Dark Side of the Laird (Highland Bound) (20 page)

“Now,”
Hilde said, yanking us forward across the hall. “Against the wall. Slide down five feet and then slip into the alcove. Ye can see from there.”

I did as she instructed with Emma by my side. Inside the alcove, I felt along the darkened wall until I found a
little nob, and I pulled it back. Six inches into the wall was a hole cut away and light filtered through. Closing one of my puffy eyes, I could barely see into the room. But seconds later as my vision adjusted, I could see very clearly. The king’s prone body on a bed. His hands folded over his chest as he lay in state. His best robes of red and gold, his jewels and crown adorning him. Eyes closed, James looked more peaceful than I’d ever seen him before in my life.

Priests walked back and forth along the length of him, swinging their silver balls of incense and murmuring prayers.

He was dead. The king, my brother, dead. And I was rightfully king.

But I didn’t want it. Wouldn’t take it. I’d rather sink quietly back to my keep and live my life in peace with Emma.

I was reminded then who awaited me at the castle—Isabella—and what she’d done to me before I left.

I had to tell Emma the truth, it was imperative she know.
Especially now that I’d recalled all of what happened during our interlude. The wretched MacDonald woman.

I turned to
Emma then, wanted her to have the choice of leaving me here if she felt the need to, though nothing had occurred, other than a woman trying to play me false.

I faced her in the dark, sensing where she was.
“Emma…”

“Oh, Logan, I’m so glad you’re alive,” she
whispered, kissing me lightly on the lips.

“I have to tell ye something.”

“It can wait,” she replied.

“Nay, it canna. ’Tis about Isabella.”

In the darkened of the alcove, I felt rather than saw her face falter, the energy somehow leaving her.

“She told me,” Emma murmur
ed.

“All of it?”

“Yes.”

My stomach dropped. Even knowing all of Isabella’s lies she’d still
come after me.

“Ye must listen…”

“Shh, not now, Logan. Let’s get out of here first.”

I shook my head and reached for her shoulders, pulling her toward me. “’Tis all lies, love. She tried. She drugged me. But I remember everything. I remember her shoving me to the floor, of her trying to…” I short laugh escaped me. “’Twas the
first time I’d not gotten hard for a willing wench. And I never thought I’d be grateful for such a thing. I could never betray ye, lass. Even poisoned, my body responds only to ye.”

“Logan,” Emma said, pressing her forehead to the crook of my neck, her arms sliding around me. “I never believed her.
And even if it had been true, I wouldn’t have left you here to die.”

“We must go,” Hilde hissed from outside the alcove.

Renewed strength filled me, and I pressed a little less weight on Emma as we traced our steps back to the servants’ stair and down to the courtyard. Hilde summoned my men closer. Those who’d accompanied me had been found in the dungeon, and though they looked a little worse for wear, none of them were in bad shape.

All held horrified expressions when they saw me.
I feared what I might see in the reflection of the loch.

“He canna make the journey to Gealach like that,” Gregor said. I was surprised but pleased to see him. He must have accompanied Emma. I tried to argue that I’d make it
, but all of them naysaid me.

“We must find a shelter where he’ll be safe and can be healed,” Gregor said to Emma.

I couldn’t have been more proud that they looked on her with such respect. She’d risked her life to come after me, and she’d found me. To them, she was a goddess, just as she’d always been to me.

“I know a place,” Hilde said.
“’Tis my cottage. Deep in the wood, no one will look there for him.”

The men looked skeptical,
turning to myself and Emma once more.

“Let us go there,” I said.

Within a quarter hour, we were half a mile from Falkland and on our way to freedom.

Chapter Twenty-One

Logan

Four
weeks later

W
e arrived back at the castle in mid-afternoon.

As we rode past the clan who’d gathered in droves from the gate to the castle stairs, they bowed, they called out greetings and prayers. Most of them looking to Emma as their savior.

I, too, stared at her. “Ye saved us, love.”

She blushed and smiled. “No, Logan. We did it together.”

I smiled, giving in to her, though I knew that without her, I wouldn’t be where I was. Likely, I’d be in the hands of that fucking lunatic beneath Falkland Palace, but I needn’t disappoint her with that knowledge.

We were g
reeted not only by the swift shouts and elated calls of the clan, but by Ewan himself. He stood at the top of the entrance stairs, leaning against the large wooden doors to the keep. A huge grin split his face. I was relieved to see him standing there, to know that he’d not died at Isabella’s hands. For such a thing to happen would have been my own fault.

“
Glad we are to have ye back, my laird. As well ye, my lady,” he called.

“Glad we are to finally have returned,” I said.

Ewan’s grin faltered. “Ye have a visitor, my laird.”

Not the words I wanted to hear.

I dismounted, then came around to Emma’s side and held up my hands, loving the warmth and weight of her in my arms. I set her on the ground, but couldn’t let her go. With my arm around her waist we approached the stairs and Ewan.

“Who awaits us?” I asked.

Ewan had lost his smile completely now, his face grim. “MacDonald. He’s come to collect his niece.”

I gave a curt nod. “Emma, darling—”

“No. I’m coming,” she said, cutting me off before I could even ask her to let me handle it on my own.

“
All right. But if there be bloodshed, promise me, ye’ll await me in our chamber.”

Emma stared hard into my eyes, and I could guess at any number of things she was saying in her mind. I grinned, and she rolled her eyes, but nodded anyway.

“Where is he?” I asked Ewan.

“Under guard in the great hall.”

I did not waste time in greeting my mortal enemy. I wanted him out of my castle and far from here within the hour.

MacDonald stood center, blustering in the great hall, murder his eyes.
He looked thinner than the last time I’d seen him, and he was in need of a good scrubbing. It felt good to see the man brought down a few notches.

I walked with Emma to stand by the chairs my men had set out for us both, the one I sat in to hear the requests and complaints of my people. We didn’t sit down.

“Ye’ve been beaten,” I said. “Sadly, the king has gone, and in his place a daughter rules.”

“A regent rules for her,” MacDonald spat.

“Aye. A protestant regent, the next in line for the throne and no friend of yours. Pity really, that all your well laid plans should be burned to ash.” I held tight to Emma’s hip. She was the only reason I didn’t challenge this man to a duel right then and there.

MacDonald spit on the floor. A staunch Catholic, he was bound to have issues with a Protestant rule
r. And he’d not be the only one.

“I am still Guardian of Scotland,” I said. This time I did let go of Emma. Stalking forward, I stopped within a foot of my enemy. “And I see ye as a threat to the country.”

Though the hatred still remained in his eyes, they ebbed with something new. Fear.

“Guards!” I called. “Take him to the dungeon where he can be reunited with his niece.”

“Ye canna do this. My men await me! If I’m not back within the hour, they’ll attack!”

Ewan cleared his throat. “Pardon, my laird, but MacDonald’s men also await him in the dungeon.”

I smiled cruelly at the vicious old dog. “Then ye may debrief with them when ye arrive.”

“Bastard!”
he sneered. If he’d had a dagger, the man would have tried to stab me to death, of that I was certain.

I leaned in closer and spoke in low tones.
“On the contrary, I think ye know exactly who I am.”

MacDonald’s eyes widened. “’Tis true, then!”

I didn’t respond, but turned my back on him, returning to Emma and leading her out of the great hall.

“Dinna turn your back on me, Grant! Dinna dare!”

I didn’t stop, but kept going. The man would likely always be a thorn in the underside of my foot, but never again would he have the backing of our sovereign.

Behind me I heard the distinct whisper of metal on leather. I nudged Emma forward and whipped around in time to see that MacDonald had pulled a hidden blade from within his belt. My men all moved to pounce, but a flick of my wrist and they backed off. I drew a blade from my sleeve.

“Ye want to fight then, MacDonald? I’ll even let it be a fair fight. Dagger against dagger. Ye’ll never walk out of my hall again. I gave ye a chance.” I shrugged. “Now, ye’ve drawn on me, and I’ve no choice but to end your miserable life.”

Behind me, I heard Emma squeak, reminding me of my vow of peace.

“Love, if ye would, wait for me upstairs,” I said.

I don’t know if she left or not, but I couldn’t concentrate on that. I had to dispatch of
this giant rat once and for all, peace be damned.

“Your call,” I taunted. “I but await ye.”

MacDonald growled, his cheeks growing ruddy as he circled me, arms up in defensive mode, his blade glinting in the candlelight.

He lunged toward me, slashing viciously with his blade
. I jumped out of the way at the last second, but his blade did catch my shirt, tearing it at the shoulder, but missing my flesh all together. For a man easily a decade older than I, he was quick. But not quick enough. He didn’t scare me. Only made the fight all the more challenging.

I retaliated with my elbow to his brow, and my dagger slicing along his ribs. I didn’t stab him, just a slice.
I changed my mind. I didn’t intend to kill him, nor to mortally wound him. Only to punish him for challenging me. Give him a minor fraction of a taste of what I’d had to endure. Drawing attention to myself now would ruin all the plans I had—plans for peace and days on end in bed with Emma.

I bounded back, ready for his next move. The man growled and lunged again, ducking at the last minute to slice at my
shins, but I kicked his hand away, his dagger clattering across the floor. A flash of fear showed in his eyes, as he stared up at me. But I slowly backed away, allowing him a chance to reacquire his weapon.

MacDonald might have been fast, but did he really think with as many attacks as we had on our castle that I
wouldn’t be able to easily deflect his moves? I trained my men to protect the king. I trained men to fight half a dozen warriors at once. Fighting against one Highlander was like sending a squire into a room full of hussies and not expecting him to come out a man. Ridiculous.

My enemy’s face grew red with anger and he bared his teeth at me as he jumped to his feet, dagger retrieved. We made two more circles, but I refused to make the first move. This was his fight.

MacDonald lunged forward again, but this time, he twirled in the opposite direction at the last minute, hoping to catch me off guard. He nearly did, but I was fast, too. I turned with him, slicing his other side.

That only made the old dog angrier and instead of backing away, he went at me again, punching with his free hand, and trying to stab at my heart with his weapon.

Enough was enough. I bellowed and head-butted MacDonald square in the center of his forehead. I hit him hard, seeing the room spin for a second as I braced myself not to fall. The blow took MacDonald completely by surprise and he stumbled backward, dropping his knife, and grabbing at his head, the skin split above his brow.

He clutched at his head and fell to his arse, a loud oomph issuing from his wretched mouth.

I walked over to him, and pressed my foot to his chest, pushing him backward. Still stunned, he fell back, and I kept my foot on his chest.

“Dinna challenge me, MacDonald. I
always
win.” I glanced up at my men who looked on without a trace of thought on their faces. “Send this heathen and his wayward niece home. No need for niceties. They can ride chained in the brig of the galley. Drop them at one of the beaches of Pentland Firth and let them find their own way home.”

“Ye son of a bitch! Ye’ll pay for this!”

“Likely, ye’ll try to attack me again, and likely ye’ll lose. Though, next time I will nay show ye mercy. Next time I will slice ye in two and feed ye to the cats in the hills.”

I nodded to my men who came forward and trussed MacDonald up.
The bastard was lucky I’d decided to turn a new leaf, as Emma put it. He screamed insults and threats as they dragged him away. But all I could do was laugh. The man was madder than a cornered wildcat. I was actually looking forward to his revenge—and taking his life.

When I turned, I thankfully found that Emma had listened to me. I rushed up the stairs, rounding them two at a time. I found her waiting inside, staring out the window
. As soon as she heard me, she whirled and ran toward me, launching herself in my arms. Neither of us spoke, but stood there silent, holding each other tight for several heart-pounding moments.

Then I released her, and
poured us each a glass of wine.

“To us, and our new beginning,” I said.

Emma raised her glass. “To us, and a destiny fulfilled.”

“Nay, just beginning.” I winked and we clinked out glasses, sipping the wine.

Emma stepped forward and wiped something from my forehead. “We could both use a bath.”

Without hesitation, I stalked to the door, opening it and
ordering a bath to be brought in, not bothering at all to make a show of modesty. I wanted to soak in the warm water with Emma. We’d had little privacy at Hilde’s cottage, and we’d not made love in the flesh in nearly two months.

My body was on fire for her. Holding the round
ness of her hip in my palm was enough to get my blood stirring, cock hard. We stood before the hearth watching as servants rushed in and out with the tub and water. I was ready to disband with the washing and send them all away in favor of stripping Emma bare and worshiping her where we stood.

“Want me to wash you?” she asked, staring up at me.

I shook my head and she frowned.

I grinned. “I’m going to wash ye.”

Her frown deepened. “You’re the one who’s in need of a tender touch.”

I
grinned even wider and leaned down so the servants wouldn’t hear. “There’s going to be a lot of touching, love.”

Her face colored, rosy on her cheeks, and a fair blush on her neck.

“Oh…” she sighed, her eyes suddenly blazing fire.

“All right, enough,” I boome
d to the servants. “Out with ye. I can finish the rest.”

They looked up, some surprised and some with knowing smiles. They finished up quickly and hurried out. I left Emma’s side to shut the door in the protesting faces of both Hilde and Agatha. Both proclaiming their needs to tend to Emma, in an
attempt to get me away from her. I knew what they were saying—in truth they did not believe she was a woman I should trifle with, and they were right.

I was through playing games. I wanted her for my own, forever.

“Time for your bath, my lady,” I said, striding toward her.