Page 80 of Captured By the Cruel Highlander
All was quiet. But there was a heavy tension in the air.
Adam stiffened at the sound of horses’ hooves outside, but after a few tense seconds, he realized it was just his mother’s carriage. He suddenly had a rush of nerves so strong that his hands started trembling.
Doughall, as though sensing his fears, laid a hand on his shoulder. “We are prepared. He willnae get within fifty feet of her, ye have me word.”
Adam nodded stiffly and waited. The kirk door seemed to shrink before his eyes as he stared at the bright white light outside.
His mother and Freya entered first, going swiftly to their seats as they greeted a few people in the congregation.
His mother stopped beside him to kiss his cheek before she took her seat, and then a new shadow appeared at the door.
Emily.
Everything else in the world faded away.
Adam forgot James Stewart and his sister. He even forgot his desire to have his revenge. All he could see was the goddess walking toward him.
The dress suited her perfectly. Her long hair was tied up in a beautiful braid, and her pale skin reflected the shimmering brooch on her shoulder. He felt a jolt of pride as he saw his clan colors across her shoulder.
Emily wasn’t looking at him, though. Her eyes were darting around the kirk, across the congregation and back, uncertain and afraid.
Look at me. Just focus on me.
As if she had heard his thoughts, her gaze finally met his, and then they were the only people in the kirk. Just him and Emily as she walked toward him.
Adam’s chest expanded on steady breaths as he tried to calm his thundering heart. He kept his eyes on Emily even as he saw Doughall’s hand move to the hilt of his sword.
It felt like a countdown. Every step brought her closer to him and yet somehow pushed her further away.
Surely, he should have struck by now.
Emily finally reached him, and Adam had no choice but to face the priest and turn his back on the door.
“Has there been any word?” she asked in a hushed tone.
He shook his head, his eyes briefly running over her figure. “Ye look beautiful in that dress,” he said softly, and his lips twitched as she blushed.
“Ye dinnae look so bad yerself,” she murmured.
The priest began the ceremony, and Adam felt Emily’s slim fingers grip his arm like a vice. She was nervous, too, and Adam had to admit that he was surprised by the intensity of the nerves coursing through him.
I have never once pictured me weddin’ day, so why does this feel as though it is everythin’ I’ve ever wanted?
The priest rambled on, each line bringing them closer to the inevitable conclusion.
Then there was a pause. The priest waited. Adam waited. The whole room seemed to hold its breath.
Nothing.
There was no sound from anywhere. Adam could hear the gentle clinking of armor as the guards all around them shifted and moved, waiting for the attack.
Adam looked behind him, noticing his mother’s pale face and Freya’s uncertainty and surprise.
Where is he?
“Shall I continue, M’Laird?” the priest asked.
“Aye, continue,” Adam growled.
