Page 80 of Tempting the Highland Devil
“I am naythin’ like ye,” Arran answered through gritted teeth. He was aware of Killian and Duncan listening to every word. James and Lily stayed in the grand hall to make sure nay one there left. Yvaine should be with them in the grand hall by now, and knowing she was safe in there gave Arran the courage to hold out till he got the information he needed.
“Why should I trust that ye will tell me the truth?”
“I have nay reason to lie to ye, Laird MacGregor. It doesnae benefit me in anyway. Ye will kill me anyway, and like I said, I owe nayone any loyalties. I only belong to the most promising man, and that happens to be ye at the moment.”
Arran withdrew his sword from the man’s neck, trusting his words for a brief moment.
“The one ye seek is in Clan O’Neil,” the Laochra leader announced after he cleared his throat. “I dinnae ken his name, and neither have I seen his face, but I ken how ye can find him. He has a cottage near the village’s only riverbank. He goes there most evenin’s, and I meet with him by the riverbank while he waters his horse.
“He is weary of intruders, and so if ye want to meet with him, then ye will need my help.”
“Nonsense,” Arran said and turned to the guard by his side. “I shall find him and end his once and for all. All ye have to do is tell me how to identify him.”
When the leader failed to answer Arran’s next question, a guard holding one of the bandits captive drew a sword and placed it near his neck.
Murmurs erupted amongst the bandits, and their leader’s jaw tightened into a hard frown before he shot Arran another glare.
“All right, I will tell ye,” he agreed. “Just let me men go as agreed.”
Arran waited for him to speak; his muscles tightened with the force of his agitation, and he fumed from it.
“He rides on a golden stallion, and he has long, blonde locks that match his blue eyes. He walks around with guards from the O’Neil castle so that makes me suspect that he lives in there. Perhaps he is the councilman or one of the laird’s trusted men, I dinnae ken or care. I have never cared for such thin’s. All I ken is ye will find him at the riverbank every evenin’.”
“Take him to the dungeons and hand him over Laird Macmicking at dawn,” Arran ordered his men. He had promised Laird Macmicking the leader of the Laochra, and he planned to fulfil that promise.
He was one-step closer to figuring out the identity of his enemy, and Arran’s determination grew even stronger as his men retreated and released the Laochra captives. He would not rest until he eliminated this enemy completely.
42
Yvaine and Arran stood in front of the keep. It was a cold night, and the chill in the air still blew against her skin, making every part of her hardened with the intense cold that sparked through her insides.
“This is it?” she asked, knowing that Arran would depart for O’Neil soon.
“It will all be over soon,” he said before turning to face her. “This journey to O’Neil will help me find the one responsible for all of this.”
Yvaine nodded and kept her gaze ahead to take in the view. Most of the Highland clans dispersed after the feast ended, and Laird Macmicking had ridden off with the leader of the Laochra just as he wanted.
Yvaine did not think there was anything else they needed to do here. While Arran traveled, she would remain in the castle because it wasn’t safe yet. She spent the night worrying about Arran even though he told her everything would be all right repeatedly.
Yvaine could not shake off the shrill voices of the men fighting in her head and the horrific look on some of their faces when they dropped to the ground at the mercy of Arran’s sword.
When she reached for Arran’s hand, he winced a little, reminding her that he was injured in the fight last night.
“Perhaps ye could wait to leave on yer journey till a few days after yer wound has healed?” she suggested to him, her brows drawn together with lines that formed the grim one on her lips.
“How will ye fight if ye are still injured?”
“It is merely a scratch,” he answered, plastered his hands on her shoulder to steer her to him, then pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Ye worry too much, Yvaine. It is my duty to worry about ye and protect ye. I willnae rest until I do that.”
He kept kissing her forehead till her frown subsided, and Yvaine finally heaved in a deep breath to ease her heavy heart.
They both turned when they heard footsteps and saw Duncan heading towards where they stood with Lily and Killian.
“Ye ready to travel?” Duncan asked Arran when he stopped in front of them, and Arran nodded.
“I ride out soon, and I will go with guards from here in case an ambush awaits me.”
“Ye ken the northern terrains better than any of us,” Duncan said to Arran. “Ye spent years traveling those grounds.”
