Page 31 of Awoken
She had to make sure she hurt him, ensure he stayed down long enough for her to somehow escape this chamber.
MacKinnon’s roar echoed through the room, and when Leanna did release him, falling back against the wall, he crumpled forward onto his knees, clutching at his injured cods. His face had gone milk-white, and he began to retch. However, his grey eyes blazed with fury.
Heart racing wildly now, Leanna edged along the wall, toward where a ceremonial shield hung upon the damp, pitted stone. Maybe she could slam him over the head with it.
MacKinnon spat out a vile curse and lunged for her. But the movement cost him, and he collapsed upon the floor, bent over his damaged bollocks. “Bitch,” he howled. “I’ll beat ye bloody for that!”
Leanna edged farther toward the shield, and had almost reached it when the door to the clan-chief’s bed-chamber crashed open.
Ross Campbell appeared in the doorway, a drawn dirk in his hand.
15
Allies
ROSS WASN’T SURE what he’d expected to see when he burst into MacKinnon’s bed-chamber. He’d tried not to imagine how far things had already gone after Hume told him what had transpired. After sending the manservant on his way, he’d leapt for the stairs, taking them two steps at a time till he reached the second-floor landing.
He hoped Lady Leanna had managed to fend the man off, or that MacKinnon wasn’t too eager, and had decided to take his time.
However, he certainly hadn’t expected to be greeted with this sight.
Duncan MacKinnon lay on his side, curled over as he clutched at his cods. In between gagging and groans of agony, the clan-chief snarled abuse at the small woman pressed against the wall a few feet away.
Lady Leanna, dressed in her nun’s habit, was edging toward the great shield that hung upon the wall above the hearth. Ross realized her intent, but also knew that she’d never be able to lift the shield. It had been made for someone twice her size.
“Lady Leanna, stay where ye are,” he barked.
Two strides took him into the chamber, and up to where his master sprawled. “Campbell!” MacKinnon wheezed, his eyes glittering with pain. “Get her.”
Ignoring him, Ross circled behind the clan-chief and slammed a booted foot between his shoulder blades, pushing him flat onto the ground.
MacKinnon cried out, as the movement aggravated the injury to his groin.
Ross frowned. Although it was late and most folk within the broch slumbered in their beds, MacKinnon was likely to attract attention if he kept making this much noise. Fortunately, Hume wasn’t going to come to his master’s aid tonight; after lightening his conscience, the man-servant had stared at Ross with the eyes of a condemned man. They both knew what such a betrayal of the clan-chief’s trust meant. Ross had told him to go, to get as far away from Dunan as he could—and, without another word, Hume fled into the night.
Lowering himself, Ross shifted his boot and pressed a knee between MacKinnon’s shoulder-blades instead. Then he held his dirk to the clan-chief’s cheek. “Keep silent,” he instructed coldly, “or this might accidentally slip.”
He could feel the fury vibrating through MacKinnon’s body. The man was tough; he was in terrible pain from the blow Lady Leanna had clearly dealt him to the cods, and yet he could still focus enough to pay attention to his surroundings.
Ross glanced up, catching Lady Leanna’s eye for the first time since he’d entered the bed-chamber. “Take off yer veil and wimple,” he ordered.
For a moment Leanna merely stared at him. Her wide hazel eyes were green in the light of the glowing hearth next to her, and her face was ashen. She watched him, frozen in place, as if she wasn’t sure why he was here and what he meant to do.
Ross would have thought it was obvious.
“Go on!” he said, his tone sharpening. “We don’t have time to waste here.”
Leanna’s mouth thinned, but she did as bid, pulling off her black veil and the white wimple that she wore underneath. Beneath the layers of fabric, her long pale hair hung in a braid down her back.
“What now?” she asked, her voice chill.
“Rip the wimple in half and gag him with it.”
Leanna’s eyes widened at this, as the realization that he really was here to help her sank in. Jaw clenching, she tugged at the wimple. The garment was well made, and it took her a few moments before a tearing sound filled the chamber. Once she’d ripped the wimple, she rolled one half into a thick strip, which she then held out to Ross.
“Ye do it,” he replied, jerking his chin down to where he still held the flat of the dirk blade against MacKinnon’s cheek. “I’ll make sure he behaves himself.”
Face set in determination, Leanna approached. Her manner was wary, as if she neared a seething hornet’s nest, yet she didn’t waver.
