Page 65 of A Forbidden Night with a Scot
Samuel’s heart gave a lurch, dropping to his stomach at the sight of her in danger. One wrong move could cost Alicia her life, and so he, too, remained utterly still, reluctant to do anything that could push MacLaine over the edge.
Though her eyes were wide with fear, Alicia’s expression was stony, giving nothing of her inner unrest away. She was calmer than some soldiers Samuel had seen in battle, and he couldn’t help but be proud of her for it, but at the same time, he didn’t want her to fear, nor did he want any harm to come to her. He had to act fast. He had to find a way to save her, even if it meant losing his own life.
“When me men saw ye at the loch, it confirmed all me suspicions,” MacLaine said as he leaned terribly close to Alicia, his nose brushing against her cheek. “She truly is lovely, Samuel… too lovely a lass fer ye. Quite unfortunate that she must suffer fer what ye have done.”
“Dinnae touch her.”
It was the first thing to come out of Samuel’s lips in a long time, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t stay silent anymore, not when MacLaine was threatening the woman he loved. MacLaine had already taken too much away from him. He wouldn’t let him take Alicia, too.
“It’s a pity she must die,” MacLaine continued, as though he hadn’t even heard Samuel. He was taunting him, of course, and Samuel was well aware of that, but knowing it didn’t mean he didn’t fall for it. His blood boiled in his veins and his rage was palpable, almost a physical thing in the air around him. All he needed was one chance; one chance to kill MacLaine and rid the world of him for good.
No matter how much Samuel tried, though, the ropes around his wrists would not budge. The only thing he managed to do was injure himself further, his skin turning raw and bloody against the rope.
Was anyone coming for them? Did anyone know where they were?
Before Samuel could even begin to formulate a proper plan, though, a cry echoed in the room and Samuel looked up to see Alicia holding the handle of a blade. It was now lodged in MacLaine’s stomach, much to everyone’s surprise.
Even Alicia herself seemed surprised by her actions, for a moment freezing in place as she watched the blood seep aroundher fingers. Once she came to her senses, though, she pulled the knife out and rushed to Samuel, using the same blade to swiftly cut his bonds, letting the rope fall down to the floor just as the guard who had brought her into the room lunged at her, pinning her to the ground.
The knife fell from her hand, clattering against the floor as she writhed under the guard, trying to kick him off her. Samuel made to grab the man, but before he could, MacLaine reached for his sword and swung it wildly at him, forcing him to step back just in time to save his neck.
Samuel had no weapon, and even if he managed to grab the blade, it would be no match for MacLaine’s sword.
Perhaps if I manage tae get the guard’s…
But before anything else, he needed to pull that man off Alicia and somehow get her to safety. Samuel didn’t have many options. All he could do was try to grab the man, but as MacLaine continued to attack him even as he held a hand pressed tightly to the wound in his stomach, he had little room to maneuver.
Just as Samuel was beginning to lose hope, shouts rang right outside the room. Within moments, the door was kicked open and Samuel saw Nerian and Gavin there, armed and fighting MacLaine’s men, who were trying to hold them and their party of soldiers back with no success.
A desperate growl escaped MacLaine. Samuel watched him as though time had slowed down as he kicked his own guard aside and raised his sword in the air, the glinting tip hovering above Alicia. Everything else faded away in his mind—the shouts of the men, the clanging of swords, the footsteps of the stomping soldiers were silenced by his terror. All that remained was Alicia and that sword that was about to take her life.
Before he could even think, Samuel threw himself in front of Alicia, using his body as a shield as he draped himself over her. His hand reached for the blade she had dropped, grasping tightly just as he felt MacLaine’s sword pierce through his gut, the pain tearing a gasp out of him. It was all the sound he could make—nothing else came past his lips, as his lungs felt devoid of all air, entirely empty.
He was in a terrible state. Not only did the wound send ripple after ripple of stinging pain through him, but every other injury he had sustained in the past few days seemed amplified now, his body quickly reaching its limits. Already, his vision was blurring at the edges, partly from the blood loss and partly from the pain, and he knew he had but moments to do what needed to be done.
With a cry, Samuel twisted his body and plunged his blade straight through MacLaine’s chest with all the force he could muster. The blade pierced through him, the man’s own momentum pushing it deeper than Samuel ever could on his own and stabbing him in the heart. Samuel watched, heaving, as MacLaine stumbled backwards, his eyes wide in shock, his hands reaching up to press around the knife, even though he must have known there was no saving himself.
After a few steps, MacLaine collapsed onto the floor, his body falling with a thud. Samuel let out a sigh of relief, though it was a labored, rattling sound, wounded and exhausted. He didn’t know if the fight outside was still raging. All he knew was that the fight was over for him.
“Alicia,” he said as he rolled off her as best he could, another wave of relief washing over him as she came to kneel next to him, her cool hands grabbing his face and making him look at her. Even as she came in and out of focus, he could see the tears in her eyes. “There ye are, are ye hurt?”
“Nay,” Alicia assured him. “Nay, Samuel. Dinnae close yer eyes. Stay with me.”
“I’ll try,” Samuel promised, but the next moment, everything went dark.
EPILOGUE
Three months later
Her father’s watchful gaze was, as always, on Alicia as she entered the room. He sat across from the large windows in the drawing room, basking in the rare sunlight, a cup of wine in his hand.
She couldn’t tell if he seemed pleased or not. Ever since that fateful day, he had become a mystery to her.
Behind her, Samuel trailed into the room a respectful few feet away from her. Though they were in his own home, in Castle MacLachlan, whenever her father was near, Samuel made a point of all but melting into the background, trying to keep himself as far away as he could from her father’s furious moods.
They were rarer those days, ever since he had seen Samuel’s necklace around her neck, and ever since Samuel had saved her life, almost sacrificing his own in the process. Though he hadmade a full recovery, those first few weeks had been difficult for everyone, including her father, even as he still privately raged about their affair.
Though he had given Samuel his permission to court Alicia, he had certainly not given his permission for anything else. In all those weeks, Samuel had not even tried to hold Alicia’s hand, let alone kiss her. Their conversations were always monitored, their meetings always chaperoned. Alicia hadn’t had the chance to be alone with him even once, no matter how much she tried. It was as though her father had eyes and ears everywhere, and every time she tried to sneak out of her chambers to find Samuel, he somehow found out and appeared right in front of her before she could even get halfway to him.
