Page 15 of The Ruthless Highlander's Hellion
For a moment, their eyes locked, and Alexandra felt her breath catch. His gaze was like a weight pressing down on her, as if he could see straight into her thoughts. She couldn’t understand why, but the intensity of his stare made her pulse quicken. It unsettled her, but at the same time, a part of her liked it, the way he held her with such unwavering focus.
Alexandra sat with Erica in the great hall. Hours had passed since she made the suggestion to Nicholas. She stood by the window, staring out at the storm that still battered the castle walls.
"What do ye think they mean to do with us?" Erica asked.
"I daenae ken, Erica. I hope that we shall be let go soon. I worry what McLaren thinks since I have nae shown at his door. Does he blame me brother?" Alexandra said.
Then, a commotion in the distance caught her attention, followed by the sound of footsteps pounding down the hallway. Curious, she moved toward the entrance, her heart quickening with each step.
As she rounded the corner, she saw Nicholas and Marcus entering the hall, their presence commanding attention. Nicholas held a small boy in his arms, the child limp and pale, while Marcus gripped the arm of a graying man, his face contorted with desperation.
The man muttered incoherently, his words tumbling out in a frenzied, disjointed manner. “I was doin' ye a favor, ye ken,” he babbled, his voice trembling. “This curse, it will take yer boy too, I swear it.”
Alexandra watched as Nicholas’s jaw clenched at the man’s words, his expression dark and unreadable.
Without a word, he nodded to Marcus, signaling for the man to be taken away. “Lock him up,” Nicholas ordered in a cold, controlled voice. “And make sure he stays quiet—nay more nonsense from him. I'll deal with him later."
Alexandra couldn’t tear her eyes away from the scene. The small boy in Nicholas’s arms seemed to be in a dazed state, his face flushed with a fever, and her heart tugged with an unfamiliar emotion. She wanted to rush forward, to ask what had happened, but Nicholas’s sharp gaze turned toward her, silencing any questions before they left her lips.
“Get a maid in here,” Nicholas barked, his tone unyielding. The command was clear, and within moments, a maid appeared, her face pale with concern. She quickly approached Nicholas, her hands trembling as she reached for the boy.
Alexandra watched as the maid cradled the child, her eyes full of worry as she rushed off to take him to a warmer room. The sight left a knot in Alexandra’s stomach, and she turned her gaze back to Nicholas.
Her thoughts raced as she tried to piece together the puzzle. Was the child the missing child of Nicholas? What did the curse the man had mentioned mean?
She took a cautious step forward, her heart still racing from the commotion. “It seems ye’ve found yer son?” she said, her voice steady but laced with curiosity.
Nicholas turned toward her, his eyes dark with an unreadable expression. “Aye, thanks to yer hint,” he replied, his tone gruff but not unappreciative.
He stepped closer, his boots thudding softly against the stone floor. “I’m a fair laird,” he continued, his gaze softening for a moment, “and I’ll reward ye for yer help.”
Alexandra’s mind raced, the urgency of her situation threatening to overwhelm her. She forced herself to remain composed, but her words felt heavy with the weight of what she had to ask.
“I just want me and Erica to be let go,” she said, her voice a little more firm than she intended. Inwardly, she worried that if she delayed much longer, Leo would have no hesitation in attacking her brother—her thoughts ached at the thought.
Nicholas’s eyes hardened at her words, and the room seemed to grow colder.
“Ye will nae be goin’ anywhere,” he said, his voice as firm as stone, leaving no room for argument. Alexandra’s breath caught in her throat, and she opened her mouth to protest, but before she could speak, he walked away. His departure was abrupt, his movements swift, as if to leave no time for her to respond.
He didn’t look back, his footsteps echoing in the hall as he walked away with purpose. Alexandra stood there, stunned by the suddenness of his exit.
Her mind spun, the room closing in on her, as she processed his words.
"What did he say?" Erica ran over to her. "Can we leave?"
“Nay, he said I willnae be goin’ anywhere."
CHAPTER NINE
"Will he be ill?" Nicholas asked his healer.
"I daenae believe so. His fever has broken. I think ‘twas the mere exhaustion of his journey and nothin’ more. He should be as right as he was soon enough," the healer said.
Nicholas lingered for a moment in the doorway of his son’s room, his eyes flicking over the small figure tucked under the covers. He had checked on Charles more than once since his return, making sure the boy was all right.
The child’s steady breathing brought some sense of calm to his troubled mind. With a final look at his son, Nicholas turned to leave and headed down the corridor.
His mind was rife with so many words he could not separate them.
