Page 5 of Bound to a Highland Beast
Isabeau struggled against her captor for a few moments, trying to get free, but it soon became clear to her that all she managed to do was exhaust herself. Her head was still spinning, her muscles ached, and every movement was a fight. Before long, she sagged in the man’s grip, surrendering herself to her fate. All she could do was remind herself that Beag was keeping them alive for a reason. There was a debt, he had said, one that Tiernan had to pay.
Waving a hand dismissively, Beag said, “Naethin’ will happen tae her… well, as long as ye dae as I tell ye.”
At that, Tiernan stopped struggling and leaned back, his expression turning into one of stone. It wasn’t calm; there was nothing calm about him. Isabeau could see it in the way he held himself, shoulders tense, the tendons of his neck showing against his skin. He simply didn’t want to give anything away, and that scared her more than being held captive did, as it could only mean that Beag was both capable and willing of taking advantage of any weakness he found.
“Here’s what will happen,” Beag said as he approached Tiernan. “Ye will kill Constantine fer me an’ then ye an’ yer lassie will be free tae go. An’ I’ll consider yer debt paid off.”
Isabeau’s breath hitched at the mention of that name. He, too, was a man everyone in the Highlands knew—the most feared mercenary the area had ever seen, as ruthless and violent as he was skilled at his job. The mere name inspired fear in everyone Isabeau had met. Constantine was more of a legend than a man,and his reputation was so fearsome that few even dared utter his name, fearful that they would somehow summon him.
“An’ why would I dae that?” Tiernan asked, still expressionless save for a raised brow. “Ye may as well kill me now.”
“If I kill ye, I’ll have tae kill the lassie,” Beag said, as though it was obvious and the natural course of things. There was no reaction from Tiernan once again; it was as though he had truly turned to stone, a motionless statue that displayed no emotion. “The bastard has been after me, an’ I need ye tae rid me o’ him. We all ken he willnae stop until one o’ us is dead.”
“Why me?” Tiernan asked. “Ye could have yer men dae it.”
“He kens me men,” said Beag. “An’ besides, dae ye think I havenae already tried it? They all ended up dead. I cannae spare more, and nay mercenary agrees tae take the job.”
That didn’t surprise Isabeau at all. What did surprise her was Beag’s apparent belief that Tiernan could be the one to defeat Constantine. She knew, of course, of his past as a mercenary and a brigand, but she didn’t know just how far his skills extended. Was he capable of killing Constantine? Was he truly that much better than any other man Beag had sent to kill him? Or he was simply Beag’s last hope?
For a long time, Tiernan said nothing. He only sat there, watching Beag like a hawk. Beag remained silent, as well, the two of them locked into a staring contest.
“Release the lass an’ I shall dae it,” Tiernan said, but before Isabeau could feel any relief, Beag laughed, shaking his head.
“Why would I dae that?” he asked. “She’s here tae motivate ye. If ye fail, she dies. If ye work against me, she dies. If ye dae anythin’ other than what I tell ye, she dies.”
Tears stung Isabeau’s eyes, her breath coming in short pants as she was plunged into the depths of panic once more. With her gaze on Tiernan, she silently begged him to say something, anything—to try and argue, to get her out of this situation, but he never said a thing. He only sat there, expressionless, taking in what Beag had said.
“I’ll have me men watchin’ ye,” Beag continued. “An’ she will be the perfect cover fer ye. Nae one will suspect what ye’re about tae dae if ye travel together.”
There was a subtle shift in the way Tiernan held himself. It was as though he deflated, the air leaving his lungs, his shoulders sagging. Isabeau recognized it for what it was—resignation. Anger quickly bubbled up inside her, breaking through her fear. She wanted to scream at him, to demand that he do something, but still, her voice was caught in her throat, the word dying on her tongue before they could ever make it past her lips.
“That’s what I thought,” said Beag, recognizing Tiernan’s surrender, too. “I figured ye would be easy tae convince when I realized ye were in that castle fer so long. That was yer mistake, Tiernan. All this time, I couldnae get tae ye because ye weremovin’ so fast, but then ye stayed there fer months… months! That can only mean ye wish tae go back.”
Tiernan once again said nothing. It was as though he had completely shut down, never once uttering a word. For a few short moments, Beag waited for a retort, but when it didn’t come, he snapped his fingers again and the man who was holding Isabeau cut the rope that bound her wrists and finally released her. Instantly, she took several steps back, trying to get far away from those men, just as Beag advanced towards Tiernan, only to bring his fist down to his cheek. The punch held so much strength behind it that Tiernan’s head snapped to the side and Isabeau couldn’t help but cry out in horror, fearing for his safety.
Slowly, Tiernan turned his head to face Beag again, his gaze defiant in a way his mouth wasn’t. Crouching down, Beag leaned in close, the two of them eye to eye.
“That was fer the ring ye stole,” he said. “I truly did like it.”
Tiernan said nothing as Beag straightened his back, standing tall. He seemed terribly pleased with himself, as though that one punch was enough to reward him for all the trouble, he had gone to in order to find Tiernan.
“Constantine is somewhere in these parts,” Beag continued. “Nay one kens where, exactly, an’ that is why I need ye tae track him down. Ye’ve always been good at this, have ye nae? So, put yer skills tae good use an’ ye will be rewarded. I’ve brought yeclose enough tae where he was last seen. I’m sure ye’ll dae yer best tae find him from here.”
With that, the four men were gone. Isabeau watched until they were out of sight and then waited even longer, making sure they were truly gone before she stumbled over to Tiernan, trying to undo the knots with shaking hands.
It was impossible. She was working automatically, barely registering her movements, but she couldn’t undo them.
“Take me knife,” Tiernan said. Isabeau didn’t hear him until he repeated it a few times, and then she reached for the blade strapped to his calf, sawing at the ropes clumsily.
It took her a long time to cut through it and even longer to realize that she was crying, tears carving hot paths down her cheeks. The moment she had released him, though, Tiernan reached for her, taking her face in her hands and searching for any signs of harm.
Gently, he wiped away her tears, shushing her quietly.
“What will we dae?”
Isabeau’s voice was barely a whisper. She couldn’t wrap her mind around it all. She couldn’t imagine what would happen now.
“We dinnae have a choice,” Tiernan said, so gently that Isabeau could almost convince herself everything would work out fine in the end. “I’ll find Constantine, but I’ll make sure ye return tae yer family. I promise ye. But until then, I’ll take care o’ ye. I swear it, Miss MacGregor.”
