Page 26 of A Mountain Man Christmas

“A misunderstanding?” the village chief repeated, scoffing. “You bastard. You murdered both my sons. Do you have any idea how horrible the last few weeks have been for me?”

“I do. It’s why you came after me—”

“I would have scoured the entirety of Frost Mountain to find you.” The man’s lips twitched. “Fortunately, I don’t have to. Ihave found you now. You will return to Elron with us. Justice awaits you there. The people are not happy with you, Tristan.”

“I can imagine. I—”

“What you did was irresponsible.” Angus stepped closer. “Running away? You not only confirmed your guilt, but you also abandoned your nephew in the village, with no one to look after him. What kind of a monster are you?” He chuckled mirthlessly. “I suppose we all know the answer to that. I should have you struck down where you stand.”

Angus’s hand shifted, and for a second, Lyla feared he might reach for his own sword and attack them.

Fear and tension swept through the air like an electric current. Struggling to brush aside her discomfort, Lyla weighed their odds. These men had come for Tristan, but there was no way they’d lethergo free. After all, she’d been discovered with the alleged murderer. As far as they were concerned, she was just as guilty as he was.

She and Tristan didn’t have many options, either. They could try to make a run for it, but she doubted they’d make it very far before these men struck them down. Then again, if they stayed and allowed themselves to be captured, they’d lose their heads the second they were back in Elron. Whatever they did, it didn’t look like they’d be breathing for much longer.

There had to be some way out of this mess.

An idea popped into her mind just then: She could give him up. Shewasa bounty hunter, after all. And Tristan was very likely the criminal they suspected him to be. But she soured on that idea quickly. Somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She wouldn’t hand him over to these guys to save her skin. Not to mention—

“Seize them!” Angus cried.

Three men advanced toward Tristan and Lyla, swords gleaming in the sunlight.

The next few moments were almost a complete blur.

The first man reached them and tried to grab Tristan. Faster than Lyla thought possible, Tristan whipped out his own blade. There was a clang and an explosion of fiery sparks, and the crony’s sword hand was knocked out of the way. While the man was wide open, Tristan planted his foot in the man’s chest and sent him stumbling backward into the nearest comrade. They both toppled over onto the snow.

The rest of the men stared at one another, then at the men lying in the snow. Then they charged.

With the way they swung their swords, Lyla had no doubt they’d taken Tristan’s assault on their comrades as a license to maim or kill, buthedidn’t seem the least bit concerned. He took a wide stance, facing them with nothing but a hunting blade. Lyla couldn’t help noticing the wary looks on the men’s faces, like they were expecting him to turn into the monster from last night and rip them apart.

“Take them!” Angus cried courageously from behind his armed guards.

“I’m innocent!” Tristan protested as one of the men reached him.

The man struck with his sword, but Tristan quickly parried the attack with his own blade, swinging his other fist at his opponent’s skull. The man went down instantly. Tristan dodged an attack that would have taken his head off and delivered a punch to the next guy’s chest that sent him sprawling backward.

Lyla had to admit, he looked a little odd, claiming his innocence while giving concussions to Angus’s men like Santa handing out Christmas presents.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted one of the men approaching her and braced herself for his attack. The man reached out to grab her the second he reached her, his fingers closing around her arm.

Big mistake.

Lyla dug her heels into the snow, then twisted and heaved as hard as she could. There was a surprised yelp as her assailant sailed over her and landed in the snow. As he tried to get up, fumbling for his sword, she grabbed his face and slammed it down on her knee. This guy was going to be needing a nose job.

“Come here, you,” hissed a voice behind her.

Before she could whip around, more hands grabbed her arms, making it impossible to reach the blade under her coat. Lyla strained against the hands that held her, but there were four of them. Both men stood by her sides, keeping a safe distance in case she struck out with her legs.

“Let me go,” she snarled.

“What are you, his woman?” Angus was suddenly standing in front of her, his features set into a frown. “You know about his crime, don’t you? Yet you travel with him. You must be aiding his escape.”

His lip curled. Lyla saw the punch coming before his arm moved. His fist slammed into her gut, and she doubled over.

“You know what he did to my sons?” Angus raised his fist again. “I found them lying in a pool of their own blood, their throats—”

He never got to finish his statement. Something massive slammed into the village chief, sending him flying several feet. Angus crashed into a pile of debris and lay there, groaning.

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