Page 93 of A Wife for the Highland Villain
Lily gripped the table behind her, forcing herself to stay still, even though her chest rose and fell too fast. Her eyes were still on Alasdair, who moved with a deadly grace. It was almost like the way she’d seen him fight shirtless in the garden the other day. Except here, he lookedunstoppable.
She was so focused on him that she didn’t see the shadow looming at her back. A rough hand seized her from behind, and a strong arm locked around her chest and pulled her back hard.
Before she could gasp or scream, the cold steel of a dagger pressed against her neck.
“Ye look quite spectacular, me Lady,” a voice grunted into her ear, sending ripples of fear down her chest.
“Alasdair!”
His head snapped around, and his expression made her freeze. The calm Laird was gone, and in his place stood something far more dangerous.
The man who held her sneered. “One wrong move, me Laird, and I will?—”
He never finished.
Alasdair lunged, his sword flashing like lightning. With one swing, he cut the man’s wrist. His dagger fell, and a shrill scream escaped his lips. Before he could move, Alasdair pushed forward and drove his blade straight through his chest.
The man crumpled at Lily’s feet, dead before he hit the floor, and the hall went still.
Alasdair’s eyes flicked to Lily, nothing but complete fury in them.
“Whoever wishes to try their luck…” He turned slowly, his sword still in hand. “Come at me.”
No one moved. The fire in his voice, the blood on his blade, and the fury in his eyes held them back.
“Very well, then. I ask ye all to get out. Ye arenae welcome here.”
The guards surged forward and forced the intruders back, disarming them and driving them out the doors. The men cursed, but none dared make a try for their confiscated weapons.
When the hall grew quiet, Lily realized she was still standing where the man had held her. Her breath came in shallow bursts, and her blood ran cold.
She had known Alasdair was strong. Dangerous even. Hell, she had seen him fight before. But never like this.
Something about it terrified her, and yet, deep inside, it comforted her.
CHAPTER 28
Alasdair remained standing rightwhere he was, his eyes searching the crowd. Now wasn’t the time to drop his guard. There could still be more men loitering around the hall, waiting for him to relax once again.
It wasn’t until he was certain that they were all gone that he sheathed his blade.
He turned toward Lily, who was visibly shaken with fear, and stretched out his hand. “Come with me.”
Lily hesitated, her hand hovering as though caught between two choices.
His jaw tightened. “Come. We need to have that looked at.”
Finally, she swallowed and laid her fingers in his palm. Relief, sharp and fleeting, shot through him.
He turned to Nathan and Finn. “Clean up this mess. The body, the tables—all of it.” His eyes narrowed on Nathan. “I thought ye had this handled. We posted more guards at the doors for a reason.”
Nathan stiffened, his face grim. “I’ll speak to the guards. I daenae ken how they slipped through.”
“Find out and report back to me.”
With that, Alasdair led Lily out of the Great Hall. He didn’t look back once as they made their way to his study. When they both walked in, he closed the door gently behind them.
“Nay one is here,” he said.
