The Highlander's Curse (22 page)

What
was he doing? He couldn’t leave her to another man.
He
wanted her.
He
needed to spend his life loving her and caring for her. Be damned to that witch
and her curse. Kieran wouldn’t fault him for following his heart, if he was
even alive. And certainly his mam, da, and Cameron would celebrate that he’d
finally found happiness. If he cursed his family further, then they’d deal with
it then.

He
refused to run from life any longer. It was time to embrace it, and to win
Elizabeth back.

Standing,
he rushed from the cave and lowered himself to the rocks below the opening. If
he took a direct path north, he could reach Ardmoir within a day. Besides, that
close to the sea meant more opportunities to squat inside caves for the night.
As far as he kent, nearby clans didn’t frequent them, so it should make for
faster travel back home.

More
time passed, and so did more thoughts of his lass. The sun had set before he’d
seen another soul on the beach. The orange glow of a fire flickered from a
slight indent in the rock, and Cailen sped up his pace, sneaking up on the lone
traveler. Whoever it was, he wasn’t careful to remain hidden….

“Cameron,”
he gaped. “What dae ye think yer daein’ all the way out here?”

His wee
brother whirled around with his dirk in hand as he let out a terrified breath.
“Cailen! Ye should ken better than tae sneak up on me. I could’ae killed ye.”
He took another breath and re-sheathed his dirk. “I’ve been searchin’ for ye.
Mam sent me tae fetch ye. Ye’re needed at home presently. It’s about
Elizabeth.”

Cailen’s
heart sank and he sat down, waiting to hear what was amiss.

“She’s
gettin’ mairrit,” Cameron continued. “Tae Liam Black.”

“
Liam
?
Nae, no’
him
.” Surely his da wouldn’t marry Elizabeth off to the
blundering gowk who’d been solely responsible for setting the kirk on fire. The
man had been nothing but a mess since he could mind.

“Aye.
But she shouldn’ae be marryin’ him. She should be marryin’ ye. We all feel that
the two o’ ye belong taegether.”

He’d
been about to tell his brother to mind his own business, but that last part
quieted him. “Truly? But what about the curse?”

“Mam
says we dinna need tae fash about that anymore. She—”

“Shhh…”
Cailen held up a hand, silencing his brother. He’d heard movement up on the
rocky hill above them. “Snuff the fire and hide. We’re no’ alone.”

He
stood and jumped onto a boulder, pulling himself up onto another one higher up.
The entire area was nothing but crags, and every move he made sent small rocks tumbling
down to where his brother had killed the flames, and hid somewhere nearby. He’d
been only thirty feet away from where he’d left Cameron when a man’s arm came
into view. Cailen moved to pull the man from his hiding place, but came
face-to-face with a gun pointed between his eyes.

“Well,
it’s ma lucky day. Donnan’s been lookin’ all o’er for ye, MacKinnon”

“Is
that so?”

“Aye,
yer wanted for attackin’ him in his own home, and he’s offered a nice reward
for yer heed.”

****

I felt cold with sweat as
Emily and Una finished dressing me in the red tartan dress they’d made for the
wedding. Ailsa had been in the room the entire time, but she’d been distracted,
pulling back the window covering and checking outside every few minutes.

“She’s
ready, mum,” Emily said, causing Cailen’s mom to look at me for the first time.

“Oh
lass, ye look just beautiful.” She drummed her fingers on her lap and stood up
nervously before taking my hand. “I guess it’s time for us tae go tae the kirk.”

“I
guess so.” I squeezed her hand, wondering why she was so twitchy as we walked
from my room. “What’s wrong?”

“Naethin’.
It’s just that…well, we’ve received word that MacDougall and his men reached
the village closest tae us last night. I fear we’ve run out o’ time.”

Which
meant I couldn’t stall anymore without running the risk of Donnan finding out. “I
understand.”

We’d
made it out of Ailsa and Conall’s house, and followed the dirt path past the
dyke and out into the village.

“I hope
ye ken how much I’d love tae hae ye for a daughter, Scarlett,” Ailsa said
sadly. “I’ve prayed Cailen would come in time, that he’d see that the two o’ ye
belong taegether.”

I
inhaled, flicking my gaze at her as we neared the church where every man and
woman in Ardmoir were already gathering. “Wh…I mean you…You think we should be
together?”

“Aye.
So dae Conall and Cameron. That’s where Cameron’s gone, tae tell Cailen tae
come back.”

And he
hadn’t. Cameron left days ago. If he’d even had enough time to reach him and
come back, then that would’ve meant that Cailen had chosen not to come for me.

Unless
he hadn’t had enough time.

“I’m
afraid it’s too late now though,” Ailsa continued. “We just canna risk leavin’
ye free for Donnan MacDougall tae claim ye as his own.”

“What
right would he have to take me?”

“He’s
the brither o’ a chieftain. The entire MacDougall clan could descend on us if
he asked it o’ them. We’d fight for ye, lass, but I dinna ken that our whole
clan would be inclined tae. Ye’re no’ part o’ our clan until yer mairrit tae
one.”

I
pulled her to a stop just as three women rushed toward us, gushing over my
dress—which probably looked the exact same as each of theirs had, since it
seemed every bride wore a tartan dress on her wedding day—and tittered over how
stunning Liam Black looked in his freshly washed kilt. They shoved a bundle of
flowers into my hands and tugged my hair into place before rushing me through
the door of the church. It felt like everyone inside went silent, and I glanced
at Ailsa, who was still by my side.

Conall
approached and bowed. “Ye look bonny, hen.” He flicked his gaze at his wife and
even I could tell that there’d been a short, silent conversation between them.
He stepped in closer, bending over to speak to me quietly. “I ken I’m no’ yer
da, and I’d ne’er mean tae replace him, but I would be greatly honored if ye’d
allow me tae give ye awa.”

I hadn’t
realized I’d gripped Ailsa’s hand even tighter until she’d yelped and yanked
her hand from my own.

“Breathe
lass. Dinna faint. Keep breathin’,” she whispered.

I
sucked in a breath and let it out slowly before turning my gaze on her. “Do you
think he loves me?”

“Liam?”
Conall asked, flicking his gaze between the two of us.

“Cailen,”
Ailsa replied, shaking her head in exasperation. “And yes. I dae.”

His mom
believed it. I had to, too.

“I can’t
marry Liam. I have to see if he comes for me. We don’t know anything until
Cameron comes back.”

“There’s
nae time,” Gregor McIntosh said, stepping up from behind Ailsa. “There are men
on horses ridin’ toward Ardmoir e’en now.”

“MacDougall?”

“I
dinna ken. I couldn’ae see their tartan.”

Conall’s
brows lowered and he walked to the door of the church. “How far?”

“We’ll
be able tae see them any second. I saw them in the distance while on ma way
here.”

Cailen’s
dad peered out the door and shut it tight before whirling around to face me. “Nae
time. We must start now.”

“Can’t
we just tell them I’m already married or something? They don’t have to know if
I really am or not.”

“We’d
need someone tae claim ye, and nae one would dae that unless ye’re his wife.”
Conall gripped my elbow and led me toward the altar where reverend Astor and
Liam Black stood. “If the man is that intent on havin’ ye, then he’ll require
proof. He’ll demand tae meet yer husband. I wish it were different, lass.” He
made eye contact with the reverend. “We must begin. Now.”

Now?
We had to start now?
My mind scrambled,
desperate to find any other option. Cameron had gone after Cailen. I’d never
forget how he had rejected me before, but my heart had to know if he still felt
that way.

Liam
took my hands so that we faced each other, and everyone in the church quieted once
more with a quick command from Conall.

Reverend
Astor started speaking, but every word he said didn’t register. I only heard
his voice, only saw the smile on Liam’s face, only felt the beat of my heart.
Liam spoke now, his voice shaking as his hands tightened around mine.
Breathe
in. Breathe out.
And now it was Astor again. His voice echoed through
church, fading away as every eye focused on me. There was only silence, and a
few uncomfortable coughs coming from the pews.

“Elizabeth?”

Liam’s
voice reached me through the haze and I concentrated on him, feeling as though
everything was going in slow motion. I couldn’t go through with this. Even if
Donnan was outside with all his men, I couldn’t just give in and marry another
man to save my own ass. I wanted the man I loved.

“I’ll
lie for ye. I’ll tell’em yer ma wife. Ye dinna have tae go through wi’this.”

I
blinked at him, running his words over in my mind.
Oh my God. He’s stepping
down?

The
door to the church crashed open and the sound of someone running drew my
attention. “It’s the MacDougalls,” Cameron yelled, saying the words I’d feared.
“They’ve taken Cailen.”

He
reached me just as Conall and Ailsa did, the four of us standing in a circle. “What’s
happened?” his dad asked.

“I
found him out there. He was still on Mull,” the boy replied. “Someone took him,
and I o’er heard him say that the MacDougalls put a price on his heed.”

Ailsa
gasped and gripped Conall’s hand. “What can we dae?”

“I have
to go for him,” I said.

“Yer no’
goin’ after Cailen.” Liam shook his head. “I’m willin’ tae lie for ye, but I
draw the line at lettin’ ye risk yerself for him. Right Conall?”

Cailen’s
dad opened his mouth and shut it again.

I
peered at Liam from over my shoulder. “I’m sorry, but I have to try. I refuse
to let him die for protecting me from that asshole.” I faced Cailen’s parents
and brother again, meeting each of their eyes. “I love him. If there’s anything
I can do to save his life, I’m going to do it.”

Conall
released Ailsa’s hand as I stalked past them, down the aisle toward the door. “Gi’us
a minute, lass. Yer no’ goin’ alone.”

****

Donnan’s voice boomed
throughout the barn, the sound mixing with the shuffling of the nearby animals.
The scent of his own blood burned his nose as it mixed with the overwhelming
tang of cow and horse shit.

The
MacDougalls had holed him up in there, chasing off the property owners so no
one was nearby to hear him. He hadn’t kent how long he’d been there—days,
likely—nor did he ken where Cameron was. He prayed the lad made it safely away.
The last thing Cailen needed was to be responsible for another brother’s
disappearance, nor yet another reason to be a disappointment to his mam and
da—or that of Ardmoir.

There
were two horses, three sheep—including one lamb that couldn’t be much older than
a few weeks—one cow, three chickens, and rooster. He’d counted the animals over
and over again, using them as a distraction to escape what was happening. He
was in a great deal of pain, and had lost more blood than he cared to consider.
The owners had quite a collection of animals, considering how far inland they
must be. He couldn’t even hear the sounds of the ocean, nor that of ships
passing by. And he’d listened.

A hard
fist pounded against his face, and his entire body spun as the rope wrapping
his wrists twisted ever tighter. That was Angus’s fist. The man had been at it
at Donnan MacDougall’s behest, delivering blow after blow whenever Cailen
refused to answer—or when he gave an answer Donnan didn’t like. Another punch,
and he spit his blood onto the straw below him, which was now covered in bright
and dark blood.

“I’m
no’ lyin’.” He was. “Elizabeth is long gone. I was tasked wi’seein’ her awa’.”
Donnan’s eyes grew heated again, and so he continued. “I helped her tae Tabbor
Moire. She caught the first ship that would take her home.”

“And
where would that be?”

“She’s
gone tae the Colonies.”

MacDougall
narrowed his eyes and leaned against the back of the chair. “Angus?”

This
one landed square in Cailen’s stomach, and he coughed, spitting out more blood.
Every drop was worth it, so long as it meant Elizabeth didn’t fall into this
bastard’s hands. He groaned, opening his mouth. It was all he could do to
breathe through his mouth. His nose had long since swollen up to the point he
could hardly get air.

Donnan
continued to eye him from the comfort his chair—one which he’d taken from the
owners home and placed a few feet in front of Cailen. Far enough he didn’t get
splattered with blood, but close enough he could see every speck of damage.

“I’ve
sent half ma men tae search Mull. I hae it in mind tae kill ye either way, but
I would like ye tae see when they bring her tae me.”