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small group of warriors came upon him and tried to kill him. He was…ferocious in his fighting and killed all but a few who ran back to Donald. I found the stranger after the fight and bound his wounds.”
    The man lifted a dark brow. “Then?”
    “I left the stranger to go about his way. It isn’t in my nature to leave an animal in pain unattended.”
    “He wasna an animal,” stated the blond.
    Morvan shrugged. “If you’d seen him fight, you would think otherwise.”
    The two men exchanged a glance. Then the dark-haired one asked, “I’m guessing Donald discovered you helped this stranger?”
    “He did.” Morvan swallowed, remembering how Stefan had so effortlessly saved her life. “Donald is…unforgiving. He threatened to burn me alive.”
    Meg touched her hand. “What happened to bring you to us?”
    “The stranger,” Morvan said. “He saved me.”
    The dark-headed man dropped his arms. “Where is this stranger? I’d like to talk to him.”
    “He’s gone.” Morvan felt the weight of the words, and they hurt far more than she’d expected – far worse than leaving the forest.

CHAPTER SEVEN

    Stefan got as far as the stream before he came to a halt, unable to go any further. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t take another step.
    He couldn’t stop thinking of Morvan, of how her nutmeg eyes held no anger or censor – just acceptance. She hadn’t looked back when she’d walked to the castle. He knew because he had watched her every step of the way.
    Without moving from the tree line, Stefan stared at the quick moving stream. It was the place where Morvan had changed his life. One touch had altered his entire course.
    He looked to the sky to see night descending. Stefan turned on his heel and started back toward the castle.

    ~ ~ ~

    Morvan rubbed her eyes and sat up from the comfort of the bed. She glanced out the narrow window of her room to see that the sun was high in the sky. It wasn’t like her to sleep past dawn.
    She rose and dressed, then brushed out her hair. She had embarrassed herself the night before, by falling asleep as Meg and Leana were talking to her.
    Was it a dream, or had Meg introduced her husband as Ronan? It had to have been her thoughts of Stefan and her exhaustion mixing with her arrival at Ravensclyde. The more she thought about it, the more she couldn’t clearly remember the name of Meg’s or Leana’s husband.  
    It was beyond rude to fall asleep on her hosts. But after the two women kindly brought her upstairs, Morvan had found a bath. It was all she could do to stay awake as she washed the day off her, but she managed it before climbing into bed.
    She’d missed dinner, of that she was certain. And it was clearly a new day. How long had she slept?  
    Morvan tied off a strip of leather at the end of her braid and walked to the door of her chamber. She opened it and stepped into the corridor. It was the sounds of the hall that drew her in the direction of the stairs.
    Those at Ravensclyde wanted Stefan’s name, but she wouldn’t give it. He had been detained long enough. He needed to find his friends. Morvan longed for the forest, to feel the bark of the trees against her palm and hear the wind moving through the leaves.
    But the Sinclairs needed to know how dangerous Donald was.
    Once she descended and stepped into the great hall, Morvan didn’t know what to do. Neither Meg nor Leana was in sight. Morvan followed a delicious aroma to the kitchen and snagged some bread before she walked to the bailey. She stood against the castle wall and simply watched everyone.
    It was odd for her to be in the company of so many and not have them look at her with scorn. Perhaps Stefan had been right and this was a new start for her. No one at Ravensclyde knew about her, and they didn’t need to.
    Morvan lifted her face to the sky and breathed in the air. She missed the forest, but she didn’t expect to live her life in the castle. Until she was able to answer the