Page 32 of Transporting a Ruthless Highlander
Suddenly Kevin jerked his head sideways as if startled by something, and instinctively, Struan did the same, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kevin lunging at him, the point of his sword headed for his heart.
Struan whirled around sideways a split second before the point of his brother’s blade whistled a quarter of an inch away from his chest. He spun around and advanced on Kevin slowly, keeping eye contact all the while.
“Give up, Kevin,” he growled. “This is a fight you will not win.”
“I have twenty guards on my side,” Kevin reminded him, sneering. “Yougive up, Brother.”
Struan said nothing more but swiped his weapon sideways, aiming for Kevin’s chest; however, he parried and stepped back, then rushed at his brother again. His aim went wide since Struan deflected it once more, and Kevin stumbled forward. They fought on for endless minutes while Gavina stood and watched helplessly, her heart in her mouth, wishing there was something she could do.
Kevin was beginning to tire. Gavina and Struan could both see it as Struan began to force his brother back toward the wall of the barn, where he would be cornered and rendered immobile.
However, it did not happen. Just before Kevin’s back hit the wall, he fell sideways, either accidentally or deliberately, then grabbed a large stone from the earth beside him and threw it at Struan, hitting him on the forehead.
Struan cried out and put a hand to his head. The blow had been sharp and hard, and the pain was now so agonizing that he fell to the ground, too dazed to move. His vision blurred, and the last thing he saw was a dark shape above him. He knew his time had come.
Kevin stood over his fallen brother with his sword raised and a triumphant grin plastered all over his face, but it was his last, fatal mistake.
Kevin was about to strike the blow that would send his brother to hell for all eternity, and all his spite and fury was concentrated on his last great act of vengeance, so much so that he did not see Gavina picking up Struan’s sword.
Gavina had never wielded a weapon so large in her life, but she had no time to think about her lack of experience. Kevin’s stance had rendered his neck completely exposed, and she grabbed the sword in both hands and swung it in a great arc across the side of it. Immediately a great torrent of blood spurted from the fatal wound, and he collapsed like a felled tree, never to move again.
Gavina rushed over to Struan and cradled his head on her lap while she tenderly examined the cut on his forehead, which was now pouring blood. Her heart racing, she pressed her fingers against his neck and sighed with relief as she felt his strong, steady pulse.
“Stay with me, love,” Gavina urged as she tried to staunch the flow of blood with her skirt. She knew that head wounds bled a lot, even if they were not serious, but his half-conscious state alarmed her. She pulled his head against her chest and rocked him back and forth like a baby. “Stay with me, please. I cannae live without ye.”
At that moment, the shadow of one of the burly guards fell on her, and she remembered for the first time that they were there. Suddenly she realized how strange it was that none of them had intervened to stop the battle. Now, of course, She and Struan would be taken back to Lochnaig, a place which was becoming depressingly familiar. They would never see the light of day again.
“Can ye give us a wee minute longer before ye take us away?” she begged.
The man squatted down beside her, and to Gavina’s disbelief, he smiled. “We will no’ be arrestin’ ye, hen,” he said kindly. “Ye did what ye had tae, an’ we are a’ glad. He was an evil man, an’ we know it was him that killed his father.”
He nodded at Struan. “He is our laird now.”
19
“Ihave absolutely no wish to be a laird,” Struan protested as Gavina unwound his bandages to change them. “I was never brought up to be one. That was Kevin’s destiny.”
“Well, it is no’ his destiny anymore, is it?” she pointed out as she rubbed salve on the wound. It was healing nicely, having been stitched by the wise woman, but there would always be a scar, and that would always be a reminder to her of what she had done.
She always felt sorrowful when thinking of Kevin. There was nothing else she could have done, as Struan had told her again and again. It was Kevin or him, and Gavina had chosen him, but it did not make her feel any less guilty. The taking of a life was something she would have to live with until her dying day.
“What would ye like tae dae then?” she asked. “Since ye dinnae want tae be a laird?”
“I want to buy a ship and sail around the world with you,” he said dreamily, smiling.
She looked at him in disbelief. “I thought ye might have had enough o’ sailin’,” she remarked, puzzled.
“All right, maybe just around Scotland, then,” he conceded.
She smiled as she tied a knot in his bandage, and he pulled her into his arms. “Do ye want a big weddin’?” she asked.
“No, just a few of our friends,” he said lazily, pulling her down on the bed beside him. “Because I just want to get the whole thing done and over with.”
“An’ after that?” she asked. “What about the estate?”
“You are driving me mad, woman!” He kissed her softly. “After my father died, Kevin handed the running of it over to a very capable estate manager, so we can leave it in his hands and come back here for a few months every year. I want our children to know about their heritage. But if you are agreeable, you and I can start our own little enterprise.”
“Children?” Gavina raised her eyebrows, laughing. “Are ye no’ gettin’ a wee bit ahead o’ yersel’, Struan?”
