Read Online The Wolf and the Highlander (Highland Wishes) by Jessi Gage - Free Book Online
Authors: Jessi Gage
Ads: Link
workbench to wipe out her teacup. Her trews inched down her hips with each step. This wouldn’t do. She looked under the workbench for rope or somat else to use as a belt. Och, the chest by the fireplace. That’s where he’d gotten her new clothes. If he had a belt her size, it would be in there.
She hobbled over and lifted the heavy lid. There may have been clothes folded underneath, but resting on top of a linen sheet was an axe so shiny and fancy, she doubted it had ever been used for anything as mundane as chopping down trees. Its head flared in a wide arc, the tips tapering to sharp points. The back of the blade narrowed to a wicked spike. It gleamed from black handle to steel blade, and it was probably worth more than the half-dozen sheathed knives lining the lid combined.
The door banged open.
The lid slipped from her hand and crashed closed, nearly taking her hand with it. She pulled it back just in time.
Riggs rushed toward her, fully clothed, his hair shining with moisture. His eyes were wild. Was he angry she’d been snooping? Her heart stopped with fear.
“Are you all right?” He grabbed her hands, inspecting them. His worried gaze jumped to her face. “I thought—” He closed his eyes and released a great breath. “I thought you’d caught your hand in the lid.”
He wasn’t angry. Her shoulders began to unwind. He’d promised he wouldn’t hurt her, but she had no assurance he’d keep the promise. He’d also said he wouldn’t touch her, but he kept doing so. She slipped her hands out of his. “Well, you can see I am unharmed,” she said shortly.
His face hardened, but not quickly enough to hide his hurt from her. He stomped to the pack on the floor and fiddled with its straps.
“What did you have to break your fast?” she asked.
He looked up from the pack. “Found a lynx in the valley south of here.”
“And you caught it with your bare hands and ate it out in the forest?”
His brow furrowed like the answer should be obvious. “Yes.”
Saints above. She didn’t ken whether to be impressed or disgusted. “ You ate it raw?”
“Of course,” he said as if there was no other reasonable way to eat meat. He stood and pulled the pack onto his back, buckling a belt-like extension low around his hips. Which reminded her what she’d been about before he’d come in.
“Do you have a belt I can use to keep these trews up?” she asked in a meek voice quite unusual for her.
He went to the chest and lifted the axe out as easily as if it were a quill. After propping it beside the hearth, he dug in the chest and came up with a leather bel t. “Here.” He held it out.
Her feet couldn’t decide whether to go to him to take it or not. Part of her was afraid of him. Part of her still tingled with warmth over the memory of his naked form.
His eyebrows, straight, thick sweeps of black hair, lowered to shadow his eyes. A soft growl came from him. He looked dangerous, but oddly, that look dispelled her fear rather than heighten it. It also turned the tingling warmth inside her to flaming heat.
He tossed the belt on the bed. Then he took a sheathed hunting knife from the lid of the chest and tossed that on the bed too. Grabbing up the axe, he said, “Time to go,” and stalked outside.
She’d upset him. That shouldn’t bother her. But it did.
Cursing herself, she put on the belt, slipping it through the knife sheath, and followed him outside, closing the door behind her.
He was already across the rough-hewn bridge spanning the brook, trudging into the forest.
She hobbled after him as fast as her legs could carry her. It bloody well hurt, but she gritted her teeth and pressed on, doing her best to match his stride. When ten minutes had passed and he was still a stone’s throw ahead of her, she shouted, “Humans doona eat raw meat.”
He stopped and looked back. Even from this distance, she could see his hurt feelings in the narrowing of his eyes.
“ I doona eat raw meat,” she
She hobbled over and lifted the heavy lid. There may have been clothes folded underneath, but resting on top of a linen sheet was an axe so shiny and fancy, she doubted it had ever been used for anything as mundane as chopping down trees. Its head flared in a wide arc, the tips tapering to sharp points. The back of the blade narrowed to a wicked spike. It gleamed from black handle to steel blade, and it was probably worth more than the half-dozen sheathed knives lining the lid combined.
The door banged open.
The lid slipped from her hand and crashed closed, nearly taking her hand with it. She pulled it back just in time.
Riggs rushed toward her, fully clothed, his hair shining with moisture. His eyes were wild. Was he angry she’d been snooping? Her heart stopped with fear.
“Are you all right?” He grabbed her hands, inspecting them. His worried gaze jumped to her face. “I thought—” He closed his eyes and released a great breath. “I thought you’d caught your hand in the lid.”
He wasn’t angry. Her shoulders began to unwind. He’d promised he wouldn’t hurt her, but she had no assurance he’d keep the promise. He’d also said he wouldn’t touch her, but he kept doing so. She slipped her hands out of his. “Well, you can see I am unharmed,” she said shortly.
His face hardened, but not quickly enough to hide his hurt from her. He stomped to the pack on the floor and fiddled with its straps.
“What did you have to break your fast?” she asked.
He looked up from the pack. “Found a lynx in the valley south of here.”
“And you caught it with your bare hands and ate it out in the forest?”
His brow furrowed like the answer should be obvious. “Yes.”
Saints above. She didn’t ken whether to be impressed or disgusted. “ You ate it raw?”
“Of course,” he said as if there was no other reasonable way to eat meat. He stood and pulled the pack onto his back, buckling a belt-like extension low around his hips. Which reminded her what she’d been about before he’d come in.
“Do you have a belt I can use to keep these trews up?” she asked in a meek voice quite unusual for her.
He went to the chest and lifted the axe out as easily as if it were a quill. After propping it beside the hearth, he dug in the chest and came up with a leather bel t. “Here.” He held it out.
Her feet couldn’t decide whether to go to him to take it or not. Part of her was afraid of him. Part of her still tingled with warmth over the memory of his naked form.
His eyebrows, straight, thick sweeps of black hair, lowered to shadow his eyes. A soft growl came from him. He looked dangerous, but oddly, that look dispelled her fear rather than heighten it. It also turned the tingling warmth inside her to flaming heat.
He tossed the belt on the bed. Then he took a sheathed hunting knife from the lid of the chest and tossed that on the bed too. Grabbing up the axe, he said, “Time to go,” and stalked outside.
She’d upset him. That shouldn’t bother her. But it did.
Cursing herself, she put on the belt, slipping it through the knife sheath, and followed him outside, closing the door behind her.
He was already across the rough-hewn bridge spanning the brook, trudging into the forest.
She hobbled after him as fast as her legs could carry her. It bloody well hurt, but she gritted her teeth and pressed on, doing her best to match his stride. When ten minutes had passed and he was still a stone’s throw ahead of her, she shouted, “Humans doona eat raw meat.”
He stopped and looked back. Even from this distance, she could see his hurt feelings in the narrowing of his eyes.
“ I doona eat raw meat,” she
Similar Books
