“When?”
“In the Vale of Demons. Do ye remember the first time we met? ’Twas Ewan who pushed ye tae the ground.”
“The first and last time the man bested me. I hope he enjoyed it.”
She started to laugh. “I think he did,” she said. “Ewan is not a bad warrior, though. He uses his brain, like ye do. He just dinna grow up tae be as strong as ye did.”
Cam eyed her. “I dunna remember him, tae be truthful,” he said. “And ye grew up quite a bit from that lass in the vale I once knew. I remember that ye were a dirty and skinny child.”
“I’ve grown, too.”
“And ye’ve learned tae bathe.”
She laughed again. “Ye noticed?”
“I did,” Cam said, a seductive look in his eye. “I’ve noticed everything about ye, Is. The smell of ye… the taste of ye…”
She was back to flushing violently. The man could make her heart race so when he spoke to her like that. “Shh,” she said, looking around. “Someone might hear ye.”
He took pity on her, a sly grin on his face. “As ye wish,” he said, leaning back against the half-wall casually. “There’s something ye said tae me that I’ve been meaning tae ask ye about. Ye told me that yer da is looking for a warrior tae lead his men.”
He was changing the subject and she went with it. “He is.”
“Ye asked me if I’d be interested.”
“Aye, but I asked ye after yer bout with The Beast. Mayhap it wasna the right time.”
“Probably not. But I’ve had time tae think on it.”
“Are ye interested?”
He eyed her. “Mayhap,” he said. “What has happened that ye need a highly trained warrior?”
Isadora leaned forward, resting against the arena wall just as he was. “We’ve had some… trouble,” she said. “Trouble enough that we need a skilled man tae lead our men and teach them better methods of fighting.”
Cam was silent for a moment before speaking. “Ye’ve never told me of yer clan, Is,” he said. “Do ye remember back in the days when we first met? Ye told me that there can be a good deal of hate in the Highlands. There are fierce loyalties and fierce hatreds. Ye were afraid that things would change if we knew too much about each other.”
She nodded faintly. “I know.”
“I think the time has come that we do, Is. Ye know I love ye, lass. Nothing can change that.”
She looked at him, an expression on her face that he’d never seen before. There was such sorrow there as well as fear. That told Cam everything he needed to know before she even said a word.
“And I love ye, also,” she said softly. “I know ye’re from Netherton and loyal tae Clan Lindsay.”
He didn’t say anything to that because it was the truth. There was no use in denying it. “And ye?”
“Auchnacree. My father is the chieftain of Clan Keith.”
Even though he’d hoped for Clan Ruthven, Clan Keith had always been a possibility. He knew that; God help him, he knew that. But the reality of it was more of a blow than he ever though it would be.
Keith.
Isadora was a Keith.
Cam stared at her for several moments as the news sank in, like a weight carving into his chest.
“Keith, is it?” he repeated slowly.
