“He’s heading for the village.” Lachlan’s tone conveyed confidence in his assessment. “We’ll struggle to find him once he leaves the forest.”
“I’m slowing you down. Go on ahead.”
Lachlan gripped her hand. “I’ll not leave you.”
As soon as they left the forest to follow the path that bordered Samuel Ramsey’s field they realised their assailant had vanished. Like a ghostly apparition, he had simply disappeared into the night. Isla noticed a sudden flurry of activity to her right. Numerous lights sparked in the blackness, the glowing amber lanterns swinging back and forth like the fiery eyes of a pack of wild dogs searching for their prey.
She heard shouts and loud jeers. “There she is. She’d see us all starve.”
“Bloody hell.” Lachlan stiffened at her side, the curse bursting from his lips in a breath of white mist against the cold night air. “We need to leave. We need to leave now. There’ll be no talking sense to them tonight.” With a firm grip of her hand, they backed away slowly. “As soon as we reach the forest we need to run.”
“Can we not try and talk to them?” Her heart thumped erratically in her chest. She did not have the strength to run anymore. “Surely they know I have nothing to do with the death of their livestock.”
“They will not listen, not when they think they have caught you in the act. I suspect the only thing preventing them from notifying the authorities is their respect for your father.” He grasped the edge of her cape and pulled it across her body for the temperature had plummeted. “I cannot protect you, not like this.”
They managed to shuffle back to the trees before the group of men in the field had time to react. As soon as they entered the forest, Lachlan put his firm hands around her waist and hauled her up over his shoulder.
She clung on to him, was forced to suppress a shriek.
“You’re too tired to run, but I can still move quickly with you like this.”
Despite the odd groan of discomfort, Isla did not protest. Lachlan held her tight against his body as he made the choice to leave the path and navigate through the trees. His quick, agile movements did not reflect the extra weight he carried. She tried to lift her head, but the speed in which he raced through the bracken made the task more difficult.
He kept the steady pace for more than a few minutes. “I can see the road up ahead,” he panted. “I’m going to set you down.”
As he eased her off his shoulder, she tried to ignore the feel of his hands on her body. He held her close until her feet were firmly on the ground, gripped her arms as she swayed. She imagined that the tiny lights darting before her eyes were a consequence of her dizziness. But she soon realised the men were still trailing behind them.
“Quick, Lachlan,” she shook her head to focus, “we must keep going.”
He took her hand once more. She should be used to the sensation by now: the faint flickers of desire that started in her palm, only to build in intensity as they rippled through her body. Even with her mind in such a frantic state, she could not help but feel overwhelmed by the power of attraction.
“We will soon be home.” His reassuring tone was all she needed to hear, and they continued on their way. “As soon as we leave the forest we will be but a few minutes from the castle.”
She glanced up at him, at his defiant gaze, his commanding jaw. His strength radiated from him like a brilliant light, dazzling her, drawing her closer. She had missed him terribly these last few years. Indeed, the feeling of hopelessness she had attributed to living with the horrifying affliction, she now knew to be a consequence of a broken heart.
Once on the road, she breathed a sigh of relief. The castle loomed large in the distance. The hulking grey shadow had ceased being a home. Now it felt more like a prison. Laughter rarely rang through the corridors as it had once done. Her harp sat alone and abandoned in a dusty corner, the heavenly strings never to be plucked again.
They were forced to stop at the iron gate leading to the bridge. Lachlan let go of her hand, his urgent fingers fumbling with the latch in a bid to gain entrance. The group of men followed closely behind, yelling for her to stay away from their homes, from their wives and children. Their words were like barbed arrows piercing her sensitive soul. Tears welled in her eyes, burning hot, stinging her skin as they trickled down her cold cheeks. She had never felt so alone, so utterly despised.
Nikolai was to blame.
She had lost everything — Lachlan’s love, her father, her humanity, everyone’s respect. Heart-wrenching pain turned to anger. She had the power and strength to stop them all dead in their tracks. If they wanted someone to fear, she had the ability to become their worst nightmare. She could bare her fangs, drain their blood.
As they hurried across the bridge, she contemplated stopping, marching towards them to hear their pathetic accusations. However, as she turned to look back over her shoulder, she saw them stop at the gate and wave their fists before striding away. Even so, she did not stop running until she entered the castle.
Slamming the large oak door shut, they pressed their backs against it and gulped numerous times to catch their breath.
“Now do you see … do you see how irrational they are?” Panic infused her tone. “If they continue to believe these lies I shall be forced to leave my home.”
“No.” Lachlan’s thunderous reply echoed through the hall. “Come the morning I will hunt every one of them
down. Before the day is out, I will make sure they never speak ill of you again.”
Chapter 6
The ominous shadow of a castle drifted into view, the medieval fortification built at a time when the feudal system dictated society’s laws and customs.
Leo yanked down the carriage window and peered outside. “I hope this is the place we’re looking for. Another hour spent cramped in here, and I’ll struggle to walk for a week.”