Page 86 of Tempting the Highland Devil
“Ye are bonnie,” he said with another grin. “This has always been my dream, me lady. From the moment I saw ye, I ken ye would be mine. I have done everything’ to make ye mine. Surely ye will come to understand that eventually.”
“I will rather die than be yer wife,” she spat at him furiously, and slowly the grin on his face faded to reveal the scowl of a monster. The gold flickers in his steely blue eyes darkened as he glared at her. Laird O’Neil’s face reddened to show his displeasure, and his lips formed a grim line.
“Ye should be grateful,” he sneered. “I saved ye from yer weak laird. His faither was a better man. His faither was strong enough to make that clan great.”
“Ye are a monster, just like his faither. I will never give ye what ye want. I will rather die.”
“Dinnae wish for death, me love,” he replied, and reached out to touch her chin, but she jerked out of his reach and shot him another look of disdain.
Yvaine lifted her chin high to prove to him that she did not fear him. Laird O’Neil snapped at her defiance, tossed the flower he held to the ground, then pulled her to him roughly.
He tried to kiss her, but she struggled, drove her knee into his groin, and freed herself from him.
Yvaine headed for the door, but she did not make it there before he grabbed her again and this time tossed her to the bed. His eyes shone with the fury of his madness, and he was about to hit her again when the first rumble of the castle’s bells sliced through the air.
Laird O’Neil growled and dragged Yvaine from the bed.
“If that is yer husband tryin’ to break into my castle, then I will make sure ye watch him die,” he raged as he dragged her out of the chamber then headed down the stairway to get to the first landing.
Yvaine’s eyes burned with tears as she wondered if it was Arran who had come to save her.Is it possible that it is him? Is he even alive?
* * *
Arran fought his way through the myriad of bodies coming at him.
Nothing mattered but his need to see Yvaine again, and since Laird O’Neil’s men were greatly outnumbered by Arran’s army and Duncan’s men that joined to fight, he knew he would win this one.
“Go find Yvaine,” Duncan yelled to him as they fought and dodged their way past the O’Neil soldiers trooping out of the castle. Arran and Duncan covered for each other till they finally made it into the castle and left the other men fighting outside.
He rushed into the keep, knowing that he would need to search every corner of the castle for Yvaine and Laird O’Neil.
He did not make it far before he saw Yvaine and Laird O’Neil heading towards them. The man had his hands in Yvaine’s hair, and she struggled to break free from his grip while he dragged her down the stairs.
“Laird MacGregor,” Laird O’Neil began, a sneer forming on his lips, “I am shocked to see ye are still alive. After the potion I fed ye constantly to keep ye unconscious, I assumed ye would be dead by now.”
“Let her go,” Arran said, his muscles tightening as he glared at Laird O’Neil. Duncan, too, tensed beside Arran, and since the rest of the men fought outside, Arran knew he would have to take the Laird down on his own.
“She is mine now,” Laird O’Neil continued. Arran saw Yvaine move her hand as the man spoke, and he noticed she was trying to reach for the sword attached to his side.
Distract him,Arran thought as he focused on her again. If he could keep Laird O’Neil speaking, then he would not notice what Yvaine was trying to do.
Arran took another step closer and said to Laird O’Neil. “Ye think ye can defeat me by takin’ me wife? She will never love ye…”
“I dinnae need her to love me,” he barked. “I need her to ken that she is mine. She will watch ye die today, Laird MacGregor, and when all of that is over, she will beg me to make her…”
He did not get the chance to finish his sentence before Yvaine screamed and pulled the sword out of his sheath. Her move made his grip on her hair slacken, but she did not get the chance to stab him because Arran leapt towards them at the same time, his sword aimed for the man’s guts.
Arran drove his sword deep into the man’s stomach and twisted hard.
“This is yer end, Laird O’Neil. Ye willnae longer be able to hurt her again.”
Dead silence filled the room as he dropped to the ground, coughing as blood spurted from his mouth. Arran withdrew his sword and watched as the man’s jaw slackened before he crumbled to the ground, lifeless.
Relief flooded through him right then and soothed his aching soul.
“Arran,” Yvaine cried out and rushed towards him. Her hands swept around his neck immediately, and the force of her hug nearly sent them both toppling to the ground.
Arran hugged her tightly, and led her out of the chamber to the hallway, to protect her from the sight of the dead body.
