*

Connor found himself again sitting at the long table in the great hall with Kevin and Justin. He couldn't seem to stay away in case something...anything indicated Rachel was still alive. He knew the other men had to be as worried as he was, but they didn't show it. Catherin and Anna were not there.

Connor folded his arms on the table and laid his head down. Was she dead? No, he was convinced he would feel it if she were. In their youth, Rachel was a skinny little thing and seemed to become a woman overnight. He had little use for most of the young women who flirted and constantly asked him to do this or that for them. He remembered to be pleasant, but found their requests useless and sometimes disgusting.

Then came a day when he noticed the extraordinarily becoming woman standing on the crest of the meadow watching him. How had she grown up without his notice?

Rachel never asked him for favors. In fact, she rarely even looked at him except when he was training with the other men. She was only interested in his skill. It inspired him to daily sharpen his abilities hoping to impress her. It was true, she looked at him, but never really saw him until the day he set the flower on her head. He could still see the perplexed look on her face.

He thought about the feel of her in his arms constantly and was certain he would never get it out of his mind. What he also thought about constantly were her words -- If they didn't let her go, she would find a way out and never come back. He was beginning to see what Kevin tried to explain. Maybe Kevin was right; the only way to keep Rachel was to let her go. But how in the world could he ever do that?

Other men in the clan seemed to have complete control over their wives. They were never vicious, but if the men said no, they meant no and the women complied. Only Kevin and Justin were different. He couldn't remember a time when Kevin said no to his wife. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember a time Anna asked for anything. Connor's mother died when he was small, and before he died, Connor's father had been Kevin's third in command. Because of it, Connor spent a lot of time with Kevin and his wife, but he never really watched them closely. He decided he would be more observant in the future.

He knew one thing. Kevin always looked relieved when Anna entered a room. A shudder ran down Connor's spine. Was Kevin worried there would come a day when Anna would leave again? Worse yet, would Catherin and Anna take Rachel with them?




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