Tearlach leaned his weight back against the cave wall with a disbelieving laugh and shook his head. Why was he staring at her like that? He’d thought she’d fled at the first opportunity, but instead she’d gone out and “caught” him someone to feed on. How was he supposed to look at her? He felt confused and befuddled and at the same time a seed of joy had burst to life in his chest and was growing and growing. Her bottom backing into the cave may as well have been the sun, because the cold, damp, and dark cave suddenly seemed like the sunniest spot on the earth and Tearlach found himself grinning like an idiot...an expression that apparently concerned Lucy no end.
“Are you feeling all right?” she asked, stepping to his side to press the back of a hand to his forehead. “You have not taken on a fever, have you?”
“I be fine,” he assured her, his voice husky as he caught her hand and took it away from his forehead. He clasped it and smiled softly, wanting more than anything in the world to kiss this voluptuous little woman with the beautiful smile and caring eyes. Instead, he blurted, “Ye didnae need me to escape, lass.”
Her eyes widened slightly at the change of subject, but then she just shrugged and said, “Aye, I did. My conscience would not have allowed me to leave you there, so I needed you to leave so I could.”
Tearlach grinned. “Ye got us both out o’ there yerself. Ye didnae need me. I was just a burden.”
Lucy looked annoyed. “I would not have left without you.”
“Ye saved me, lass.”
Now she looked embarrassed as well as annoyed. When she waved away his words and turned to scowl at the unconscious man on the cave floor before them, he said, “I thought ye were horrified on learnin’ what I was. That ye now thought me a monster and only wanted me to help ye escape and would flee at the first opportunity.”
Lucy glanced back at him with surprise and then frowned and said firmly, “A pair of fangs and a need for blood do not a monster make. Wymon has neither, yet I know no one more monstrous.”
Tearlach felt pain rise and recede in his chest as he heard the pain in her voice. Wymon. The man had killed her brother, kidnapped her, chained her to his wall, and intended to force her to marry him.
“Besides,” Lucy said suddenly, drawing his attention to the wry smile now curving her lips. “While you were not really very helpful in the escape, I was surely happy with the company,” she assured him. “And I am certain you shall be more helpful in future if you will just feed and regain your strength.”
The last was said with firm insistence and Tearlach smiled at the scowl she now cast his way. She had spoken nothing but the truth. He hadn’t been any help and his earlier belief that she had sided with him only to gain his aid in fleeing was just ridiculous, a result of his muddled thoughts, he supposed. It was obvious he wasn’t thinking clearly and it was time he fed and did start thinking clearly.
His gaze dropped to the “something” she’d brought him to break his fast. The man was now wholly inside the cave and not likely to be seen from outside, that being the case, there seemed little reason to make her drag the man farther inside. Dropping to his knees, he bent toward the soldier’s neck, pausing when Lucy cleared her throat and asked uncertainly, “You will not need to kill him, will you?”
Tearlach paused and raised his head to peer at her curiously. She looked uncomfortable and worried.
“Not if ye dinnae wish it,” he said quietly.
Lucy shifted on her feet and then sighed, “‘Tis just that...well, I know he is one of Wymon’s men, but as such he really has to do what he is ordered to and I—”
“I willnae take sae much it kills him,” he assured her solemnly and then, self-conscious about feeding in front of her, he tried to distract her by asking, “how exactly is it ye caught him, lass?”
“Oh, well, I woke up when they were riding past. I moved to the mouth of the cave and overheard them talking. They planned to camp in a nearby clearing. I waited until they had passed, then followed and climbed a tree near the clearing to keep an eye on them and watch for one of them to separate from the others.” She paused and grinned. “I picked a very fortuitous tree. I had barely settled in my spot when this one got up, left the clearing, and came to the base of the tree I was in.” She peered at the unconscious man. “Fortunately, it was the smallest of the three of them and the tree isn’t far from here else I would never have been able to bring him back here on my own.”
“Aye,” Tearlach agreed, glancing at the man in question. Actually, lad was probably the better description. He was no more than sixteen and slender in build. Still it was obviously an effort for her to drag him to the cave. Raising his eyebrows, he glanced to her and asked, “Why did he walk to yer tree and how did he end up unconscious?”
“Oh...er...he needed to...er...” She wrinkled her nose, obviously finding it beyond her to state the man had stopped to relieve himself on the tree.
“I understand,” Tearlach assured her and she smiled gratefully.
“Well, while he was...er...distracted with his business, I threw a rock down and hit him in the temple.”
Tearlach raised an eyebrow. “Ye threw a rock? And where did ye find this rock in the tree?”
“Oh.” Lucy waved that away. “I collected several and put them in my pocket before I left the cave.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out several rather large stones.
Tearlach stared at her with admiration. “And ye knocked him oot with the first rock?”
She blushed prettily, but nodded. “My brother and I used to practice hitting targets with rocks when I was growing up. He used to say that the simplest weapons were often the most effective, that a stone had felled Goliath and could come in quite handy when necessary.”
Tearlach smiled. “It’s soundin’ tae me as if yer brother was almost preparin’ ye fer a situation sech as this.”
“Aye.” Her smile faded. “He worried about me constantly. He said it seemed foolish to him that women were the weaker sex and yet were not trained to defend themselves as they should. He said he never wanted me to come to harm because I knew not how to defend myself. He taught me many things while growing up that most ladies do not learn.”
Tearlach felt his own smile fade as he watched the pain well up on her face at the loss of such a brother. He wished he could take that pain away, but knew he could not. He also wished he’d met and had the chance to get to know this man. He was sure he would have liked him, but that too was impossible, of course.
“Ye should sit and rest,” he said gruffly. “Ye’ve had a busy mornin’.”
“Aye.” She forced the grief from her face. “I found a handful of berries on my walk. I shall just sit and eat them while you...er...”
Lucy never finished the words, but turned and moved farther into the cave, finding a good-sized boulder to sit on. She then pulled her berries from her pocket. They obviously hadn’t fared well in there, and she grimaced at their squished and bruised state but set about eating them with determination.
Positioning himself so that he could bend over the man with his back to Lucy and thereby block her view of what he was doing, Tearlach didn’t waste any more time, but knelt to feed. It was a quick business despite the amount of blood he took. He left the lad alive as Lucy wished, but the fellow wouldn’t be up and about for a while.
Sitting up once he’d judged he’d taken what he could without killing the young man, Tearlach closed his eyes and allowed a moment for the blood to get to where it needed to go. He’d taken much more from the fellow than he had from Lucy the day before and felt better for it. His weakness was slipping from him by the second, leaving him feeling strong and capable again. Relief followed hard. Tearlach wasn’t used to feeling weak and dependent on others and hadn’t enjoyed it.
“How do you feel?” Lucy asked from her boulder when he suddenly stood.
“Better,” he assured her and proved it by bending to catch the unconscious fellow by his collar and lifting him half off the ground. “I
’m takin’ him back where his friends will find him. I’ll not be long.”
Without waiting for her response, Tearlach dragged the man out of the cave and then paused. It was still light out, but the dusky light of new night, that grey place between day and full night that seemed to last so long in summer. He took in a deep breath of cooling air as his eyes slid over the area outside the cave where they had taken shelter and then his eyes found the path of crushed grass and weeds that Lucy had made dragging the man to him. He frowned at the obvious trail, knowing they were lucky one of the man’s friends hadn’t come looking for him and spotted it. It would have led right to them.
Aware that could still happen, Tearlach hefted the fellow over his shoulder, grimacing at the effort it took. He was much better than he had been, but more blood would help him regain full strength. With the man on his shoulder, he scrubbed one boot over the ground as he went, trying to repair some of the damage done and eradicate the trail. He gave it up after a bit, thinking it would be smarter to just relieve himself of his burden and get Lucy moving away from there as quick as they could. After all, the state of the man he was carrying would be a dead giveaway that they’d been in the area.
Thinking this made more sense, Tearlach simply followed the path to the tree where Lucy obviously had downed the man. He lay him down there, leaning him against the tree, then paused and glanced around. It wasn’t far from the cave, which was probably a good thing. Lucy wouldn’t have managed to drag him back otherwise. But the others would be nearby and he could do with a bit more blood.
Lifting his face to the sky he breathed in deeply, taking in the scents on the night air. His olfactory senses were better than most men’s, almost as good as an animal’s for scenting trouble on the air. Now he used it, hoping to get an idea of which direction he should go to find his breakfast’s friends. He’d barely started scenting the air, however, when he heard the snapping of twigs and someone grumbling.
“God dammit, Jones. Where have you got to?”
Tearlach smiled wryly as he lowered his chin to peer into the woods in the direction of the sound. Luck was with him tonight. The man’s friends were going to make it easy to find them. He stood waiting where he was, smiling when another soldier broke out of the trees and came to a startled halt right in front of him.
“What—?” the man began, and then his gaze dropped to the huddled form slumped against the tree behind Tearlach and the man cursed and whirled away, ready to make a run for it. He didn’t manage more than one step before Tearlach was on him.
Lucy had finished her berries and was sadly contemplating her still mostly empty stomach when the crunch of feet on stone drew her gaze to the mouth of the cave. Tearlach had returned, she saw with relief and smiled, then her eyes widened as she spotted what he carried with him. A rabbit, skinned, skewered, and already roasted.
“Where did you get that?” she asked, getting eagerly to her feet and moving to join him.
“The lad’s friends were camped nearby. They had this all prepared and ready when I found them. I think they were about to eat.” He held the meat out. “Here, hold it for me while I saddle your mare.”
Lucy automatically accepted the meat, but her attention was now on Tearlach. She bit her lip as she watched him work over the mare, hesitating until he had finished saddling the animal and turned back to face her before finally saying carefully, “They were camped nearby?”
“They still are,” he assured her with a roll of the eyes. “They’re all sleeping now.”
“Oh.” She relaxed and managed a smile, her attention turning back to the rabbit. Lucy licked her lips as she gazed at it. “It looks good.”
“Aye. Smells good too.” Tearlach grinned at the greedy look in her eyes, and then stopped teasing her. “Ye can eat while we ride. Come.”
Her stomach rumbling at the very thought of eating the meat, Lucy followed him to her mount. When he turned his back and wasn’t looking, she couldn’t resist pinching off just a bit of meat and popping it quickly into her mouth. Lucy nearly moaned aloud at the succulent taste that exploded in her mouth. It seemed like forever since she’d eaten anything but those few berries.
A gasp of surprise slid from her lips as Tearlach suddenly leaned to the side and scooped her up off the cave floor.
“Would you like some?” she asked guiltily as he settled her in the saddle before him.
Tearlach’s chest rumbled with quiet laughter as she held out the rabbit to him, but he shook his head. “I ha’e fed.”
Lucy’s eyes widened as she met his gaze. “Do you not eat food?”
“Aye,” he answered, not appearing upset by the question and then explained, “there were two rabbits o’er the fire. I ate one on the way back to the cave and saved the other fer you.”
“Oh.” She relaxed and even smiled as she realized the entire rabbit was for her.
Tearlach left her to eat in peace as he urged the horse out of the cave and onto the path.
Every last trace of the sun was now gone, taking its light with it, but the moon was full and bright this night, offering its own light for them to see by. They’d traveled for perhaps five minutes before Lucy became aware of Tearlach relaxing in the saddle behind her. It was only then that she realized that he’d been tense and alert before that. It wasn’t long after that before he began to speak.
“I ha’e tae find and rescue me cousin, Heming,” he announced.
Lucy frowned as she chewed and swallowed the bit of rabbit in her mouth. “Aye,” she murmured, her eyebrows drawing together. She hadn’t thought much about what may have happened to the second Scot. This man and her own situation had taken up too much of her mind to leave much room for Heming. Now she considered him and worried over his fate, wondering where he had been taken and what he was suffering.
She suspected whatever was happening to him was at least as bad as the torture and whipping Wymon had visited on Tearlach and shuddered at the thought of the unending torture he may be suffering.
“O’ course I’ll see ye home safe first,” he added as if she may have feared he would dump her at the side of the road now that they were away. While she supposed another man might have, she hadn’t even considered he would. She’d instinctively trusted him with her well-being. Before she could comment, he added, “How far is Blytheswood castle from the cave we slept in, lass?”
“Only about three hours’ ride at this pace,” she answered quietly and then bit her lip as she considered going home. Home to Blytheswood and the reality of her brother’s being dead, murdered by their neighbor. Her people would be in an uproar if they knew. Whether they knew or not was the question. Had Wymon sent news of John’s death and spread the story of her being taken by the murdering Scot who had supposedly killed him? Or had he stayed silent on the subject until he saw whether he could convince her to marry him or not? She doubted he’d remained silent. When she and John hadn’t returned to Blytheswood, riders would have been sent to search the path between there and Carbonnel. They would have had to have been told something.
“We’ll ha’e to be cautious in our approach until we learn what tale Carbonnel has spread,” Tearlach said, his thoughts obviously following the same line as her own.
“Aye,” Lucy agreed, her gaze on the remainder of the rabbit she held. Her appetite had fled with thoughts of John. They’d been close, friends as well as siblings. She would miss him terribly and would never forget the moment when their eyes had locked as Wymon had stabbed him. He’d been far too good a man to die like that.
“Rest if ye like, I’ll wake ye when we get close,” Tearlach suggested, but Lucy shook her head at once. She just knew if she closed her eyes her brother’s death would replay itself in her mind with all its horror and sorrow. She’d avoid that as long as possible. It had been bad enough in the cave. Besides, she wasn’t tired. She’d only been awake a matter of hours.
“Who do you think it is that took your cousin?” she asked to distract them both.
With her back to him as it was, she sensed rather than saw the way he jerked his head down to peer at her. “Diya no ken?”
Lucy leaned back against him and tipped her head up to see his face. He looked positively horrified, she saw with a frown, but shook her head. “Nay. Why would you think I would?”
“Well, surely ye saw who it was who took him from the inn?” Tearlach asked with a frown.
Lucy started to shake her head and then paused. She’d seen a lot of men in the inn, and then later pouring into the courtyard. As many of them had been strangers as were men from Carbonnel. None but Carbonnel’s men had worn colors, however, or clothing that would have told where they were from.
“I saw many men, but no one I recognized as another lord,” she murmured thoughtfully and heard Tearlach curse under his breath before she continued, “but that in itself could be a clue.”
“Explain,” he ordered, sounding grim.
Lucy didn’t obey at once, but tried to order her thoughts and recall all she could about the episode at the inn. Finally, she said, “None of the men there were from any of the neighboring castles, else I would have recognized them. They are from farther away, north I think,” she murmured.
“North?” Tearlach caught at the suggestion.
“Aye. Scotland, I think. Just before I blacked out, I heard someone with a soft Scottish burr saying, ‘Ye take the MacAdie, I’ll take the other and guid luck to us both.’”
“Aye, a Scot,” Tearlach murmured thoughtfully and then added, “Carbonnel told me that we were followed from Scotland. It makes sense that the other man was a Scottish laird, most like the leader o’ the men who were set on our trail.”
Lucy nodded. “Then we need only follow your trail backward starting at the border of Scotland.”
“Aye, that’s what I’ll have to do,” he said meaningfully, and then added, “ye’ll be safe and sound at Blytheswood.”
Lucy grimaced. “You should not take this on all by yourself, Tearlach. If you are captured—”
Highland Thirst Page 19