Page 90 of Laird of Wrath

Rhea.

He had not seen her at all over the past three days. He had only asked after her, tasking Hudson with making sure that she was all right and healing. Apart from that, he had avoided her, and it hadn’t been a particularly difficult task.

They were both very busy. Rhea had her own duties as the lady of the clan—visiting the wounded and talking to their families. And Callum had his own duties—restoring his forces, the clan’s finances, and their relationship with the neighboring clans.

The attack had been too swift, too sudden for them to call for help, and it had ended just as fast as it had begun, but he had to make sure that he still had allies, in case of another attack.

His neighbors were rather interested to find out that Laird Barclay had attacked him. Even if the attack had been partially motivated by resentment for sending him away, the possibility that the next leader of Clan Barclay would want to expand was not so unlikely.

Suddenly, the door flew open and banged against the wall, startling him. He instinctively reached for his blade, only to see Sienna standing at the threshold like a raging bull, her gray eyes stormy as she stared him down. Behind her, the two guards posted outside the study seemed to cower in her presence, though their curiosity had gotten the better of them, for they were peering into the room, waiting to learn the reason for her fury.

“Sister,” Callum called, motioning for her to sit across from him in the plush leather armchair before sliding his dagger back into its scabbard. “To what do I owe the… siege?”

Sienna didn’t seem amused. She slammed the door shut behind her and stomped into the room, refusing to sit. Instead, she braced her hands against the edge of the desk, leaning over it to stare him right in the eyes.

“Rhea is devastated,” she began, skipping all the niceties to get straight to the point, much to his chagrin. He could already feel a headache forming behind his eyes, the kind of throbbing pain that left him chasing relief in vain. “What have you said to her? I’ve never seen her like this before.”

“I didnae say anythin’,” Callum said rather stubbornly, petulantly.

He knew what his sister was asking about, and he knew he wasn’t going to get away with it on a technicality, but it was the last thing he needed at that moment.

He didn’t want to talk to her about Rhea. He didn’t want to talk about Rhea at all or even think about her, but she was constantly on his mind, carving a space for herself again and again, no matter how much he tried to banish her from his thoughts.

“Callum.”

“Sienna.”

His sister looked exasperated, a heavy sigh escaping her before she threw herself down into the armchair. She stared at him in silence for a long while.

He stared back. “Ye do realize that I have much more important things to do, right?”

“All I see is a man drinkin’ himself to a stupor,” Sienna scoffed.

“It’s been some long days.”

“Aye,” she said. “But if ye truly had more important things to do, ye’d be out there, nae hidin’ in here.”

“I’m nae hidin’,” Callum grumbled, his face twisting into a grimace of distaste. “Can I nae rest for a while? I havenae slept in days, Sienna.Days.”

Sienna’s expression softened a little. She stared at him again, her eyes roaming over his face as if she was searching for something. Though what that was, he didn’t know.

“I can see that,” she acknowledged. “But Rhea is important. Yer marriage is important. I daenae understand how ye cannae see this.”

“Who said I cannae?”

Sienna tapped her fingers on the armrest, the rhythm almost hypnotic. For the first time that day, Callum realized just how worn out he was, just how much his exhaustion affected him.

“Then why are ye in here?” she asked. “Why are ye nae with her?”

Callum let out a weary sigh, reaching up a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off the oncoming headache. It didn’t work. His temples were already throbbing, and the whisky did nothing to alleviate it.

“I daenae have to discuss this with ye.”

“Och aye?” Sienna asked, a mocking laugh escaping her.

Callum glared at her in a half-hearted attempt to intimidate her into silence, but of course, it didn’t work.

“Ye daenae owe anyone anythin’, is that what ye think? Ye think that because ye fight for this clan, because ye win all these battles and wars, that’s enough for the people who love ye? We’re all grateful, Callum, trust me. We’re all so grateful to ye for keepin’ us safe, but this isnae what yer wife needs from ye right now.”