Page 96 of Taken By the Heartless Highlander
Keira sighed, even though her heart soared that they were returning so soon.
“Back to work, is it?” Scott asked tiredly.
“Aye,” Keira said. “For now.”
CHAPTER35
“Get off me, ye oaf!”Callum protested, shoving Noah away from him as he pulled himself to his feet. “What in the devil has got into ye?” Callum snapped as he threw down his sword.
A light rain had started falling as they sparred in the courtyard, and Noah’s blows had grown steadily heavier as he had taken his frustration and anger out on his friend.
Callum had a nick in his arm, which was bleeding, the blood spreading out in a wide stain as the rain soaked into his léine .
Noah got to his feet, his own sword left on the ground as the guards came forward to gather them.
“Are ye tryin’ to kill me, is that it?” Callum barked. It was difficult to truly anger his friend, but it appeared that Noah had managed it.
“I am sorry,” he muttered.
“Ye should be. I spar with ye to train, not to get sliced to pieces.” Callum huffed, pulling his léine up to look at his wound. “It is nae as though I can go to the healer, is it?” he spat.
There was a weighted silence, and then Callum sighed, his breath visible in the heavy evening air as the rain began to fall in a deluge all about them.
“I am sorry,” he muttered.
“Why should ye be sorry?” Noah asked threateningly. “I dinnae care that she’s gone.”
She left without saying goodbye. When I went to find her, she was gone, as though she had never been there.I dinnae care. I am better off alone.
“Ye’re a fool, and I’m a fool for lettin’ ye act this way,” Callum stated. “Ye cannae fix her absence by drowning yerself in whisky and attackin’ half yer staff.”
“I can try,” Noah retorted, spinning on his heel and stalking into the castle gardens, determined to shut out the world for a few minutes.
“Go inside man, it is rainin’!” Callum’s voice sounded from behind him, but he paid him no heed.
Perhaps a fever will strike me down and I’ll have to send for her,he thought bitterly.
He walked out of the main courtyard and beneath an archway into the main gardens, looking about him at the sparse number of flowers on display. The gardens at MacAllen Castle were of a far simpler design than Dougal Castle. His sister favored color, but Noah had never been fond of flowers.
He was glad that all he could see were the heavy heads of the white roses, weighed down by the rain as they bobbed up and down in the gathering dark.
Whenever he saw any flowers he imagined weaving them into Kiera’s hair, and he had avoided looking at them for days. He loved that raven hair—and now he would never see it again.
“And that is for the best,” he told the roses firmly. They nodded their heads at him as the rain continued to fall. “Aye, at least the flowers agree with me,” he grumbled, walking to a wooden bench and throwing himself onto it with a satisfyingsplatas he displaced the surface water in a smattering of droplets.
He had never felt worse in his life.
He had not considered that Keira would leave on thesame night. With her brother’s condition, he had assumed he would at least be able to bid her farewell the following day.
That would undoubtedly have been worse. I cannae keep me hands to meself at the best of times. I probably would have held her and never let her leave.
He sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair and looking up at the miserable sky, letting the cold drops cascade down over him, wishing they would wash away the ache in his chest and the sadness in his heart.
“Noah Black!”
Noah jolted violently as he opened his eyes, looking up into the face of his heavily pregnant sister as she marched toward him. A traveling cloak covered most of her clothing, but the rain still soaked her through.
Jack was running up behind her looking scandalized that she would walk through the rain like this and clearly softly trying to persuade her to return to the castle.
