Page 73 of Saved By the Cruel Highlander
“Thank ye for savin’ me,” she said. “I kenned if I held on long enough, ye would come for me.”
“It’s a miracle ye held on for so long,” Elias said. “Ye took quite the beatin’ in yer room.” He tenderly touched two fingers to her neck.
“She tried to strangle me with the ribbon I gifted her,” Holly said.
“So, ye kenned her?” the Laird asked.
“Aye, I did,” Holly said. “Her name was Alice, and she was the daughter of the man who had me kidnapped when I was fifteen. The man who killed me faither, and the man me faither killed. I didnae ken it at all, but she blamed me for it.
“I spoke to her a few times, and I thought we suffered together—and we did, but nae in the same way. She spent all this time blamin’ me even though it was her faither who was in the wrong the entire time. How could she blame me?”
She had to stop talking when her throat felt raw.
“I cannae figure out people after all these years,” Elias said. “Me braither blamed me for livin’ me life, and maybe me parents favored me, but that was nay reason to kill them or try to kill me. Even kennin’ why he was so angry with me didnae help me understand why he did it. He told me why he meant to kill me, and I still dinnae understand it to this day. The woman who tried to kill ye did it for the money, but it doesnae make it any easier to understand.”
“Then how are we to understand people?” Holly asked.
“I dinnae ken if we do,” Elias admitted. “I ken people as a whole, the clan, and I want to ken the people in me life like ye and Cole, and I dinnae need to ken anyone else. As long as I ken ye, that’s all I need for now.”
There was a look in his eyes that told her there was more to Alice and Felix’s story, but he held back from telling her to save her the pain for now. She might ask about it later, but for now, she was happy to be with him and out of danger. Whatever it was, he had taken care of it.
“When I was bein’ attacked, I could only think of Cole,” Holly said. “I was worried that if she killed me, she would go after him next, and that kept me goin’.”
“Aye, I worried about him, too,” Elias admitted. “When I heard the screams, I ran straight to his bedroom to make sure he was safe.”
“We’re goin’ to have to talk about him sooner rather than later,” Holly said.
“Aye, we are,” Elias said.
Holly was having trouble thinking after almost being killed, but she saw a flicker of hope in the Laird’s eyes.
“Do ye really feel all right?” he asked.
“I’m sore, but I ken I’ll be fine.” Holly held up her arm, noticing the bandage for the first time. “Aye, I remember I got cut with the knife. It was sharp.”
“Come on, move over a wee bit,” Elias said. “I cannae lie on top of ye to embrace ye.”
“Nae yet, but soon,” Holly said with a smile.
Elias chuckled and helped her roll over on the bed. Then, he gently climbed onto the mattress with her and wrapped his arms around her. Cole had brought her warmth, but Elias brought her much more than that. His arms cocooned her and made her long for a life with him.
“If ye arenae feelin’ up to it, we can postpone the weddin’,” Elias whispered from behind her.
Holly put her hand over his, on her breast. “Nay,” she protested. “Nay, we will go ahead with it because I want to be wed to ye as soon as possible, Elias.”
“Aye,” Elias said in satisfaction.
“Do ye really nae want to bring a family into this world?” Holly asked, feeling sleepy in his arms.
“I always thought I didnae,” the Laird admitted. “However, I dinnae ken if I think that anymore. Ye make me want to do things I never wanted to do before.”
Holly smiled. She smiled wider when she felt him kiss the back of her neck. His kiss stopped the throbbing in her neck. She wondered if she should talk to Cassandra about the healing properties of Cole’s cuddles and Elias’s embraces.
“I love ye,” Elias said.
Holly didn’t know why she was so startled by the proclamation when it was all she wanted. Her heart beat furiously, and her breath came in sharp bursts.
She realized she hadn’t said it back yet. Not because she did not want to say it, but because she was unable to until she composed herself.
