Page 26 of Laird of Wrath

“When we made our deal, I never thought ye’d be so eager,” he teased, his voice infuriatingly light.

That made her snap.

“What is the matter with ye?” Rhea hissed, walking up to him and glaring right up at him. “Goin’ to war? Again? Look at ye!Look how many injuries ye’ve sustained. Look at yer men. Look at yer people. How can ye choose to leave so-so easily?”

Callum’s expression shifted into one of rage, his lip curling to reveal his teeth.

“Easily?” he growled, closing the distance between them until he was towering over her. His gray eyes were like a raging storm, glaring at her, and had she not been so furious with him, she might have flinched. “Do ye think any of this is easy?”

Rhea opened her mouth and then closed it, not knowing what to say. It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered the possibility that this was a difficult choice for him. Of course it was. It had to be. He cared about his people more than anything. And yet he couldn’t see that this new war was a bad idea.

“There is nothin'' easy about this. Believe me,” he continued, turning his back to her and walking away from her.

He stopped by the hearth and leaned over the mantelpiece, his arm braced against the stone surface. The firelight illuminated his features, making them even rougher, carved by incandescence. Shadows danced over his features, turning his rage into a mask, a palpable living thing between them.

“But it’s what I must do,” he grunted. “It’s the only way to protect the clan.”

“The only way to protect the clan is by bein’ here,” Rhea argued, before she could think better of it.

Perhaps any other day, any other time, she would have shrunk away from expressing her opinion, simply because Callum had already managed to show her just how stubborn he was.

A part of her couldn’t help but think he would do whatever he thought was best anyway, without listening to anyone else. Besides, it would be odd if no one from his council had expressed their disagreement with this plan, which could only mean that he had ignored everyone’s advice and was doing what he wanted anyway.

Callum paused for a moment, frowning as if he was considering.

“Daenae fash,” he told her, his voice softer. “I’ll return victorious.”

“That’s what ye said last time, too,” she pointed out.

He turned to face her fully, a vein in his forehead jumping with each heartbeat. “And I did.”

“Aye, ye did,” she agreed. “But what was the cost?”

Callum fell silent, watching her.

Once more, Rhea felt exposed under his gaze, but this time, she did not feel as if he was undressing her, as if his lust was taking over. No, this time, she felt entirely stripped of her defenses, entirely vulnerable, as if he was looking straight into her.

“There is nay victory without sacrifice.”

“There is nay victory in death.”

Once again, Callum fell silent. Once again, he walked away from her, going to the far end of the room where the window was letting in a faint light. Rhea followed him, determined to get a straight answer out of him.

It wasn’t enough for her to know just that he might go to war. It wasn’t enough for her to know that he might have a plan. She needed to know exactly what he was planning. And she wouldn’t rest until she got an answer.

“What do ye think ye’ll achieve with another war? Why do ye think this is the best plan?”

“This is theonlyplan,” he stressed. “There is nay other option.”

“How can that be true?”

“Because, Rhea, the best way to deal with a threat is to cut off its head,” he said through gritted teeth, his fingers curling around the edge of the windowsill as if he was barely restraining himself.

Perhaps Rhea should have been scared of him then. He was obviously at the very end of his tether, and she didn’t want to see him lose it.

But she wasn’t afraid of him. Callum was many things, some of which she knew and some she didn’t, but he would never hurt her. He was angry, but she was confident she could still get to him.

Besides, she was angry, too.