Page 58 of Highlander Lord Of Vengeance

She kept her voice firm, but she could not prevent her unease from being heard. “Or are you not sure what you’ll do with me yet?”

That brought a response. She felt his entire body shift, muscles tense, though he maintained his silence.

Dread coiled in her chest. The way he had dispersed his warriors so fast and rode away with her and how he wouldn’t dare approach Clan Stott… it all gnawed at her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something more than betrayal haunted him. The fear that she had made the most dreadful mistake clawed at her.

What if this was the trap? Not just for her but for warriors he felt weren’t loyal. It was an easy way to get rid of them. And what of her? Did he bring her this far just to be rid of her?

She wanted to believe it wasn’t true, wanted so badly to believe he had changed. But evil didn’t change and Torrance was an evil man capable of anything, especially deception.

Had she been a fool? Had she wanted to be free of Torrance so badly that she had conjured some reckless suspicion in her mind to free her of evil?

A sharp rustle to the left, in the woods, had Torrance drawing his stallion to a halt. Then a rustle came from the right.

Esme barely turned her head before men stepped from the woods—one, two, then more, surrounding the trail like wolves closing in. Their weapons were drawn and their eyes already locked on Torrance.

The stallion reared slightly beneath him, apprehensively.

Torrance swore beneath his breath.

Esme didn’t wait. This could be her only chance, and she took it.

She threw herself off the horse, hitting the ground hard. Pain jolted through her palms and knees, but she pushed herself up and ran straight into the forest. Branches whipped at her face, roots caught at her feet, and cold air tore at her lungs. But she didn’t stop. She ran as though the devil himself gave chase… and he did.

Fear pounded in her head louder than her heartbeat. He led me here. He knew. This was always the plan to get me alone. Get rid of me, so he could find a new wife.

The woods blurred around her, panic turning everything to shadow and sound. Then she heard it, the crunch of leaves behind her. Someone chased after her. The heavy footfalls grew louder, drawing closer.

She veered left, her heart thundering, her breath ragged. A branch snapped behind her. She didn’t look back. She couldn’t. She didn’t want to see who chased her, didn’t want to know how little time she had.

It came suddenly, shockingly. A heavy weight struck her from behind. She hit the ground with a cry, breath driven from her lungs. Still, she struggled as best she could, fighting until the very end, kicking, clawing, the world spinning.

“STOP, ESME! STOP!”

His voice was so fierce that it froze her, giving him enough time to pin her.

Torrance.

He loomed above her, his breath hot and fast, his hands tight around her wrists, holding her pinned to the forest floor. His hair hung loose over his brow, his eyes wild—not with rage, but something else. Something raw.

Then he said, “You know… don’t you?”

CHAPTER 17

“Ryland.” Esme whispered, shocked that her suspicions had been accurate.

“I knew you’d be a problem.” Mumbling, he pulled her up on her feet. “Far more of a problem than I ever imagined.”

“I don’t understand,” Esme said relieved, though only briefly, not sure what Ryland intended to do with her since he considered her a problem.

“I have no time to explain it to you right now. You’re not hurt, are you?” He took hold of her hand and started moving her along.

“Nay,” she said, shaking her head. “But those men who stepped out of the woods?—”

“Are faithful to Ryland,” he said.

“You. You’re Ryland,” Esme said, needing to say it aloud, needing to hear him admit it.

He brought them to an abrupt halt and yanked her against him, keeping her locked against his chest. “I need to remain Torrance for now. I cannot have you mistakenly refer to me any other way. And, at the moment, I have no time to explain it all to you.”

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