Page 73 of The Laird who Craved her

"They havenae," Finn interrupted him smoothly.

The absolute, chilling certainty in Finn's voice stopped his lieutenant from arguing further. "How can ye know that?" Douglas asked, genuinely confused.

Finn forcefully fastened the final leather strap across his broad chest, his green eyes burning with a dark intelligence. "Because they wanted me to know," Finn explained softly, his terrifying words hanging heavy in the stillness of the armory. "They intentionally waited until she was completely beyond me protection so they could draw me out."

Finn turned and looked out toward the open doorway, staring out at the very road Claire had traveled down only hours before. This abduction had never been a simple matter of ransom, nor had it been a random crime of opportunity; someone had meticulously planned this ambush, and someone had known exactly where she would be.

She truly believed I sent her somewhere safe, and I failed her.

His chest filled with a suffocating guilt.

"They have taken a woman who was placed under me personal protection," Finn announced.

Not a single man moved or breathed as the weight of his words settled over them.

"These cowards believe that distance will somehow save them from me wrath," Finn continued, slowly drawing his massive broadsword from its scabbard. The flawless steel caught the last, bloody light of the dying sun as he held it aloft. "They are completely wrong."

His fierce green eyes turned purposefully toward the south, locking onto the muddy road that led straight toward Claire. His voice dropped into a low, lethal promise, quiet enough that every warrior in the yard had to lean forward and strain to hear it.

"They are about to learn exactly why this glen calls me the Devil of the North."

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

The carriage rolled steadily along the winding Highland road, the rhythmic clatter of its heavy wooden wheels almost soothing against the quiet murmur of the surrounding forest.

Claire kept her eyes fixed firmly on the small window.

Rosewood Castle had long since disappeared behind the rolling hills, yet she could still picture it with agonizing clarity. She saw the towering stone walls, the muddy training yard, the dusty library, and Finn. She pressed her lips tightly together, fighting the sudden burn in her eyes.

Dinnae cry,she ordered herself fiercely.

The farewell in the courtyard had been difficult enough, and if she allowed herself to dwell on the devastating way he had looked at her, or the way his rough voice had cracked when hehad asked her to send word, her fragile composure would shatter completely.

"Ye are thinking about him again," Molly observed gently from across the dim cabin.

Claire looked up, managing a weak, apologetic smile. "Am I that obvious?"

"Lass, ye have stared out that same window for near an hour, and ye havenae seen a single tree," Molly pointed out with a knowing look.

Despite the heavy weight in her chest, Claire laughed softly. "I suppose I havenae."

"There now," Molly smiled warmly, reaching over to pat Claire's knee. "That is better. Ye have looked as though the world is ending ever since we left the gates."

"It feels a little as though it has," Claire admitted, her smile fading.

Molly's expression softened with deep pity. "He sent ye away because he wanted ye safe."

"I ken," Claire sighed. "I ken exactly why he did it."

"But?" Molly prompted.

"But understanding something doesnae make it hurt any less," Claire confessed.

A comfortable silence settled between them, filled only by the distant calls of birds deep within the pines and the muffled thud of the horses' hooves against the damp earth. Claire rested her head lightly against the wooden wall of the carriage, letting her eyes drift shut.

"I should have kissed him," she whispered into the quiet.

Molly blinked in surprise. "Me lady?"