Free Coveted by Stacey Brutger Page B

make me fall?”
    Shayla nearly dropped
the torch when she spotted Aiden’s face inches from the flames, struggling to
maintain his hold on the slick rocks. The low grumble to his voice, after she thought
she’d lost him, sent a surge of adrenaline scorching her every nerve ending.
    “I should let you
hang there for scaring me like that. What the hell were you thinking?” Not
waiting for a reply, she dropped the torch and grabbed the back of his shirt to
help him up.
    By the time he was back
on solid ground, they were both panting. Stretched out beside him, Shayla
groaned. “You really know how to show a girl a good time.”
    He didn’t move,
didn’t reply, and that alarmed her more than if he’d yelled. Something wasn’t
right. She slowly sat, her skin prickling painfully. She rubbed her arms and
mud flaked off in layers. “Aiden?”
    “Are you injured?”
    She shivered at the
rough quality of his voice, the low tone almost inaudible. “I’m fine. Not even
a scratch. How badly are you hurt?”
    She swallowed hard, her
fingers shaking pathetically as she reached for him, dreading what she’d find. When
his hand latched onto her wrist, she jumped, her eyes flashing toward his.
    “The guy you hit is
still alive. We need to leave before he regains consciousness.” So saying, he stood
in a slow, measured way that hinted at great pain, not even pretending to
answer her question. As though one touch would shatter him. She clenched her
hands, not sure what to do with herself.
    She opened her mouth to
demand to see his injuries, then closed it without speaking a word. Neither of
them had a choice. They had to get out of there. Injured was better than dead.
    He swayed, and Shayla
fumbled to pick up her bag and torch before wrapping his arm across her
shoulder. He sucked in a sharp breath, and her resolve hardened. “When we reach
your border, we’re stopping so I can take a look at your wounds.”
    Instead of replying,
Aiden took a stubborn step forward. That he didn’t refuse sent a chill of worry
burrowing into her gut. “Tell me how you came to be trapped in a dungeon.”
    There had to be a
reason that made sense. He didn’t have anything to do with the missing people.
He was no fugitive. The men chasing them were definitely not police. He might
be a Neanderthal, but he’d made sure she was safe.
    Something didn’t add
up.
    “I tried to help the
wrong people.”
    The clipped reply
said the discussion was over. Stubborn man. They traveled another few minutes
in silence, the next question burning the tip of her tongue.
    “You’re going to
burst if you don’t ask, aren’t you?”
    A snort escaped.
“Probably. I mean, they’re trying to kill me, too. Don’t you think I deserve to
know why?”
    Tension radiated from
him. “How did you find the castle?”
    The question caught
Shayla off-guard. “I came to Scotland for a job. I was to meet with my client
tomorrow. I arrived a few days early to do a little sightseeing. My grandfather
told me tales of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the faerie people, when I was a little
girl. I wanted to see the land he described.”
    “And the castle?”
    A wiry smile crossed
to her lips. “Rain. I wanted to avoid the rain.” She gave a little chuckle. “Actually,
I could’ve sworn I heard a trapped animal, but it must have been the wind
howling. There was no sign of it when the ground caved. I guess I should’ve
heeded the warning and stayed away, huh?”
     Aiden stumbled,
barely catching himself before falling flat on his face. “You what?”
    Shayla shook her head,
feeling foolish for even having mentioned it. “I heard a howl from a trapped
animal, but I couldn’t find hide nor hair of the beastie. My curiosity kept me
from being in a warm toasty bed right now.”
    She glanced up at him
and stopped dead. “You don’t look so good.”
    Aiden took a few more
steps, neatly removing himself from her arms. Her fingers curled into fists to
keep from reaching for him.