Page 28 of Kilted Abduction
The forest grew denser around him and the fog wound around the trunks of the trees, making it almost impossible to see well. The canopy above him was thick and hadn’t allowed much snow to fall to the ground. He had a feeling Ciara knew that without the snowfall, Magnus was not going to be able to track her that way. Grunting to himself, he pushed on, knowing she had to stick to the dense section of the forest to keep him from following her boot prints.
Where did she think she was going? There was nothing out there. Not for a long while yet and if what she’d told him was true, and that she had no idea where she was, being out in that weather was all but certain death for her. In nothing but her cloak, she would not last long out in those woods. Nor would he.
“Fer the wee man’s sake!”
Magnus paused and held his breath. In the stillness and silence of the woods around him, her voice seemed to echo, coming to him from every direction at once. He closed his eyes and focused hard, listening for the slightest sound that would tell him where she was. There. The snap of a branch sounded like an explosion of thunder. Magnus was certain it had come from his right. Turning, he moved quickly, flitting along the soft forest floor silently, moving like a wraith.
Magnus stepped out from behind a tree to see Ciara walking through the small snow-covered clearing. She was limping, which explained the curse he’d heard. The woman had obviously reinjured her twisted ankle in her flight.
“Ciara,” he called.
She spun around, brandishing a thick branch in her hand like she was ready to brain him. She was so small and the branch so large, it was a comical sight. Magnus had to keep himself from laughing. It was easier to bite it back when he remembered just how resourceful and dangerous she was. She might be small but he knew she was capable.
“Stay back,” she growled. “Leave me alone and let me go.”
“Ye ken I cannae dae that. But if ye stop fightin’ me, I’ll take care of that ankle.”
“Oh, well isnae that lovely,” she calls. “Yer goin’ tae patch me up just so ye can turn me over tae yer braither tae be tortured and killed, eh?”
Magnus rolled his eyes. “Don’t be so bleedin’ daft, lass. Get that out of yer mind because we dinnae dae that.”
“So ye say.”
He scowled at her. “Maybe yer English friends like tae torture and kill, but we’re nae like that.”
“I dinnae have any English friends, ye bleedin’ mule. Can’t yet get that through yer thick skull?”
“And if that true, ye’ll be fine,” Magnus called across the clearing. “Just come with me and talk tae me braither. Everything will be fine.”
“Leave me be, Magnus. Leave me be and let me go on me way.”
Her eyes still on him, Ciara took a step back and was then… gone. Magnus stood still as a statue for a moment gaping at the clearing before him, trying to understand what had just happened. It was like she’d just disappeared into thin air.
“Ciara!” he called.
His heart racing, and fear coursing through his veins, Magnus dashed across the clearing, pulling up short when he realized what had happened. He stood at the edge of a large hole in the clearing that had been partially masked by foliage and the fresh fallen snow. Ciara had been so focused on him that she hadn’t seen it. And when he peered into the hole and he saw what hadbecome of her and relief flooded his body, Magnus had to stop himself from laughing.
“Aye. I’m glad ye’re gettin’ a good laugh out of this then,” she snarled.
Ciara glared up at him from the bottom of the hole, which was about eight feet down. Her face was etched with frustration and embarrassment as mud covered her face and matted her hair. Ciara was filthy. And though her face was dark with anger and her eyes were narrowed to slits, Magnus was sure it was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen in his life. Sitting on her backside in a wide puddle of mud, she looked like a small child.
Magnus was silent for a moment as he took a deep, steadying breath. The fear he’d felt when she disappeared was as great as the relief that had gripped him when he found that she was all right. It wasn’t the reaction he’d expected to have and it left him confused. It had felt like a gut punch when she’d gone over the edge. It had been genuine fear that something terrible had happened to her. It wasn’t the sort of reaction he’d expected to have. She was a traitor after all.
“Well? Are ye goin’ tae stand there gapin’ at me like a mule? Or are ye goin’ tae help me out of this mess?” Ciara shouted at him.
“Oh, now ye want me help? Dinnae ye just tell me tae leave ye be?”
She screeched in frustration. “Ye are an impossible lout.”
“Aye. Sometimes.”
Thunder rumbled in the distance and a gust of frigid wind swept through the clearing. The storm had relented but it wasn’t done with them quite yet. There wasn’t a lot of time to get her out of the hole and back to the cabin. Magnus pushed aside the confusing feelings that swirled around inside of him and looked down at her. Ciara’s eyes were wide. She’d heard the thunder too and seemed to know what was coming.
“Ye get me out of here, Magnus” she screamed at him.
Unable to resist, he grinned. “Are ye sure ye want me tae?”
“Dinnae be such a bleedin’ idiot. Get me out of here!”
