Page 56 of Wedded to the Twisted Highlander
“Can ye end Laird Chalium?”
“Aye. If that is what ye ask of me, I’ll do it. If it means that yer torment will end, then I’ll gladly snuff the light out of his eyes.”
Astrid shook her head at the thought of Laird Chalium never coming for her again. It was too surreal.
“Is that what ye want me to do? Because if it is, ye’re goin’ to have to give me a good reason why. A raised voice or a firm hand is nay reason to commit murder. And believe me when I say that I ken the man. I can list hundreds of reasons to take his life, but I want to hear it from ye.”
19
Thomas stood on the balcony. The cool Highland air kissed his skin, mingling with the warmth radiating from Astrid.
The moon hung like a sliver of a fingernail in the sky. Its silvery glow shimmered over the rugged landscape, but it was the sight of Astrid’s glistening cheeks that made his heart clench.
A single tear traced a path down her face, and he felt a pang of guilt that twisted in his gut. After all, was it not he who had brought this storm upon her by tempting her beyond her means?
“What is this? I’m the only one here and ye cannae face me? Since when do ye let fear rule ye? Or am I nae talkin’ wit’ the same lass who climbed out of a window on the third floor?” Thomas asked.
But he wasn’t so sure he wanted the answer to his question.
“Nay, Me Laird, ‘tis nae ye,” she reassured him as she twisted a strand of her hair around her finger.
“I was beginnin’ to wonder if me eyes were playin’ tricks on me,” he said, hoping to find some way to ease the tension.
He’d gone for far too long with barely any contact with Astrid, and now that he had it, he couldn’t let her go. Despite the gravity of the situation, there was nowhere else in the world he’d rather be than right there with her.
At his words, something flickered in her eyes—a hint of courage that flickered like a flame in a tempest. It was a spark he had seen in his men before they charged into battle, a fierce determination that came from deep within.
It was at that moment that Thomas realized the war Astrid had been fighting for so long. A war not fought with swords and shields, but one that raged in the shadows of her heart and soul.
She leaned into him, her head resting against his shoulder, her presence warming him from within. Yet, she shook her head, a clear refusal to speak of whatever haunted her.
A heavy silence hung between them, the kind that felt both intimate and insurmountable.
“Give me a name, Astrid,” Thomas urged, his voice gentle yet firm. “And I swear to ye, he’ll nae walk this earth for much longer.”
Astrid shook her head again, her lips pressed together as if to seal away her fears. “Please, Me Laird.”
Thomas tried to draw her gaze to his, but she was looking at everything but him. He rolled back his shoulders as he tilted his head. “Look at me.”
Again, she shook her head in absolute refusal and closed her eyes. She might as well have slammed the door in his face. Pain lanced through his chest as if he’d been hit by a spear.
“Please, Thomas,” she whimpered.
The tremor in her voice was enough to break his heart, but the sound of his name on her lips rattled him more than any cannon fire. She looked up at him with her tear-filled eyes.
But the stubbornness in him wouldn’t let it go. He was like a terrier with a bone.
“I’ll nae ask again.”
He needed a target to take his ire out on. After all, the man who had robbed him of his future with his wife was going to pay.
Another whimper escaped her lips, and she pulled away, putting some distance between them that felt like a chasm.
“Good night,” she mumbled, her voice barely above a breath as she turned away.
But as she made to leave, Thomas hissed out, “Chalium.” The sound was raw and venomous.
Astrid froze at the door. The world around them fell silent, and even the breeze stilled as if the earth itself awaited her response.
