Page 12 of Bound to a Highland Beast
Isabeau couldn’t believe she had fallen for this ploy, jumping right into the trap the brigands had set up for her by having a child scream for help so they could lure her away and attack her. Tiernan had been calling after her and she had ignored him, rushing to help the child she thought was in need, only to fall into the hands of those men. Under the fear that bubbled up inside her the moment they sprang up out of the shadows was disappointment—disappointment in herself for being so foolish, so trusting.
She had thought her life would end right then and there or that the men would do unspeakable things to her. But then Tiernanhad shown up and he had struck them both down within a matter of seconds.
He was fast and efficient. Brutal.
Growing up, Isabeau had seen her brothers fight many times. She had watched them as they trained, exchanging blow after blow and sometimes even injuring each other when they weren’t careful. She had seen their scars. Alaric, especially, was covered in them from all the missions on which he had gone, and so she knew they had both been part of several conflicts.
But she had never seen anything like this. When her brothers trained, there was a grace to their movements and their attacks were, in an odd way, gentlemanly. There was nothing gentlemanly about the way Tiernan fought. It was neither for practice nor for sport; it was for survival.
She didn’t know how long she had been standing there, simply staring at Tiernan, unable to move. The first thing she noticed about him was that he was covered in blood, like a wild beast that had just devoured its prey. It seemed to her that there was blood everywhere—pooling under the bodies, seeping into the ground, soaking his clothes. There was so much of it, more than Isabeau thought she would ever see in her life.
“It’s alright,” Tiernan said from where he stood, not making an attempt to approach her. Isabeau thought it was for the best. She didn’t know if she could handle having him near her in that moment. “It’s over. Ye’re safe.”
I’m safe. I’m safe.
Isabeau repeated those words to herself, but no matter how many times she said it, like a prayer or a mantra, it didn’t seem to work. The fear had gripped her tightly and would not let her go. Her stomach churned at the memory of those two men surrounding her, at the sight of them dead on the ground. Her vision tunneled and she had to make a conscious effort to breathe, trying to slow her racing heart.
Pull yerself taegether. Ye put him intae this mess. Take some responsibility.
This had all been her fault. If she had only listened to Tiernan?—
“Isabeau—”
Tiernan tried to approach her slowly, his hand outstretched towards her and his steps small, as though he was trying to approach a frightened animal or a child. Isabeau could only step back, though, a sob escaping her as she shook her head.
“Stay away,” she said, and then, realizing how she sounded, she added a soft, “please.”
Tears began to fall down her cheeks, carving hot paths on her skin. She didn’t even know why she was crying, since she was now safe and all Tiernan seemed to want was to comfort her, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t bring herself to stop. All she knew was that this experience had frightened hermore than anything else in her life. Not only had those brigands attacked her and were then murdered in front of her, but they had also used a child to lure her in, and now Isabeau didn’t even know what would happen to the boy.
“It’s alright,” said Tiernan. He didn’t try to approach this time, but his hand remained outstretched, as if he was trying to reach her from a distance. “Everythin’ is fine now. Ye’re safe, I promise ye.”
Is this what happens tae people who live outside the castle walls? Dae they all have tae live in fear o’ somethin’ like this happenin’ tae them?
Isabeau couldn’t imagine it, spending an entire life with this fear. But she also couldn’t imagine how she could have been this naive, never once thinking that it could have been a trap.
“I dinnae even ken why I’m cryin’,” she admitted to Tiernan through another sob. “Please, I dinnae ken…”
She didn’t know what she was asking for, either. Comfort, perhaps? For Tiernan to tell her again that everything was fine, that she was safe? That seemed impossible.
Once again, Tiernan tried to approach her, and this time, Isabeau allowed it. At first, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, but it was not enough. She needed to feel him close. She needed to know that he was there, alive and well.
Without a word, Isabeau fell into his arms, clinging onto him. For a moment, Tiernan hesitated, but then he held her close, petting her back as she cried on his shoulder. He did nothing but shush her and rub small circles between her shoulder blades, but she soon found that it was more than enough. Just his presence and their closeness were enough to calm her, to remind her that they were both alive and well and it was all in the past.
Drawing in a deep, steadying breath, Isabeau pulled herself together slowly, hating that she had been reduced to that. She was better than that; stronger. She had never seen battle, but she refused to break down when Tiernan had just killed two men because of her and had even been injured in the process.
“Forgive me,” she said, pushing herself up to her full height and taking a few steps back. The first ones were hesitant, faltering, but with every step, she found her strength once more. “I didnae ken, I should have listened tae ye. I never thought it would be a trap.”
Isabeau watched as some of the tension melted from Tiernan’s body, his muscles relaxing a little. “It’s alright. Ye couldnae have kent,” he said. “But next time, listen tae me. It’s dangerous out here. Ye cannae dae as ye please.”
“I understand,” she said, because she did. Now, she truly understood what it meant to be outside the safety of the castle walls. She was lucky enough to have Tiernan by her side. Once again, without him, she would have been dead—or perhaps even worse. “I’ll listen tae ye from now on, I promise.”
It was the least she could do. She didn’t want to be a burden to Tiernan when he already had so much on his plate. There was already a good chance they would both end up dead by Constantine’s hand, but she wanted to think that they at least had a chance. If she acted foolishly, then she would only manage to send them to an even earlier grave.
“Are ye alright?” she asked Tiernan, fearing the answer she would receive.
“Aye,” he said. “I only have a scratch. Ye?”
“I’m fine,” she assured him. The brigands hadn’t had the chance to hurt her before he had shown up. She was only still shaken, but she doubted that would change in the near future.
