Page 82 of The Highlander's Auctioned Bride
Bram unsheathed his sword, ready to fight.
“James, nae!”
James twisted his head round at the familiar voice from the doorway. His blade dropped a little as he saw Maisie’s beautiful face. She stumbled toward him, her travel cloak still about her shoulders, her eyes flicking between them all in uncertain amazement.
“Maisie,” he said disbelievingly a happy bubble bursting in his chest as he saw her.
Bram cackled wildly, careless of James’s blade only feet from him.
“Nae one but yer wife, it would seem,” Bram said harshly; looking at Maisie with such an expression of contempt, James was amazed he had been able to keep the façade up for so long. “Dinnae worry yer pretty little head,m’lady, yer precious laird will nae be yers to concern yerself with any longer.”
“James, what is happenin’?” Maisie asked as she walked across to him, keeping a little distance between them but staring at Bram in bewilderment.
“I told ye to stay away from here,” James said, edging over to her, trying to shield her from Bram’s gaze.
“But Marcus is still in the dungeons after I told ye I didnae think he was behind this.”
Bram raised his sword and all of James’s attention returned to him. Lillian was glancing between them frantically, clearly uncertain what to do.
“Ye have a smart little wench there, James,” Bram said scathingly, “nae like this simpering fool.” He turned and without warning slapped Lillian hard across the cheek. She fell to the floor and James cried out in horror as Maisie ran forward to help her.
Bram took the opportunity she afforded him, and his huge hands gripped Maisie’s traveling cloak, pulling her violently against his body, spinning her around, and bringing his sword to her throat.
James stood frozen, staring at those beautiful pale-blue eyes he loved so much, looking at him with such fear.
“Ye will step down,” Bram said heavily, his throat raw with triumph. “Lose yer clan or lose yer wife. It’s yer choice.”
James’s vision blurred as rage engulfed him.
“Nae one threatens my world and lives” he snarled, and with a flick of his wrist, the dirk concealed in his sleeve shot out. He hurled it at Bram, his aim certain and sure as it sliced into his right leg .
Bram buckled sideways, his arm loosening about Maisie’s throat, and she lurched away from him, bending to the floor to grab Lillian, and they both ran to the far side of the room as James advanced on Bram.
The man had dispensed with the knife, blood flowing freely from his leg as he hobbled backward, but James knew how good Bram was with a sword, this would not be an easy battle to win.
He swung his blade hard against Bram who parried back, slicing and cutting upward, putting James on the defensive. They circled one another Bram biding his time, both of them waiting for the other to make their move.
James sliced sideways, and Bram met him stroke for stroke. The clash of metal echoed all about them in the small room, deafening to hear.
Bram’s sword came down hard on James’s arm, but he sidestepped just in the nick of time as the blade cut him, but not deeply. He turned back to Bram using his size to bring his sword down from above him, forcing Bram to defend himself.
Bram was knocked back violently against one of the barrels, and his shoulder glanced against a metal support that held them in place. He hollered in pain as he twisted away, his back to James’s briefly as he turned about.
James saw his opportunity as Bram lowered his blade and leaped toward him, his sword high in the air. Bram blocked him, slicing back and forth, but the older man was tiring.
“I waited years,” Bram spat as he backed away. “Years of meaningless, juvenile conversation to keep that little fool sweet.”
James brought his sword down hard and Bram backed off further as their blades clashed.
“I had spent three damn years building the perfect bride for ye, and who did ye pick? Some nobody from Larkhill. Who is her faither? What is her station in life save from the title she stole from ye?”
He laughed as James’s blows became more erratic and Bram was moved back toward the wall.
“It isnae as though anyone would follow her if ye were gone! I should have put the poison in yer drink instead, that might have served me better.”
With a roar, James brought their swords violently together. Bram crouched back from him.
“Was it ye who hired the archer, too?” James thundered.
