Blood spilled over her hands as she ended the man’s life.The Irishman caught the Norman’s body and tossed it overboard, the blade still in his neck.
‘Good,’ he murmured.
Her body shook with tremors, but Mairead dipped her bloody hands over the side of the boat, trying to wash them.Bile rose in her throat, but she choked it back.
Oh, God.She’d killed a man.Though she’d known that there might come a time when she would have no choice, it shook her to the core.Tears flooded her eyes, and she hardly knew what to do now.
Be strong, she warned herself.Now was not the time to fall apart.
She looked back at the Irishman, half expecting him to offer words of comfort or ask if she was all right.Instead, his gaze had turned thoughtful as if he was trying to make a decision.
‘Thank you,’ Mairead muttered, ‘for trying to save me.’She dried her hands on her skirts and then asked, ‘What is your name?’
‘Balor Ó Phelan,’ he answered.
The moment he revealed his identity, she struggled to veil her reaction.
She had heard a great deal about Balor Ó Phelan during the past few months—and none of it was good.She’d overheard stories about him, and some said he’d killed dozens of men.
‘They call you the Demon of Éireann, don’t they?’Mairead said softly.But for a demon, he was ruggedly handsome.Even now, his blue eyes held amusement, as if he knew a secret she didn’t.Her gaze drifted over his broad shoulders and muscled forearms.She remembered seeing him without his armour, his abdomen ridged with strength.
And Heaven help her—demon or not—she liked what she saw.
Balor gave a single nod and took the boat oars as he positioned himself at the stern.‘They call me many things.’
‘And are they true?’Among the tales she’d heard, the bards claimed that not only was he a killer, he was also reckless—a man who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.
A slight smirk pulled at his mouth.‘Probably.’He began rowing, the oars cutting through the waves.
She didn’t know what to say to that.Then she ventured, ‘Today you behaved like a hero.I’m grateful for it.’She tried to smile, holding her knees as she regarded him.
‘I’m not a hero, Lady Mairead.’He pulled the oars hard, and it was then that she noticed they were going in the opposite direction of Laochre towards the nearby settlement of the Ó Phelan tribe.
She didn’t want to believe what she was seeing.‘But you saved me from the Normans.I thought—’
‘You thought wrong.I’m taking you to Dunmalus.’His arms flexed against the power of the waves, drawing her eyes to his lean strength.
Then it dawned upon her what he was doing.‘Are you—you’re not trying to take me as your hostage, are you?’
Balor’s gaze drifted over her.‘That’s exactly what I’m doing, my lady.’
Chapter Two
‘Stop rowing, right now.’
Balor stared at the king’s daughter, fully amused by Mairead’s imperious command.Did she honestly believe he was going to let her go after all that had happened?He’d infiltrated the castle, rescued her from the Normans, and had successfully claimed her as his prisoner.
Fury blazed across her expression.
‘Is there something you want, Lady?’
‘Stop this.’She squared her shoulders and raised her chin.‘I refuse to become your captive.Put the oars down, and we’ll start with you answering my questions.’
He found it somewhat entertaining that she honestly believed he was going to obey her.‘I don’t answer to you,my lady.’He tilted his head slightly.‘But I might listen if you ask nicely.’
Her face blushed, even as her spine stiffened.‘Why are you kidnapping me?’she demanded.‘I thought you were here to rescue me.’
‘The Normans took you first,’ he pointed out.‘I was only finishing what they couldn’t do.’
