Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

T hough Bonnie headed to her room, she soon found that it was impossible for her to sleep. It was still quite early, after all, and she was well-rested even after that harrowing trip, so she soon gave up on sleep and instead pulled on her cloak and grabbed her bow and arrow to head outside. Just by the inn, there was a row of trees where she could practice, a place she had spotted on their way in and which was surely empty, especially at that time of the night.

Evan and Alaric noticed her on her way out, but she didn't spare a single glance, let alone a word. Instead, she headed right out of the door and stood across from one of the trees, far enough to give herself a challenge.

She needed to clear her head. She needed to think better about what she was about to do, and so far, shooting arrows had never failed to help her focus and make the right decisions.

Stringing the first arrow, she let it fly towards the tree, where it lodged precisely where she wanted it. The trunk split as the arrowhead was embedded in it, small pieces of it flying around. It was dark that night, the moon half-hidden by dark clouds, and the area was just illuminated enough for Bonnie to see where she was aiming—and to see a figure that lurked by the trees.

Who is that?

For a moment, she feared it was a brigand or, even worse, one of Ruthven's men who had somehow found out about Evan's and Alaric's plans. Grabbing another arrow, Bonnie waited until the figure was just about to cross one of the trees and then let it fly, aiming just above the head.

The arrow found its mark with absolute precision and the figure came to a halt, turning to look at her as the shaft oscillated above.

"That was an almost perfect shot," a familiar voice called out and the figure stepped forward. It was none other than Evan, Bonnie saw when he stepped into the light that poured out of one of the windows of the inn, painting his face in a warm orange glow.

In that light, he looked almost approachable, like a man Bonnie could call a friend. From the moment she had first laid eyes on him, she had thought him handsome, but it was difficult to appreciate his looks when all he did was glare at Bonnie or refuse to speak to her.

"Why are ye here?" Bonnie asked instead of pointing out that she shot the arrow precisely where she wanted.

"I dinnae think it's wise tae leave a lass out here all alone in the middle o' the night," Evan said with a small shrug as he approached her. "It can be dangerous, even here. It's better if someone watches over ye."

Bonnie couldn't help but scoff at that, entirely unimpressed. If only Evan knew the danger in which she and her sister had put themselves not so long ago, all so that they could save their clan, then he would understand that Bonnie was perfectly capable of defending herself. She had her bow and her arrows. They didn't prove so effective in close combat, but she had never been as good with a blade, unlike her sister, so the arrows would have to do.

"I dinnae need yer help," Bonnie said. "An' I dinnae need ye or anyone else tae watch over me. I can take care o' meself better than anyone can take care o' me."

Evan chuckled, though there was no mirth behind the sound. He came to a stop next to Bonnie, looking at her with doubt in his gaze. Now that he was so close, his face partially illuminated by the light, Bonnie could only think of him as infuriatingly handsome with his dark eyes and the sharp, striking features of his face. It didn't help that he towered over her, making her feel too small when standing next to him.

"I sincerely doubt that," he said. "Are ye tellin' me that if a brigand showed up right the now, ye would defeat him with more ease than I would? If ye would defeat him at all?"

"I have me bow an' me arrows," said Bonnie with a shrug. She was certain she could easily deal with a brigand from a safe distance, while Evan would have to get close and physically fight him. "I think I could defend meself much better than ye could."

"Dae ye think yer a better archer than I am?"

Bonnie could hardly believe Evan had even asked such a question. He hadn't seen her in action, but it was rather presumptuous of him to think that he was better than her with a bow. Bonnie had never been bested in archery ever since she surpassed her teacher—one of her father's Chieftains who had been kind and patient enough to show her how to use that bow, and whom Bonnie still remembered fondly. She doubted Evan could do any better than her.

"O' course I dae," she said.

"Show me, then," Evan said, gesturing widely with his hand. "Let us have a competition."

"A competition." It wasn't a question. Bonnie gave him a weary look, as Evan was far from the first man to think he could defeat her. "Ye truly wish tae compete against me?"

"Yer the one who claims ye can dae better than me."

"Nay," said Bonnie. " Yer the one who claims ye can dae better than me . Ye issued the challenge."

"Will ye accept it or nae?"

Bonnie considered her options for a moment. She could either give in to this foolishness or she could walk away; but then if she walked away, it was just as good as defeat.

"Fine," she said. "How shall we judge who is better?"

"Three arrows," said Evan. "The one who shoots them the closest wins."

"The challenger is first," Bonnie said as she handed Evan her bow. She was curious to see if he truly was as good as he said he was or if he simply thought Bonnie was so bad that he could easily win.

Without another word, Evan grabbed an arrow and assumed the shooting position. He fired it at the tree next to the one where Bonnie had been practicing, hitting it close to the center.

I can dae better than this.

At least he knew how to shoot and wasn't simply bragging without having the skills, Bonnie thought, as Evan reached for another arrow. He prepared, drawing in a deep breath, and then released it, the two of them watching as it arced through the air and lodged itself near the first.

Satisfied, Evan turned to smirk smugly at Bonnie, but she gave no indication of acknowledgement. She didn't want to inflate his ego even further and so she remained silent, waiting for him to fire the last arrow. It took Evan a few moments to reach for the last one, as he kept waiting for a reaction, but when he did, he shot it near the other two so that the three of them formed a neat triangle.

Bonnie knew she could do better than this. Her shots were always more accurate, more deliberate, and she had even managed to split an arrow in two several times. Even in the darkness, Evan was no match for her.

Smiling to herself, she grabbed one of the arrows and aimed at an unmarred tree, quickly sending off her first shot. The arrow found its target right in the middle of the trunk—a well-placed shot that set her up for victory. She didn't turn to look at Evan; she didn't need to. She already knew she was better than him.

The second shot was fired with as much ease, the arrow hitting the tree right next to the other one. The distance was so small that from where they stood, it seemed like they were pressed right up against each other.

"Lucky shot," Evan mumbled under his breath. In the quiet of the night, though, Bonnie heard him and she couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes.

It was far from a lucky shot. It was all skill, but Evan refused to see it.

But perhaps that would be fer the best.

She still knew nothing about Evan, she reminded herself. For all their reassurances, he and Alaric could still try to hurt her and the only advantage she had against them was that bow and her arrows. Without them, she would stand no chance.

If Evan kens how well I can fight with an arrow, then he will surely make it so that I dinnae have them when he attacks.

That's what she would do if she were in his shoes. She would make sure her target was defenseless before attacking and she knew it was what Evan would do, as well.

Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, Bonnie adjusted her position just slightly—so slightly that it would be imperceptible to him. Evan would still think she was trying her best, though from what he had already said, he considered her skills pure luck.

Bonnie fired her last arrow, sending it above the rest. At first, she had considered missing entirely, but then she thought that would be too obvious of a trick, and opted instead for a spot on the tree that would guarantee she would lose, accompanying the shot with the appropriate performance of getting disheartened.

Slowly, she lowered her bow, looking at the tree as though she couldn't quite believe she had missed. Her mouth fell open in shock, her brows knitting together, and she let out a defeated sigh as Evan approached her.

"Dinnae fash," he said. "Ye fought well. I simply fought better."

An odd choice of words, Bonnie thought, as she began to walk backwards, trying to avoid letting Evan get too close. He seemed terribly pleased, and the last thing she wanted was to hear him gloat, so she tried to sidestep him and walk back inside—only to stumble in the dark on something large and yielding.

It was a bush, one that thankfully seemed to have no thorns. And yet its branches still scratched Bonnie's arms, her tunic getting caught in them, the twigs groaning under her weight as she sank deeper and deeper. Having fallen rear-first, there was little she could do to stop her fall or push herself back up, her hands unable to reach solid ground.

In all the chaos, Evan's laughter rang through the air, a sound too bright and gentle for such a man. Still, it was nothing but grating in Bonnie's ears, the mocking nature of it angering her even more. It was all because of him. He had been the one to issue the challenge and then he had been the one to approach like that, giving Bonnie no choice but to stumble backwards to get away from him.

"Come," he said, offering her his hand. For a moment, Bonnie looked at it as though it had personal offended her, but then weighed her options. She could either sit there until she untangled herself or someone else came by to help or she could accept the assistance.

She chose the latter. Evan's hand was warm around her own, enveloping her palm and fingers entirely in its grasp. Just as he was about to pull, though, he stumbled as well, his free hand shooting out to steady himself only for him to fall right into the bush next to her.

It was Bonnie's turn to laugh as Evan cursed under his breath. He shook the entire bush as he tried to stand, rustling the leaves, snapping several twigs in the process, and groaning in pain more than once as he grabbed at the rough bark again and again.

"Is this amusin' tae ye?" he asked, taking a moment to breathe.

"Very much," said Bonnie without missing a beat.

Evan pinned her with a glare and planted his feet, finally managing to push himself up. Once he was free of the clutches of the bush, he grabbed Bonnie's arm firmly and pulled her up with ease, as though it was hardly a chore to him. Bonnie guessed that it truly wasn't.

He must be very strong. Stronger than Finlay, even.

With a huff, she dusted herself off as best as she could in the dark. Before she could walk past him, Evan reached towards her and gently plucked a leaf from her hair, forcing her to freeze for a moment, as if she were nothing more than a startled deer in the face on a hunt.

For what seemed like an eternity, neither of them moved. Bonnie's treacherous heart thundered in her chest, so loud and fast that she feared Evan would hear it, as absurd as that thought seemed. Then, a strong breeze blew past them and the spell was gone, leaving Bonnie to rush back inside, pushing her way past Evan.

She didn't spare a single glance back as she headed to her room, all but stomping all the way there. Once she was behind the safety of her door, she leaned against it and drew in a deep, steadying breath, trying to make sense of what had happened between the two of them in that brief moment.

Whatever it was, she was certain she wasn't supposed to like it.

Evan watched as Bonnie headed back inside the inn without another glance at him. In his fingers, he still held the leaf he had plucked from her hair and he looked at it for a brief moment, trying to figure out what it was that had possessed him to do such a thing.

The truth was that he knew precisely what had possessed him. Bonnie was a beautiful woman and despite the less than ideal way they had met, Evan found it difficult to resist that beauty. Bonnie was everything he wanted in a woman. Even her feisty, borderline rude attitude fascinated him much more than it should have, pulling him ever closer into her orbit. He had always had a weakness for girls who posed a challenge for him.

He usually tried to keep his mind off what that said about him.

With a sigh, he dropped the leaf and then picked up Bonnie's bow and quiver, before walking over to the trees to gather all the arrows they had shot. Once he was sure he had collected them all, he too headed back inside to find Alaric precisely where he had left him, still sitting at their table.

Upon seeing him, Alaric raised a curious eyebrow. "What is all that?"

"We had a competition," Evan said as he slid into the seat across from his brother.

"Did ye win?"

"O' course I did."

For all Bonnie had been so certain that she would be the one to win, Evan had easily managed to defeat her. When he saw how close her first two shots were, he had feared his own defeat for a moment, but then his suspicions that it was nothing but a lucky shot were confirmed when she failed to send the third arrow close to the other two.

"She is a good archer, though," Evan added, as it was the truth. He had no problem recognizing skill in others—and it didn't hurt that she hadn't managed to beat him.

"She seemed upset when I saw her just the now," Alaric said, and the accusation in his tone was merely thinly veiled. "Is it because o' the contest or did ye dae somethin' else?"

"I dinnae appreciate the tone, brother," Evan said with a roll of his eyes. It was just like his brother to think he had done something to offend. "I dinnae ken . . . she is a strange lass."

Alaric chuckled, giving Evan an unconvinced look. "I doubt she is any more strange than ye are. Either way, ye should be nicer tae her."

"Is that so?" Evan asked. "An' why should I dae that?"

"Because we need her. She is our way in."

That much was true, Evan knew. Without Bonnie, they wouldn't be able to infiltrate Castle Ruthven, and so they needed to keep her happy—as happy as they could, at least, when she was practically their hostage. Evan would have to make an effort as much as the idea of it sounded like too much of a chore.

"Fine, fine," said Evan, waving a hand dismissively. "I'll try tae be nice."

At the same time, though, he would try to keep his distance. It was one thing, appreciating Bonnie's beauty from afar, maybe even flirting with her a little, and another losing his head and giving in to his desires. The most important thing to him was his goal: getting to Balliol. Nothing else mattered to him—not even romance.