Page 78 of The Highlander's Illicit Bride
“Daes that make ye feel like a strong man, Faither?” she hissed. “Hitting yer daughter?”
“Stay yer tongue, girl, or I’ll remove it.”
“I dinnae think ye will,” she said as calmly as possible. “Nae if yer still plannin’ tae give me over tae Dougal.”
His eyes narrowed and burned with rage, but he did not move. It was just as she’d thought. And knowing he still intended to give her over to the man filled her belly with the coldest dread she had ever felt. The man was cruel but after what she’d done—after the trouble she had caused him—the thought of what he might do genuinely terrified her.
“Get dressed. We’re leavin’,” he said. “If we stay longer, I will kill every single person in this castle.”
Her limbs were like lead as she moved, and her heart grew heavier with every step she took. She wouldn’t let anyone get hurt because of her. Once she was dressed, her father sneered at her. “Time tae go, I’ve got a husband tae get ye tae, after all.”
He grabbed her by the elbow so hard, Isolde thought he might break it. The flash of pain was intense, but she bit back her cry. He leaned forward, his hot, foul breath washing across her face, making her wince.
“Ye shut yer mouth,” he growled.
Isolde swallowed down the bile that had risen in her throat but she didn’t trust herself to speak. Her trembling voice would give away her terror. Instead, she nodded.
“Good lass,” he said.
Still gripping her by the elbow, her father dragged her out of her bedchamber. Two of his men were waiting in the hall and fell into step behind them as they made their way through the empty corridors. When they reached the doorway in the kitchens, Isolde bit back a cry. Four bodies lay on the ground in pools of dark, thick blood. Their throats had been cut.
That was how he and his men had gained access to Achnacarry, slithering in like murderous vipers. Isolde knew that given half a chance, her father would not hesitate to do the same to Struan. The thought of him lying in a pool of his own blood, throat cut, eyes wide and unseeing made Isolde’s legs shake.
“I’ll go with ye with nay fuss. But ye’ll leave Struan be,” she tried to sound more collected than she truly felt. Isolde didn’t want her father to realize how important this man had grown to be for her.
He turned his cold, reptilian eyes on her, his features tight and pinched and his lips curled back in a bloodless smile.
“Why dae ye care?” he asked and grabbed her face close to him. “Why should ye care about that scoundrel?”
She opened her mouth to reply but no words came out. Her father’s face darkened though, and his eyes narrowed as a deep, abiding fury crossed his features.
“Did ye give yerself tae him?” he hissed. “Did that Cameron bastard ruin ye?”
If I tell him the truth, he’ll make it his life’s mission tae destroy Struan.
Isolde quickly shook her head.
“Nay. ‘Tis nae like that,” she said. “He’s been kind tae me. His whole family has shown me naethin’ but kindness. I just… I dinnae want tae see them hurt.”
Her father studied her for a long moment, seeming to weigh the truth of her words. He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on her. He dragged her through the darkness of the yard to a small doorway tucked away in the gardens’ gate. He pushed her through it and she found herself surrounded by men on horseback, all of them wearing the red and green of Clan Mackintosh.
All of them looking at her.
Isolde’s hands were quickly bound, and she was forced to ride with one of her father’s soldiers. As the horses began to move, she craned her neck, desperate to get one final look at the place she had begun to think of as home.
A tear raced down her cheek, and she felt certain it would be the last time she saw Achnacarry.
CHAPTER 35
“Are ye sure about this?” Ewan asked.
“Aye. I’ll go in alone,” Struan replied. “I need ye tae lead the men and attack the front of the castle. Draw their attention there.”
Ewan nodded. “Aye. I can dae that. Just dinnae screw up and get Finlay out of there without gettin’ caught. It’d be twice as hard tae get both of ye out.”
“Be careful. Watch yer back. And dinnae take any unnecessary chances, eh?”
“Ye neither.”
