Page 52 of Kilted Seduction
He thought she acknowledged him, but there was no chance to confirm it as a dark, half-seen figure lunged at him. Aedan parried the first attack with his dagger, then the second, then managed to catch hold of cloth and drag the figure close enough to plant a hard knee in its midriff. He heard a grunt of pain and a gagging sound that told him his blow had hit home.
The attackers weren’t heavily armored. They’d apparently intended for speed and stealth to work in their favor, rather than protection. Of course, they also probably hadn’t expected a fight - valerian in the wine would have seen to it that both he and Thora were unconscious, had they consumed more than a few sips.
He would have been dead to the world, if not dead in truth, had Thora not expressed her concerns, and had he not listened to her.
Another dark shape lunged at him, and for several moments, he had no time to do anything beyond fending off attacks and trying to stay upright.
He caught brief glimpses of Thora doing much the same thing, though she was more mobile than he was, making good use of whatever furniture she happened to have on hand, frompillows to the water pitcher to the table. She might not be built for fighting, but she was agile and determined to evade her attackers.
Aedan slashed at another shadowy figure and cursed as the blow was dodged. Between the low lighting and the effects of the valerian, it was hard to land a disabling strike, which meant he was struggling to thin the ranks of their assailants. A battle that should have been fairly easy was far more difficult than he would have expected.
He knocked aside another figure, just in time to see Thora grab a heavy metal candlestick, standing unlit on the sideboard. A cloaked figure reached for her, and Thora swung the candlestick with as much strength and speed as the room and her wounded shoulder and arm allowed.
Metal impacted the outstretched arm with a muffled ‘crack’, and the figure reeled back with a hoarse cry of pain, clutching the injured limb. That seemed to be enough to end the attack. The rest of the cloaked figures grouped around the wounded one and moved toward the door. Within moments, the room was empty except for himself and Thora.
Aedan stumbled forward and slumped against the bed. “What… what was….”
Thora slumped beside him. “An attack, but fer what purpose, I dinnae ken. Nor dae I ken who sent them, though I can guess.”
Aedan could guess too. Whoever had sent them the wine. His first thought was that it had to be Lachlan Ross, but there was no proof. It could just as easily have been another laird, though he had no idea why any of them would resort to such actions.
Until they had proof of who had attacked them and why, there were certain steps that had to be taken. The first would be to clean up and sleep off the valerian. After that… “We’ll need tae report this attack tae Laird Ross.”
“Aye. ‘Twould be expected, unless we wished tae say we didnae trust him with our safety, or his word o’ hospitality.” Thora eyed the mess around them. “Well, at least we’ll have plenty o’ reasons for the blood on the bed… I think ‘twould be best if we left the room as it is, let the maids see it.”
Aedan saw no reason to argue with that suggestion, especially since it meant he wouldn’t have to try and stand. He sighed and stuffed the dagger back underneath his pillow. “Aye.”
It took a moment to gather the blankets and arrange them into some sort of order, and Thora had to do most of the work. When they were finally comfortable, Aedan sighed and let his eyes slip closed.
Within minutes, he was fast asleep, with Thora curled close to his side.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Thora woke from an uneasy sleep to a maid gasping in horror at the state of the room. Her first effort to rise led to the realization that not only was she tired, she ached. She felt bruised, and she had scrapes from where she’d encountered walls, furniture, and occasionally the weapons of their assailants.
Beside her, Aedan threw his arm over his face with a groan. “’Tis too early.”
“Tis nae, I suspect.” Thora sighed and managed to heave herself from the warmth of the blankets with a shiver. She staggered out of the bed, glad she’d never removed her robe after the fight, and faced the maid. “As ye can see, we had some trouble last night. Please tell Laird Ross that Laird Cameron and I wish tae speak tae him, as soon as may be possible, and then have a bathing tub and hot water brought for us.”
“Aye, me lady.” The maid withdrew, still pale faced and wide-eyed. Looking at the mess of displaced items, overturnedfurniture and the occasional splashes of blood here and there, Thora could sympathize. It certainly wouldn’t be what one expected to walk into.
Aedan was sitting up when she turned around, grimaced as he stretched and tested his muscles for injuries neither of them had noticed the night before. Thora could see some bruises and small cuts, but he seemed to have escaped serious injury. “’Tis best tae be getting dressed.”
Aedan grunted. “Aye.” Thora watched carefully as he heaved himself out of bed, but Aedan seemed steady on his feet. It appeared that the medicine in the wine had worn off.
Both of them were fully dressed and made more alert by a splash of cold water when the maid returned. “Laird Ross says he’ll be seein’ ye in the study. Ye’ll… ye still be wantin’ the bath, me lady?”
“Aye.” Thora nodded. “We shouldnae be long.”
A guard was waiting outside to escort them to the study. Thora followed him, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. It wasn’t strong enough that she’d call it a premonition, but it was too strong to ignore. It was like hearing a whisper in the hall, knowing it was about her, and yet being unable to determine the words or the origin of it.
Lachlan Ross welcomed them into his study wearing an expression of faint concern that struck Thora as not entirely sincere. “The serving lass said ye wished tae speak tae me?”
“Aye.” Aedan stepped forward to address Lachlan. Thora was happy to let him be the one to speak - there was something in the way Lachlan Ross’s eyes lingered on her that made her feel a bit like she’d stuck her hand in a midden heap and not managed to get rid of the smell. “Someone sent us drugged wine in yer name, and then we were attacked in our rooms. Were it nae that Thora’s a light sleeper and didnae wish tae mix wine with the medicine the healer gave her, we dinnae ken what would have happened.”
“I’m sorry tae hear that.” Lachlan gestured for them to take the seats in front of his desk. “Please, tell me everything, and anything ye can recall o’ the attackers. I’ll set me guards tae searching fer them.”
Aedan began the story from their return to their rooms, claiming Thora had felt unwell and suffered a headache from her earlier injury, then went on to talk about the wine and the attack that had followed. Thora added details where necessary. She’d have preferred not to speak at all, to avoid drawing attention to herself, but Aedan’s memory of the events was hazed by the wine, and often unclear.
