Timeless

Chapter Ten

Chapter 10

"Ye see?" Darrach clapped Shaw on the back, laughing good naturedly. "Tis in the nature o' women tae be dominated. Sometimes ye need tae show them their place, but those always end up being the most fun. A good rough tumble, a firm hand and a stern word and they fall at yer feet."

"I hae na touched her," Shaw mumbled, staring at Ri's retreating back in confusion.

"Then something must be workin'," Darrach slung his arm around his Laird's neck and jostled him. "The Wolf snaps up his prey and takes her back tae his den tae be toyed with, aye?" He laughed uproariously. It had been a week since Ri had returned from her night-time escapade. She had not spoken to, barely looked at, Shaw since. On the rare occasion she was expected to make a comment or answer a question, she did so as briefly and distantly as possible, with respect and deference to him, but without warmth, familiarity, or even the slightest hint of teasing. It was unnerving.

They still slept together, despite the fact that she refused to allow him to touch her, but in a way that was the worst part. To lie next to her every night, feeling her soft breaths against his skin, hear her little mewls and whimpers as she slept, dreaming restlessly. Shaw wished to reach over and hold her, but as stubborn as he was, so was she, and if he showed her any unwanted attention, he had no doubt that, while he refused to allow her to leave his bed, she would, in turn, refuse to allow him into his bed and he would be left to make a pallet for himself on his own floor. And what angered Shaw the most was that he would gladly do just that.

"Stop," Shaw sighed, ducking under his oldest friend's arm. "I ken that's what ye've been raised tae believe, and as long as the woman is willing I've no qualms with the way ye treat them, but I dinna feel the same. I like her spirit, I dinna wish tae break or tame it. I'd ask that ye respect that."

"O' course," Darrach seemed surprised. "As long as she's here I'll respect yer wishes, as a friend, a brother, and a clansman. But I'm loyal tae ye, Wolf. I'll nay have some wench disrespect ye and all ye've done for our people."

"Thank ye for that," Shaw nodded. "But please, watch how ye refer tae her." The warning was soft, less a rebuke and more of a request. But Shaw knew Darrach would comply. He had grown up with Darrach, they'd survived for years by leaning on each other, saving each other's lives again and again until all of their collective blood debts had blurred the lines between blood brothers and brothers by blood. Shaw loved Iain, would die for the kid, but Darrach was his brother as well as his comrade. Shaw never imagined to have such a relationship with his familial brother, had always protected Iain from the horrors of war and, to an extent, the terrors of responsibility. It had been one of the worst mistakes of his life.

Just as the Willows had done with Austin, Shaw thought grimly. But no more. He'd left Ri alone with her thoughts for long enough. Fiona had given him an idea of what had been done to her, but he would wait for Ri to entrust him with the information before he said anything about it, but he would have her speak to him. Until then, he'd do as she'd asked. He'd treat her brother like any other recruit.

Well, he conceded, thinking back to the past week and every time the kid had been flattened by even the weakest of his new trainees, maybe not like every other recruit. Shaw had deliberately moved the recruit's training to this morning, pulling them away from their morning chores and taking the place of the more experienced warrior's training, because Fiona had said that Austin hated mornings. The Lady Fiona did not seem to have the same problem, as she frequently enjoyed spending much of the day watching them train from Cook's garden just across the courtyard. Shaw caught quite the maniacal grin stretching her face several times.