Page 24 of Highlander of Steel
In the quiet, Ailis relished the taste of the broth she had found in the tureen. Rich and fragrant, with generous chunks of meat and vegetables, it was the perfect cure for her dampened spirits. In fact, she was enjoying it so much that it took her a moment to notice that Killian had stoppedeating.
He was not visibly lost in his thoughts. He was staring right at her, studying her with an intensity that made her spoon tremble in her hand.
Swallowing, she set the spoon down. “Me Laird, why are ye havin’ luncheon with me?” She cleared her throat. “There’s clearly somethin’ ye want to say, but ye’re nae sayin’ it, so I assume ye’ve decided what to do with me.”
And I’m nae goin’ to like it,she neglected to add.
He likely knew by now that she was worthless to her family. The letter must have said as much, which meant he would need to find another use for her. But what? An interrogation? To make an example of her? To send a warning back to her family?
He swirled the wine in his goblet. “Aye, I have.”
“Is this me last meal, then?” she asked. “Is this where the niceties end and the punishment begins? Am I to be thrown in the dungeons once I’m done, to await torture?”
Killian slammed his goblet down with such force that the dark red wine sloshed over the rim and the table shook all the way to Ailis’s plate. She flinched, her stomach lurching as fear crawled up her throat—a familiar feeling.
“I told ye already nae to say such things!” he hissed.
She blinked and made herself as small as possible, curving her shoulders inward, folding her hands in her lap, and bowing her head. Old habits that rarely made things better or helped her avoid punishment.
Killian expelled a strained breath and scratched his stubbled jaw in exasperation. “Ailis, it seems that yer family doesnae mind that I have ye.”
It was clear that he was choosing his words carefully, being far kinder in what hesaid than the letter would have been.
Indeed, that note had probably said,Keep her. Ye’d be doin’ us a favor. We couldnae care less. Kill her if ye like. Just tell us how ye did it.
“With respect, me Laird, did ye think that would surprise me?” she asked stiffly, willing her voice not to quiver. “I already told ye—or tried to—that ye kidnapped a runt.”
With a dark look in his eyes, Killian picked up the napkin and wiped away the wine he had spilled. “Why, lass?”
His voice was filled with such concern that it nearly broke her heart. He couldn’t have known how often she had asked herself the same question—why?
“Why what?” she asked, pretending she didn’t understand what he meant.
He stared at her, his face tight. “Why do they mistreat ye, lass?”
“If ye ever find out, ye must let me ken,” she said with a strained laugh, uncomfortable beneath the ferocity of his gaze, unable to figure out why he cared.
“Truly, I have never kent what I did to earn me faither’s displeasure. Maybe he wanted me to be a boy, so he’d have a spare heir. Maybe he just couldnae forgive me for killin’ memaither. Maybe I just have one of those faces that nay one can warm up to.” She lowered her gaze to her folded hands. “It doesnae bother me as it once did. I grew accustomed to it.”
Before she knew what was happening, Killian was at her side, his fingers hooked beneath her chin. With light pressure, he tilted her head up, his wintry blue eyes blazing with an anger that, for once, didn’t frighten her. It wasn’t aimed at her.
“Ye shouldnae have had to,” he rasped, his thumb brushing the line of her jaw. “And ye daenae have a face nay one could warm up to. Evidently, ye’ve never looked in a mirror.”
Swallowing thickly, Ailis held his powerful gaze, mesmerized by him, entranced by the feel of his fingers against her skin and the tingling stroke of his thumb. His proximity had robbed her of breath, and as his eyes flitted to her lips, her heart sped up.
What does that mean? Why does he keep lookin’ at me mouth like that?
Heat spread through her as if she had imbibed too much, that tingling sensation spreading down from the brush of his thumb, no doubt coloring her neck and chest a telling shade of pink.
“So… what areye goin’ to do with me now?” she managed to say, forcing herself to look away, even though it meant staring out at the wretched sea.
Still, that was far safer than continuing to look into his eyes, where she might drown too.
Killian turned her head back to him, his expression determined as he replied in a low growl, “I’m goin’ to marry ye.”
9
“Excuse me?” Ailis gasped, her beautiful eyes wide and unblinking.
