Never Love a Highlander (McCabe Trilogy 3)

She nodded. “Aye, I have those things. Would you be needing a steady hand to do the stitching? I’m old, aye, but my hand hasn’t wavered in all my sixty years.”

“Nay,” Caelen interjected. He turned to Ewan. “You do it. I trust you.”

Ewan nodded then gestured toward the older woman. “Fetch the items I requested.”

She nodded and backed from the room.

“I’ll need help to pull the dagger from her back,” Ewan said with a grimace. “ ’Twill have to be done quickly, and then we have to stop the bleeding. Caelen, lie down. If she awakens, it will soothe her to have you near.”

Caelen crawled onto the bed and collapsed next to her, as his strength finally gave out. His smoothed his hand over the back of her head, stroking her hair that was matted with blood at the ends.

“When ’tis done, I’ll bathe you as you once bathed me,” he murmured close to her ear. “We’ll sit by the fire and I’ll brush your hair and then feed you by my hand. I’ll read you all the thoughts I’ve written down since the day I first laid eyes on you. ’Tis the truth I wanted you even then. Even when you belonged to my brother.”

He touched her cheek, trying to infuse some color. It was pale and cool.

“Build up the fire,” he said to Gannon. “I don’t want her to be cold. I’d have her as comfortable as possible.”

“Place your hands on either side of the dagger,” Ewan instructed Alaric. “I want you to push down when I pull. As soon as the dagger is free, press your hands firmly over the wound.”

Alaric nodded and Caelen moved in close until his lips brushed her temple.

“Be brave, lass,” he whispered. “As brave as you’ve been through everything else. I’m here. I’ll not leave you.”

Ewan nodded at Alaric and then took hold of the dagger and pulled. Rionna jerked. Her eyes flew open, panic flaring in their depths. She cried out and began to struggle.

The knife came free, bathed in blood, and Alaric pressed down on the wound as Rionna writhed beneath him.

“Shh, Rionna, ’tis I, Caelen. Be at ease, lass. We’re helping you. ’Tis Ewan my brother who has pulled the dagger from your back.”

Ewan cut impatiently at her tunic until her back was bare. Caelen closed his eyes as he saw blood stream from underneath Alaric’s palms.

Rionna whimpered as Alaric pressed harder, and Caelen reached for her hand.

Her fingers bit into his palm, her nails digging deep. He didn’t mind the pain for if it helped her to bear hers, he’d do anything.

“ ’Tis like fire,” Rionna gasped. “Oh God, it burns.”

“I know it, lass. It will be over soon. I swear it. Breathe for me. Look at me. Only at me and put this from your mind.”

Her gaze found his, her eyes wide and panicked.

“He’s going to stitch the wound,” Caelen said calmly. “I want you to focus on me. Push the pain from your mind and imagine holding our bairn.”

Some of the wildness eased from her eyes and soft joy replaced the pain.

The next hour was a test of Caelen’s endurance. Weakened from his own injuries, fevered, and in a great deal of pain himself, he coaxed Rionna through every stitch that Ewan set. When her face went gray with pain, he kissed her and talked of their child. When she was near to passing out, he stroked her cheek and told her he loved her.

By the time Ewan was done with the last of it, Caelen was barely conscious himself.

Ewan stepped back from the bed and wiped his brow with the back of his arm. “ ’Tis done, Caelen. ’Tis in God’s hands now.”

Caelen didn’t respond.

“Caelen?”

Ewan bent over the bed to see that his brother had finally succumbed to unconsciousness. He glanced up at Alaric and Gannon.

“I’m worried for them both. They both have grievous wounds and have lost a lot of blood. But ’tis Caelen’s that went the longest without care and they’d already began to fester. He has a fever already.”

“What do we do?” Gannon asked quietly.

“We bear them back home and pray that God is merciful.”

CHAPTER 34

Rionna woke, awash in pain. Her entire body felt stretched and tight as if her skin fit too snugly. Her lips were dry and cracked and she’d sell her soul for just a taste of water.

“Ah, there you are,” a sweet voice soothed.

“Oh God, I’ve died, haven’t I?” Rionna said in disgust.

There was a light chuckle. “Now why would you think that?”

“Because you have the voice of an angel.”

Rionna pried open one eye, never imagining it could hurt so much to do something so insignificant.

“Keeley,” she breathed. “You’re here.” Then she frowned because she wasn’t sure where here was. She looked around to see that she was in her old chamber at McDonald keep.

“Aye, I’m here. Would I be anywhere else when those I love are in need of my skills?”

Keeley eased onto the bed beside Rionna, holding a goblet of water. “Would you like a drink?”

“More than I want to breathe.”

Keeley laughed again. “Not dramatic, are you?”

Rionna sucked thirstily at the liquid, ignoring the pain that her movement caused. When she was done, she eased back down onto the pillow and closed her eyes to ward off the spasm of discomfort that gripped her.

“Why am I in here?” she asked. She didn’t want to read too much into why she wasn’t in Caelen’s chamber—the chamber they’d shared ever since Caelen had fetched her from this very room.