Highlander Oath of the Beast (Highland Promise Trilogy 3)

“Damn it, wife,” he said, bolting off the bench.

“Frist the dea—”

Wolf swing her up in his arms and carried her to their bedchamber. “I decide what comes first and that would be us.” She looked about to argue and he held his tongue, since he intended to have his way no matter what she said.

“Your need is great so I won’t deny you,” she said, her arms going around his neck.

He laughed. “My need?”

“Aye, we’ll see your need satisfied before anything else.”

“How generous of you, wife.”

“We’ll be quick now and take our time later,” she said.

“Are you implying this quick one won’t satisfy you?”

“Are you implying you won’t want me later?” she countered.

He stepped into their bedchamber and when she reached past him to shut the door, he stole a forceful kiss, then whispered, “I always want you, Raven.”

“And I you,” she murmured.

He hurried to the bed, dropping her down on her feet, ready to strip her naked when she paled and looked ready to topple over. He swung her back up in his arms and sat on the bed, cradling her in his lap.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I am lightheaded and my stomach churns,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

He silently cursed himself. He had given no thought to her wound. “You need rest not a poke. Your wound has done more damage than you think.”

He was probably right, but she wouldn’t admit it. “I am fine.”

“You will be after you rest,” he said and stood, then placed her on the bed.

“I don’t need rest,” she protested as he went to slip off her boots. She tried bolting up but grew dizzy when she did and collapsed back on the pillow.

“This is no time to be stubborn,” he warned. “If you don’t rest now, what will happen if you grow worse?” If anything, he knew his wife was good at seeing reason as she did now, her eyes closing in thought.

“I suppose a short rest could prove beneficial,” she said. “But first you must promise me something.”

“That depends on what you ask,” he said, thinking she’d insist they make love first.

She knew what he had assumed. “I’m not going to force you to make love with me.” The grin on his face told her enough, but it was nice to hear him confirm it.

“Never will you ever have to force me to make love to you.” He kissed her gently. “So what is this promise you want from me?”

“Before someone else has a chance, I want you to go and see if the dead man has a knife in his boot and bring it to me so I can see if it is similar to the other one I saw and was stolen.”

“You think them connected?” he asked.

“I’m not sure, but if he carries a similar knife then it proves they are connected, and I don’t think that connection is Brynjar. And you’ll come back right away and let me know?”

He eased her anxiousness. “I will return immediately to report one way or the other.”

“I wait impatiently.”

“Of course you do.” He kissed her cheek and left the room, hurrying to carry out her request before she got out of bed and saw to the task herself.

Though nightfall was nearly upon them, the village was busy with activity. Wolf held no doubt that they would be prepared for whatever Brynjar intended just as they had been when the attack came on the village and was stopped before any lives were lost or damage done. But what was his intention? He scowled without realizing it, people staying clear of him as he headed to the shelter that housed the two dead men.

Wolf hurried into the shelter and went straight to the recent dead man’s boots and stood and stared for a moment. A hilt of a knife was tucked in one of them and he carefully slipped it out. His steps were rushed as he headed back to the keep, many casting curious eyes at him, and he not noticing. He was eager to find out if the knife was similar to the one his wife had seen in the other dead man’s boot.

Wolf wasn’t surprised to find Raven sitting up in bed or that her hands eagerly reached out to him when she spotted the knife he held.

She barely had it in her hands when she said, “The top is identical to the one I saw in the first dead man’s boot. With the first one having been stolen, that means that someone here knows these two men or at least what they’re doing here.”

His hand went out to take the knife back just as hers reached out to return it to him.

“We think alike, wife,” he said and took the knife from her. “I’ll put the knife back and we’ll see who attempts to take it.”