“The dog,” he said asSophie took his hand and began to gently scrub the wound with asoapy rag.
“You mean Wolf?”sheasked, though there were no other dogs in the hall.
Talon nodded.He’d seen a few wolvesin the wild before, but always from a distance.“Is he afull-blooded wolf?”
Sophie’s keen gaze sized Talon up.“No,” she said after a moment.“He has the white teeth of a dog,not yellow like a wolf.Lara found him in the wilds when he was apup.Likely his mother abandoned him because he’s a half-breed andshe recognized him as being different.”
Talon and the wolf-dog eyed eachother.“He guards his mistress well.”
Sophie wiped the soap from his hand.“He does.Even I, who have raised them both, would never dare raisea hand to her in Wolf’s presence.”
“No sane man would, Ishould think.”Talon had been sane enough yesterday when he’d firstcome across them, but the sight of her red hair curling around theoval of her face and the challenging tilt of her chin had been toomuch for him.He’d been too long without a woman, and she was awoman to tempt any man.She’d tempted him to the point that he’dbraved her beast of a dog and her sharp points, then paid with hisflesh for his brazenness.He’d admired her spirit as much as he’dcursed his own foolishness, which was why he hadn’t chased her downyesterday, and why he wouldn’t give her away now.“You say youraised them both.Are you the girl’s grandmother?”
“In a manner of speaking.”Sophie’s gaze ’arrowed on Talon's, then she dipped her fingers intoa tub and smeared a soothing balm that smelled of rosemary on hispalm.“You take a great interest in a girl you’ve just met andspoken nary a word with, Captain.”
Talon flexed his hand, impressed athow the tight edges of his wound were already easing, then glancedat Lara, who was diligently wrapping Anglbert’s knee.“I take agreat interest in many things, Madam.”
***
Lara
Lara tied the last strip of linenaround the knee of Berta’s kindly graybeard, then peered down atthe captain’s boot, letting her gaze travel up the length of hisleather leggings over the swell of his calves and well-muscledthighs.Why hadn’t he chased her down with those legs after she’dsliced his palm yesterday?Or told Sophie it was she who had cuthim today?Peering up at him from beneath lowered lashes, she foundno answers, only his unnerving gaze.
“Leave the poultice onuntil tomorrow morn.”She spoke down to Anglbert’s knee, her cheekstoo hot to look him in the face, then reached into her bag for atub of easing liniment and set it on the table.“After you removethe poultice, rub a handful of this into your knee three times aday for the next seven days, then as needed.If you run out, Bertacan bring you more.”
“Not you?”
Lara looked up into smiling browneyes.“There’s no need for me to bring it, unless of course yourknee worsens.”
“What of the captain?”Thelines around Anglbert’s eyes deepened as he grinned.“His cut isdeep and his poor mind near to festering.”
Lara glanced at the captain, whosebrow looked more angry than feverish as he glared at Anglbert.“Sophie will take care of his wound better than I.”
“Perhaps.”Anglbert tuggedat his beard.“But what about the poor man’s mind?He’s beensuffering a sickness of it since yesterday.”
“Since yesterday?”Larasuddenly felt a little feverish herself.
“Aye, lady.”Anglbertnodded somberly.“He seems to have picked up a cursed bad ailmentfrom splashing around in the river.”
Sophie’s touch was already on thecaptain’s forehead, and then she ran her fingers down his neck andkneaded below his ears.Eyes of honed steel stared straight intoLara’s over Sophie’s head, and she was halfway up and out of herseat before she realized that not only Sophie but several soldierswere watching her.She sat back down.
“As I said,” she toldAnglbert, “Sophie will take care of him better than I.She’s a verylearned healer.”
Sophie cleared her throat, her drawnbrows telling Lara she may not have known what, exactly, was goingon here, but she knew something was.And she would be expectinganswers from Lara the next time they were alone.Lara looked aroundthe hall.The soldiers who’d needed tending had been seen to.Sowhile Sophie and the captain were discussing his lack of symptomsfor the strange fever Anglbert claimed he suffered from, she tookthe opportunity to pack her bag and slip away from the table andout the kitchen door..
Walking quickly past Berta and Enid,Lara didn’t call Wolf to heel when he stopped to beg treats fromthem.He’d be along shortly.Once inside the stable, she spied Gaeaand Honey, Sophie’s little dun mare, together in a stall past thesoldier’s horses and headed over.
“Hey, boy.”Distracted,she stopped at the stall housing the captain’s black steed and heldher palm out.The stallion sniffed and blew at her hand and lookedalmost as large and imposing standing in its stall, munching hay,as it had in full armor at the river yesterday.She rubbed hisvelvet muzzle and stared into big, intelligent eyes almost as blackas his coat.A smile chased her lips as his master’s piercing gazestole her thoughts.The hard line of his jaw … big, strong handsplucking the rose from her hair… “You’re a handsome beast,” shetold the horse.“Much like your master.Maybe you can tell me whyyou both chase me night after night.”
The stallion pricked his ears, and thehairs on the back of Lara’s neck stood on end as she slowly turnedaround to find a squat man with a turnip nose and rheumy eyesswaying on his feet behind her with an ugly, lascivious leer on hisfleshy face.The same man that had been lounging outside of thestables when they’d ridden in.
“I ken tell ye.”Even hissweat reeked of stale spirits.“I ken tell ya why mens would chaseye, mishy.”
Lara looked toward the open door tothe stables.The drunkard’s beefy body blocked her way out.Instinctively, she glanced around for Wolf, but he wasn’t there.She met the man’s beady, bloodshot gaze, her back up against thegate to the stallion’s stall.“Please, sir.”She tried to keep hervoice calm.“I’ve no wish for trouble.”
“Trouble?”The man swayedcloser to her.“Ish not trouble I’ll be givin ye,mishy.”
Lara smiled as sweetly as she couldmanage, then pushed off the gate to run by the man, but his armcaught her around the waist.She let out one shrill whistle as theman fell, taking her with him and knocking the breath from her asshe hit the ground.A ham-fisted hand clamped over her mouth, andshe bit down, hard.The man jerked his hand away with a string ofoaths as foul as his breath.Lara scrambled up, then turned to runfor the door as he grabbed a fistful of her skirt and yanked herback, causing her to stumble and step with the full weight of herbody on his knee, which gave way beneath her sandaled foot with asickening snap of bone.Bellowing in pain, the man let go of herskirt and grabbed above his knee, then his scream turnedhigh-pitched and wordless as a snarling Wolf came bounding straightfor him.