Highland Resurrection (Blades of Honor Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

gentleman and he gave me some coin to buy food.”
    “True, I dinna escort her home, but I’m here now, and would like to help. Can I come in?” Lazarus placed his hand on the door and waited for the lad to decide.
    “I guess it will be okay.” The lad lowered the broom, then backed away from the door. “She is over there.” He pointed to a pallet on the floor in the corner of the room. “But see you dinna try anything. I’ll be watching.”
    “You have my word.” Lazarus entered the cold, dimly lit hut, his nostrils assaulted by the stagnant, musty scent. He immediately moved to the window and threw open the shutters, hoping for not only a breath of fresh air, but a bit of light by which to assess the woman’s injuries.
    The lass lay upon a pallet of straw, with a thin, moth-eaten length of plaid covering her slender figure. Lazarus crouched beside her, then lifted her clammy, limp hand. Her breathing was shallow, her face flushed. A gentle brush of his fingers across her sweat-soaked brow confirmed his suspicions. She burned with fever.
    He glanced at the lad. “What do they call you?”
    “Quinn. Is my sister going to die?”
    “Not if I can help it. Did you notice if she had any wounds aside from the bruises and bump on her head?”
    The lad hesitated, then answered, “Aye. She has a gash on her arm.”
    Lazarus remembered Ian Fraser mentioning blood on the sleeve of her gown. He gently eased back the fabric, revealing a jagged, festering cut about two inches long. “She most likely got this when trying to fight off her attackers. Do you have something you can use to fetch some water from the stream?”
    Quinn scratched his head, then rushed to the opposite corner of the hut and picked up a wooden bucket. “Will this do?”
    “Aye. Fill it and bring it to me at once. Then I want you to find some wood and twigs I can use to make a fire.”
    The lad nodded, then sprinted out of the croft.
    Still kneeling beside the pallet, Lazarus returned his attention to the lass, her condition more grave than he’d hoped. As he studied her delicate features, his pulse quickened. Despite the bruising, she was lovelier than he remembered. Long, tawny hair framed her face and draped her slender shoulders. Her pert breasts rose and fell in a shallow, uneven rhythm, and thick dark lashes rested on her cheeks. He lightly traced her soft, pink lips with his fingertips, then cursed his weakness, and asked the Lord’s forgiveness.
    “Nay. Dinna touch me,” she said, her hands flailing in the air, as if trying to fight off an attacker.
    Afraid she might do herself harm, Lazarus carefully pressed her shoulders to the floor, holding her in place. “Dinna thrash about, lass. You need to rest.”
    Her eyes opened wide and she stared up at him, an expression of terror crossing her face. “Leave me alone. Get your filthy hands off me,” she shouted, then stuck out wildly, pounding her fists on his chest.
    “Easy, lass.” Lazarus clasped her wrists in an attempt to calm her. “You’re in your home and safe. No one is going to hurt you.”
    “What are you doing to her?” Quinn burst into the hut, his eyes wild. He dropped the pail of water on the floor, then charged at Lazarus. “You devil. Leave my sister alone.” He thumped his wee fists on Lazarus’s back and shoulders. “You said you wouldna hurt her.”
    Lazarus released Sheena and grabbed the lad by the upper arms. “Calm down. I’m not doing anything to harm her. I am but trying to get your sister to relax. She woke up in a fit and I was afraid she might injure herself further.”
    Quinn glared at Lazarus. “You’re telling me the truth?” He glanced down at his sister, then stopped struggling.
    “Aye. I only wanted to protect her from doing more harm.” When the lad calmed, Lazarus released his hold. “Go get me some more water. Your sister burns with fever and I need to cool her down as quickly as possible. I also plan to make a poultice for her arm.”