Page 126 of Blood & Claw

Her hair was wind-tossed, her cheeks flushed from the cold and the ride. There was a softness to her now, a looseness he hadn’t seen before. Last night had shifted something within her—just as it had in him.

He dragged his gaze away, seeking distance once more.

“We won’t get another chance like this,” she said then, more serious now. “We can’t mess it up.”

“We won’t.”

Ailsa studied him, her expression searching. “You sound so certain.”

“I am.”

And he was—about that.

Some things had to be set in stone. Find Kayla. Kill the bastards who’d taken her. Get rid of the beast that lived inside him.

Only then could he hunt his brother down. Aye, he’d end him and take his fucking throne. His gut started to burn, not with desire this time, but with hatred that had festered for far too long.

Over the years, it had become a friend of sorts.

They finished the sloes in silence, wiping stained fingers on moss. Afterward, he helped Ailsa back onto the saddle.

His palm tingled at the contact.

They rode harder after that. Up through gorges, over slick stone and frozen turf, and through pockets of woodland where the light dimmed, and the air grew dank and close. The trail sharpened, fresher now.

His pulse quickened. So close.

By the time the light began to fade, the world had drawn in around them. Mist threaded through the trees. The cold deepened, biting through their layers of clothing, and their breathing clouded the air.

Darach slowed Rùn, his gaze sweeping the gloaming. “They’re near,” he murmured. “I can feel it.”

Ailsa tensed against him. “The beast … has it made your senses sharper?”

Her question gave him pause. “Aye.”

That was the least of it though. There was aggression in him that prowled just beneath the surface. Smells and tastes were stronger, birdsong louder. His gaze picked out details it never had before.

He tensed then. What if Ailsa’s circle of thorns had only slowed things?

What if the clag-doo would still take him?

“Darach.” Ailsa leaned into him then, a hand lifting and lightly covering his. “Once we find Kayla, she’ll fix you … properly.”

The moment stretched out.

Darach stilled under her touch. The feel of her, the husky timbre of her voice, and the simple gesture—it was all too much.

Fuck it, he wasn’t made of iron.

“Aye,” he ground out. “I hope so.”

Sliding off Rùn’s back, Ailsa turned and stepped into a wall of muscle and leather.

Darach.

She gasped, even as his strong arms encircled her. An instant later, his mouth crashed down on hers.

This was a surprise. He’d been careful with her all day, never letting his gaze linger too long. Whenever they’d had to touch, he’d severed contact quickly.