Page 8 of The Cruel Highlander's Bride
“Nay,” Ciara said sharply. Her pink cheeks still gave her away, but Magnus appreciated her courage in talking back to him.
“If ye are so uninterested in me, perhaps ye should just let me marry yer sister, after all,” Magnus teased.
Ciara’s eyes flashed with anger, and she took a threatening step towards him. He must really be disreputable, because he got a thrill out of the way she glared at him.
“Ye cannae mean that. She was clearly terrified of ye,” she protested.
The look in her eyes was quite predatory, her protectiveness over her sister shining through.
“But ye arenae,” Magnus commented.
It wasn’t a question. He could tell that Ciara felt a lot of things towards him, but fear was not one of them.
Sighing, he added, “I need to end this feud, and ye’re right, I dinnae want me bride to cry every time she looks at me.”
Seemingly satisfied with that response, Ciara nodded firmly. But she wasn’t done. Her thoughtful gaze was still fixed on him.
“Speakin’ of the feud,” she started, in a way that indicated she knew far more about the conflict than he had assumed. “I feel I must offer ye me opinion.” She paused.
Magnus motioned for her to continue. He instinctively knew she was about to put him in his place, but if it was coming from her lips, he’d allow it every time.
“Comin’ here to our castle the way ye did was a mistake. Askin’ for a duel to end a feud? Threatenin’ me faither? I thought ye were tryin’ to end the violence. Our clan is more powerful than yers, and even if ye won the duel, ye would never win the respect of his people and the other Lairds,” Ciara said calmly. She paused after each sentence, not at all in a rush to humble him.
He had to once again suppress the rough laugh that bubbled up his throat. This woman had courage, that was for sure. She didn’t even seem nervous to address him that way. Few of his councilmen ever considered challenging him, and this woman had done it twice now. It was just another thing about Ciara that held his interest.
“I only wanted to do what was right. I didnae think yer faither would be interested in negotiations after lettin’ this feud continue for so long,” Magnus replied.
He wanted Ciara to understand his motivations. To understand him. All of his councilmen advised himnotto come here at all. They told him in no uncertain terms that Laird Gunn would never end this feud peacefully and that Magnus would either get himself killed or make everything worse.
But Ciara just scoffed. “Are ye kiddin’? Me faither tried to end this idiotic war countless times over the years! Yer faither never wanted to hear it!”
Magnus tried not to let his shock show on his face. He wasn’t surprised at all to hear that his father had been unwilling to compromise. But how did no one on his council know that Laird Gunn wanted peace? Or did they know?
“I’m not me faither,” Magnus simply stated. “Besides, we cannae let any more people die because of this feud,” he added.
It seemed they both agreed on that, at least.
“Ye could just declare peace. Ye dinnae need to marry for that,” Ciara pointed out, once again challenging him.
The way she looked at him when she disagreed with him set his blood on fire. She seemed to have no problem speaking her mind—a trait he greatly admired.
“I cannae look like I’m backin’ down,” he explained.
But Ciara merely raised her eyebrows. She was not at all impressed by his reasoning.
“Like yer maither said, a marriage will guarantee a long-lasting peace,” he added.
Ciara sighed but for once didn’t open her mouth to argue. Magnus took that as a win.
He decided to press home his advantage. “I’ll stop this war if ye marry me.”
4
Ciara reared back from Magnus. This was what she asked for—she had practically volunteered to marry the man. But when she heard the words so plainly from his mouth, she desperately wanted him to take them back. He was putting the outcome of this conversation on her shoulders. She had always wanted to help her people, but not like this, not through amarriage.
She still thought there was a path to peace that didn’t involve either a duel or a betrothal, but Magnus was unwavering. Despite the obvious gaps in his logic, it was clear that he cared deeply about his people, and she respected that dedication.
But that didn’t stop her from wishing there was another way…
