Circin showed his appreciation in voluntarily baring his throat when Talorc pulled him into a nearly unbreakable hold. The younger soldier could have held on to his pride until Talorc forced an acknowledgment of his superior force. The laird was glad to see the boy understood how to take dignity in defeat.
It was a lack in that respect that had led to their people nearly wiping themselves out in the past.
Talorc had allowed Circin to fight long enough that there should be no shame in his loss of the challenge. Yet the young man’s honor should be fulfilled as well, since he had fought for right to the land and lost.
Nevertheless, it was good to check. Talorc did not need an enemy cropping up from a source he was close to naming friend. “You are satisfied?”
Circin nodded, sadness tingeing his gaze. “I am.”
Even knowing the outcome before the first blow was struck, there could be no joy in defeat.
“Good.” He placed his right fist over his heart.
Circin copied the action and bowed his head.
“Tell your laird the Sinclair laird would consider it an honor to train Chrechte warriors from his clan should he desire it.”
Circin’s eyes lit with excitement. “You mean it?”
“The first thing you need to learn, boy, is that an alpha never says something he does not mean or cannot back up,” Niall chided from his position between Abigail and the omega.
“Even Muin?” Circin asked.
“Muin is your brother?” Talorc asked, rather than reply.
Circin wiped blood from the corner of his lip with the back of his hand. “Yes.”
“An omega is always welcome among his Chrechte brethren, regardless of what colors they wear.”
“You adhere strictly to the Chrechte laws.”
“Aye.” Even if the Balmoral had believed for a time he did not.
“I will pass your invitation on to my laird.”
And would not take no for answer, if Talorc’s guess was accurate.
He was not surprised when Abigail invited the Donegal warriors to share in their evening meal. He was only surprised by the fact her presumption in doing so did not bother him. He supposed that she was his wife after all.
“I could not help but notice you did not take your horse hunting,” Abigail said, breaking the silence she had maintained since inviting the other soldiers to eat with them.
His wife was a curious mixture of timidity and boldness. She had not hesitated to confront him before he faced Circin’s challenge, but she had spent the hours since then watching everyone else and saying very little. ’Twas odd. In his experience, women tended to talk more than men, often filling a peaceful silence with unnecessary verbal noise. Abigail was the first woman he had met who might actually speak less than his warriors.
“I did not need a horse.”
“Perhaps you should reconsider that notion.” She paused, giving him a look from between her lashes. “Considering the fact that your soldiers returned with game and you did not.”
Everyone around the fire went silent at his wife’s innocent observation, waiting for his response.
He wasn’t about to admit that his wolf had spent the morning preoccupied with a woman who had responded with naught but fear at his presence. He frowned at her, letting her know he had no intention of justifying his failure to return with game.
“Perhaps it was forgetting your plaid that caused your lack of success. You scared the prey away.” The edges of her lips curled upward, though her expression remained demure.
She was teasing him. His shy little human wife dared to tease the Sinclair. The look of astonishment on Earc’s face and subtle mirth on Niall’s said they realized it as well. The other men wore a mixture of trepidation and concern, clearly mistaking his wife’s words as criticism.
“Highlanders have been hunting without covering for as long as they have claimed these lands.”
“Hmm . . .,” she replied noncommittally.
“Are you worried about my ability to provide for you?” he asked, keeping his expression hard and unreadable.
Crossing her arms she gave him an arch look that about had him falling backward. “Maybe I am.” She wasn’t buying his pretend annoyance, not even with worthless English gold coin.
A gasp from one of his warriors said they had though.
“You needn’t concern yourself, lady. Our clan provides for the laird as he provides for us,” Niall said, adding his own bit to bait Talorc.
“It would seem that is a good thing,” she replied and took a delicate bite of the roasted rabbit.
When Talorc did naught but give Niall a halfhearted glare and a shake of his head, Circin frowned much more fiercely. “You accept such an insult from your warrior?”
“Niall did not insult me, nor did my wife.” He looked at Abigail, who was definitely smirking now. “Did you?”
“Nay, my laird. I would never do so.”
Circin looked wholly unconvinced. “But—”
“In fact, I have full confidence that my wife will readily promise to eat only that which I proved for the next week.”
“Certainly,” Abigail said promptly.
Only then did the Donegal youth catch on. “You were teasing your laird.”
An almost silent giggle issued from her throat. “Yes.”
“No one teases the Donegal laird.”
“Not even his wife?” Abigail asked.
“Our lady died ten years ago.”
“That explains it. He’s probably still grieving,” Abigail said, clearly tongue in cheek.
The young soldier nodded quite seriously. “Aye. That he is. The biggest part of his heart died with her. They were true mates.”
“It is good for a husband and wife to be friends,” Abigail observed, clearly mistaking the meaning of the word mates.
Circin gave Abigail a confused look that went right past her as she studied Talorc’s face. He stared back.
“Do you agree?” she asked, a wistful expression on her pretty oval features.
“’Twould be enough to wish not to be enemies,” was all he was willing to concede.
How could he be friends with a woman born and raised Sassenach? He would never have a true mate now that he had accepted her into his bed. He would not be able to father children, for a Chrechte could not have offspring with a human unless a true mate bond existed. He, who believed strongly in preserving the Chrechte, would not be able to pass his own wolf nature on to the next generation.
The thought had him surging to his feet. “I will take the first patrol.”
Abigail paced, her attention drifting to the cavern entrance every few steps. It remained as empty as it had been since she said her good-nights to the warriors and found her way to her and Talorc’s temporary sleeping chamber.
Her husband had disappeared at the end of dinner and not returned since. At first, she had been relieved by his absence. His cruel comment regarding not being enemies with his wife being enough to wish for had put her on the verge of tears. Coupled with the way he had ignored her all day to hunt, on foot yet, left her in no doubt about how he saw her.
As an unwelcome interloper.
Just like her parents.
For just a little while, when he had taken such tender care of her after consummating their marriage the night before, she had let herself begin to believe it might be different.
Only, no matter what he had said during the Chrechte marriage ritual about her no longer being English, regardless of how deeply emotional their physical joining had felt to her, he did not care for her. She had been a fool to think one day he might. An absolute fool. The intense physical intimacy that had been so transforming for her had meant less than nothing to him.