Page 31 of Scot of Deception
It was only moments before horror struck him.
What have I done?
He hadn’t ruined her, that much was true, but he hadn’t shown the kind of restraint he had expected from himself. He should have never touched her; he should have never given in to his desires, even if he had only brought her pleasure.
The act had brought him pleasure, too. It didn’t matter that he had remained unfulfilled, not when he had seen Kathleen writhe underneath him and had felt her come apart on his tongue. He was certain that memory would never leave him as long as he lived. How could he ever forget it? The sweet sounds she had made, the way she had called his name, her fingers in his hair, tugging so demandingly?—
He stopped himself before he could plunge right back into sin. What was done was done, but he couldn’t allow it to happen again.
Gently, he extricated himself from Kathleen, but the movement disturbed her sleep. The next moment, her eyes were open and he couldn’t escape her gaze. Any hopes of having some time to himself were thrown right out of the window and he was left staring at her in silence, not knowing what to do next.
“We should… we should be on our way,” he said as he stood and began to strike camp. The entire time he worked to stomp out the last remnants of the fire and gather up their belongings, he could feel Kathleen’s burning gaze on him, but never once did he turn around to meet it again.
Before long, they were on their way, taking on the last stretch of road before they reached Castle Stalker. The wind whipped Blaine’s cheeks as they rode and the air was crisp, thin with chill, but it was precisely what he needed to clear his head. The night, the warmth, the close proximity toKathleen—they had all lulled him into a false sense of security and he had slipped up, losing his self-control.
Never again.
Kathleen shivered in the cold, her hands frozen where she was holding onto the edge of the saddle. Blaine was riding fast that morning, pushing his horse as much as he could, perhaps just as eager as she was, to reach the castle.
She was eager because she craved the warmth of a big fire, the comfort of a nice bed, her friend’s embrace. She doubted the same was true for Blaine.
Daes he want tae be away from me now?
It sounded more likely than she wanted to think. She had feared this; she had feared that if they ever gave in to their desires, Blaine would immediately withdraw from her and retreat into his own world, as he so often did.
Daes he think it was all a mistake?
Kathleen certainly didn’t see it as one. She was glad Blaine had given her that. gift. She was glad she had experienced it once before she would be forced into what could easily be apleasureless marriage. If that night was all she had for the rest of her life, then it would have to be enough.
If only he could see it the same way.
They would be in Appen before sundown, where Kathleen could busy herself with Fenella. If Blaine didn’t want to be around her, then he wouldn’t have to be, and they would both be released from the clutches of that awkward silence.
As they rode, though, Kathleen began to think there was something else at play—something much more serious than Blaine’s awkwardness and his refusal to acknowledge what they had done the previous night. He was too stiff, and Kathleen could feel him turn his head left and right as though he was searching for something. He had slowed down the horse, too, guiding down the path without ever stopping but also without rushing as much as before.
Had he noticed signs of danger that Kathleen had missed? It was entirely possible. After all, she hadn’t noticed the Campbell soldiers until it was too late, but he had immediately rushed to her aid. Even if she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary around them, if something was truly wrong, Blaine wouldn’t have missed it.
Just as they were rounding a bend, Kathleen’s fears became reality. A sharp crack broke the silence around them—a branch snapping in half under the weight of a boot. It wasfollowed by thunderous footsteps as half a dozen men surrounded them, the entire stretch of road they occupied quickly erupting into chaos within mere moments.
Campbell men.
Kathleen could tell by their colors, identifying them immediately as the enemy. This was the second time they had managed to find her in the span of only a few days, and now, faced with an even bigger threat than last time, she couldn’t help but think it had been a mistake to leave the castle. Not only was she putting herself in danger, but Blaine as well. He was the one who had to fight them all off.
Blaine’s horse bucked under them, threatening to throw them both off the saddle, but he managed to control it just in time. Kathleen held on as securely as she could, gritting her teeth to stop herself from crying out in fear. The last thing she needed was to spook the horse even more, and so she did her best to remain calm even as Blaine maneuvered the beast to escape the ambush.
They had the advantage of being on horseback, while all attackers were on foot. Kathleen only had to hold on for just a little longer and Blaine would guide them to safety, away from those men. Tightening her grip on the saddle and flexing her thighs to keep steady on the horse, she prayed to God that Blaine would find an opening for them to get away.
The Campbell men surrounded them entirely, closing in on them. Behind her, Blaine tried to steer the horse with one hand, his other reaching for his sword. Just as he was pulling it out of its sheath, though, a hand closed around Kathleen’s forearm, yanking her right off the saddle.
One of the men had taken the opportunity to pull her off now that she didn’t have Blaine’s arms around her to shield her. As she hit the ground, all the air rushed out of her lungs, leaving her breathless and gasping. A dull, throbbing pain coursed through her upon impact, her back colliding with the hard ground with a thud, and the only thing that saved her from being trampled to death by the horse was Blaine’s expert riding, his quick reflexes pulling the creature away before it could hurt her in its fear.
But death seemed unavoidable. The man who had pulled her off the saddle was now looming over her, his hands reaching for her, and Kathleen could only hope she would meet her end quickly, unlikely as it was. Those men didn’t simply want to kill her; they would first take her back to their lands and use her as leverage before they even thought about disposing of her. Her death would be slow and miserable, and her captivity would be even worse.
The world blurred around the edges as panic gripped Kathleen at the thought of spending weeks, maybe even months as a captive. Her entire body was frozen, refusing to move no matter how much she tried to force her limbs to do something, anything. Her eyes prickling with unshed tears, she looked at the man who loomed over her like abeast, and made one last, feeble attempt to scrabble away from him.
Then there was a flash right before her eyes—sunlight glinting off a blade as Blaine put himself between her and that man, swiftly cutting him down before he could touch her. Blood sprayed all over, staining her skin and clothes a deep red. Once again, Kathleen was frozen in place, her eyes wide as she watched the blood fountain from the man’s throat where Blaine had sliced him open. A sickening gurgle escaped him as he tried to speak, only for him to fall wordlessly to his knees, the life draining out of him and his blood seeping into the ground below.
A soft, high-pitched sound reached Kathleen’s ears. It took her several moments to realize it was coming from her own throat—a long, shuddering sob that she couldn’t control.
