Page 50 of Highland Ruse

She had to remind herself again and again.

“Kaid.” Donnan’s voice sounded somewhere behind Delilah.

She spun to find him standing near the horses with Leasa at his side. Even Leasa stared at Delilah as if she’d lost her mind.

“I’m taking you both to Killearnan to face punishment for your crimes.” Delilah nodded pointedly at Leasa to indicate it was time.

Leasa nodded back, but the movement was uncertain. She hadn’t been given instruction on any of the plan. No doubt she wondered what she ought to do to help.

It would all have been easier, of course, had Delilah told her. But with Leasa’s open honesty, not only might she have loosed their secret, the burden would have been too raw for her to bear.

“How do ye intend to get us there if ye dinna know the way?” Donnan asked with a confident grin.

“I know more than you think,” Delilah replied in flawless Gaelic.

Kaid straightened and gave her a look that made her blood cool.

As if she were a stranger.

And then he lunged at her.

Chapter Thirteen

Even after Elizabeth’s betrayal, Kaid still did not wish to harm her.

He caught her around the waist, intending to pull her to the ground and safely remove the dagger from her hold. She darted back with the reflexes of a cat and easily slid free of his grasp.

He swung his arm toward her in an attempt to catch her again. This time, she didn’t evade his attack, but ran into it.

Her body slammed into his with enough force to rock his balance momentarily, but he managed to keep his footing.

This was no minor defense, he realized. She intended to fight him. “Stop this, Elizabeth.”

“My name is not Elizabeth.” She ground the words out and swung a fist at his face.

She was fast.

Almost fast enough to catch him with her throw, but not quite.

He dipped back and put his arms up in a defensive block as he’d done many times when training at hand-to-hand combat with his men.

The kind of training he’d never done with a woman.

Especially not a woman he had only moments ago lain with.

Not Elizabeth.

Her words registered and tingled down his spine.

Leasa and Donnan stood off to the side, watching in horrified fascination. Leasa, Kaid noted absently, did not appear to be shocked by the admission.

Not-Elizabeth circled him with menace. “If you let me tie you up, we can end this now.”

Kaid narrowed his eyes at the challenge. “I dinna think so.”

She shrugged, then she charged at him.

He braced himself for the blow, expecting her to throw another punch. But this time it was her foot which propelled toward him and would have slammed into his head had he not ducked as quickly as he did.