Page 39 of A Virgin for the Highland Beast
“Gentlemen,” he addressed the council, “it seems I have more pressin’ matters to attend to. If ye’ll excuse me. I’m sure ye all will be more than happy to give me an earful next week, when we convene again. Or perhaps at the weddin’. Either way, I’ll speak wit’ ye then.”
“And when exactly is this weddin’ to take place?” Devlin inquired.
Hunter’s mouth went dry. He’d hoped for more time, but that was no longer a luxury he could afford.
“Two days,” Hunter answered. “Now, leave me.”
“Why, I never,” Marcus grumbled as he turned to leave.
“Aye, ye have,” Devlin interjected, following Marcus and the others out of the room. “And dinnae look at me like that. Ye ken as well as I do how the boy’s faither used to send us off at a whim, too.”
Hunter waited for the men to depart before giving Archie his undivided attention. As he tried to remain calm, he felt a surge of need to be close to Emma.
“What do ye ken about these men? What colors are they wearin’? Do we ken how many there are?” Hunter bombarded Archie with his questions.
“Nay,” Archie answered. “We just spotted them comin’ up about an hour or so ago.”
“Get men to scout the area. I want to ken their intentions,” Hunter demanded as his thoughts immediately flew to Emma.
She had spoken about fleeing her cousin’s tyranny, and he had a sinking feeling that he knew who exactly was on their way.
“Archie, keep a close watch on these intruders and report back to me. We cannae afford a confrontation between the clans, at least nae before the weddin’ ceremony. And add a few extra guards around Emma and her sisters, but make sure she doesnae grow suspicious of their presence.”
Archie nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation, and rushed off to execute the orders.
The need to see Emma grew ever more present in Hunter’s mind. No longer tied to the council meeting, he swiftly moved through the castle, narrowly missing Katie, Violet, Nora, Isobel, and Lydia in the drawing room. Stopping abruptly, his eyes scanned their faces and noticed instantly that Emma wasn’t among them.
“Speak of the devil,” his maither stated as he entered the room.
“Where’s Emma?” he asked, his tone laced with worry.
“She just left to find ye,” his maither said with a smile. “I told her ye’d be wit’ the council, but she was adamant about talkin’ wit’ ye.”
Hunter clenched his teeth and turned around as his mother’s voice trailed behind him. His heart pounded with a mix of anticipation and concern as he looked in every room he passed, desperate to find her.
“There ye are,” he snapped, causing Emma’s eyes to widen with fear.
Before she could say a word, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into a secluded nook.
“What in the devil has gotten into ye?” she asked, jerking her arm out of his grasp.
“I need to talk to ye,” he muttered as his eyes shifted to the hallway, wondering who was listening to them.
“I was lookin’ to talk to ye as well,” Emma said. “But now I’m nae so sure I want to.”
Hunter didn’t have time for pleasantries. The thought of her cousin coming to reclaim her turned his blood to ice. He dropped his head and tried to regain his senses.
Although he had found her, he wasn’t sure how she’d take the news he had to share. All he could think of was doing whatever it took to protect her.
“What’s going on, Hunter?” she asked, her voice filled with fear and curiosity.
“Are ye still willin’ to marry me?” Hunter asked earnestly, ignoring her question for a brief moment.
Emma nodded. “Aye. Nae unless ye’ve changed yer mind? Is that what this is about? Yer maither stated how ye were speakin’ wit’ the councilmen. Do they nae approve?”
“Never mind about them,” Hunter answered as her intoxicating scent swirled around him, muddling his thoughts.
He wasn’t sure he’d be able to live without it now that he’d been enchanted by it.
