Page 90 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander
He stepped forward, his gaze cold and steely. “Ye are goin’ to tell me everything,” he said, his voice low and deadly. “Who sent ye. Where ye took her. And why.”
One of the attackers spat blood on the floor before glaring up at him. “Ye might as well kill us now. Ye will get nothin’ from us.”
Hunter’s hand shot out, grabbing the man by the collar and yanking him closer. “Ye think ye are brave?” he hissed. “Ye have kidnapped a child. That doesnae make ye a warrior—it makes ye a coward. And cowards dinnae last long in me dungeons.”
The other man shifted uncomfortably, his resolve wavering.
Hunter noticed and stepped toward him, his eyes narrowing. “Ye want to be brave?” he asked, his voice icy. “Then tell me where she is. Because if I dinnae get answers soon, I’ll make sure that ye wish ye had never been born.”
The man’s face paled, and he glanced at his companion, who shot him a warning glare. But Hunter could see the cracks forming.
He leaned in closer, his voice soft and menacing. “Tell me, and I’ll make it quick. Lie to me, and I’ll make it last.”
The man’s lip trembled, but he said nothing.
Hunter stepped back, his patience running thin. “Keep them alive,” he ordered his men. “For now.”
As he turned to leave, his thoughts turned back to Erica. He hated how her presence earlier had soothed him, even for a moment. He didn’t want to be soothed. He wanted his fury to fuel him, to keep him sharp. But she had a way of slipping past his defenses, and itterrifiedhim.
Back in the castle, he found her waiting in the main hall. She looked up as he approached, her expression a mix of hope and fear.
“Did they say anythin’?” she asked.
“Nae yet,” he replied curtly, brushing past her.
“Hunter, please?—”
“Enough,” he snapped, stopping to glare at her. “Dinnae try to make this easier for me.”
“I’m nae tryin’ to make it easier,” she shot back, her voice rising. “I’m tryin’ to share the burden. Ye arenae the only one who cares about her.”
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to steady himself. When he opened them again, she was still there, her determination unwavering.
“Ye should rest,” he said finally, his voice softer. “I’ll find her.”
“I’m nae leavin’ ye,” she declared firmly.
Something in her voice made him pause. Despite his anger, despite the storm raging inside him, he felt a flicker of gratitude for her. But he couldn’t let it show. Not now.
“Then stay out of me way,” he said, before turning and walking away.
As he disappeared into the shadows of the castle, he vowed to himself that he would find Lily, no matter the cost. And when this was over, maybe—just maybe—he would find a way to make things right with Erica, too.
But for now, his focus was singular.Find Lily.Nothing else mattered.
Hours later, after he had scoured the castle grounds, he and Alaric poured over maps of the grounds and the surroundinglands in his study. A small knock interrupted them, and he looked up, expecting to see Erica.
“Kara? What is it?” he asked, standing taller and walking toward the maid.
Without saying a word, she thrust a letter into his hands and sprinted back into the corridor.
With a slight tilt of his head, he signaled to Calvin and Alaric to follow her. They silently twisted around him and disappeared into the darkness of the castle.
The handwriting on the back of this letter was different from the one on the other letter, and he knew that Kara had written it.
Unfolding it without delay, he scanned the page, digesting everything she needed to tell him.
Erica sat in the silence of her room, her hands trembling as she clutched the edge of the wooden table. The walls seemed to close in on her, heavy with the weight of her guilt.
