Page 24 of Laird of Wrath

“Attack?” Sienna gasped, all the color draining from her face. “What do ye mean? How can ye speak of attacks when we have so few men?”

“It’s the only way, Sienna,” Callum insisted. “I willnae sit back and watch as that bastard attacks us again and again, weakenin’ us until there is nothin' left for us to do.”

“But Callum, how is this even possible?” Sienna asked. Then, her expression shifted into determination. “I will do it. If it saves us all, I will wed him.”

“Ye will do nay such thing,” Callum scoffed.

“It’s the best choice,” Sienna insisted. “He will get what he wants, and he willnae have a reason to attack us anymore.”

“What he wants, Sienna, is this clan,” Callum reminded her. “Do ye think he will stop if he weds ye? He willnae stop until I’m dead. The lairdship is all he’s interested in, and I willnae allow him to have it simply because he thinks we are weak and he has a chance. I’d rather die fightin’ for this clan than die at the hands of a coward who will kill me with deceit.”

Sienna considered that for a while. Then, she simply nodded.

What else was there for her to do? Surely, she must know this was the only option they had.

“I trust ye, Callum,” she said, reaching over to grab his hand. He wrapped his rough, scarred palm around her hand, squeezing it tightly. “I daenae want ye to leave. I daenae want ye to go to another war, but I trust that ye ken what’s best for us, for the clan. If ye say ye must fight, then ye must fight.”

Callum nodded, trying to swallow past the lump in his throat. “I will come back as soon as I can,” he promised. He wanted this fight to be quick and dirty, to finish it before Laird Barclay and his forces could overwhelm his own. “All I ask of ye is this: take care of Rhea.”

“Of course,” Sienna agreed without hesitation. “Of course, Callum. I’ll take care of her, I promise.”

Callum thought it was quite ironic how he had asked Rhea to take care of Sienna when he had left for war the first time, and yet now he was asking Sienna to take care of her.

They would take care of each other, he knew, just like they had the first time, but now he felt the need to ask this of his sister, to make sure that Rhea would be well while he was gone.

He was a terrible husband, leaving twice in such a short time. He had spent more time at war than he had with his wife, and nowhe was about to abandon her again, just as he had promised her that they would get to know each other better.

He was putting the clan before her. He was putting his duty to his people before anything else, and though he didn’t like it, he didn’t have any choice.

I only hope she can forgive me.

8

“There is so much to do,” Rhea said, not for the first time that week. With Callum back and with summer around the corner, her hands were always full with things to do. “We must throw a feast for his return. We must remind people that their Laird is back.”

Not only his people, but also his enemies. Everyone had to know that Callum was back and that he was once again leading his clan from his ancestral seat.

There had been many opportunists in the past few months, with Laird Barclay as the most prominent one. Word would spread, of course. It always did. But they didn’t only have to remind people that Callum was back; they also had to show them that Clan McMahon was still strong.

No coin would be spared. They couldn’t afford many lavish things, but they could afford showing any kind of weakness even less. They could be a little more relaxed with their spending if it meant that people would view them as powerful once more.

After all, Callum had defeated Clan Sutherland with nothing but the men who were loyal to him. He hadn’t needed gold. He hadn’t needed mercenaries. He had won the war through raw strength and loyalty alone.

At the other side of the plush couch, Sienna sighed. The drawing room was bright at that time of day, the sun high up in the sky, its golden rays warming the room, though the roaring fire was still much needed. That morning, everything about her seemed morose, from the dark gown she wore to the dark cloud that was following her around the castle.

“And we must prepare for theLughnasadh,” Rhea added. “We only have a few weeks left, and it will be chaos before that. Two feasts in three months is simply too much work.”

Sienna sighed again, the sound long and heavy, as if her shoulders were carrying all the weight in the world.

Rhea didn’t want to pry. She knew that Sienna would tell her what was wrong once she was ready. But she had been listening to those sighs since breakfast, and she didn’t know what else to do other than ask.

“What’s the matter?” she queried, pushing herself upright to lean closer to Sienna. “Ye’ve been in a terrible mood all mornin’.”

Sienna looked at her, the corners of her mouth turning downwards into a frown. “I cannae tell ye, but ye’ll find out soon enough.”

“What?” Rhea sputtered, dumbfounded.

That was more than uncharacteristic for Sienna. She always shared what was on her mind with Rhea. She always told her everything, ever since the wedding. Refusing to speak about something that was clearly saddening her was almost shocking.