Page 50 of Tempted By a Highland Beast
“Aye, me laird?”
“Begin making inquiries about reliable men who might be available fer temporary employment. Men with particular skills in the encounters we discussed.”
Malcolm nodded and withdrew, leaving Alpin alone with his schemes and the flickering shadows cast by the dying fire. The game had changed, but he had not achieved his current position by accepting defeat when circumstances shifted.
Rowena might believe herself safe within the walls of Duart Castle, but safety was an illusion that could be shattered by the right application of force and cunning.
Soon enough, she would learn that there was no distance great enough, no protector strong enough, and no fortress secure enough to keep her from the destiny he had chosen for her.
Some might call it ruthless, but Alpin preferred to think of it as pragmatic. After all, the survival of the MacKenzie clan was at stake, and what was one bastard warrior’s life compared to the preservation of a bloodline that stretched back centuries?
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Constantine watched from the shadows of the great hall as Rowena moved through his castle like she belonged there. When a maid finished speaking to her, Rowena nodded decisively and gestured toward the stores, offering what appeared to be a solution to whatever minor crisis had arisen.
It should have pleased him. The staff had taken to her with an ease that had surprised even him. Where they regarded him with cautious deference, they looked at Rowena with something approaching genuine warmth.
Lilias appeared at Rowena’s side, as she had taken to doing with increasing frequency. His half-sister hung on Rowena’s every word, following her through the corridors like a devoted shadow.
But what should have been satisfaction twisted into something sharper in Constantine’s chest. Because for all her apparent ease within these walls, for all the ways she seemed to fit seamlessly into the role he’d offered her, Rowena still hadn’t given him an answer.
A week had passed since his father’s public announcement. A week of Rowena moving through his home, charming his people, and treating him with cordial respect that felt more insulting than outright hostility would have.
Constantine’s jaw tightened as he watched her laugh at something Lilias whispered in her ear. The sound carried across the hall, light and genuine, and it made his chest constrict with an emotion he refused to name.
He’d been patient. More patient than he’d ever been with anyone in his life. And he was done waiting. He pushed off from the wall and strode across the hall, his footsteps echoing on the stone. Several servants looked up at his approach, their conversations faltering at the sight of his expression. Rowena glanced over, her smile fading as she took in his face.
“Lilias,” he said, his voice carefully controlled. “Ye’re needed in the solar. Some accounts require yer attention.”
His half-sister’s face fell. “But Rowena was just telling me about?—”
“They want ye now, Lilias,” Constantine said, not unkindly but with finality.
Lilias shot an apologetic look at Rowena before hurrying away, leaving them alone in the suddenly quiet hall. The remaining servants seemed to sense the tension and found urgent tasks elsewhere, until only Constantine and Rowena remained facing each other across the stone floor.
“Ye seem tae have settled in well,” Constantine observed, his tone deceptively casual.
Rowena lifted her chin, something wary flickering in her eyes. “Yer people have been most welcoming.”
“Aye, they have.” He took a step closer, noting how her shoulders tensed. “They’ve taken quite a liking tae ye. Treating ye as if ye already belong here.”
“Is that a problem?”
Constantine studied her face, searching for some hint of what she was thinking. “That depends. Dae ye belong here, Rowena?”
The question hung between them like a blade. Rowena’s hands clenched at her sides, and he could see her mind working, calculating her response with the same careful precision she brought to everything. He didn’t want that approach from her. He wanted something else.Say ye dae.
“I’m grateful fer yer hospitality?—”
“I didnae ask about yer gratitude,” Constantine cut her off. “I asked if ye belong here. If ye intend tae stay. If ye plan tae honor the arrangement I offered ye, or if ye’re simply enjoying the protection of me walls while ye decide how tae eventually leave.”
Color flooded Rowena’s cheeks. “That’s unfair.”
“Is it? Because from where I stand, it looks like ye’ve been playing at being Lady of this castle without any intention of actually becoming one.” And that sat uneasy in his stomach.
“I told ye I needed time tae consider?—”
“Aye, ye did. And I gave it tae ye. Yet, here we are. Why are ye keeping me at arm’s length? Am I a threat tae ye?”
