Page 116 of Intrigued By A Highlander

It never came. All eyes turned, attention caught by a loud stirring in the woods, then a voice cut through the air—bold and powerful.

“Strike her and I’ll tear your heart out of your chest.”

Hakon froze.

Dru’s breath caught. She turned slowly, afraid to believe what her ears had heard. But she knew that voice. Knew it in her bones.

“She’s not going anywhere with you, arsehole. My wife is going home with me.”

Knox stepped from the tree line, tall and steady, sword slung across his back, eyes hard as forged steel.

Dru didn’t cry out, didn’t move. She didn’t have to. The fire blazing in her chest told her what she needed to know—he was real. Alive. And he’d come for her like he promised he always would.

Callan stepped forward with a lazy smirk, but Dru saw the shift in his stance—the flicker of caution. “I thought you were dead.”

“You hoped I was,” Knox said, gaze locked on him.

Hakon let out a short, dry laugh. “This is her husband? I’ve split logs thicker than him. I will make her a widow easily enough.”

Knox’s eyes shifted to the man. “You can try but you’ll fail. I don’t let anyone take what belongs to me and Dru belongs to me.”

Hakon spat on the ground. “She’ll be mine soon enough.”

Callan laughed. “You’re the one who will fail and you’re a fool for coming here alone.”

Knox didn’t flinch. “What makes you think I came here alone?”

Glances shifted around nervously.

Another figure stepped past the trees—Quint. His expression was grim, and his hand rested casually on the hilt of his sword.

The warriors around Hakon burst into laughter. Even Callan chuckled. “Two of you? Against all of us?”

But Dru didn’t laugh. Her eyes scanned the horizon, heart beating harder. Knox wouldn’t come without a plan. And he’d never walk into a fight he couldn’t win.

Then she heard it.

The thunder of hooves.

From the northern rise they came—riders cresting the hill in formation. Not just a handful. An army. Flying the banner of Lord Torrance. They rode hard, blades glinting in the early light, war cries already rising into the air.

The laughter died.

Callan’s jaw tightened.

Hakon moved away from her, his hand reaching for his axe.

Dru couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at her lips as her husband strode over to her and winked playfully before taking a protective stance in front of her.

The thunder of hooves died to a heavy silence as Lord Torrance’s army swept across the area, surrounding Callan’s men in a wide arc.

Lord Torrance brought his stallion to a halt in front of Callan and Hakon. He was a beast of a thing, thick-necked and fierce-eyed, stamping the ground as though he too commanded obedience. His warriors around him didn’t cheer. They didn’t need to. Their silence was more terrifying than any war cry.

Dru shivered at the impressive and frightening sight.

Lord Torrance was a man carved from stone and vengeance, known across the Highlands for his brutal tactics, for the way he punished betrayal with fire and steel. Mothers whispered his name to unruly children to make them behave. Men prayed not to catch his eye. And yet he was a man of fine features, a man who foolish women fancied, a man that always got his way.

And now he was here—her half-brother, fierce as ever.

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