Page 93 of Captured By the Cruel Highlander
Emily turned back to look at Adam, and the resignation on her face filled him with fresh rage. This was what she had consideredall along—that she might have to return to Stewart to protect her family.
She will leave this castle over me cold corpse.
Emily’s eyes were filled with uncertainty as Adam stared at her. But it only took that small break in his concentration for James to take the opportunity to pounce.
Emily shrieked as his burly arm went around her delicate neck, and he pressed her against him. His sword was pointed at Adam, his fingernails digging into her throat. Emily was immobilized and rigid against him, crushed to his torso, struggling to breathe.
Adam sprang forward but stopped instantly as the tip of James’s sword moved gently over Emily’s legs and up her dress. James pulled it up until it hovered over her stomach. One sharp thrust and Adam would lose her forever.
“Dinnae make me kill her, MacNiall. I’ve been waitin’ for me wife for a long time, and I’d rather take her home with me. But if ye force me hand, I can find another.”
Adam snarled at him and paced to his right, keeping his eyes trained on the man, watching for any tensing of his muscles to ensure that Emily would not come to harm.
James watched him, mirroring his movements and walking to his left. His eyes were narrowed, as though he were waiting to see what Adam would do.
As James came level with the first tapestry, the great cascade of color behind him a strange contrast to the dark clothes that he wore, his fingers tightened around Emily’s throat.
Emily struggled to breathe, scratching at James’s hand, her face a mottled patchwork of pink and red. Adam had to act.
He watched her, the fear in his heart reaching a crescendo that he had never experienced before. It was at that moment that he knew he would die for her a thousand times over if he could just keep her safe.
With a swift movement, he pulled the little knife out from his sleeve. The tiny blade fell into his palm like an old friend, and with a skillful flick of his wrist, he let it fly.
The blade sailed through the air, high above Emily’s smaller form, slicing James’s ear in two as it flew in a perfect line behind him and buried itself in the tapestry.
James bellowed, releasing Emily, his hand going to his ear, which was now bleeding.
Adam sprang forth, gripping Emily’s wrist and dragging her behind him, ensuring she was safe before he brought his blade down upon James.
Although his face was drenched in blood, James rallied quickly. Adam had injured him at the wedding and knew his shoulder was not fully healed. Using his advantage, he focused all hisblows on his weaker side, but James was stronger than he looked.
The other man fought back, slicing through the air with renewed vigor as their blades clashed. The sound of steel clashing against steel echoed through the wide corridor.
James backed toward the wall, protecting himself against Adam, whose fluid movements transitioned into a cold precision as he narrowed his focus on the man before him.
Adam struck for Laura’s honor and the terrible ordeal this man had put her through. He struck to protect his family and clan. But mostly, his sword came down for his wife—the strong, determined, beautiful woman he had never expected to grow to need so much and now would do anything to protect.
James parried, pulling a dirk from his boot and slashing at Adam wildly, his teeth bared, almost demonic. Blood ran down to his shoulder and soaked the fabric of his tunic.
With cold fury in his veins, Adam adjusted his grip, lifted his blade high, and stabbed his sword deep into the man’s shoulder. The blade sliced through bone and flesh, emerging on the other side.
James screamed, wrenching himself away. Blood poured from the wound, but before Adam could strike the final blow, the man darted to the door to the rear passages and sprinted away.
Unsurprised, Adam sprinted after him into the tunnel. Light footsteps echoed off the walls as Emily followed.
“Go back to the castle!” he shouted.
“I am nae leavin’ ye,” she insisted.
Adam couldn’t suppress the joy that those words brought him, even as he feared for her safety.
As he ran after James’s shadowy bulk, he cursed himself inwardly.
Why did I nae man every exit in the tunnels, too?
No one outside Clan MacNiall was supposed to know that they existed, but clearly, James did, and he knew his way around them. He ran confidently down each passage as though he had navigated them many times.
But his route was easy to follow, as the pools of blood were getting thicker by the second. Finally, the passage led to an outer door, and Adam burst through it, finding himself in the lower stone courtyard, with his father’s statue in the center.
