Page 15 of Captured By the Cruel Highlander
“I want to drive Stewart mad.”
Emily shivered as his deep voice reverberated through the room. It was like thunder, shuddering through the air.
“To what end?”
“He needs to believe that we’re gettin’ married. I ken him of old, and he willnae be able to resist attackin’ me. Losing his bride in such a manner is an insult he willnae let slide. It’ll be easier to defeat him on me own soil.”
Dismay and relief warred within her as she considered the implications of his plan.
“Why did ye nae tell me it wouldnae be a real marriage?” she asked. “If ye just meant to lure him here, then I wouldnae have fought ye so much.”
“Hold yer horses, lass. This marriage will beveryreal.”
Putting her hands on her hips, Emily huffed irritably. “I dinnae understand.”
“It has to be real—he has tobelievethat it is, or he willnae come. Stewart is many things, but he isnae stupid. We’ll have a real priest on our weddin’ day. It’ll make him mad with jealousy.”
“James Stewart doesnae care enough about me to be jealous,” she replied, but something in the look in his eyes made her uneasy.
“Dinnae underestimate yerself, or him, lass. He doesnae like losin’. Whether it be a battle or a bride, he’ll fight for what he believes belongs to him.”
Emily studied his dark gaze with interest. Laird MacNiall didn’t seem unaffected. His eyes roamed over her body, and the heat in them intrigued her.
“If we are to do this,” she declared, “then we need to set some rules, just as I told ye before.”
It felt strange to comply so easily, but the idea that the marriage might not even take place had calmed her. If she had to be thebait that led Laird Orkney to them, then she would happily play the part. It would mean she could get back to her family, where she truly belonged. Nothing else mattered but that.
Laird MacNiall folded his hands behind his back and widened his stance before the fireplace. He looked like a warrior about to hear the terms of engagement.
“I’m listenin’.”
6
Adam forced himself to remain still.
All he wanted to do was advance on her and pin her to the wall, her rules be damned.
This goddess from the moorlands was certainly a handful. She had barged into his study like a whirlwind, demanding he explain himself. He had not been commanded like that by anyone since he was a child.
Laura would like her.They have the same spirit.
“Firstly,” the pixie demanded, “I want to get to ken ye before we proceed with this plan. I dinnae wish to be married to a stranger if the plan fails and we have to wed for real. I am nae leavin’ one villain to end up with another.”
Vicious satisfaction flooded him as he heard her describe Stewart as a villain. She was open to marrying him, then. That would make things easier.
“Very well,” he said, stepping toward her, his body acting of its own accord. “But we willnae need to get to ken each other well.”
“And why nae?”
“Because we will be livin’ separate lives, lass.” Her brows lowered over those captivating emerald-green eyes, and he cleared his throat. “I need to find me sister. I need to kill that bastard, and I need me maither and the council off me back. I dinnaeneeda wife. If we do marry, ye can have yer own castle and do whatever ye want with yer days. I willnae trap ye into a marriage just because I wish to.”
After his speech, she was silent. She didn’t speak for so long that he thought she was about to go back on her word.
Perhaps I should chain her up in the dungeons like I planned. Or to me bed.
“And what do I get out of this arrangement?” she asked eventually. “Laird Orkney had offered me much the same. He told me that if I married him and gave him an heir, he would spare me family. Ye have me imprisoned in yer castle—what more will ye do to make it worth me while?”
Losing the battle with himself, he advanced on her, satisfied to see her back away from him. He towered over her, looking down into those beautiful eyes to make his meaning clear.
