Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

T he guard looked from Caitlyn to Edan and back again. He heaved a sigh, and then crouched down to her. He loosened the knot on the rope, freeing one hand. But one free hand was all she needed.

"Thank ye," she said, still struggling to swallow her sorrow.

He nodded brusquely and then left the room.

"It's all right, Edan," Caitlyn whispered. "I'm going tae take care o' ye now, everything will be all right."

But Edan didn't answer.

Her eyes gazed at his chest, and in the light of the flickering flame of the candle, she watched it rise and fall slightly. He was still alive, barely.

"Dinnae give up on me now, Edan. Please. Stay with me."

Dipping the cloth into the water, Caitlyn gently started washing the dried blood on his face. The more blood she removed, the clearer she was able to see the wounds he had sustained. A deep gash above his left eye looked vicious. She determined she would come back to the cuts and gashes when she had washed the excess blood away.

Edan also had a deep gash across his cheek bone and two cuts, one on his upper lip and one on his lower lip. Blood had also dried at the base of his nose. MacTavish had evidently left no part of his face untouched.

Bastard!

"What did he dae tae ye?" she whispered tenderly.

She had heard each sickening strike, one after the other, and the immediate cry or groan falling from Edan's lips. There were times she heard nothing at all, but then Edan would begin coughing and spluttering, as though he were being choked.

Tucking her legs under her chin, she had sobbed at the sounds of torture that went on and on. Rocking herself back and forth in some sort of self-soothing motion, Caitlyn's heartache had been immense, the sick feeling in her stomach rising at the dreadful sounds.

She had wanted to cover her ears, but her hands were bound tightly to her waist. Ye ought nae tae cover ye ears, even if ye could, she had reprimanded herself. It's yer fault he's here. Why should ye suffer any less than he?

And suffer she had. For hours.

She gazed down at the many scars on his body. All these years, she had thought him an arrogant ass, a showy man who cared only for himself. She knew of his other qualities, of course; his bravery, his courage, his loyalty to his men and his clan.

But in the room next door, he had neither been protecting his clan or his own men. She had heard his demands loud and clear, and based on the fact that MacTavish had continued the horror for so long, Caitlyn deduced that Edan had not told Laird MacTavish anything he wanted to know.

She could not imagine herself holding out for so long. As much as she loved her father and her mother, Caitlyn knew deep down that she would not be capable of enduring the torture Edan had experienced.

As she continued to wash the blood from his face, that thought concerned her. What if she were next? What if Edan didn't break, and MacTavish tried her instead?

The thought sent a wave of terror through her, swiftly followed by a sense of disappointment. If she gave in, everything Edan had suffered would be completely pointless.

With Edan's face and neck now thoroughly cleaned, Caitlyn dipped the cloth into the water again to concentrate on the gashes. The liquid was now a dark red hue, but it would have to do. She hardly imagined the guards would be willing to give her fresh water.

The gash above his eye was deep and raw. While the blood in the wound was still moist, it was no longer flowing. When Caitlyn dabbed the cloth onto it, Edan suddenly jerked and hissed.

"Ah," he groaned.

Evidently, the pain she was causing had roused him from his unconscious state.

"Och, Edan. I'm sorry."

"It's all right," he murmured.

"I'll be as gentle as I can," Caitlyn said, continuing to clean the gash.

Edan hissed and clenched his teeth as she pressed the cloth against his raw, open skin. When she had finished with that one, she continued with the cut on his cheek. It elicited the same wincing and jerking.

"I dinnae want tae hurt ye," she whispered. "Truly, I dinnae. I'm so sorry."

Astonishingly, Edan glanced up at her with his barely open eye and gave her a lopsided grin with his swollen lips. "Aye, I believe ye," he said.

Caitlyn had tried so hard to repress her emotion so far, but at that reaction, a tiny sob escaped from her throat. Maybe it was relief that Laird MacTavish had failed in breaking him. Maybe it was simply the fact that Edan was stronger than she could ever have imagined him to be.

"Hey," he said gently. "I'm the one who should be crying here. Look at me face? What if all lasses run away now when they see me?"

Entwined with the sob, a jerky laugh left her mouth, releasing even more tension from her body.

He smiled and then winced, but pushed through the pain. "That's better."

Rinsing the cloth again, she dabbed the now grubby rag across his swollen lips. Those wounds seemed to be healing a little quicker than the others, but Edan's grimace betrayed how painful they were.

"Where else are ye injured?" Caitlyn asked.

"It'd be easier asking where I'm nae," he said, surprising her with yet another smile. "But dinnae worry about me. I'll be as right as rain on the morrow."

"Aye. Sure ye will," Caitlyn said sadly.

"Ye dinnae have much confidence in me, Caitlyn," he said wryly.

"I have plenty o' confidence in ye. More than ye can ken after today. But ye're badly injured, Edan, and ye need tae rest."

"Dae I actually hear kindness in yer voice?" He teased. "Well, wonders will never cease."

"I'm so sorry," Caitlyn said, that familiar pain tightening in her throat once more. "This is all me fault."

"Och, it isnae yer fault, Caitlyn. Well, aye. All right. It probably is." He grinned up at her again, clearly forgetting his wounds, and then winced loudly.

"Ye see what being a smart arse gets ye," she quipped back.

"And there she is. Me feisty companion." He gazed up at her for a long moment. "Thank ye fer looking after me. I might have been done fer had ye nae been here."

"Ye wouldnae be here at all if it wasnae fer me."

"Och, will ye stop talking about yersel'," he said. "It's all me, me, me."

Caitlyn couldn't help it. A giggle trickled from her lips as she held Edan's head gently with her hand.

"Tell me the truth," Edan said. "Am I a complete ogre now? Will I have tae walk about with a sackcloth on me head, so I dinnae scare away small children?"

Caitlyn shook her head. "Nae," she said gently, wanting to reassure him, even though she knew he was trying to cheer her up. "Ye're as stunningly handsome as ye always were."

Edan raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Ye think I'm stunningly handsome?"

Caitlyn gazed down at him tenderly. "I always did," she said gently.