Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

" Y ou had a nightmare," he said, fighting the urge to kiss her and fighting with himself to let her go. He hadn't felt such a powerful desire for a woman since his wife. There were a few women, not many, since her death but he couldn't recall their names or their faces. It was almost a year after her passing before his need returned. He regretted it once the deed was done and much time passed before he felt the need again. That time, however, he prepared himself. He thought of nothing but quenching his need and the outcome at least satisfied him.

Shade was different. Something more than just satisfying a need stirred in him when he looked at her, touched her, kissed her, and while he wanted to pursue it, it also troubled him.

He kept hold of her, having no intention of letting her go just yet. "Tell me about it."

Shade was too lost in the passion that swirled in his blue eyes. It was potent and seductive. So much so that she actually felt that he desired her, which sparked her own desire. Or was it her own passion that laid dormant for so long that had her thinking that way? She was far from knowledgeable about intimacy and passion. Was finding him appealing enough to flare her desire? Or had her body been so deprived of such knowledge that since it was finally awakened, she ached for it?

She watched the passion in his eyes fade, replaced by concern and that only fired her own desire more that he cared enough to be concerned about her.

He ran his fingers faintly across her brow and down along the side of her face. "Was the nightmare so upsetting that you continue to linger in it?"

"I saw them," she said softly, recalling how her grandmother would urge her to voice her nightmares so they could be released and disturb her no more.

"Who?" he asked, settling himself in the bed and pulling her along with him to rest comfortably in his arms.

She cuddled against him, his warm, muscled body offering protection and strength if only for a bit. "The dead monks."

"Tell me more," he encouraged.

Shade didn't hesitate, anxious to be free of the nightmare. "They were all dead from several stab wounds as if one would not suffice, except for Brother Emmett. He was still alive though lingered near death. He warned me it was too late and that I should hurry and go. I ran and the shadow of a man appeared. He raised his sword and was about to strike me when I woke." She shook her head. "I woke in your arms but not really. I was still in the nightmare. I told you that you saved me from The Monk."

"I would never let him hurt you, Shade," he said, hugging her closely.

"That's not what you said to me. You told me he already had me and that he would never let me go." She shivered.

He pulled a blanket over them. "All the talk we did about The Monk and your friend Brother Emmett was enough to give you a nightmare. None of it is real."

Shade kept herself tucked against him. "Someone blessed them. I saw a cross inscribed on each of their brows. It was made with a mixture of ash and blood."

"Perhaps the men blessed the monks before burying them. Did your step-da mention it?"

"Nay, he never said a word about it. I wonder if it is true and that The Monk blessed them, but if he did that, if he wanted to save their souls, why kill them in the first place? Unless he is nothing more than a madman."

"Tell me more about Brother Emmett and what you taught him," Quint said to ease her thoughts away from the nightmare.

Shade smiled softly and it lit her heart as she spoke about the wonderful memories of the times she spent with Brother Emmett. With the nightmare fading and pleasant memories filling her, sleep easily crept over her and she was soon asleep.

Until Quint was certain Shade slept soundly, he remained in bed with her. Sleep, however, had a different idea.

Shade stretched herself awake like she usually did each morning, and her eyes flew open when her hand grazed something. She gasped when she saw that she had slept in Quint's arms and that her hand had grazed his face.

He stared at her, the look of surprise on his face mirrored her own.

"I meant to leave your bed once I was sure you slept soundly, but sleep got hold of me before I had the chance."

The thought of leaving his arms did not even cross her mind. She was far too comfortable there. "I am grateful for your help with my nightmare."

"Nightmares can be terrifying since they feel so real."

"You've had nightmares yourself."

"Aye, some leaving me with no desire to return to sleep," he said, pushing the memories of such nightmares away.

She shared her grandmother's advice on nightmares. "My grandmother was a wise healer, and she insisted that nightmares had to be spoken, not hidden away where they could linger and resurface, but rather spoken aloud, shared with family or a trusted friend, so they could be banished never to disturb us again. I would gladly listen to your nightmares if you ever wished to talk about them."

A smile tempted at the corners of his mouth, and she had never seen the blue of his eyes so remarkably serene, but it was his response that took her by surprise.

"Does your offer make us friends, Shade?"

She could throw his question back at him to find out how he felt, but she did not feel the need. She knew how she felt and had no problem admitting it. "Aye, it makes us friends, unless you don't?—"

He interrupted her quickly. "I would cherish a friendship with you. You are a good woman."

"I can be stubborn," she said, grinning.

"Most women are stubborn," he said, and the blue of his eyes deepened in color. "But you're not most women, Shade. You are unique."

She didn't know what to say to that. No man had ever offered her a compliment except her da. He had always praised and encouraged her, and she missed hearing his loving words. So, hearing Quint say she was unique touched her heart.

She found her voice and said, "That is generous of you to say."

"It's not generous, it is the simple truth," he said and ran his thumb faintly across her lips.

Her breath caught briefly, and her body felt as if it awakened after a long sleep, eager to experience all that life offered.

"We can be more than friends, Shade," he offered, "while I am here."

Her heart had soared with his first few words but plunged when his offer was only for a short time. She felt something for him though she was unable to understand it, and she preferred to explore it before plunging into something she might regret.

She moved out of his arms to sit up. "I will give it thought."

He sat up beside her, slipping his arm around her waist to squeeze it slightly. "Don't give it too much thought or I will be gone before you know it. I enjoyed having you in my arms last night and I would enjoy doing more with you than only sleeping in your bed."

She was glad he moved away from her. She found it difficult to think wisely when he was near. There was far too much she favored about him and far too much that warned her away. She was uncertain as to what to do. There were consequences that would come with her decision, and she had to decide wisely.

Her glance strayed to him. He snatched up the bucket of water by the hearth and placed it on the table, then scooped up a handful of water to wash his face. He did that a few times, then ran his wet hands through his hair several times.

He grabbed the bucket's rope handle and walked to the door. "I will return shortly with fresh water for you."

He never glanced back at her. She hurried out of bed. She needed time to think, and she thought best, and she believed more wisely, when she was busy.

Quint emptied the bucket and dropped it by the rain barrel to fill after he saw to his morning needs. Though this morning he woke with more of a specific aching need, not a random one. His need to couple with Shade was growing stronger. It disturbed him at times since he never thought he would want another woman again the way he had wanted Amara.

Love.

He loved Amara, though it was more like she showed him how to love, how to release the anger inside him and embrace the feelings she had awakened in him, feelings he had never known possible. His life had been one of hardship, his mum dying in childbirth along with the bairn when he was ten years. His da didn't wait long to find himself another wife and she made it clear that he was in the way, so his da sent him to live with his mum's sister. She was kind enough to him, but it was obvious she and her family had little enough food for themselves. He did what he could, but he was more of a burden than helpful. He left and by sheer accident found himself with a band of mercenaries who taught him how to survive and fight. Fighting was his life until he met Amara.

She changed everything.

He thought about what Shade had said about talking about one's nightmares. If he talked about them, it would only allow other memories to surface that would be even more difficult to recall than the nightmares themselves. After he lost Amara, he promised himself that he would never give his heart to another woman. He would never allow himself to love so deeply again. The pain was too unbearable.

He was attracted to Shade and would not mind sharing her bed while here and he did not think she would mind either. He could see the need in her eyes and since she was past her prime, he assumed she was no stranger to coupling. They both were alone, attached to no man or woman so why not enjoy each other while they could and part friends?

A stab of pain to his chest had him rubbing it and it annoyed him that it came when he thought of leaving Shade. He had felt it the last time, not a pain but a disturbance in him that he didn't understand. He had a mission to accomplish, and he could let nothing stand in his way, especially a woman.

He returned with the bucket of water to the cottage to find porridge cooking and Bannock, a bread he favored. Nothing further was mentioned about his offer and Quint let it be. It was for her to decide, and, for now, he would say no more about it.

After the meal was done, Shade was busy clearing off the table, and Quint said, "I'm going to wander around the woods for a bit to make sure no one has camped nearby. I won't be far off, if you should need me. Just yell out to me."

Shade turned, bowls in her hands, to find him standing directly in front of her. He reached out and took her face in his hands and kissed her gently not once but twice and then his lips lingered a moment before he kissed her again.

"Your lips were made to be kissed," he said, then went to the door, stopped, and turned. "By me."

Shade stared at the closed door. Had he waited to kiss her with her hands full so she could not push him away? Would she have pushed him away? Didn't she want to explore what was going on between them, the feelings she felt for him, the feelings he ignited in her? She closed her lips tight, sealing the kisses, keeping them close, then smiled without parting her lips.

Shade just sat oak cakes on the table when Quint returned. "They're hot," she warned when he went to snatch one up. "Let me have a look at your wounds while they cool a bit."

He obliged her, taking off his shirt.

Shade did her best to ignore his muscled chest and arms and the gentle warmth of his skin and the earthly scent of the forest upon him. She had never been attracted to the scent of a man before. Most men she treated didn't have a pleasant scent about them, not so Quint. His scent was alluring.

She forced herself to focus on his wounds. She had removed the sphagnum from his shoulder wound not long after he returned. She had applied a salve and kept it bandaged and it was healing remarkably well. The few stitches in his arm looked almost ready to be removed.

She looked the wounds over closely.

"What do you see there?" he asked.

"Your wounds are healing remarkably well. The shoulder wound was deep, though the bone untouched thankfully. The flesh has already healed over the bone and then some. And your stitches are nearly ready to take out, the wound almost entirely healed from within. I have never seen anyone heal so fast."

"I have healed fast since I was young, but how can you know my wounds have healed from within if they have closed up?" he asked, curious.

Shade pursed her lips and turned her head, annoyed at herself for speaking without thinking. She never spoke so openly about wounds when tending to a person for fear of revealing a skill that she had inherited from her great-grandmother. Or as her grandmother referred to it as the curse. But Quint was easy to talk with and she had grown comfortable around him, so she had responded without thinking and without caution.

"Shade," he said when she did not answer him and took hold of her chin to turn her face toward him. "We are friends. You can trust me."

Could she or would he think her crazy or perhaps evil?

"I thought there might be more to your healing skills than you reveal when I recalled how you immediately knew how to tend my wounds. Then I watched you run your hand over Angus's bruised arm, and you knew instantly it wasn't broken. Then there is the splinter you removed from your step-da's finger, and he never flinched. What secret do you harbor, Shade?"

She had let down her guard and allowed him to see too much. Her grandmother had warned her time and again not to let anyone know of her skill, but how did she keep it from Quint now that he questioned her?

He gave her chin a gentle squeeze. "Trust me, Shade. I will never let you down or reveal anything about you. On that, you have my word."

Shade stepped away from him, his hand falling away from her chin. "My grandmother warned me to hold my tongue and say nothing."

"Why? Did she share this special skill with you?"

"Nay, her mum did, my great-grandmother."

"Did she make her husband aware of it?"

Shade looked at him oddly. "She did."

"And he made sure to keep her secret and protect her?"

She nodded again. "From what my grandmother told me, he did."

"I will do the same. Keep your secret and protect you."

She smiled gently. "But you are not my husband and will eventually leave m—" She caught herself and quickly said, "leave here."

She may have caught herself fast, but he had heard in his head what she meant to say— leave me . And those words caused a painful jab to his heart.

"Your secret still would remain safe with me, and I would do what I could to see you kept safe."

"No one knows, not even my mum," Shade said, thinking how much she missed discussing the skill with her grandmother.

"Is it your touch that heals?" he asked, thinking it might be easier if he guessed instead of her revealing it.

She shook her head.

He was even more curious now, having assumed he was right. He reached out and took hold of her arm to draw her toward him where he sat on the bench that she had placed close to the hearth so she would have sufficient light.

"I will trust you with a secret," he said. "So, you know we can trust each other."

His offer appealed to her. "All right, tell me."

"I was once wed and lost my wife, and my heart still breaks and aches for her."

"So, that was who you kissed when you kissed me while with fever," she said, the mystery of that kiss finally solved, though she thought that might have been the reason."You demanded she not leave you. You made me give you my word… her word."

"Aye, I would have done that if I could have, but I never got the chance. I got to her too late to save her and it haunts me that I failed her."

Shade said what she felt, his hurt tearing at her heart. "My heart hurts for you and your wife and I understand why your heart continues to break."

Quint felt a strange release sharing that with her as if it eased the pain some and was relieved when she asked no more about it.

"My turn."

"I'm listening," he said.

She breathed in a brave breath and said, "I can see the inside of people when they are ill or wounded. I see the blood flowing through the veins, the bones, the steady or at times the uneven beat of the heart, the lungs expanding and slowing as death nears, and I see the bairn that grows within a mother, and much more."

Shock marred his handsome features and Shade worried that she had made a mistake in revealing her secret to him. Her stomach churned and her heart beat a bit faster as she waited for him to speak.

He never got the chance, a voice shouted out, "Shade! Shade! My da had an accident and needs your help."