Both men glared at him. He had thesense to look chagrinned. He stood, unsheathed Marion’s dagger, and silentlyhanded it to Iain. “I think I’ll go check on Neil and gather some more wood.”
“Verra wise,” Iain said as he setMarion’s dagger on his knee. When Rory Mac walked away, Iain faced Angus. “Shewill nae yearn as my wife,” he stated, then picked up the rabbit and beganskinning it once more, wishing the matter to be sorted. When after a minute,Angus did not move from in front of Iain, he looked at the man once more.“What?”
“She will yearn because ye will naebe able te give her what she truly desires. And I’m nae talking about a nightwith ye.”
Iain clenched his teeth. He hadalways been one to allow his men to speak freely, but at the moment, heconsidered that a change may do. “I dunnae talk matters of the heart. I’m aScottish warrior, nae an Englishman who speaks prettily. Ye’ve been gone fromScotland too long. Ye’re soft.”
“I’m nae soft. Just smart enough tesee what ye dunnae. Ye can be a widower te one woman ye loved yet allow anotherinto yer heart.”
“Cease yer talking, Angus,” Iaingrowled. He didn’t want to think about Catriona, his heart,orallowinganyone else to make him weak, and he refused to continue this conversation.
A determined look crossed Angus’sface. “Maybe she should come live with me, since ye dunnae really want heraround,” the Scot prodded. “Ye can be married in name only, that way she willbe safe and ye’ll have met Edward’s conditions for talks of David’s release.”
“Nay.” The word boomed from Iaindeep in his chest, but instead of the fear he’d hoped to raise in Angus, theolder man smiled slightly.
“Why nae? If ye’re as lacking inemotion as ye claim, then any wench will do te smother yer lust.”
“Any wench will nae do,” Iainbellowed. “Marion belongs with me.”
“Aye, she does,” Angus agreed,surprising Iain with his words and his grin. “I feel much better now that wehad this talk. I thank ye for obliging me.”
Iain gaped at the man. “Ye trickedme,” Iain muttered. “Ye said something ye did nae mean in order to see how Iwould reply. What are ye trying to decide about me, old man?”
Angus picked up the rabbit he’dkilled and started to skin it. “I am wondering if she had any hope of melting awee bit of that thick ice around ye.”
“Listen here, ye daft old fool,”Iain growled. “She does nae have a hope of melting a thing as there is nothingto thaw.” His heart was dead, and that was how he wanted it. Desire could notharm him, but love—love when lost left pain that could kill a man.
“Ye dunnae need te be angry,” Angussaid good-naturedly. “Ye can protest all ye want, but I dunnae think ye canstop what’s already happening. If ye wished for no emotion between ye, ye’d joinwith her and many others. Ye want only her.”
Iain never allowed himself to showanger, but it pulsed through him in fast, hard beats. He did want only her, butthat had nothing to do with anything but lust. The thought rang false in hishead, but he shoved the doubt away and concentrated on his annoyance. “I canstop whatever I wish. I’m laird. If I dunnae want to feel anything for her, Iwon’t. It’s as simple as that.”
Angus cocked an eyebrow at him.“Simple, ye say?”
Iain was just about to answer whenMarion’s scream echoed through the night. The high-pitched piercing sound ofher fear ripped across his heart and tore away the scab of indifference thathad been covering the gaping wound left by Catriona’s death. His reaction wasinstantaneous, as if he were an arrow shot from a bow. He dropped the rabbit,gripped Marion’s dagger, sprang up, and barreled past Angus into the blacknesswithout hesitation, his feet pounding over hard rock, soft dirt, and branches.As he dodged limbs and shoved shrubs out of his way, Marion let out a string ofthe foulest curses he’d ever heard from a woman’s lips. In spite of the edge ofconcern driving him forward like a crazed man, he grinned. No doubt, sharp onthe heels of her curses she’d mentally calculated how many indulgences herperceived sin would cost her. His life certainly would not be dull with Marion.
He burst through the trees,expecting to perhaps find that she’d ignored his advice and waded too far intothe river, but what he saw brought him to a stunned halt. Marion stoodknee-deep in the water, and behind her stood a tall man dressed in armor. Theknight had his hand around her neck, and when he pulled her backward and thrusther under the water, a red haze covered Iain’s vision. He was going to killthat man for daring to hurt Marion. He didn’t give a damn if it angered KingEdward or David. He’d start a hundred bloody wars if that was what he had to doto keep his wife from harm. And her melting him or whatever nonsense Angus hadsputtered had nothing to do with it.
Six
She’d screamed.
That fact pounded through Marion’shead as she kicked her legs and clawed at the hands holding her underwater. ByGod, she’d scream again if she got the chance. She dug her nails into softflesh, but the hand squeezed harder.
The desire to live overrode theshame of failing to keep Iain from harm as her lungs burned with the need tocall for help again.
Malcolm wrenched her back to thesurface just as she was sure she was going to die. She coughed violently, waterspewing from her mouth and racking her body. Over the sound of her hacking, awar cry split the air, as well as her fear and the very chambers of her heart.
He’d heard her!
She blinked her watery eyes andsearched the darkness for Iain. He thundered out of the shadows and toward her,white mist rising from the ground as if it were smoldering. The fog parted witheach of his strides, and his sword sang in a high arc over his head. In all thenights,she’d stood on the rampart and watched her father and his men return frombattle, she’d never seen a man look as fierce and frightening as her husbanddid. He didn’t seem like a mere mortal; he seemed like a god intent ondecimation as he charged into the river.
The pressure against her throatdisappeared in a flash as Malcolm raised his hand to give the signal for hiscomrade to throw the daggers.
“Danger on the left bank!” Marionshouted and pointed.
Iain looked to the left at the sametime Malcolm shoved her backward and under the water again. For a moment, shethought he would hold her there until she was dead this time, but then his handdisappeared and she came up in a rush, rubbing the water out of her eyes.Malcolm was just ahead of her, his sword poised to kill. Marion scanned for theother knight on the left bank but didn’t see him. When something touched herleg, she jerked and then shrieked when she realized it was the other knightfloating on his back in the water with a dagger—one that looked suspiciouslylike the one Angus had given her—sticking out of his neck, the only patch ofskin that was not protected by armor.
When the dead man started to sink,Marion reached down and pulled the dagger out of his neck. Her stomach roiledwith queasiness, but she stood upright in time to see Malcolm swing his swordto try to hit Iain in his left side. She tried to scream a warning, but hervoice came out rough and her throat protested any further use.
