Heart of the Highlands: The Beast (Protectors of the Crown Book 1) by April Holthaus Page A

her. She was looking between the horses and around the sides of the tent.
    “What are ye lookin’ fer?” Ian asked.
    “My bags! They were in the cart when we left but I cannae find them,” Keira answered, her voice loud and shrill.
    “We dinna take any bags wit’ us.”
    “But all of my clothes, my belongings, they were in my bags. How do ye suppose I am to change or stay warm wit’ out any of my clothing?”
    “I have a plaid ye can use. We took what we needed and left the rest.”
    “Does nothing I own have value to ye?”
    “Ye can get new dresses once we reach our destination.”
    “I dinna want new dresses. Ye could have told me. I would have carried my bags myself.”
    “That would have only slowed us down. Now I suggest, my lady, ye get some rest. T’will be a long day tomorrow.”
    “I dinna need yer blanket, yer tent, nor yer food. I will stay right here and sleep near the fire if I get cold.”
    Ian stomped over to his horse and pulled out a plaid from one of the saddle bags, gathering it into his arms. Walking back to the lass, he threw it at her.
    “Now get to sleep,” he ordered, before turning his back to her and heading over across the camp to lean against the trunk of a wide ash tree.
    “Bastard!”  Keira mumbled, just loudly enough that Ian could hear when he walked away.
    ~*~
    As the sun sank beneath the horizon, the air began to cool. Picking up the plaid she had intentionally dropped on the ground, Keira wrapped it around her shoulders. The men were quiet. The only sounds she heard were the occasional hoot of an owl in a nearby tree, and leaves rustling in the light breeze.
    Keira’s mind was consumed with what Ian had told her. Did her father know Laird Chisholm was a traitor? He couldn’t have! Keira refused to believe that her father had a part of any plan or scheme against the king. To do so would be treason; punishable by death, and why would her father risk such a thing?
    She decided she would sneak away once the men were asleep. Keira looked down at the red apple Ian had left for her, which now lay next to her foot. Her stomach growled. She glanced up at the others before snatching it off the ground and took a small bite. The juice of the apple ran down her chin as she took another. It tasted sweet, and helped curb her hunger. She should have thanked him, but her stubborn nature would not have allowed her to do so.
    Keira looked up at the tent Daven and Alec had erected for her. It looked warm and inviting.  She figured she needed to at least get a few hours’ sleep before attempting her escape. Hiking through the Highlands on foot with little sleep, she would not get far. Plus, if they thought she was in the tent all night, it would allow her a chance to cover a fair distance before they discovered she was gone.
    Keira stood and headed over to the tent. She felt the men’s eyes following her. Pulling back the flap, she slid inside. Within the tent, was a pallet layered with several warm plaids. She slipped underneath one of the layers and closed her eyes.
     
    Keira slept fitfully inside the tent, wrapped in the oversized, wool blanket Ian had offered. Tossing and turning, worries of what tomorrow would bring kept her awake and restless for most of the night. At what she assumed was just a few hours before dawn, she poked her head outside the tent. Four of the men lay asleep near the low-burning fire. Looking around, she could not find Ian. He was not leaning against the tree where she had last seen him, nor was he one of the men lying near the fire. Keira slipped through the opening into the cool air.
    With Ian nowhere in sight, and the men fast sleep, she picked up her skirt and tiptoed toward the trees, trying to be as quiet as a mouse. She made her way just beyond the tree line. Satisfied she had successfully crept enough distance from the camp without being heard, she started to run.
    With only the light of the moon guiding her, Keira had no idea in which direction she