He shook his head. “I want to wait until they’re back.”
His sister shook her head, raising her hand to point at something on the horizon. “Ye dinnae need to wait.”
Sure enough, there was a dot beyond the gate, growing larger with each passing second. His men materialized, riding on their horses as they headed for the castle.
Smoke rose behind them in the distance, back beyond the trees and in the direction of the loch.
They must have burned the bodies.
Arthur wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but it was something he would think about another time. Especially when, as they got closer, he realized that each man riding toward the castle was holding the reins of one, if not two, riderless horses.
“We found them nae far from the loch,” Joseph explained. “They’re in good condition. Well trained. A few seem to be battle-hardened.”
Arthur grunted. “Take them to the stables, then. I suppose the beasts didnae do anythin’ wrong. I dinnae want to punish them for the sins of their masters.”
With a quick, terse nod, Joseph did as he was instructed.
And, now that his men were back, his brother safe behind the walls of their fortress, Arthur could finally focus on getting treated.
And as soon as he did, he would go and see the woman he loved.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
“Ye look like shite,” Marissa said, her eyes roving over Arthur.
It wasn’t true. He actually looked ruggedandhandsome. There was a small slash in his brow, one that she was fairly certain was going to scar. And it gave him a roguish look that she quite liked.
“Ye dinnae look ravishin’ yerself,” he grunted. But his lips curled into a smirk, letting her know how much of a lie that was.
She moved about, shifting against the pillows at her back so she could get a better look at him.
After the healer had examined her, he’d ordered her to bed. And while he’d tended to Arthur, she’d made quick work of washing up before doing exactly what the man had ordered.
The tonic he’d given her had been incredibly mild. Just enough to take the sharp sting of the aches and pains away, while leavingher the rest of her mental fortitude. But she’d been more than happy to use it as an excuse to settle down with her favorite book while she waited for Arthur.
Now that he stood before her, she found that she did not know what to say.
“Thank ye,” she finally muttered, the words sounding flat as they fell from her lips.
They weren’t enough, she knew that. What Arthur had done for her today was more than she could ever comprehend, let alone repay.
He had fought off ten men for her. Granted, he had also fought them because he hadn’t had a choice. They would have killed him if he hadn’t. But still.
The moment he had finished with them, he had chased after her. He had tracked her, hunted down the man who had threatened her, hurt her, and terrorized her for years. And he had ended him.
It was more than she could wrap her head around.
“What are ye thankin’ me for?” Arthur asked, walking toward the edge of the bed.
The mattress sank beneath his weight as he sat on it, and Marissa shifted against the pillows so she was fully sitting up.
Now that he was closer, she could see that he had taken the time to wash up, too. The blood that had caked his skin was gone entirely, as was the dirt.
A bandage was wrapped around his forearm, barely peaking out from beneath the sleeve of what she now realized was a clean shirt.
“How bad are yer injuries?” she asked, ignoring his question entirely.
“Nothin’ more than a few scratches,” Arthur answered with a shrug. “I’ve had much worse. Now, what were ye thankin’ me for?”
