Page 34 of Her Scot of Bygones
“As do I,” Aspen said, striding down the stairs when I suspect she’d been asked to remain out of sight. I could have told them the chances of her listening were slim, especially when it came to her sisters.
Aspen even went so far as to stop in front of Dugal, plant her hands on her hips, and frown at him. “She doesn’t need to ridewith you.” She shook her head. “Ididn’t even ride with you when the two of us wore the mark, Dugal.”
“That would beLairdDugalto ye, lass,” he ground out, his dragon eyes flaring. “And shedoesneed to ride with me because she’s proven she cannae be trusted, so hand her over.” His gaze narrowed on both Aspen and Broderick. “Or ‘twill mean war betwixt us, much to the king’s displeasure, given ‘twill be ye at fault.”
“It’s okay,” I said softly, walking around Lucas so I could rest my hand on his chest and meet his eyes. “Iwill be okay. I promise.” Making sure he saw only confidence in my gaze rather than fear, I spoke in a soothing voice, not just to his human half but his inner beast. “He won’t do anything to me so long as I am valuable to him and his clan.” I looked over my shoulder and narrowed my eyes at Dugal before focusing on Lucas again. “And he won’t do anything if I’m not the right sister because then he’ll have to deal with being on the wrong side of the war between our clans. The wrong side of the war when it comes to the king.”
“She’s not wrong,” Broderick agreed, his narrowed gaze trained on Dugal now. “Ye do anything Hazel doesnae like or hurt a hair on her head, then King Robert will know about it. Ye have my word.”
“And mine,” Aspen ground out, her eyes just as narrowed on the Sutherland chieftain. “Take one step out of line with my sister, including touching her in any way without her consent, and I’ll be heading for the border and telling the king myself.”
“’Tis a lot of threats considering ye MacLeod’s have already broken the rules,” Dugal said, yet I could tell by the way he eyed Aspen and Broderick before looking at me that his clan’s potential prize was too big to risk, so he nodded once. “Yet ye’ve my word no harm will come to Hazel.”
Before this back and forth continued because I sensed it would if Lucas had any say, I steered his gaze back to myeyes and made things clear telepathically.“I love you, Lucas MacLeod, and I’ll see you again soon, so stop worrying about me. I’ve got this.”I kept my gaze with his, hoping he saw how much I meant it.“Then we’ve got the rest of our lives and all to follow if you’d like me to stick around in this era for good this time.”
“I love ye, too, lass,”he replied, his internal brogue thicker than usual due to his inner turmoil.“Verra much and aye, ye’ll become my wife the moment ye’re back in my arms where ye belong.”
While not much of a proposal, warmth spread through me, and my heart swelled with emotion because it was exactly what I needed to hear right now. It would keep my fear at bay and my courage at the forefront going forward, because I wanted the children we talked about and that fairytale ending.
“I’d like that very much,”I replied, swallowing hard and nodding once. Then, I forced myself to turn away and let Dugal help me onto his horse before swinging up behind me.
“It looks like someone wants to join ye,” Chara said, scooping up Flame when the wolf pup trotted over, fully expecting to come along.
“Nay, not again.” Dugal backed his horse up before Chara and Flame got too close. “I dinnae trust that thing and want it nowhere near my castle.”
“It’s just a wee harmless pup,” Chara began, but Dugal shook his head sharply.
“I saw the power ‘tis capable of when last on Sutherland land, so nay, I willnae be so foolish twice.”
And that was it.
He and his men left without a backward glance, and I was thrust headfirst into the terrifying journey ahead. My only consolation as I held Lucas’s gaze as long as I could was that I would soon see Evan. I would be there for him as much aspossible, then get him out of there afterwards if we weren’t mates. I had no idea how, only that I wouldn’t abandon him any more than he would me, and I know Lucas felt the same.
So when Dugal Sutherland rode off with me, I had no choice but to face a lot of uncertainty, cut off from everyone I cared about, and pray for a miracle. Little did I know that miracle, however minor it might seem, given what I faced, would come in the form of a certain little wolf pup when I needed him most.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
–Lucas–
“YE DINNAE THINK ye can do this but ye can, cousin,” Broderick said softly, resting a supportive hand on my shoulder as we watched Dugal and his men leave MacLeod Castle with Hazel. “’Tis only a matter of time before she comes back home to us.”
“Ye dinnae know that,” I ground out, trying not to let my emotions get the better of me and race after her, bedamned the bloody pact and a potential clan war. “Dugal and his mother cannae be trusted to begin with, never mind Hazel going into this after what happened betwixt me, Evan, and her. Worse yet, once she’s on Sutherland territory, there’s no way to communicate with her.” I shook my head. “No way to be there for her when she shifts for the first time.” Hopeful, I perked my eyebrows at Broderick. “Mayhap we should fly in that direction sooner rather than later, as we did for Aspen, lest the bastards go about things as they did last time.”
I didn’t need to catch them up on everything that transpired because they already sensed it within my mind and knew about our past with Evan.
“They willnae go about things the same way they did with Aspen,” Broderick assured, enlightening me on his forward thinking. “I’ve since sent a missive to the king about what transpired and requested he send one of his men to ensure things dinnae happen that way again.”
“And let’s not forget Kenneth MacLomain is keeping an eye on Sutherland Castle and Lilias,” Aspen reminded, her eyesas glued to Hazel as mine before my lass vanished into the woodland with the enemy.
I was about to speak when something clanked to the ground beside me, and Flame snatched it up.
“Something tells me ye’ll be able to keep in touch with yer lass just fine with or without Kenneth's help.” A small, knowing smile curled Chara’s mouth when the little wolf made his way out of the courtyard and over the drawbridge with a small dagger in his mouth.
“’Tis the blade Evan made for Hazel, only smaller,” I exclaimed, reaching for the Viking sword at my back, only to find it gone, having transformed once again.
“So good to hear.” Aspen smiled and nodded at me with reassurance. “That means you should be able to communicate with Hazel because I’d bet anything Flame makes sure she gets that blade.”
“Or keeps it close to her somehow,” Chara murmured, eyeing the wolf pup as he vanished into the woodland. “I have a feeling, given his own unique powers combined with the blade, that might be all it takes.”
