linet looked up.
Stilled.
Green eyes held hers, hot, burning with fever, but also laden with desire. His feral look sparked awareness in her body like flint to steel. Her lips tingled with remembrance of their kiss within the cell, that dangerous moment when she’d forgotten her objective, the reason she’d sought out Lord Grey. She inhaled, and his scent, that of earthy male and domination, flooded her senses.
She pulled back, but images of him covering her mouth and of her drowning in his taste remained. No, she could not ponder such sensual thoughts. He was a dangerous temptation, one she could never accept. They had little in common except her brother, a man they both despised.
Taking a steadying breath, Linet tore a strip of cloth from her chemise, dampened it, and gently began to cleanse the wound. Honed muscles rippled beneath her touch, skin battered by scars, those of a man seasoned by war. Those of a man who fought for what was his. Those of a man loyal to his country and family.
Unnerved by her attraction toward a man who was dangerous to her on so many levels, she removed the cloth. She wrung the strip of fabric out, redampened it, only to have to touch him again. To be reminded of the man who stirred desires best ignored.
Under her touch, his body tensed and a pained breath hissed from his mouth, but he made no protest.
“The wound is long, but thankfully not deep,” she forced out as she fought for calm. “As we travel, I will find herbs to pack against the gash to ensure it does not fester.” She again wrung out the cloth, then continued dabbing away the small flecks of dirt outlining the wound. “In time, you should be left with only a scar.”
“You are a healer?”
At the softness of his words, she tensed. His simple question fooled her not. He sought clues as to who she was, details she could never give.
“No. I have aided our healer when the necessity arose.” She gave him an admonishing look. “You need rest, not meaningless talk.” Before he could push for further information, a trait she was learning to expect from him, she stood. “Though it is early, you need to sleep. Besides, with Lord Tearlach’s men searching for you, it is too risky to travel.”
He eyed her a long moment, then started to get up.
The fool! She caught his shoulders. “If you move about, you will reopen your injury.”
Seathan grimaced, shoved her hands away, and pushed to his feet. He gestured toward the far wall. “Th-There are blankets behind the stacked wood. Lift them and you will see other provisions as well.”
