Page 62 of Tempting the Highland Devil
Fear of losin’ myself and wantin’ too much. Fear of endin’ up greedy like me faither.
As the night crept away, its darkness covering every inch of ground around them, Arran realized he was lost without her.
He stared at the flames of the campfire around him for a long time, his eyes burning with the tears about to rush to the surface. He had never felt a gnawing ache like this. It blurred every other feeling, even the cold in the night.
James sat beside him after some time, and Arran watched him carve the sharpened end of the wood he held. James cleared his throat after some time then spoke. “Yer faither made a lot of enemies durin’ his reign. One of them might be behind this. I have a few clans on my mind. There is clan Dune, O’Neil, and even clan Campbell. They hated yer faither’s reign and might have done this for revenge. We will find the one responsible and make sure they pay.”
Arran shook his head, closed his eyes, then dragged his fingers through his hair. “I am to blame for all this. I failed to protect her…This is all my fault and nayone else’s.”
“Me laird…”
He sniffed in hard to shove back the sob bubbling in his throat. “Just as I failed to protect me maither,” he whispered in a throaty voice that barely sounded like his own. “What do I do without her? How do I fill this void?”How do I get over the guilt of not letting her know how much she means to me?
Nothing could comfort him in that moment. “Try to get some rest,” James said to him with a deep sigh. “We will head back to MacGregor tomorrow and continue our search.”
“Nay,” Arran refused. “I will keep searchin’ every ground for her. Headin’ back to MacGregor doesnae help me or anyone.” He combed his fingers through his hair, and his mind raced.
If Yvaine was not in Macmicking yet, then she would still be in one of these neighboring clans, and he would start with the neighboring villages around Macmicking by the morrow.
That is better than giving up.
He had to keep his hope burning because it was the only thing that could get him through the rest of the night and the bleak days that were to come.
32
Yvaine pretended to still be unconscious the entire time the men were in the room. They spoke Gaelic, so she listened to every word. It was dawn now, and she heard the chirping of the birds far off in the distant skies.
She longed to go out in the open and feel the rush of wind over her skin. Yvaine tried not to think of anything else but her means of escape as she lay on the bed.
When she heard the door close after some time, she peeped through one eye and saw that only Isabella was left in the chamber.
“We are on the path leading to the northern clans,” Yvaine said to Isabella once she opened her eyes and sat up on the bed. “That is what they said,” she continued.
“Yes, my lady. I do not speak much Gaelic, but I understood that from what they discussed. We must escape now before they return with the horses.”
Yvaine nodded then jerked out of the bedding and scanned the chamber for anything she could defend herself with. When she saw the dirk in Isabella’s hand, she rushed to her and snatched it.
“My lady…” Isabella gasped, and her eyes widened. “You could hurt yourself.”
Yvaine stared at the sharp blade and smiled before shaking her head. “Nay. I ken how to wield a dirk, Isabella. Ye have naythin’ to be scared of.”
“So, you can wield a sword, my lady? You can defend us from these men?”
“Have ye never fought anyone before?”
Isabella shook her head quickly, and Yvaine was about to say more to her when the door burst open, and both men barged in.
Isabella gasped from her shock, and Yvaine saw her grow ashen white in a second. Her own fear recoiled through her insides as both men took menacing steps towards her then slammed the door shut.
One of them cursed in Gaelic, and the other drew out his sword.
“Hand it over, me lady. Ye dinnae want to hurt yerself,” he ordered as he motioned for Yvaine to hand over the dirk. “We were ordered nay to hurt ye, me lady, but ye must hand that dirk over right now or it might nay be safe for ye.”
“Tell me who sent ye, and I will consider lettin’ ye live,” Yvaine said instead as she tightened her hand on the dirk and motioned for Isabella to move behind her.
“Hand that over right now,” the other man yelled.
Yvaine did not hesitate then. She aimed and tossed the dirk at the man with his sword. The sharp end landed in his neck, his eyes widened, and he dropped to the ground.
