Page 116 of Ruined By the Ruthless Highlander
His heart sank. The word struck him harder than any blade, and something in his chest went cold.
He did not wait to hear another word. He turned and stormed out of the study, his feet carrying him faster than he could arrange his thoughts.
His boots struck hard against the stone as he made his way down the hidden staircase to the Great Hall, his pace quickening with every step.
Finn and Lilly followed behind him as fast as they could, but it did not matter. Nothing mattered. By the time he reached the Great Hall, he was already running.
His heart pounded as he hurried toward the receiving chamber with just one person on his mind—Marian.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Lachlan did not bother to wait for anyone. He shoved the door open, the hardwood nearly splintering under the sheer force of his push.
His breath was hard and uneven, his chest rising and falling with barely leashed fury.
The receiving chamber was a sight to behold.
Right in the center of the room, a chair lay overturned. One of its legs was broken off, with jagged wood jutting outward and pointing in his direction.
A small table stood at an unnatural angle, with nothing on its surface but a small, abandoned leather case that hung open at its very edge. Lachlan’s jaw tightened as he moved toward it, emptying its contents on the table with a clatter. A pair of gloves, pliers, and a couple of small knives that looked as though they had not yet been used.
He hasnae harmed her yet.
The knot in his chest loosened slightly… until he turned toward the wall and caught a stain that made his heart stop.
Blood.
Bright, fresh blood, glistening in the fading evening light.
It streaked along the stone wall in a violent smear, as though someone had struck it with enough force to split their skin.
As though Marian?—
A muscle ticked in his jaw as he moved closer to examine the scene. There were more drops of blood scattered across the floor below, leading suspiciously to a clean stretch of floor that looked as though someone had been dragged across it.
Lachlan gritted his teeth as he bent to pick up a short piece of twine from the floor, stained with blood.
His stomach turned.
He had witnessed countless battlefields. He had seen men torn apart under the force of steel and fury and had even gotten his hands dirty many times before.
But this was different.
This washerblood.
TheSassenachwho had arrived in his Great Hall merely weeks ago and changed everything. The English lady who had learned a few Gaelic words in secret just so she could stand and speak for herself where it mattered. The lass who had kissed him just this afternoon, like she was drowning and he was air.
She was gone.
And this time, it was his fault. Because he’d left her alone with that bastard.
His hand clenched into a fist, his nails biting into his palm as the rough material of the twine scratched his skin. Something dark and dangerous rose within him, his eyes dimming slightly.
“Mairi.” Her name was barely a breath as it left his lips.
His gaze swept over the room again, desperate for any sign that could lead him to her.
Behind him, Finn stepped into the room with Lilly close by his side.
