Page 87 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander
Erica swallowed hard, the lump in her throat growing. “And what truth is that?”
“That ye deserve better than what I’ve given ye,” he admitted. “And yet, selfishly, I dinnae want to let ye go.”
Her heart twisted at the vulnerability in his words. “Hunter?—”
He brushed a thumb over her cheek, cutting her off. “Nay, let me say this. I’ve been a fool, Erica. Ye have been nothin’ but loyal, and yet I let me insecurities cast a shadow over us. I see that now.”
Erica blinked back tears, her heart aching at his confession. “Ye think I dinnae have insecurities too? That I dinnae wonder every day if I’m enough for ye, for this life?”
Hunter furrowed his brow and cupped her face in his hands. “That’s just foolish. Ye are more than enough,” he said fiercely. “I just… I have been too stubborn to admit it.”
The raw honesty in his voice broke something inside her. Erica couldn’t hold back the tears anymore, and they rolled down her cheeks as she leaned into him.
“Then stop pullin’ away,” she whispered. “If ye want this—if ye wantme—then stop denyin’ yerself out of some irrational sense of guilt.”
Hunter’s thumb brushed away her tears, and he pressed another kiss to her lips—this one softer, almost tender. “God help me, I’ll try?—”
A sharp knock at the door shattered the intimacy, and Hunter pulled back, his expression hardening once more. “Stay here,” he said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.
She grabbed his arm before he could move away. “Hunter, wait.”
He paused, looking down at her with a mix of frustration and concern.
“If something happens to ye…” Her voice faltered, but she forced herself to continue. “What am I supposed to do? I cannae just wait here.”
Hunter’s gaze softened, and he reached for her hand again. He led her to the far corner of the room and pressed his hand against a panel in the wall, revealing the hidden passage once again. “Ye will take Lily and run. Ye will take the horses—already saddled—and ride to McFair Keep. I have men stationed along the path to ensure ye both get there if it comes to it.”
He planted a kiss on her forehead before leaving the room without another word.
Erica began pacing again, her nerves fraying with every passing second. Suddenly, shouting and the clash of steel against steel shattered the stillness.
One of the guards on the other side of the door spoke quickly, “Stay here, Me Lady,” he urged.
Erica’s heart pounded as the sounds of battle grew louder. She moved to the window and peered down into the courtyard. Shadows moved in the torchlight—men locked in fierce combat, their identities obscured by dark cloaks and masks. Her stomach churned at the sight.
Hunter was out there, fighting, risking his life for her and Lily.
She gripped the windowsill, her knuckles white.
Please be safe. Please come back to me.
The door burst open, and Calvin stumbled inside, his face streaked with blood and his sword drawn. “The attackers are inside the castle,” he panted. “We need to move ye to safety.”
Erica’s heart sank. “This is the safest room in the castle! What about Hunter? What about Lily?” she demanded.
“He’s fine—holdin’ them off,” Calvin said grimly. “But ye dinnae have much time.”
Erica hesitated, torn between her promise to Hunter and the overwhelming urge to run to his side. But his words—his insistence that she protect herself and Lily—kept her rooted to the spot.
Calvin pointed his sword toward the hidden passage. “Go, Me Lady. Ye have to go, now! I’ll go the other way and clear the corridors for ye both. Go!”
He slammed the door shut behind him, leaving her alone once more.
As she stepped into the dark, narrow passageway, a single thought echoed in her mind.
Find Lily. Get to safety.
The sound of battle grew louder as she approached Lily’s chambers, the clash of steel against steel and loud cries echoing off the stone walls. Every instinct told her to turn back, to retreat to the safety of Hunter’s chambers, but she pressed on.
