Page 85 of Blood & Claw

It was early, and the moon still hung in the sky. Even so, the scent of woodsmoke laced the air, as did the aroma of frying oatcakes. They could have lingered here a little longer, but time raced against them now.

Those men still outpaced them.

Kayla was still a captive.

A croak drew her attention then, and she glanced up to find a monstrous raven sitting on the stable roof. Glossy black feathers caught the morning light.

Ailsa murmured an oath, her warm breath clouding the gelid air. “Shades … look at the size of that.”

Dale looked up, his eyes widening when he too saw the bird. “Aye … and it’s watching us.”

Ailsa frowned. It was. The intelligent glint in its obsidian eyes made her suppress a shiver.

The raven stared without blinking.

“Come on,” he said gruffly. “Let’s move.”

Tearing her gaze away from the bird, she took Dale’s hand.

She’d done it a dozen times before. But not with the memory of his mouth still lingering on hers.

She tried not to think about those wild kisses, how they’d moved together against the wall, in a dance that didn’t need music. Or just how much she’d wanted more.

He’d made himself clear. It was a mistake. One she had to move on from.

Nothing matters but getting Kayla back, she told herself firmly as she settled behind Dale in the saddle. Forget last night happened.

The hollow clip-clop of Rùn’s hooves echoed against stone as they moved off, leaving the still sleeping village behind them. Their stop in Ardroth had been brief yet eventful. At least they’d rid the villagers of the outlaws who’d been terrorizing them. To these people, they were heroes. The gratitude had both pleased and unbalanced Ailsa.

She wasn’t sure she deserved it.

Dale kicked Rùn into a fast canter, and they were off, hammering down the well-worn road that led north. They were deep in the Borderlands now. Already, the landscape grew rougher. To the east, the Shiel Range reared dark and jagged. To the north, the southernmost Goatfells etched the morning sky.

“Will you be able to track them … if they leave the road?” Ailsa asked eventually.

“Aye.”

His one-word answers scraped against her nerves. The easy companionship they’d built over the past days seemed to have vanished overnight.

She’d liked the camaraderie that had developed between them. His distance now upset her more than it should, yet she couldn’t help it. Apart from Kayla, she wasn’t close to anyone.

She found herself missing the man who’d teased her beside campfires and argued with her as they rode.

Idiot … he’s a mercenary, your bodyguard … not your friend.

“Do you have a plan about how we’ll approach them, once we catch up?” she asked, forcing herself to focus.

“Aye,” he replied. “Carefully.”

She snorted. “I know that … but how?”

He sighed, as if her questions were irritating him. “Night will be best … wait until they’ve camped and then take them.” He paused then. “One by one.”

“I can help you.”

A beat of silence followed.

Ailsa couldn’t see his face and wondered if he was scowling. However, his answer surprised her. “Good.”