to you about an upcoming hunt I know nothing about.”
“I wouldst have told you had you given me but a chance!”
“Really?”
“Aye.”
“And wouldst,” she mimicked, “I have been invited to participate?”
His growl was apparently the only answer she needed to form her own conclusion. Not that ‘twas the wrong one for ‘twas very right. “I told you last eve that I canna take a chance with your life. Only a weak mon wouldst let his wife fight his battles. I am not weak and you willna make a widower of me.”
She rolled her eyes. “This was always my battle; it was never yours.”
“When we wed your battles became mine.”
She sighed, this time coming straight to the point. “I’m a better fighter than all your men put together. I never wanted to be forced into a situation where I had to utter those words, but I have been and there it is.”
“How can you know that?”
“I just can! I can do things even you don’t know about.” A look of frustration crossed her face as she held up her hands and, on a heavy expulsion of air, whipped her hands about and broke his heaviest chest into two equal pieces. He blinked. “Shall I destroy more?”
“Uh… nay.”
Great! Now he carried the lack-witted conversation skills of Colban.
“I am a trained assassin, Angus. I was honest about that fact with you.”
He walked closer to where she stood and sighed. “I dinna doubt you, wife. I never did. But canna you ken I fear losing you to this bedamned Xenocann?”
“But that’s just it, Angus. I fear losing you too! You don’t want me making a widower out of you? Well, I don’t want you to make a widow out of me either!”
He feared he was losing this conversation. He didn’t like it in the least, yet neither did he like anger between him and Octavia. “’Tis your desire do we hunt together?”
“My true desire is for you to let me hunt the feeder alone.” At his appalled expression, she quickly added, “but together is good enough for me.” She shrugged with a nonchalance he didn’t believe she felt. “I’ll be much better at having your back than James will. He’s good, but I’m great.”
Angus grunted. “The situation with Sir James well and truly bothers you, does it not?”
She frowned. “His loyalty laid with me until you married me. Now his loyalty lies with you. That’s a hard pill to swallow.”
“A what?”
“It’s difficult to accept.”
“But why? As Doctor said, ‘tis the way of things in this world.”
“I’m not of this world,” she said quietly. Her gaze flicked to the floor. “You didn’t like being gainsaid in front of your men? Well congratulations because now you sort of understand how I feel.”
He raised a hand to her jaw and nudged her to look up at him. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t like being made to look like a fool in front of your warriors. How would you feel if one of your warriors made you look like a fool in front of me?”
His gaze searched hers. “This is how you feel? That James gainsaid you in front of me and you dinna like it?”
“Yes.”
Silence.
“I canna say, wife, that I ken how to remedy this. As I said afore, ‘tis the way of it for a mon to pledge his fealty to his laird first and his lady second.”
“Then don’t use James against me,” she murmured. “Have a united front with me in front of him—in front of all your men really.”
Angus sighed, but nodded. “In this instance, for this hunt in particular, I will do that.” At her smile he quickly added, “But after the thing is dead—and in all other matters not related to this feeder—let me do my job as a mon and a laird. Let me care for and aboot you.”
Her smile was soft. “I’m okay with that—unless your life is in danger. The second you are in danger, I’m no longer okay with it.”
“I can live with that.”
“Good.” She nodded for emphasis. “I was planning to retire after I killed the Xenocann anyway.”
“’Tis aboot time we settled that.” He absently frowned. “Now what to do aboot my favored chest?”
Chapter Thirteen
The group left the keep at the crack of dawn, weapons at the ready. Angus gave the servants and the majority of his warriors the excuse that his wife was watching him hunt venison so that it made sense in their minds for her to accompany him and his entourage. For Dr. Kincaid’s presence