There was fear in her voice, and he covered her mouth with his hand, needing her to be silent. Below them, he heard the soldiers searching. They were coming closer, and he saw the fear rising in Taryn’s face. She closed her eyes, and it made him wonder why she was so fearful of being caught. Was it her need to save her father? Or was she trying to save herself?
He wasn’t certain. But she buried her face against his chest, as if to blot out the terror. He stroked her hair back, soothing her in silence.
Without warning, a blade pierced the seam of the trap door. Taryn clamped her hands over her mouth to muffle any sound, remaining frozen in place. Killian unsheathed a dagger of his own and was poised, waiting for the inevitable attack.
But there came nothing. Only the shouts of the men as they retreated back down the stairs. He only breathed easier when he heard the sound of the horses retreating. They had eluded capture for now...but he could not say for how long.
Taryn sat with her knees drawn up, her black hair shielding her face. When she shivered against the wind, he reached for her hand.
“They’re gone,” he said at last, when he was certain of their safety. “We can go back inside.”
She moved away from the door. “It’s g-getting colder.”
And it was. The air held the biting chill that warned of snow. Killian held open the trap door and Taryn climbed down inside the round tower. It had grown dark, and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. She huddled against the wall, and her cloak was doing little to warm her.
“I wish we had a fire,” she admitted. So did he, but there was nothing here that they could burn. In silent answer, he moved beside her. His shoulder rested against hers, as a means of offering her body heat.
She startled him when she leaned her face against him, huddling closer. It was strange to think that a noblewoman would want to be closer to a man like him. She drew the edge of hisbratover both of them, to offer more heat.
“There,” she said. “That’s better.”
With her body pressed close, he inhaled the delicate scent of her skin. Never in his life could he imagine that a lady would seek to touch him. Though he knew she was only wanting to keep warm, it bothered him for her to be so near.
Killian moved away from her and gave her thebratto wear over the cloak. “You can keep that. I’ve no need of it.” Then he leaned against the opposite wall, pretending as if none of it mattered.
He was cold, but he didn’t want this woman to rely on him for anything. Sleeping beside her would only bring temptation too close. The only thing he’d agreed to do was bring her to Tara. Beyond that, their lives were too different.
He drew his knees up and leaned back, closing his eyes, though he wasn’t tired at all. It was a means of avoiding her. Silence filled up the space between them, but after a few moments, he heard her approaching with quiet footsteps.
Then she lowered the woolenbratacross his torso, saying, “I understand why you don’t want to be close to me. But you don’t have to freeze.”
The wool held the heat from her body, enclosing him with her scent. Though she spoke in a calm tone, he suspected that he’d hurt her feelings. And that hadn’t been his intent at all.
“I said you could keep it,” he told her. “You need it more than I do.”
“Why do I make you so angry?” she whispered. “What have I done to you in all this time?”
She didn’t see it, did she? He removed thebratand said, “Would you treat your guard in this way? Would you sleep beside him?”
Taryn gave no answer at all, as if she’d suddenly realized what he meant.
“I am no different from Pól, a soldier assigned to protect you. I’m your hired sword, nothing more.”
“You are nothing like a hired sword, Killian MacDubh,” was her reply. “As you said before, you are no one’s servant. And never will be.”
Her words startled him, for he’d never expected a lady to treat him with respect. No one, save Carice, had ever viewed him in that way.
“Keep thebrat,“ he told her. “We won’t travel this night, in case we’re caught in the snow. Try to sleep, and we will go to Laochre in the morning.”
He was beginning to wonder if his sister had another reason for sending him to guard Taryn. Matchmaking was not something Carice had ever done, but he wouldn’t put it past her.
Chapter Five
Taryn’s limbs were stiff and cold the next day. Killian called up to her, “Come down, Lady Taryn.”
The round tower door was open, and a sharp beam of light illuminated the bottom of the tower. It took several minutes for her to follow him down all the stairs. After she reached the doorway, Killian went back down the ladder. He held it steady for her as she descended the rungs.
Nearby, she saw a horse tethered to a small sapling. The animal stood taller than her head, and he did not appear in the least bit friendly. Her nerves sharpened immediately, but she tried to suppress the fear.
