Page 97 of Wedded to the Devilish Highlander
Aye, good lass! Ye fought against him when he came for ye, and I’ll make sure that wasnae in vain.
Archer wiped the blade on his trousers and looked around again to find spots of blood on the floor—Henry’s not Eileen’s.
Did ye come yerself, Millar? Or did ye send someone else to do yer dirty work for ye?
Archer followed the blood out of the room and into the hallway. It led him to the back of the castle.
He ran to the stables and found the stablehand unconscious on the ground. He went inside and found the same beast he’d ridden to chase down Eileen when he thought she was escaping.
It’s too dark, and ye’re too much of a coward to take any route other than the path straight to O’Gunn Castle. I’ll hunt ye down like a dog, Millar.
Archer spurred the beast into a gallop and flew from the castle like the wind.
Eileen dared not move. Her cheek throbbed where he’d hit it, and her head was sore from hitting the wall, but that was not what stopped her. It was the knife he held to her neck as they rode. The bouncing motion of the horse threatened to push the blade into her skin.
She was sitting astride the beast, her attacker at her back, holding the knife in one hand and the reins in the other. Shecould sense all of that, but she couldn’t see it with the hood over her head and couldn’t scream with the cloth in her mouth. Her head had cleared since the attack, but there was nothing she could do.
Yet.
They rode out of the castle. She didn’t know which path they took, but she assumed it would be the quickest route from MacLennan Castle to O’Gunn Castle.
It was obvious to her now that whatever had pulled Archer out of the room was a distraction orchestrated by Henry Millar.
Does Archer even ken? Is he comin’ after me?
The only thing that brought her some solace was the damage she’d done to Millar’s shoulder. He used that arm to hold the knife to her neck, not risking holding the reins with it.
The first chance she got, she would stab his other arm and then make a run for it. It was not a great plan, but it was the best one she had.
All she could do for now was wait for a chance—one chance. She’d rather die than be taken to Laird O’Gunn, and if she were to die, she would go down fighting.
They rode for a long time, and when they slowed down, her heart stuttered in her chest. With every passing moment, she realized that Archer wasn’t coming after her.
They came to a complete stop, and she heard voices.
“Ye have her?” someone asked.
“Aye, as I promised,” Millar said.
“Let’s see.”
“What? Ye dinnae believe me?”
“I’ve learned nae to trust anyone with this sort of thing. Let me see the merchandise.”
The dagger remained at Eileen’s throat, but her hood was yanked back. She blinked a couple of times, her eyes quickly adjusting to the moonlit darkness.
Two men on horseback stood before them on the path. O’Gunn Castle wasn’t immediately visible. They were not there yet.
Both men were large. They wore leather jerkins with thick shoulder pads and leather bracers on their forearms. Shortswords hung at their belts, and the one on the left had a noticeable scar across his left eye.
“Aye, very nice,” the scarred man drawled. “It’s a long way to the castle. We might need to stop for somerefreshments.”
“We’re to get back as quickly as possible,” the other man reminded him. “And O’Gunn?—”
“Aye, I ken,” the scarred man cut in. “I’m only jestin’.”
Eileen tried not to tremble as Millar held her. She’d rather take her chances with him than the scarred man, who was most definitelynotjoking. She had to assume they were on the border between O’Gunn and MacLennan.
