Page 71 of A Healer for the Ruthless Highlander
Kenneth gave her a small smile and raised his hand to caress her face. “I mean, I feel like ye’ve cast a spell on me too…” he admitted.
His confession unsettled Leana, who let her guard down as he planted a slow, deep kiss on her lips.
His tongue slowly traced her lower lip before he bit it, igniting a new fire in her belly.
Eventually, Leana pulled away with a sigh.
“Would ye consider stayin’ here a little longer… with me?” Kenneth asked.
“Ye mean…?” Leana swallowed nervously. “Until the one-month period we agreed upon expires?”
Or maybe… maybe ye want me to stay longer, to stay with ye permanently…?
Kenneth’s gaze lingered on her, intense and searching, sending a ripple of heat through her veins. Her breath faltered, caught in the quiet tension crackling between them. It wasn’t just the way he looked at her—it was the weight of something unspoken, something that made her pulse hammer and her thoughts blur.
She felt light and at the same time drawn to him by an inexplicable pull. She sensed that his question contained many truths that were difficult for both of them to accept, much less admit.
Her lips parted in doubt. She did not know what she was going to say, but she did not have the chance either, for before she could utter a word, Kenneth looked up and scrambled to his feet.
“Fire!” he shouted.
Leana twisted around in a dizzying rush, realizing what he meant. For she had just caught sight of the columns of smoke in the distance.
CHAPTER 23
“Burn the witch! Burn the witch!”the angry crowd shouted.
Outside the castle, Kenneth watched in horror as one of his latest fears turned into reality. An angry mob with torches and knives, seemingly hellbent on taking the life of the woman he loved.
Anger and hatred overwhelmed him at that moment, and for a second, he thought he would be the one to stop the madness and make the villagers regret threatening the healer in this way.
But he soon realized that violence would only bring more violence, so if he wanted to save Leana, he would have to find another way.
She was standing next to him, watching the scene at the castle gates with an angry and nervous look on her face. “How? Why is this happenin’?” she gasped, frightened.
Kenneth took her hand. “The letter ye wrote to yer sisters. Surely yer Laird has found a way to intercept it.” He furrowed his brow. “I have nay doubt he has somethin’ to do with all of this.”
“Nay… it cannae be…” she whispered, shaking her head frantically as Kenneth began to walk briskly back to the forest.
“Be that as it may, we must settle this matter,” he insisted, pausing to wait for her to catch up.
“What are we goin’ to do?” she asked, trying to remain calm.
But Kenneth could hear the fear in her voice.
“Trust me,” he said, giving her a quick but intense look. “I willnae let anythin’ happen to ye,” he promised.
And Leana, unable to say anything, just nodded.
In a hurry, Kenneth led her to the back of the castle, entering through one of the secret passages he himself had used to escape in the past, when Hunter was just a baby.
Fortunately, only a few knew of the secret passages, so they soon found themselves safe, away from the crowd and the angry shouts and threats.
“Kenneth!” Valerie cried as soon as she saw them. She ran toward them, with Brenda and Hunter in tow.
Without hesitation, Valerie hugged Leana tightly. She had tears in her eyes, just like Brenda.
“Kenneth, what’s happenin’?” she asked, not letting go of Leana.
