Highland Island (Book 6)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"At least I tried..."

The whisper was barely audible, the air still around them. Tried? Tried what? Tried to catch the attention of the males who had swarmed the forest? Tried to escape the notice of the males? But why? Tried to fall and break a neck in the pitch black forest? Yet that voice, even as soft as it was, held a familiar ring to it. One he was not sure he was unpleased to hear.

She could not be out here? Not at this time. Not this night. Not when the forest swarmed with her people. Of course, he must have imagined it. This was just a slender boy out to spot his people, wishing he were among them. Yet as his arm moved to secure his grip, his bicep brushed against a mound that was most definitely not male. In fact, the very softness of the frame spoke of a body he had held not too far away from where they stood right now.

Leaning down, closer than he would normally have gone. But he did not wish to let the males know that they were here. At least not whilst in this position. He could allow it, if he had time to leave.

"What are you doing here?" His own whisper he knew was rough, held a little menace in the dark. But he heard the breath catch, felt the thump of her heartbeat underneath his thumb as it traced the slender length of her neck. Her slight lavender scent mixing with a yeasty bread scent. It was not two scents he would normally put together and yet they were warm and comforting.

He felt her sigh of relief rather than heard it. Carried her weight in his arms as she sagged a little against him. Even with a knife to her throat, it was as if she trusted him. In the dark, surrounded by men who wanted him dead, with a woman of the clan who hunted him in his arms. He was not in the best position here. Yet he felt bone deep a need to trust her, as she had shown him in her very actions.

"I'm here to warn you actually." Her hand lifted to wrap around his wrist. Tugging a little, though not enough to ever move his hand, but enough to let him know that she wanted him to take the threat away. "Would you mind, I really would not want to slit my throat open by accident, if you make a slight twist of your knife." She was ever so calm, her voice low, not enough sound to carry to those around them.

Did she really think that he would hurt her? He had been watching her for so long now, actually imagined what she would feel like in his arms. Though he had never imagined this, not in a lifetime would he have ever thought he would put a knife to her throat. He, however, could not allow her to think he thought anything of her other than a strange woman in the forest.

"Are you going to warn them if I let you go?"

His warm timbre washed over her. Isla closed her eyes against the feeling, but could not stop the irritation rising, almost like he knew just how to gain her reactions.

"Warn them? What are you talking about? I am the one who came to warn you!" Her annoyance was plain to here, but she swore she heard a slight chuckle from the warm body holding her so close.

The sharp tip of the cool metal slid painlessly away from her throat. Her heartbeat slowing slightly as the immediate danger left. But she was still alone with a male she did not know, in a forest which was so dark she could hardly see the trees before her.

"You think I would come all the way out here. Alone, in the middle of the night, with men from my clan prowling around. To warn you that they are trying to find you, and apparently the men you are with. That they are looking to run you out of 'there forest'." It all came out in a rush. Her words low so as not to travel but the heat was there. What right did he have to question her?

"I risked everything for the chance to find you and warn you. And here you are threatening me and questioning me. Now I am wondering why I even endangered myself like this. If my clan find out I did this, do you have any idea how much trouble I could be in?" Why was she still talking? Why could she not control her mouth around him? Pushing at his arms which were still around her, he waited a moment, almost to let her know it was his choice to let her go.

Spinning as he released her, she went to look up at him, when he grabbed her arm and shoved her into the nearest tree. Her back scraping against the bark as he pushed into her from the front. About to let him know how she felt about this turn of events. When she heard voices once more. These ones however, she had no idea who they were. It was the stiffness of the man before her that had her tensing herself. If she did not know these voices, then they had to be the men that he knew. As if he sensed her about to speak, he put his hand over her mouth, lowering his head until his lips brushed her ear. His warm breath washing over her.

"Stay still, they will be tracking your men, making sure they do not find us." His whisper made sense. And yet she felt as if just for the sake of it she needed to argue with him. She was never this argumentative with anyone, mostly she did as she was told, with the occasional grumble to her friends. But here she was with a male she did not even know the name of, and she wanted to argue with him, just because she can.

Holding their collective breath, she strained to here as the soft voices went past their spot. Following in the direction Gordon had headed just minutes earlier. They were a lot quieter. She could not make out the words, but the lilt was the same as the man before her. As the quiet footsteps disappeared completely, the hand dropped from her mouth. The calloused palm rasping against her chin, the sensation rippling through her in a shiver of movement.

"To say I have tried to save your life tonight. Do I get to know your name now?" Her brow furrowed as she tried to see into his shadowed face. His shape visible only as a darker shade of black within the gloom.

A grunt was her response as he leant away from her. Slowly pushing away from the tree, until he finally stepped away from her. Isla could not stop her mouth from running away from her again.

"Not even a thank you? I come all the way out here, not even knowing it you are going to be here, or how to find you." Why was she making so much out of this? It was obvious that he knew of the danger, so why was she risking herself even further right now.

Carrick really did find this girl amusing. She was a smudge before him in the murky forest. Yet he could see clearly how she would be frowning up at him, her eyes flashing fire at him. She really had come out here to warn him about her clan. But why had she decided to do this for someone she did not know? Even with unknown men around her she was willing to go toe to toe with him. And he found he wanted to antagonise her even further.

But she had come to find him. He really should give her something. His name could give nothing away for the men, his name would lead her nowhere as he was from nowhere near here. The forest would keep his and the men's secrets. Reaching out to push a strand of silky hair behind her ear. He somehow found him stepping closer to her, and was surprised to find she did not take a step away from him.

Instinctively leaning closer, not knowing what had come over him, he parted his lips on a soft gasp of air.

"Carrick!"