Tempest Heart - Paula Quinn Page 0,36

felt. Aye. Everything. Her father was on his list. She’d taken hold of his tempest heart and calmed it. His reputation was on the line. Was he truly going to give up everything for a lass he just met?

He knew one thing, holding her while she relived whatever horrors she’d been through was probably not the wisest thing he could have done. As the last few hours had passed by with her crying out or trembling against him in the midst of his whispers, he felt more and more protective of her, until he knew that he had to find the one who tried to kill her and succeeded in killing her mother. He would not rest until he found him.

Had it been her own father? Whoever set fire to the house had thought he was killing the family…or just the eight-year-old girl. Would a seemingly overprotective father set his house aflame with his child inside? It was too much to consider. If he was guilty, Tristan didn’t know how he would keep from killing him.

He felt like he should tell her. Tell her that he loved her. That whoever was guilty would pay. Whether it was a stranger or her father. He was going to end this danger to her once and for all.

“Rose—”

He heard the whoosh of an arrow cutting the air. His eyes opened wider for an instant before he felt shooting pain lance through him. He looked down at his chest, just above his heart. It took him just an instant to realize what was happening. He’d been shot. Rose! Not again. No one was taking her from him this time!

Fury rose up in him in the next instant. “Stay here!” he called to her as he drove his heels into his horse’s flanks.

He saw the rider getting away fast. He gave chase. A little longer and his horse would have overtaken the other. But he had to stop, lest he ride too far away from Rose. He couldn’t leave her alone in the woods.

He returned to her with the arrow still jutting out of his chest. Hell, he didn’t know how bad it was. How close it was to his heart.

He’d traveled these roads enough times to know where the best market towns were, or where the best healers lived.

“Come.” He pulled himself back onto his saddle. “This arrow has to come oot.”

“What about whoever shot you?” she asked, frightened.

“He has gone. Come, let us get movin’.”

She nodded and wiped some tears from her eyes. “Now then, lass. There’s no need to weep. I will be well.”

“There is no way for you to know that. Someone is out there.”

No. No. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. He had to remain strong. Though his chest ached and burned, and he felt weaker with every moment that passed, he held his claymore in his hand, ready to bring it down on a few heads.

Rose kept her horse close. Twice, she almost climbed into his saddle with him to keep him upright.

When they finally came to a small village four miles north—farther away from Dumfries—Tristan led them to an inn.

As soon as the innkeeper saw him and the arrow jutting from his chest, he called to his wife, the village healer and led them to a bedroom.

With Rose and the innkeeper’s help, he entered the room. The innkeeper’s wife arrived shortly after and sat him on a tall stool. Her husband disappeared and then returned with a flask of liquid in his hand.

“Tristan,” the healer said, “what are ye doin’ back here with me? I had hoped never to see ye again drenched in blood.”

“Alas, Nel, I canna keep arrows from findin’ me.”

“Let us hope this one hasna found yer heart.”

After a long examination of the entrance and exit sites, and the angle of the shaft, Nel announced she did not think any important parts inside were hit. Without saying much else, she picked up a knife and asked how long ago it happened.

“About an hour ago,” Rose answered with a shaky voice and knelt before him.

Nel began cutting his jacket and léine off. He almost faded into black twice while she undressed him. He kept his eyes on a terrified Rose. He’d had arrows pulled out before—from his leg and shoulder. It hurt like hell. This was going to be worse. He didn’t want to think on it.

He wanted to look at her…into her eyes.

She looked quite pale more than a few times and he thought she