Page 30 of The Cruel Highlander's Healer
“If ye daenae stop movin’,” he ground out, eyes flashing with both desire and aggravation. “I’m goin’ to think ye want somethin’ to happen. Do ye want a repeat of what happened in the study?”
Eliza blanched. She threw a hurried glance to Dougal and Alistair; certain she’d find their eyes locked on her and the Laird after a statement like that.
But both guard’s gazes were fixed ahead. Either Laird MacKinnon had spoken too softly for them to hear him, or they were very good at minding their own business.
She had a sneaking suspicion that it was the latter.
“I daenae ken what ye mean.” Eliza worked to keep her voice light, attempting an air of aloofness that she wasn’t quite sure she achieved.
“Would ye like me to remind ye?” The Beast of the MacKinnons pressed his body flush against hers.
If Eliza thought the feel of him had been oppressive before, it was nothing compared to now. Every rippling muscle of his torso pressed into her back, flexing as the Laird shifted with the horse.
“Would ye like me to remind ye of how it felt to have ‘em hands in yer hair?” His voice was low enough there was no chance of it carrying to the other two men.
But it also meant he had to bring his mouth even closer to her ear. He was so close that Eliza could feel his lips move, brushing gently against her ear with each word.
“Because I can do that,” he murmured.
Eliza shivered, scooting herself up as far as the saddle would allow so that she could create just a little distance.
“No,” she said forcefully, and she did not miss the low, dark chuckle that Conall let out. “I daenae want nothin’ from ye.”
“Then I suggest ye stop shovin’ yer backside up against me.”
His voice was little more than a growl. Eliza opened her mouth to argue, but the moment she did, they crested their final hill. The village sprawled out before them, nestled in a shallow valley between the rolling foothills of the highlands.
Smoke poured from chimneys, chickens clucked, and roosters crowed. There was even the sound of a donkey braying as they rode into the town center.
But for a place of its size, there were not near as many people as Elizan would have expected. Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to take in the scene before them.
Typically, she would expect there to be men and women bustling about. Eliza would expect old women to be hunched over washing basins, gnarled hands clawing at garments as they scrubbed them clean. But there was hardly any of that.
Of the few people that were out walking around, their heads were hunched and shoulders bowed. They scurried through the street, clearly not wanting to dawdle as they made their way to their destination.
“Somethin’ isnae right,” the Laird mused, low enough that she knew he was speaking only for himself. But that didn’t stop her from answering.
“Are that many of them sick? Or do ye think they’re afraid?” Eliza’s brows knit together with concern, but the laird nor his guards responded to her.
They rode into the town square. On their way through the winding roads of the town, only one person had been brave enough to meet their eye.
He’d dipped his head to his Laird in acknowledgement, as close to a bow as anyone had gotten. He muttered something that Eliza could only assume was a greeting, before rushing off around a corner to wherever he was heading.
The Laird behind her pulled on the reins of their horse, forcing it to stop.
“Dismount,” he ordered. “We’ll tie off the horses, and I will go find Aulds.”
The guards nodded, and for once, Eliza did not argue before doing as she was told. The moment her boots hit the ground; the Laird was sliding off the back of the horse beside her.
She blinked up at him. “Do ye want me to come with ye?”
He shook his head, brown eyes flicking to his guards.
“Alistair and Dougal will stay with ye,” he said, and Eliza did not miss the pointed glare he gave to the two men as the order fell from his lips. “They willnae let ye out of their sight, and ye will be safe with them.”
Eliza’s head turned to the guards, finding them nodding. Dougal’s boyish face was serious, his eyes shifting back and forth as he surveyed the town. Alistair was simply staring at her, an unreadable emotion in the depths of his gaze.
A breeze fluttered through the air, causing Eliza to shiver. Despite the spring day, there was a chill in the air, and she wrapped her arms around herself to try to warm herself.
