Page 33 of Kilted Abduction
She stared at him for a long moment but said nothing as she looked down at herself. The emotion slowly drained from her face, and she appeared to be thinking about what he’d said. Her features eventually softened. Slightly.
“Fine,” she said. “So, ye didnae take advantage of me.”
“Nay. I didnae,” he said and winced. “Dinnae ye think ye owe me an apology fer kicking me?”
She smirked. “Nay. I dinnae.”
Magnus blew out a breath of frustration and took another moment to let the pain in his groin subside. Once he felt like he could move again, he walked to the door and opened it, looking at the landscape outside. Snow covered everything and it was frigid, but the sun shone through the patchy gray clouds in the sky above.
“We need tae go before another storm moves in,” he said.
Ciara seemed to deflate and lowered her gaze. After speaking with her last night, Magnus was having serious doubts about whether she was truly the spy they were looking for or not. He had to admit that she had made a fair point about it not making sense for her to draw the sort of attention to herself that winning the archery contest had if she had been a spy. Magnus knew that spies thrived in the shadows and in ensuring nobody knew who they were.
Then there was her story about running from a marriage she did not want to be forced into. Magnus knew well that political alliances were often sealed through marriage. He hated the idea that a Scottish laird would betray his own clan by marrying into English lineage, but he knew it happened all too often. It neverfailed to enrage him. In Magnus’ opinion, Scots who sold out other Scots were among the lowest forms of life in the world.
But he also knew that Ciara was a clever girl. Smart. Strategic. He knew that her story, although entirely feasible, could also be nothing more than a fiction. A tale designed to garner his sympathy and get him to lower his guard around her. It was the sort of thing a clever spy might come up with should she ever be captured. And because he couldn’t get into her mind, he had no idea which version of the scenario was true. It was why he needed to get her back to Dunvegan… to get to the truth of it.
“Come,” he said. “Gather yer things. We need tae go.”
He helped Ciara put on her cloak and fastened it tight around her, Magnus gathered the furs, put them back where they belonged, then banked the fire. Once he had cleaned up the lodge, he unbound Ciara’s feet, making sure the other bonds were good and tight. That done, he slung his pack and settled the weight of it on his shoulders.
“Still dinnae trust me, eh?” she asked.
“It still hurts where ye kicked me. I’m nae up tae another chase through the woods just yet,” he replied gruffly.
“Good,” she snapped. “I’m glad it hurts.”
“Let’s move.”
Trudging through the high drifts of snow made the going a little slow, but they made steady progress. All the while, Magnus kept one eye on the sky, watching the dark clouds that swirled and floated above them. They had a long way to go and if another storm rolled through, catching them, they were done for. He knew of other lodges they could shelter in, but they would need to cover some serious ground if they were going to reach them.
They came down a small hill and stopped on the banks of a river Magnus knew well. It was swollen from the abundant rain that had fallen in the previous months and moving faster than the last time he had been there. Crossing it was normally easy. Now though, getting from one side to the other was going to be difficult.
“So? What’s yer plan now?” Ciara scoffed.
Magnus glared at her as he studied the river and picked out a spot that seemed to be shallower than other parts.
“We’re goin’ tae cross it,” he said.
“Ye’re mad if ye think we can cross that. We’ll be swept away fer sure.”
“Just dae what I say and step where I tell ye tae step and ye’ll be fine.”
“I’m nae goin’ in that water,” she protested. “If we’re nae swept away, we’ll freeze tae death.”
“We’ll be fine.”
“Ye keep sayin’ that but I dinnae believe since I’ve never been in more danger than with ye.”
He snorted. “Ye’re the one who fell intae that pit on yer own. I didnae push ye.”
She pursed her lips and fell silent. Knowing the water was moving swiftly and the stones at the bottom of the river were likely to be slick, he untied Ciara’s hands. Her eyes instantly lit up and Magnus knew she was already thinking about escaping. He chuckled grimly then took hold of her arm.
“Ow,” she complained. “That hurts. Let go of me arm.”
“Nae likely. Let’s go.”
Magnus waded out into the water, biting back the gasp that bubbled up in his throat as the ice-cold water hit his legs. Still gripping Ciara’s arms, he pushed out further. At first, the water swirled around his calves, swift moving, but not powerfully so. By the time they reached the middle of the river though, the water was at his waist—higher on the smaller woman—and the cold was so biting, it had stolen his breath. For the first time, he thought he had perhaps made a mistake.
