Logan crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

Helena stared up at him, her wide eyes searching his face. He tried to remain firm, his gaze steady and his features even, but he hadn’t been alone with Helena in a fortnight—and his body wasn’t letting him forget it.

Lust mingled with the ire heating his blood. Her hair shone lustrously in the blue moonlight, and her eyes were like translucent green pools. He was acutely aware of the narrow gap of night air separating his body from her womanly curves. How he longed to close that gap, to taste her mouth and feel her skin’s warm creaminess against him.

He tried to shove down his desire and focus on his anger—she’d dragged Mairin into a world of violence once more—but his body nigh hummed at being so close to her.

To his amazement, Helena slowly crossed her arms over her breasts, mirroring his stance. She set her jaw firmly and drew in a deep breath.

“I know you are upset. I went against your wishes and told Mairin that you wanted me to be her companion.”

“Aye,” he rasped.

“And at her request, I have been showing her a few maneuvers to be used to defend herself.”

“Which ye lied to me about.”

“We kept it from you,” she corrected carefully.

“If ye had told me, I would have demanded that ye stop.”

“Why?” she asked. “What harm is there in Mairin knowing what to do if she is ever attacked?”

Logan saw red at that, but it wasn’t directed at Helena. Nay, it was the idea that Mairin would ever have use for such knowledge again that nearly made him roar with fury.

“She doesnae need to be taught such things,” he snapped, “because I will always be there to protect her.”

Helena stilled, her hands falling from her chest. “What Mairin has gone through isn’t your fault, Logan.”

“Aye, it is.” Now who was being a pigheaded Mackenzie, a soft voice taunted in the back of his mind.

Helena wasn’t deterred. “The Order of the Shadow kidnapped her and held her hostage, not you.”

“But they did so because I joined their ranks.”

“You made a mistake—one which you tried to rectify by leaving.”

“And I wouldnae have joined them in the first place if I hadnae abandoned Mairin and my clan.” Logan dragged in a breath, shoving the darkness of the past away. “The point is, I failed her once—twice, in fact. I willnae do so again. I willnae let any harm befall her. She deserves a life free of fear and violence.”

“I concur,” Helena said evenly, “which is why I wanted to help her. It’s also why I agreed to teach her how to defend herself.”

Logan opened his mouth, but before he could form a reply, Helena went on.

“It’s exactly because she’s had a hard life that she should know how to protect herself. Let me guess, you were always big and strong, even as a child.”

Logan felt his brows draw together at the sudden change in subject, but he nodded.

“You’ve likely always been good at defending yourself.”

He nodded again.

“And now you are so skilled at fighting that you are among the most elite warriors in all of Scotland.”

“What is yer point, lass?”

“You have no idea what it’s like to be smaller, weaker, or in danger simply for being who you are.” A shadow crossed her eyes as she spoke. Logan watched her closely, but she blinked away the clouds behind her gaze and went on.

“Mairin is incredibly clever—she has used her wits to survive, both during her captivity and after. But sometimes that isn’t enough. She wants to know how to use her body as well, how to protect herself against a physical attack.”

Logan began to protest that he would defend Mairin, but Helena held up a hand to silence him.

“I do not doubt that you would protect your sister with your life,” she said solemnly. “But this isn’t about you. It’s about Mairin feeling confident and self-reliant.”

Logan opened his mouth but then froze. He let Helena’s words sink past his defenses and into his heart.

“Haven’t you noticed a difference in her this past fortnight?” Helena murmured. “She is calmer, more confident, more relaxed outside the hut.”

“Aye,” Logan admitted quietly.

“I cannot claim to fully understand it, but I think a large part of her improvement is due to our training sessions.”

Logan rubbed a palm along his bristled cheek, considering this. “What are ye teaching her?”

Though clouds scuttled across the moon, he could see her cheeks flush faintly.

“Techniques to escape holds. And a few arm binds and such. Things that work against a bigger, stronger person.”

He couldn’t stop his brows from shooting up in surprise. “Ye ken how to do those things?”

“Aye.”

“Ye. A gentle-bred Englishwoman.”

Her chin hitched up a notch. “Aye.”

Logan contemplated this for another moment, absently rubbing his jaw. “Show me.”

He would have to be extremely careful, of course—he had begun learning how to fight even before he could toddle. He easily weighed twice as much as Helena, and his muscle-stacked frame dwarfed hers.

Still, curiosity tugged at him. Just what did a wee Englishwoman think she knew about defensive combat? And what on earth was she teaching his sister?

“Very well,” Helena said, bracing her feet. “Come at me.”