Page 24 of Bride of Fire
Hallie might have submitted to the enemy. Feiyan might have yielded all her weapons. But Jenefer wasn’t about to give in to the Highlander. Not as long as there was breath in her body. And she’d make sure he didn’t lay a finger on her cousins either.
As it turned out, she needn’t have worried.
After leading them upstairs and into his chamber, he stirred the fire and opened the wooden chest at the foot of the bed to haul out a thick fleece coverlet. He quickly assessed the room and, apparently satisfied with its contents, headed toward the door again.
“Leap from the window, and ye’ll break upon the stones below,” he warned. “Come through the door, and I’ll be waitin’ on the other side with four feet o’ steel. Ye’re welcome to try scalin’ down the garderobe chute, but I’d not advise it.” With a curt nod, he added, “Sleep well.”
Then, to her amazement, he closed the door behind him, leaving them alone in the chamber. Apparently, he intended to treat them with courtesy.
“Interesting,” Feiyan remarked.
“The fool,” Jenefer scoffed, amused at the idea anyone could keep the Warrior Daughters of Rivenloch prisoner. “He has no idea who he’s dealing with.”
She knew there was a way out. There wasalwaysa way out.
“Nay, Jen,” Hallie said, sinking down onto the edge of the bed.
Jenefer gave her an innocent blink. “Nay? Nay what?”
“Nay, we’re not going to try to escape.”
“The hell we’re not,” Jenefer huffed. “He may have left us alone tonight, but make no mistake, once he’s rested from his journey—”
“He won’t harm us,” Hallie said.
“You don’t know that.”
Hallie pulled off her boots. “He’s an honorable man.”
“What!” Jenefer exploded. “You know as well as I do—the words ‘honorable’ and ‘Highlander’ cannot be uttered in the same breath.”
Feiyan shrugged. “He did give us drink and…” She bounced onto the bed, testing it. “A decent enough pallet.”
Jenefer shuddered. “Are you going tosleepin it? The bed of a flea-riddled Highlander?”
“Don’t be absurd,” Hallie said, pulling back the coverlet. “’Tis clean enough.” She climbed in, punching the bolster into a softer shape. “Besides, I’m going to need all the sleep I can get to untangle the coil you’ve put us in.”
“Me? You’rethe ones who got in my way.”
Feiyan shot to her feet. “In your way? My best weapons lie rusting out there on the sod, you ungrateful cur. Besides, as I recall, you were already caught fast in the villain’s clutches when we arrived.”
“I would have found a way free.” In fact, she was sure of it. Just as she was sure she’d find a way out of this chamber.
Feiyan clucked her tongue. “That’s the point, though, isn’t it? You always have to insist on using brute force. You have no sense of finesse. You can’t use brute force against a giant like the Highlander. By the Rood, Jen, did you get a good look at him?”
Shehadgotten a good look at him. He was not only incredibly large and strong. He was also, despite the nasty cuts and bruises marring his face, a maddeningly handsome figure of a man.
The fact that she’d noticed that irritated her greatly and made her snap at Feiyan. “Your precious finesse got you disarmed byyourfoe!”
“I could have killed him if I wanted to,” Feiyan boasted.
“Ha!” Jenefer mocked Feiyan’s delicate swishing moves. “All that polishing of your grace has left you with the strength of a child!”
“Oh ho!” Feiyan roared. “Would you like to challenge this child to a—”
“Quiet!” Hallie hissed from beneath the coverlet. “You’ll wake the—”
It was too late. A renewed wail interrupted her, proving they’d already awakened the infant.
