Page 71 of Taken By the Devilish Highlander
Archer raced to his sister’s chambers, wondering how far the fire had spread. He hoped someone had called for the fire crew, that they were filling buckets and doing what they could to put out the blaze. But then he heard a man’s cry from somewhere behind him, and the distant echo of steel.
What if this is more than a fire?
“Ayla,” he called out. He was at her door, and he pounded on it, relieved the flames had not yet reached her. He pushed open the door and found his sister in her nightclothes, pulling on a robe.
“What is it?” she asked, looking frantic. “I smell smoke.”
“There’s a fire. I’m getting ye out of here.”
A scream ripped through Ayla’s open window, making them both jump. He watched color drain from his sister’s face, and he rushed to her, wrapping her in his arms.
“It will be fine,” he told her as he guided her quickly from the room. “I know where ye will be safe.”
With one arm around Ayla’s shoulders, he drew his sword with the other. Then he walked them down the hallway, careful to move ahead of her as they rounded corners and rushed down stairs. As they got to the ground floor, sounds of men screaming and the clash of swords grew louder, more prevalent.
“Who is it?” Ayla asked. She turned her head toward some men in the distance, but Archer spun her around, desperate that she wouldn’t see anything to give her nightmares like his own.
“I daenae ken,” he told her. “But I promise ye they willnae get this castle. I willnae let anyone mar our family’s name.”
“Promise me ye will protect yourself,” Ayla cried. Tears of terror were forming in his sister’s eyes, and he pulled her close, knowing he didn’t have much time.
“Do ye see that path there? The opening in the woods?”
He turned Ayla in that direction, forcing her to follow where he pointed.
“Aye,” she nodded.
“Ye must run there and not look back. Keep running on that path until ye come to a cabin in the woods. Hide inside and daenae let anyone come in unless ye hear me voice.”
“Archer—” she pleaded, but he wouldn’t be stopped. He took his dirk and pressed it into Ayla’s hand.
“Go,” he cried, and he gave her a push toward the path. With a cry of fear and surprise, Ayla started running. The cabin and that woodpile had been a refuge for him and Feya once before. He only hoped the place would work its magic a second time and keep his sister safe.
The closer she got to Archer’s castle, the more certain she was that something was wrong. A churning feeling in her stomach had started about halfway through the journey, but the ache only grew worse as her horse galloped through the familiar forests of Dougal lands.
Ye are nervous to see him.
But it was more than that. It was something that hadn’t sat right with her for days, an ominous feeling she couldn’t shake. Her mind kept floating back to her final day here at Castle Dougal. To that final conversation with Elijah.
He will suffer.
She could still see the sneer on Elijah’s face when he said it. She had never trusted the man, but he was Archer’s friend and council member. Didn’t that mean he would be loyal to hisLaird? But that knowing glance had been haunting her dreams for days. Along with the final words he spoke.
…the world has teeth. Best to be far away when it bites.
She had planned to stop along the way, but something told her to press forward. Despite the danger of riding through the night, she simply pulled her cloak over her head, telling herself to look intimidating to anyone who might pass. That anxious sensation in her gut kept her moving. It was a panic that she couldn’t soothe.
“I’m coming,” she whispered to the trees. She imagined Holly in her garden, her fingers pressed into the earth. Perhaps the wind would carry the message to her. Perhaps Holly would feel the vibrations of the earth telling her Feya was coming back…
And then she thought of Archer. She imagined him at his bedroom window, his hair untied and wild around his face. She could picture him staring out into the woods, the first person to catch a glimpse of her racing back to him. What would he say? Would his expression darken or open with surprise? Would he simply send her home?
The thunderous sound of horses’ hooves made Feya’s heart race with fear. She held tight to the reins, keeping her horse from panicking, and looked over her shoulder to see two men racing down the path. Their bodies were bent low over their horses’ necks, intent on their destination. Feya rushed to the side of the road, clearing the path so her horse wouldn’t be trampled.
“Best get home, lass,” one of the men called to her. “It isnae safe out here.”
“What is it?” she cried. She pushed her horse forward, trying to keep pace with them so she could hear the man’s reply.
“The castle,” he called back over his shoulder. “It’s under attack.”
