Page 41 of Tempting the Highland Devil
James’ eyes held a strong will as she looked at him. A tiny ache jabbed through Yvaine’s senses and made her groan.
“Can ye do that, me lady?”
“I…I dinnae ken,” she stammered. “The laird doesnae exactly listen to anyone.”
Jane ran towards where they stood now. “Me lady,” she cried out when she saw the blood on Yvaine’s forehead. “The laird will have me neck.”
Jane looked terrified as she quickly pressed a cloth to Yvaine’s forehead. “We must head to the castle and treat this wound immediately. If the laird finds out that I let ye get hurt, he might send me away from the castle, me lady. I cannae leave the castle; I have nay where else to go.”
Yvaine sighed and tried to calm Jane’s fear.
“Dinnae worry, Jane. This wasnae yer fault. The laird willnae punish ye for this, I promise.” She touched Jane’s hand to calm her then looked to James again.
“Return to the castle and get treated, me lady. I will handle thin’s here like I always have.”
“All right.”
Arran was the first person they saw when they reached the keep sometime later. Yvaine had spent hours battling the flutters she knew she would feel once she saw him today, but she was still not prepared for the flush of heat that rose through her once their eyes met.
Arran’s mouth stayed tightly shut as his eyes swept over her body then settled on her eyes. She knew he saw the cut on her forehead when his eyes narrowed into tiny slits.
He strode towards the exit of the keep as she walked into the entrance.
“What happened?” he asked the moment he saw the wound on her forehead. Arran took hold of Yvaine’s shoulder before she could give him a reply, and he began examining her with a frown on his face.
“Who did this to ye? I will make sure they pay and…” He turned to Jane, who already cowered in fear and kept her head lowered.
“Jane dinnae do anythin’. I wanted to go to the village, and the villagers were in a riot, so I tried to help.”
“The villagers did this to ye?” She saw the veins in his forehead bulged out as he spoke. “I will make them pay.”
She stopped him from marching past her and took his arm. “Arran, wait,” Yvaine called, stepping in front of him to block his path. “It is nay their fault. All they want is for their laird to speak to them. Ye are their laird, and in five years, they have nay seen or heard from ye. They need their leader.”
Arran’s chin hardened as he stared at her for a long moment. Yvaine’s heart thudded, and she feared he would dismiss her concerns.
“Get me the healer,” Arran said to Jane, and once they were alone, he took her arm and led her to his study.
“Arran,” Yvaine began again.
“What would ye have me do?” he questioned, stopping her from speaking. “I dinnae wish to cause them any harm. I dinnae ken what ye need from me, Yvaine. Ye need me to be their leader? Ye need me to lead them to war? Make deals with the other Highland clans and gain more wealth and power for my clan? Ye need me to do that? Then what happens if my quest for more power and wealth consumes me? What happens if I turn out to be just like me faither?”
Yvaine saw the reflection of fear in his eyes, and she went to him slowly. “Ye are a good man and ye willnae turn out yer faither. Helpin’ yer people makes ye better than him, Arran. Helpin’ them shows that ye care. I will be with ye every step of the way.”
He hesitated, and his struggle was evident as he closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. When he looked at her again, he looked unsure. “I dinnae ken what to do or where to start from. It has been five years…What do I do to make them trust me now?”
Yvaine took his hand and linked their fingers. “Start by speakin’ to them and lettin’ them ken that ye willnae forsake them again.”
Their fingers linked tight; she allowed the tremble in her heart to thunder freely before he nodded.
“Will ye help me?”
Yvaine’s heart soared as she smiled at him. “In every step of the way. I promise.”
22
Arran had never felt this nervous his entire life. He waited till the healer cleaned up the cut on Yvaine’s forehead then went into the healing chamber to meet her again.
She was staring at her face in the mirror when he got to her.
