Page 71 of Captured By the Cruel Highlander
“I dinnae need it!”
“It isnae weak to accept help once in a while. Ye cannae run yer clan alone, Adam. Nay one can. Are ye so arrogant that ye think yer opinion outweighs everyone else’s?”
“It is me duty to decide what becomes of me people.”
“Ye cannae do it all alone. I have been involved with clan matters before, and I can assist ye. Why must a wife be a silent observer?”
Because if ye are anythin’ else, ye might come to harm, and I cannae bear it.
And with that unwelcome thought, Adam lost his temper.
“Ye will be me wife in name only!” he snarled. “Ye will ken yer place, and ye will stick to it. I need to marry ye to get me sister back—that is all. And when Laura is safe, ye and I will have nay more need of each other.”
Emily’s lips trembled, and she held back tears as she pushed him out of the way and mounted her horse. In seconds, she was galloping away from him across the moorland, and he had to leap onto Buck’s back to ensure he didn’t lose sight of her.
Good.This is how things must be.
But as he followed his bride-to-be across the moorlands, against the backdrop of the setting sun, his chest ached like the devil.
What if something had happened to her? If Stewart’s men saw her, if brigands happened upon her… Adam would never forgive himself. The need to protect her was all-consuming, and that thought alone was more frightening than anything else.
He should be thinking of his clan and prioritizing his people, but as Emily merged with the line of the horizon ahead of him, he knew it was already too late for that.
I will keep her safe, and if that means she doesnae leave the castle ever again, then so be it.
He spurred Buck forward, the larger horse faster than the one Emily was riding. After a charged few seconds of galloping at full speed, he came level with her and reached across to take her reins, dragging her horse to a trot.
Emily glowered at him as he did it, but Adam wouldn’t be swayed on this.
“Ye will kill yerself, woman, runnin’ at that speed. This ground is uneven, and the horse might trip, and ye’d be nay good to anyone with a broken neck.”
Emily said nothing, yanking the reins from his grip as they continued riding across the wild country. She rode on in silence, her head held high.
“We will speak when we get back. Ye cannae ignore me forever.”
25
Emily had remained silent for the rest of their journey.
As they approached the castle gates, Theo hovered inside, waiting for them. Lucas was nowhere to be seen.
Emily’s shoulders were so tense that she could barely loosen her grip on the reins, feeling as though her entire body was rigid with tension.
She dismounted, casting a furious glance at Adam as she stalked inside.
“Emily!”
She kept moving, walking through the vast entrance hallway, a mix of excitement and fear rushing through her as she heard his thundering footsteps behind her.
“Ye will listen to me, woman!”
Emily stopped in the corridor that led to her room despite her determination to ignore him. Adam advanced on her, looking just as furious and enormous as before, but she stood her ground.
“Aye, M’Laird,” she said coldly.
“Ye willnae leave the castle again,” he growled.
Emily scowled at him, before walking away.
