Page 43 of The Ruthless Highlander's Hellion
Laird McLaren, Leo Rankin, sat atop a dark horse flanked by two riders bearing a white flag. The rest of his men had remained further back, clustered in formation like wolves waiting to strike.
She watched Leo. His age of thirty-five made him sharp and fit, and ever sure of himself. He wore his usual smirk, lips curled in arrogance. He was handsome in a cold, calculated way—but he held none of Nicholas’s quiet fire.
His brown hair was slicked back, and his black eyes scanned the walls like a man looking for prey, not parley. Alexandra could feel the chill of his stare even from the height of the wall.
She had once thought him handsome before she learned what truly lay behind that smile. Now all she saw was cruelty veiled in civility.
Leo raised his voice, letting it carry over the field. “Laird O’Donnell!” he shouted. “I hear ye’ve somethin’ that belongs to me. Hand her over, and we’ll keep the peace between us.”
Nicholas stepped to the edge of the battlement, his presence solid and unmoving. “Ye’re on me land, Rankin,” he growled. “Mind yer tongue. How dare ye speak orders to me.” His voice rang out, sure and firm, a shield against the tension below.
Leo threw back his head and laughed, as though they were jesting over drinks instead of standing at the brink of war.
Leo’s expression sharpened as he leaned forward in his saddle. “I’ll nae leave, unless the lass comes with me. If ye keep her, O’Donnell, I’ll see this castle burn stone by stone.”
A murmur passed along the wall behind her, the sound of steel being touched, bows being drawn. Nicholas turned sharply, his hand catching.
Alexandra’s hands clenched at her sides. She stepped forward and called out, “I’m here. If it’s me ye want. I’ll come out to speak with ye, but in peace.”
She felt her arm grasped in a firm grip. “Ye’re nae goin’ anywhere,” Nicholas said, voice low. “Ye daenae ken what he’s capable of.”
“I do,” she replied, holding his gaze. “That’s why I must go. Let me speak with him. It’s the only way to keep Charlie safe.”
Nicholas’s jaw tightened, his eyes shadowed with conflict. “Then I’m goin’ with ye,” he said, no room for argument in his tone. “I’ll nae let ye face him alone.”
He turned toward the nearest guard. “Open the small side gate,” he commanded. “Bring a small escort—four men, nay more. Keep the archers trained on Leo. If he so much as twitches wrong, I want arrows in him.”
The guard saluted and ran off down the stairs. Alexandra let out a shaky breath and nodded. She didn’t look forward to seeing Leo up close, but she would not let fear rule her. She had to be braver than that—for Nicholas, for Charlie, for herself.
Moments later, they descended from the wall and passed through the tight stone corridor leading to the side door. Nicholas stayed at her side, silent and seething. He hadn’t let go of her arm until they reached the gate. Even then, he walked close enough to shield her from sight with his body.
The door creaked open, and the sun hit them full in the face as they stepped out. Guards took position behind, spreading out just enough to give cover if needed. Arrows gleamed from the battlements above, their deadly tips aimed at Leo and his men.
Alexandra kept her chin high, not letting her fear show as they walked to the meeting point.
Leo dismounted and strode forward a few paces, stopping when Nicholas raised a hand. “Nay further,” Nicholas warned. “Speak where ye stand.”
Leo’s dark eyes flicked over Alexandra, a gleam of possession in them. “Ye look well, lass,” he said, voice full of mock warmth. “Come with me, and we’ll end this foolish standoff.”
Alexandra stepped ahead of Nicholas, just enough to be seen clearly. “I’ll speak with ye, Leo,” she said, her tone calm and steady. “But I’m nae yers, and I never was. So, choose yer words careful.”
Leo’s black eyes flicked over her like a man inspecting cattle. “Ye made a promise, lass,” he said, voice cold and sharp. “Yer brother pledged ye to me, and I’ve come to claim what’s mine.”
His hand rested on the hilt of his sword like it was habit, not threat—but Alexandra felt the meaning all the same.
She lifted her chin, every part of her aching with dread.
“Aye, I ken what was promised,” she said, her voice steady. “But I’ll nae go with ye unless ye swear—swear that neither Nicholas nor me brother will face harm. Nay battles, nay revenge.”
Leo’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Swear?” he echoed with a chuckle. “Ye think I owe ye promises? I owe nothin’ to the folk who stole what’s mine and kept ye hid behind stone walls like a prized beast.”
His gaze shifted briefly to Nicholas, then back to her with menace. Alexandra felt Nicholas shift beside her and give a low grunt. She held her breath knowing he could snap at any moment.
“Then I’ll nae go,” she said plainly. “I’ll nae walk to yer side like a lamb without yer word.”
He scoffed, amused, then stepped closer, only a pace away now. “Ye’re brave all of a sudden,” he said. “But bravery willnae shield the men standin’ at yer back when I set fire to their walls. Go quietly, and I may leave this place untouched…for now.”
She looked into his face, searching for any truth behind the cruelty. “That’s nae a promise,” she said. “I want yer word, Leo. Give it, or I stay.”
