Page 58

She lifted her eyes. His face was inches from hers. There was blood on his sword and blood on his sleeve. And his expression frightened her almost as much as the attack had. It was raw, undisguised terror.

"Did he hurt ye?"

Neilina swallowed.

"I’m fine."

Marcas's jaw clenched. His arm tightened around her, hard enough to hurt. Then his thumb brushed carefully beneath her temple.

“Ye're bleeding.”

“It is nothing.”

“It isnae nothing.”

His voice was low, but there was something beneath it that made her look at him.

He looked furious.

"I'm fine," she said again, stepping out of his embrace "Marcas. I'm fine."

He didn't let her go far. His hand found her chin again, turning her face into better light, thumb brushing careful along the darkening mark at her temple where the blow had landed, and she watched a fury rise again behind his eyes that had nowhere left to go now that the immediate danger had passed.

"This isnae fine." His voice had gone rough, unsteady in a way she'd rarely heard from him. "Ye've a bruise rising the size of my hand, ye’re bleeding, and ye were nae ten feet from where I left ye, and three men had ye half off yer own feet before I even heard ye scream."

"I'm aware of exactly how close it was. I was there."

"Why did ye nae stay with the guards?" his voice sharpened and her eyes flew to his. "Uisdean was ten feet from ye⁠—"

"Uisdean was on the ground before I'd even registered the first man moving." Her voice cracked with the effort of keeping it level.

She stared at him.

"And what would ye have had me dae?” Her voice sharpened. “Stand still and wait fer them tae take me?"

"That isnae what I said."

"It is what ye're blaming me for. I didnae ken they were coming, Marcas. Naebody did. Ye werenae there tae stop it, and neither was I. I willnae stand here and let ye make this my fault for nae seeing a trap that even yer own men didnae see."

Something flickered across his face. Regret, perhaps. He looked away and for several moments he said nothing.

Then he turned towards the men gathering near the road.

“Double the guard.”

Neilina's head snapped up.

“What?”

“From this moment until we return tae MacKinnon, she doesnae leave my sight.”

She stared at him.

“Absolutely nae.”

His eyes returned to hers.

“Neilina, I'm doubling yer guard," he said, quieter now, though no less certain. "Four men, whenever ye leave the walls. Two, even inside them."