Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
The man swallowed hard.
Knox stood, yanking the man to his feet with him and released him with a shove. “Leave and go far from this place and never—not ever—return here.”
Anxious to leave, the men stumbled over each other, tripping as they rushed out of the village.
He turned to Dru, his gaze raking over her. His jaw clenched when he saw the bruise blooming on her cheek. He stretched his hand out to her.
She reached up and took hold of it and he eased her up onto her feet.
“You are far too reckless?” he admonished, his heart thudding wildly in his chest.
Fear had struck him swiftly and so powerfully he thought it would knock him off his feet when he saw the peril she had gotten herself into. But his warrior instinct didn’t fail him. He’d been ready to rip the man in two with his bare hands he’d been so furious.
She smiled. “I did exactly what I needed to do.”
Her smile calmed his worry and his heart—somewhat. “And what was that?”
“I held him off long enough for you to arrive.” She poked him in the chest. “Why are so many mercenaries fearful of you?”
“Have Mave look at that bruise,” Knox ordered, ignoring her question and thinking about the unshakeable trust she had in him.
“She’s busy and the bruise will fade with time.”
“That wasn’t a suggestion, Dru,” he said, taking her chin gently in his hand to tilt her head and get a better look at the area that had deepened in color. “Have Mave look at it while I speak with Owen.”
“Owen?” she asked, having assumed from what he had said about the young man he wanted to talk with that it was Owen. She hoped to keep him from speaking to him. She worried that fear of Knox might have the young man revealing something he shouldn’t. “I know Owen.”
“How?”
“I’ve passed through these parts before.”
“So, you knew where Autumn lived?”
“I knew she lived around these parts somewhere, but I had no reason to know more and with her connection to Lord Torrance, I didn’t want to know.” She almost bit her lips since that was a lie—a lie that couldn’t be helped. “You asked for my help to find her because I—”
“Peddle in information.”
“Merchant of information sounds better. By the way, what did the merchant have to say?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you later. Right now, I want to talk with Owen.”
“He’d talk more easily to me than to you, which means I can get more out of him than you can.”
Knox didn’t argue with her. “Fine, talk to him. I’ll go let Mave know you need her.”
Dru hurried to Owen.
“You need to be careful,” he said as soon as she reached him. “The merchant said that there is a death bounty on Autumn. Someone wants her dead. And Lord Torrance is adamant about finding his half-sister.”
“I know. I heard,” Dru said and saw fear in Owen’s eyes. “What is it, Owen?”
“I heard the elders talking. They say these men will not offer coin to learn the truth. They will hurt people until they have their answer. Knox does not know who you are, does he?”
Dru shook her head.
“This time, you really need to disappear,” Owen said. “You need to let the forest whisper you away before it’s too late. Wilbur, Rona, and I are the only ones left who know your true identity and we are going to take our leave tonight before it’s too late.”
“Where will you go?” Dru asked anxiously, worried for the ones who had remained so faithful to her.
“We don’t know yet.”
“Clan MacLeish,” she suggested quickly. “Speak with Quint or Shade. Tell them Dru sent you and you need a safe home.”
“Are you sure they will welcome us?”
“Aye, I am,” she said, confident her friends would not turn them away and hurried to give him directions.
Owen’s glance suddenly shifted. “He’s headed this way. I will always be grateful to you for the many times you helped me. Stay safe, my friend.”
Owen ran off.
Dru turned, her heart aching and praying that Owen and the others made it safely to Clan MacLeish.
“You frighten him.”
“Enough to have him tell you anything that may be helpful?”
Dru thought fast. “He did confirm that there was talk Autumn died soon after her mum. But no one attended any burial like they did for her mum, leaving many to believe she just disappeared.”
“Good to know,” Knox said and cast a glance at the sky. “Rain clouds gather we need to head back to the cottage.”
“Where is Mave?”
“She went ahead to fix you a salve for the bruise.” He took hold of her hand. “Hurry. We need to beat the rain there.”
They reached the cottage as thunder rumbled in the distance. Mave was walking to a cart where a young man waited nervously for her.