Dare, Lydia - Tall, Dark and Wolfish

Latin

to studying human nature. And I truly abhor Latin."

Her green eyes flashed. "I would have ta disagree with ye there, Lord Benjamin."

"You enjoy Latin?"

Her tinkling laugh was music to his ears.

"No. I enjoy studyin' people quite a bit, though."

"Tell me something interesting about someone here," he said offhandedly. Perhaps she would feel more at ease if he encouraged her to talk.

"I could never share secrets that are no' mine," she sighed.

"As loyal as you are beautiful," he remarked. Her face colored prettily.

Ben glanced around the room, immediately noticing the couples who'd paired off. His keen sense of hearing allowed him to pick up bits and pieces of conversation.

He nodded toward a couple leaving the dance floor. "Those two have a romantic tryst planned in just a moment."

"That is no secret, Lord Benjamin. Everyone at the ball is privy ta that bit of information. Except her husband, of course," Miss Campbell said as she looked over her shoulder at a brooding hulk of a man who was much too busy entertaining his friends with tales of his importance while someone else entertained his wife.

"Poor bloke," Ben couldn't help but mumble.

He was surprised when she narrowed her eyes at him. "How did ye ken about them?"

"Just a guess," he lied smoothly. Truly, being a Lycan did allow him some freedom to listen to bits here and there that others missed. Of course, he couldn't tell her about that talent.

Ben turned her smoothly around a knot of people gathered in their path. As they passed, he heard a vile remark about Miss Campbell. "So much like her mother, isn't she?" The whisper came from a group of dowagers. Ben squelched the urge to bare his teeth and growl.

"Is somethin' wrong?" she asked, her hand tightening on his arm.

"No, nothing." He attempted a fake smile.

She stopped walking and pulled her hand from his. Her eyebrows drew together.

There

was that fiery redhead's temper he'd expected from the start.

"Then what's wrong with ye?" she asked.

"Why on earth would you think something is wrong with me?" Ben asked, feigning ignorance.

"Stupidity is no' an act ye portray well, Lord Benjamin."

"Well, I should hope not, Miss Campbell," Ben retorted, fighting hard to bite back a grin. It wasn't often that a woman called him stupid and made him like it. He ran through the events in his mind and wasn't entirely sure how she'd done it.

"What did they say?" she asked quietly as she gave up and tucked her hand back into his arm. "And doona tell me nothin'. Because we both ken that's no' true."

Ben debated for a moment before answering. "They were comparing you to your mother," he finally admitted. "Which can't possibly be a bad thing. I imagine that's where you inherited your beauty."

"I'm said ta resemble my mother much more than my father, aye."

"And he was?" Ben prodded when she stopped talking.

"I've no idea," she admitted.

"That's his loss, then, isn't it?"

"No. It was mine. Because he killed my mother."

This time it was Ben's turn to stumble. But before she could remark about his ability to put one foot in front of the other, they were interrupted.

"Miss Campbell," Caitrin's maid interrupted them and curtsied to Lord Benjamin. "Beg yer pardon, miss, but Miss Macleod sent me ta get ye."

"What's wrong?" Lord Benjamin barked before she could even squeak out a reply. She frowned at him. He showed no remorse.

"It's yer grandfather," the maid said. "He's taken a turn for the worse."

Elspeth quickly gauged the fastest way out of the room. Truly the quickest way to get to her grandfather was to cut through the woods. She knew the woods well and often traveled that route to visit Sorcha.

"Lord Benjamin, do ye still feel led ta climb the terrace wall?"

He blinked at her twice and nodded. "Lead the way, Miss Campbell."

Elspeth absently gnawed her bottom lip as she skirted the room, vaguely noting Lord Benjamin's presence beside her. She exited through the terrace doors, walked to the wall, and peered over into the darkness.

"I believe it's farther down than ye think. I should go out the front door." She fought the panic that threatened as she realized what valuable time she'd lost.

But before she could go back through the terrace doors, Lord Benjamin scooped her up in his arms. She lifted her face to rebuke him, but the intensity in his eyes stopped her. "Please put me down," she choked out as tears threatened to fall. "I have ta go."

"We'll go together," he said quickly. "Put your arms around my neck." When she didn't immediately respond, he sighed, "I've never had to beg a woman to put her arms around me. But I'll start with you.

Please

put your arms around my neck. Else there's a chance I could drop you."

Elspeth reached up to wrap one arm around his shoulders and clutched the lapel of his jacket with the other.

He walked closer to the wall and lifted one leg, then the other, until he sat on the edge. "Ready?" he asked, the intensity in his gaze alarming.

"Ready." She nodded as she closed her eyes tightly.

He slid off the wall. It seemed like hours but was only seconds before he landed solidly on his feet in the grass. He dropped her legs and allowed her to slide down his body. Thankfully, he didn't expect her to bear her full weight immediately.

"I could stand like this with you all night, love, but I feel sure you'd be mad with me later if we did."

Elspeth shook her head, trying to regain her senses. "How did ye do that?"

"I'll explain it to you some other time." He took her hand in his. "Which way?" he asked as his eyes searched the darkness.

"We've no light," she groaned.

"That's all right. We don't need one," he said as he tugged her fingertips. "I can see well in the dark."

Truth be told, he could follow the scent she'd

left on previous journeys down the path to get to her grandfather's, he was so in tune with her at that moment. She showed him the trail that led into the woods and raised one eyebrow at him. He immediately realized she had no plans to wait for him to lead.

She picked up her skirts and dashed ahead of him, leaving him to sputter to a start behind her. He did so with very little thought, except for how beautiful she looked with her skirts hiked up about her knees, her hair escaping its knot, which her friends had just restored for her. Her flaming locks caught the moonbeams that filtered through the tree branches and shimmered like fire.

Immediately, Ben felt the call of the moon. He felt the urgency and the intensity that normally presented itself to him in the days prior to the moonful.

Never before had he ever heard of anyone like him changing unless it was at the moonful, but he felt the rush of power. He tamped it down and took his gaze from Miss Campbell. His head spun as he wondered which was calling more powerfully, the lovely creature before him or the moon. He couldn't tell which led him. But he was forced to follow.

She broke from the forest and never slowed her pace as she crossed a meadow. He moved up to run at her side rather than behind her. He'd never met a female who could run so far or so fast, and he found a smile erupting as he realized how wonderful it was to run free with her.

Miss Campbell slowed as she approached a fence. But Ben did not. He vaulted over and then held out his arms to her. She climbed the fence and hopped into his waiting arms. He held back a laugh of sheer contentment as he caught her weight with ease.

The tiny cottage where she lived was located on the outskirts of town. She slowed only briefly as they neared her home. The MacQuarrie carriage sat in front. Alec paced outside the entrance.