Hero of a Highland Wolf
Page 11
She paused, turned, and slipped. His heart in his throat, he watched in horror as she fell. He raced after her. Though wolves’ paw pads could keep better footing on ice than humans’, he still slipped on the wet moss in his haste to reach her.
She stood scarce inches above the rocks where the waves were breaking when she managed to stop her fall. On her belly, she panted and didn’t seem to notice when he came up behind her. They were much too close to the breakers. He had to get her back up to the path before a wave crashed farther up the rocks and swept her away. And him with her.
He nudged her to get to her feet. She snarled at him. He didn’t back off. He needed to get her up to the seawall and over it. Then he had to return her to the lady’s chamber, pronto.
“Grant, do you need our help?” Enrick called out, nearly out of breath and sounding more than concerned.
Grant looked up to see at least ten of his men peering over the wall. He shook his head. At least he didn’t think he needed their aid.
He was glad they had come to help him, should he need it, though he wished no one had seen any of this. He nosed her side to get her to climb the rocks to the path. He couldn’t carry her in his human form. Much too slippery. They’d manage the climb better in their wolf forms.
She suddenly leaped on top of the rock farther away from the breakers. Then her legs gave out, and she was sprawled on the mossy boulders. He clambered up the rocks and nudged her again. At first, he thought she was injured. Then he realized she was still very inebriated.
Being down here made it even more dangerous for her in her current condition. And he was afraid once she was on her feet, she’d turn and head into danger again, not realizing how treacherous it could be. He continued to nudge her, getting her to stand and then move back up the path. She couldn’t seem to walk a straight line over the rough-edged rocks, and she swayed a bit on her feet.
“Is she still drunk?” Lachlan called out.
Obviously, Grant wanted to say to his brother in a growly tone of voice.
Grant had wanted to keep her safe until she was over being sick, but he hadn’t expected her to do anything dangerous like this. Which made him even gladder that he’d kept her in the adjoining room so he could watch over her.
When they finally reached the seawall, she just stared at it. Enrick and Lachlan climbed over it and hoisted her up to another couple of men who eased her down on the other side.
As soon as the she-wolf stood in the bailey, Grant joined her. By the time he reached her, she was sprawled out on the stone pavers, eyes closed, sleeping.
“I guess she’s not going anywhere unless we take her there,” Enrick said, a smile in his words as he lifted her off the ground. “Lead the way.”
Grant grunted and loped back to his chamber. When he reached it, he shifted and heard his brother laying Colleen on the bed in the lady’s chamber.
“Be sure to bolt the door in her room,” Grant said. He heard the bolt slide closed and then Enrick joined Grant in his bedchamber.
“She’s more of a challenge than we thought she’d be. Thank God you caught her before she took a dangerous dunking in the sea,” Enrick said.
“Yeah, that’s why I wanted her door bolted. If she opens it, I’ll hear it. I’ll do the same in here.”
“All right. See you in the morning,” Enrick said, and Grant noticed the small smirk his brother wore.
“Hopefully, she’ll be feeling all right by then,” Grant said, then closed the door after his brother’s departure and bolted it. At the very least, if she tried to leave the chamber, she’d have to shift first to unbar the door. He hoped she’d sleep the rest of the night instead.
Now that he wasn’t leaping over seawalls and trying to secure her safety, he looked at her one last time. She was a pretty wolf with a reddish-brown mask. The lower half of her face was white all the way down her throat, and the white above her dark brown eyes emphasized them. With that and red fur in a strip down her nose, she looked just lovely. Her coloring reminded him of her grandmother’s, except that Neda’s had been grayer.
Satisfied Colleen wasn’t going anywhere, he returned to bed. This time he succumbed to a deep, bone-settling sleep.
Until a hand fell against his bare chest, giving him a near heart attack. He jumped back on the mattress, about to grab his sword, when he saw that the intruder was Colleen, snuggled under his blankets and sleeping in his bed! And naked.
“What are you doing in my bed?” Grant roared.
“Closer…to the…bathroom,” she said, her voice hushed with sleep, and yet she seemed to have enough awareness to know her own mind and that she would have her way in this, or else.
He absolutely refused to move into the lady’s chamber. He couldn’t, not if he wished to keep face with his men. They wouldn’t barge in on him, but the cleaning staff would smell his scent on the lady’s sheets. Then again, now they would smell the lady’s scent on his sheets.
He could not allow the woman to sleep in his bed! Yet what choice did he have? If she needed to reach the bathroom quickly, he had to admit that she should be closer to it.
Which meant he could not be here.
He quickly got out of bed as she turned to watch him, her eyes half-lidded. Aye, he was naked again. Despite her inebriated state, or maybe because of it, she seemed to enjoy looking him over. And that had the added disagreeable effect of arousing him when he shouldn’t be feeling that way in the least. He grabbed his kilt, the quickest thing within reach, and belted it around his waist, then left his chamber.
She stood scarce inches above the rocks where the waves were breaking when she managed to stop her fall. On her belly, she panted and didn’t seem to notice when he came up behind her. They were much too close to the breakers. He had to get her back up to the path before a wave crashed farther up the rocks and swept her away. And him with her.
He nudged her to get to her feet. She snarled at him. He didn’t back off. He needed to get her up to the seawall and over it. Then he had to return her to the lady’s chamber, pronto.
“Grant, do you need our help?” Enrick called out, nearly out of breath and sounding more than concerned.
Grant looked up to see at least ten of his men peering over the wall. He shook his head. At least he didn’t think he needed their aid.
He was glad they had come to help him, should he need it, though he wished no one had seen any of this. He nosed her side to get her to climb the rocks to the path. He couldn’t carry her in his human form. Much too slippery. They’d manage the climb better in their wolf forms.
She suddenly leaped on top of the rock farther away from the breakers. Then her legs gave out, and she was sprawled on the mossy boulders. He clambered up the rocks and nudged her again. At first, he thought she was injured. Then he realized she was still very inebriated.
Being down here made it even more dangerous for her in her current condition. And he was afraid once she was on her feet, she’d turn and head into danger again, not realizing how treacherous it could be. He continued to nudge her, getting her to stand and then move back up the path. She couldn’t seem to walk a straight line over the rough-edged rocks, and she swayed a bit on her feet.
“Is she still drunk?” Lachlan called out.
Obviously, Grant wanted to say to his brother in a growly tone of voice.
Grant had wanted to keep her safe until she was over being sick, but he hadn’t expected her to do anything dangerous like this. Which made him even gladder that he’d kept her in the adjoining room so he could watch over her.
When they finally reached the seawall, she just stared at it. Enrick and Lachlan climbed over it and hoisted her up to another couple of men who eased her down on the other side.
As soon as the she-wolf stood in the bailey, Grant joined her. By the time he reached her, she was sprawled out on the stone pavers, eyes closed, sleeping.
“I guess she’s not going anywhere unless we take her there,” Enrick said, a smile in his words as he lifted her off the ground. “Lead the way.”
Grant grunted and loped back to his chamber. When he reached it, he shifted and heard his brother laying Colleen on the bed in the lady’s chamber.
“Be sure to bolt the door in her room,” Grant said. He heard the bolt slide closed and then Enrick joined Grant in his bedchamber.
“She’s more of a challenge than we thought she’d be. Thank God you caught her before she took a dangerous dunking in the sea,” Enrick said.
“Yeah, that’s why I wanted her door bolted. If she opens it, I’ll hear it. I’ll do the same in here.”
“All right. See you in the morning,” Enrick said, and Grant noticed the small smirk his brother wore.
“Hopefully, she’ll be feeling all right by then,” Grant said, then closed the door after his brother’s departure and bolted it. At the very least, if she tried to leave the chamber, she’d have to shift first to unbar the door. He hoped she’d sleep the rest of the night instead.
Now that he wasn’t leaping over seawalls and trying to secure her safety, he looked at her one last time. She was a pretty wolf with a reddish-brown mask. The lower half of her face was white all the way down her throat, and the white above her dark brown eyes emphasized them. With that and red fur in a strip down her nose, she looked just lovely. Her coloring reminded him of her grandmother’s, except that Neda’s had been grayer.
Satisfied Colleen wasn’t going anywhere, he returned to bed. This time he succumbed to a deep, bone-settling sleep.
Until a hand fell against his bare chest, giving him a near heart attack. He jumped back on the mattress, about to grab his sword, when he saw that the intruder was Colleen, snuggled under his blankets and sleeping in his bed! And naked.
“What are you doing in my bed?” Grant roared.
“Closer…to the…bathroom,” she said, her voice hushed with sleep, and yet she seemed to have enough awareness to know her own mind and that she would have her way in this, or else.
He absolutely refused to move into the lady’s chamber. He couldn’t, not if he wished to keep face with his men. They wouldn’t barge in on him, but the cleaning staff would smell his scent on the lady’s sheets. Then again, now they would smell the lady’s scent on his sheets.
He could not allow the woman to sleep in his bed! Yet what choice did he have? If she needed to reach the bathroom quickly, he had to admit that she should be closer to it.
Which meant he could not be here.
He quickly got out of bed as she turned to watch him, her eyes half-lidded. Aye, he was naked again. Despite her inebriated state, or maybe because of it, she seemed to enjoy looking him over. And that had the added disagreeable effect of arousing him when he shouldn’t be feeling that way in the least. He grabbed his kilt, the quickest thing within reach, and belted it around his waist, then left his chamber.
