Page 57 of Saved By the Cruel Highlander
The guard shook his head in reply. Still, he unsheathed his shortsword as he put the key in the lock. He turned the key with a fluid movement, then knocked on the door with the pommel of his sword.
“Stand back from the door if ye ken what’s good for ye. Stay to the back of the cell, or I will stick ye, and I ken that’s nae in yer best interests.”
The guard handed the lantern to Laird McKinnon.
Elias tapped the dirk on his belt, but he didn’t draw it just yet—he had no fear of a man who wanted to poison a woman.
The guard pushed the door inward, revealing the interior of the cell.
It was dark inside, so dark that nothing but shadows could be made out at first. The guard peered into the cell, tightly gripping his shortsword.
Elias could make out enough. A straw mattress lay at the back of the cell, and a hunched figure sat atop it, his legs pulled up to his chest.
The other cells seemed to have fallen silent as if they could sense that the Laird had come to visit. The only noise came from the rattle of chains behind locked doors.
Elias nodded to the guard. He entered the small cell first, followed shortly after by Ruben. As Laird McKinnon entered the cell, it was illuminated, and Elias got his first look at the man who meant to kill his wife.
His first impression, from what Holly had explained to him, was of a coward. Felix’s head was lowered, only his hair visible, but it gave an accurate impression. Hewasa coward, and he lacked manners. He didn’t do the Laird the courtesy of acknowledging his presence, and it irked Elias.
Elias tilted his head to one side, then the other. Ruben stepped further inside to stand beside him, the light further illuminating the incarcerated man.
Felix Grant was of medium height, by the look of his posture, and he was slender. He had thick, brown hair.
“Felix Grant?” When Elias spoke, his voice filled the cell, and there was a thickness to it. “Do me the courtesy of lookin’ at the man who brought ye here.”
“Please,” Felix begged. “Please, I havenae done anythin’ wrong. Ye have to let me go.”
Elias balled his fists, using all his strength not to lash out and smash the man’s nose before he said another word. “Ye have done something wrong, Felix, and ye ken it. Now, be a man and admit it, or ye will feel pain instead of a swift death.”
Felix continued to hug his legs and look down at his feet. His body trembled. “Ye dinnae need to kill me, Me Lairds. I’ll make this right. I’ll do whatever ye want.”
“What I want is for ye to own up to yer scheme. I ken what ye threatened to do, and I ken it’s the truth. Ye’ll admit it to me afore I leave this cell,” Elias said.
“Why did ye bring another man with ye?” Felix asked softly. “Ye really dinnae need to do any of this. Ye can just let me go, and ye will never see me again. I promise.”
“The man isnae here to help me, but to hold me back so ye can have a fair hearin’,” Elias warned. “Do ye want to be in here alone with me? I’ll rip yer head off afore ye can beg for yer life.”
Felix cowered, his shaking form almost moving the entire castle. He didn’t say a word and continued to stare down at his feet.
“Speak!” Elias shouted. “Look at me! Look at me!”
He noticed the slight shudder that ran through Felix.
There was a beat, and then Felix slowly raised his head to look at the Laird. His eyes were dark in the dim light, but they would have been dark without it. His irises were brown but without the golden flecks the Laird had. His eyes were black all around, partly by the dirt and partly by the lack of sleep, though that had not come from his short time in the cell.
There was another darkness, an anger bordering on insanity. He had been afraid to lift his head or even stand in the presence of the Laird, but he was not afraid to glare at him. He leveled him with a murderous look.
“Is that what ye want,Me Laird?” he asked. “Do ye want me to bow to ye or kiss yer hand? Do ye want me to do a little dance for ye and entertain ye? Either kill me or release me.”
“What is it that ye deserve?” Elias asked.
“How would I ken that? I’m nae the one in control, am I? Ye brought me here for a reason, so how about ye do the decent thing and talk to me,Me Laird.”
“Ye’re testin’ me patience enough, lad. Any more disrespect from ye and those will be the last words out of yer mouth.”
“Aye, it’s true what they say.” Felix’s lips twisted into a monstrous smile. “Ye really are the Beastly Laird, are ye nae? They told me of a beast that walks through the castle, but I didnae quite believe it until I laid eyes on ye. It doesnae matter what I say to ye—yer mad mind is already made up.”
Elias could see it in the man’s eyes and hear it in his words. Something had snapped inside him, and he was the one who had gone mad. He must have already been mad to want to poison a woman for her money, but he had only been driven insane further.
