Page 35 of Only a Highlander Will Do

Without looking back, Fiona ignored the numbness in her limbs as she raced down the trail towards where the Fairy Cave had been. Her breath came in harsh bursts as she clung to the hair in her hand. Once at the cave, she looked around, finding a small white pebble. She kicked off her right shoe and pulled off her stocking, stuffing both the pebble and the hair into the toe. They would be safe there for now.

Her breathing was ragged as she replaced her stocking then recovered her shoe and slipped her foot back inside. Fiona looked about her in the darkness. After a beautifully clear day, the night sky had darkened with angry rainclouds, and flashes of lightning darted across the sky. Raindrops fell on her abused flesh, but instead of feeling cold, the water warmed her chilled skin and the numbness slowly faded.

What now? She hadn’t really thought about what she would do once she was out of the castle. She had expected Alex MacDonald would swoop in immediately and capture her. Judging by the silence of the woods surrounding her, perhaps that wouldn’t be the case.

She should have thought to have Seaspirit waiting for her in the woods. Because she had not, she would have to make her way to Ulster Castle on foot. Fortunately because of the exploration of the grounds Tormod had taken her on this afternoon, Fiona knew what direction to head in order to make her way back to the main road. She would follow that path to her home.

With each step, the pebble in her hose cut into her toe, reminding her of what she’d given up at Dunvegan. A feeling of emptiness grew inside her, and she forced it back, concentrating on the rhythm of her steps on the peaty forest floor beneath her.

She’d forgotten to bring a cloak or a blanket. Not even a dagger to protect herself. She’d only spent two days with Tormod, and yet she’d already forgotten what it was like to care for herself. When she’d been with him and his warriors, she’d felt safe enough to explore the beauty of the land around her. Now those same trees and shrubs, hills and valleys, seemed threatening, filled with dark shadows and unknown threats.

She’d been alone most of her life, but she had never felt as alone as she did now. There was no Tormod to wield his sword or protect her from harm. No Tormod to hold her close and warm her with his body. Nothing to stop Alex MacDonald from capturing her and using her as he wished.

Fiona stopped beneath a tree and picked up a large stick that was pointed on one end. It wasn’t really a weapon, but it was at least something she could use to protect herself if needed. Feeling slightly less frightened and alone, she continued on.

Would Tormod have noticed she was gone by now? He’d been asleep, but not deeply when she’d left him. Perhaps he had raised the alarm and was even now racing after her with his army of men, determined to find her before Alex MacDonald did. For a heartbeat Fiona thought she heard the sound of hoofbeats pounding the path behind her, heard the faint echoing of her name on the breeze. Fiona! Fiona come back!

A lump lodged in her throat. It wouldn’t matter if he came after her. Nothing would change. She would still have no choice but to give herself over to the MacDonalds.

She clutched the stick in her hands tighter and forced her feet to keep moving forward, away from Tormod and Dunvegan Castle. Two days ago neither existed for her, but those two days had given her memories she could hold on to for whatever time she had left on this earth. Right now, her goal was to protect her father and people. Once Alex captured her, and she knew they would remain safe, she could lose the stone or the hair in her stocking and go to Fairyland instead. Perhaps there she would find some sort of peace she’d never found in this life.

Tormod didn’t believe the fairies were benevolent, but in this moment she had to believe they were. For she had few other choices.

She kept walking along the path, putting one foot in front of the other with deliberateness, hoping that with every step it would get easier to leave Tormod behind.

*

“Tormod. Wake up.” The feminine voice intruded on his slumber.

Tormod.

A slow smile spread across his lips. Fiona. How could he forget where he was and with whom? He stretched, then reached for his wife. The bed was cold and empty beside him. He’d heard her voice . . .

“Tormod. Wake up!”

He sat up, about to throw back the coverlet when his thoughts focused and he saw Rowena standing beside his bed. “Rowena? What are you doing here? Where’s Fiona?”

In the golden glow of the candle she held in her hands, he saw a deep frown cut across her face. “That is why I am here. Fiona’s gone. She left the castle with Mother.”

He was about to throw his legs over the edge of the bed when he realised he was still naked. He looked to where he had discarded his and Fiona’s clothing. Hers were missing. “Mother can’t leave the castle.”

Rowena mumbled something under her breath. “I saw them from the tower on the Fairy Bridge.”

Fiona had been acting strangely since meeting her father at the Fairy Pools. He should have pressed her to talk about what the man had said. Instead, he’d once again allowed his own desires to override his instincts. Tormod slammed his hand through his hair and his thoughts darted in several directions. “What were you doing on the tower so late at night?”

“Watching the sea for Marcus as I do every night,” Rowena said, planting her hands on her hips. “Are you just going to sit there? Fiona is gone!”

Tormod swung his legs over the side of the bed, taking the coverlet with him in order to spare his sister embarrassment. He wrapped it around his lower body and rushed to his clothing before turning back to her. “Unless you’d like to see me in the raw, you’d best step outside the door.”

With pinkened cheeks, Rowena quickly left and closed the door.

Tormod shoved his feet into his breeches and tossed on his shirt before finding his boots and stockings, then stuffing his feet into them. Why had she run from him? Had he not shown her over the past two days that he would not use or abuse her as he might a trophy of war? What the hell was she thinking leaving the safety of Dunvegan and voyaging out on her own? And why had his mother helped her?

“Mother!” The roar of his voice echoed through the silence of the night. Whatever it was that remained of their mother had proven she was tethered to the castle not so many weeks ago. Had something changed? And why had she helped Fiona escape him? Tormod’s stomach fell. Why had Fiona left him?

He threw open the bedchamber door just as Alastair, Orrick, Callum, and Graeme emerged from their own. They each looked at him, then Rowena, then back to him.

“What has happened?” Alastair asked, flinging the tail of his tartan over his bare shoulder. Gwendolyn appeared a moment later beside him, fully dressed.