Chapter 14

"What happened? I heard?—"

Before Kian could finish his sentence, he took in the scene before him: Macauley carrying Cathleen to one of the beds at the far end of the room, she unconscious in his arms, blood coating the ground near the door. Macauley placed Cathleen gingerly on the mattress and turned to look at Kian with Deirdre next to him, the two of them standing there in shock, completely still.

It took several moments for Deirdre to rush in and sit by Cathleen's side, careful hands tilting her head to examine the wound. "Where is Bonnie?" she asked. "She'll ken what tae dae."

"I dinnae ken," Macauley said. "I havenae seen her."

Without Bonnie there, he could only hope that Deirdre could do something to help Cathleen, but she seemed just as lost as he and Kian were. Still, she didn't give up. Standing from the bed, she looked around for clean cloth and a bucket of water, placing it over what little was left of a dying fire to warm it.

"Stoke the flames," she said, as she sat by Cathleen's side once more. "It doesnae seem like a deep wound, thankfully. But head wounds bleed more than any other. Who did this?"

"There was a man," Macauley said, standing still in the middle of the room even after Deirdre's command. It was Kian who jumped into action instead, tossing some wood in the fire and reigniting the flames. "I dinnae ken who he was. He wore a hooded cloak but what little I saw o' him didnae seem familiar at all."

"One o' the men we found?" asked Kian.

"I believe so," said Macauley. "Who else could it be?"

He knew Kian was wondering the same thing as he was, even if he wouldn't ask it out loud. What did they want with Cathleen? Who were they? How had they managed to slip into the castle undetected?

Everyone in Castle Drummond had been lulled into a false sense of security, it seemed. Having no enemies for so long had softened them, making them think that their allegiances and their reputation would discourage anyone from attacking, but they had been wrong. Perhaps they were more vulnerable than ever, due to their own complacency.

As Deirdre waited for the water to warm up, she stood and began to look through the room, something that Macauley didn't question, despite finding it strange. He only took her place by Cathleen's bed, reaching for her hand and holding it tightly in his, praying that she would soon wake up from this.

"Ye must ask her who it was," Kian said as he paced up and down the room. "We must find out an' go after him. What if he returns? What if there are more o' them?"

"There must be," Macauley said. Behind Kian, Deirdre was looking at a piece of paper that was on the table, holding it in her hand as she read it, but Macauley didn't think much of it. He was more concerned about an imminent attack. "We must… we must prepare the men. I have tae?—"

"I'll dae it," Kian said. "Stay with Cathleen."

Grateful, Macauley nodded. As much as he wanted to make sure the castle was safe from any attacks, he couldn't leave Cathleen's side. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her while he was gone. He would never forgive himself for not saving her.

"It's better if we're nae all here when she wakes," Deirdre said, following Kian as he made for the door. "We shouldnae overwhelm her. I'll have a guard stand outside the door, Macauley. If ye need me, he'll come fetch me."

Macauley nodded once more, words failing him already. He was glad Kian and Deirdre had taken over the decision-making process, telling him what to do, because he couldn't think of anything else but Cathleen. He was usually a rational man, always quick to come up with a plan and eager to find solutions to any problem, but this time, his mind refused to cooperate with him. The only thing in it was the fear, consuming him from the inside and making any action impossible.

When Kian and Deirdre left the room, Macauley began to whisper to Cathleen, begging her to wake up. He knew the longer she remained unconscious, the greater the risk was, but he didn't know what to do to rouse her, so he tried to be patient and wait. When his pleas to her didn't work, he began to plead to God instead, praying that she wouldn't perish like that.

It wasn't long before Cathleen stirred, though, her brows pinched together as her eyes fluttered open. She winced in pain, her hand coming up to examine her head, coating her fingers in partially dried blood. When she looked at them, her frown deepened, confusion settling heavy over her.

"What happened?" she asked. "Did I fall?"

Before Cathleen could say anything else, Macauley pulled her in his arms, holding her tightly against his chest. The corners of his eyes prickled with tears and he cleared his throat, trying to keep his emotions under control.

She's alright. She's fine, naething happened tae her.

He kept repeating those words to himself, as if her wakefulness was not enough proof that she was alive. The fear of losing her was still fresh in his mind, his blood turning to ice in his veins at the mere thought.

"Ye're awake… ye're awake, mo ghraidh," Macauley said softly, pulling back just enough to look at Cathleen. He cupped her cheeks with his hands, trying to be as gentle as he could so as to not hurt her even more. "Dae ye remember what happened?"

"N—" Cathleen started to say, but she never finished the word. Instead, her eyes widened in fear and second later, tears dripped unbridled down her face. "He took her. He took Bonnie."

As she spoke, Cathleen began to tremble uncontrollably in his arms, plunged in the depths of a terror Macauley could only partially understand. "Who did?" he asked, his mind filled with all sorts of terrible scenarios. Could it be that Bonnie was dead? Macauley hoped that wasn't the case, but without knowing who that man was, there was no way for him to know if she was still alive or how to get her back.

When Cathleen didn't respond, Macauley forced her to look at him, though it hardly helped. Her gaze kept flitting about the room as if she was searching for any sign that Bonnie was still there.

"Cathleen, ye must listen tae me," Macauley said firmly. "Who was that man? Who took Bonnie? If ye can tell me, we'll find her, I promise ye."

But Cathleen couldn't utter a single word. It was impossible to calm her, no matter what Macauley tried to say to her. She only sat there in his arms, shaking like a leaf in the breeze.

With a sigh, Macauley tried to pull himself away just long enough to call the guard and tell him to notify Deirdre, but he didn't get too far before Cathleen stopped him, grabbing his arm tightly. She made no sound other than a pained whine, but it was enough for Macauley to sit back down and then lie next to her as she tugged him closer and closer.

It was only then that she seemed to calm down a little, though the tears continued to stream from her eyes with seemingly no end in sight. If that was what she needed from him, though, then Macauley would stay there for as long as she wanted, holding her tightly. Kian would already be working to find that man and his accomplices, after all, and Macauley could trust him to find Bonnie and bring her back safe and sound. There was no better man for the job. In his state, Macauley doubted he could even be of much help.

The two of them laid there in silence and soon Cathleen's breath evened out, sleep finally taking her. It was better for her to rest, Macauley thought, to give her body and her mind a chance to recover from the ordeal. Perhaps she would be better the following morning and she would be able to identify the man who had attacked her.

For a while, Macauley stayed awake, watching over Cathleen. He tracked her soft breathing, the rise and fall of her chest, the slight movement of her eyes under her closed lids. Eventually, his own lids felt heavy, dragged down by the exhaustion and the heightened emotions of the day, and so he, too, fell asleep, his arms never once loosening around her.

* * *

Wakefulness came slowly to Cathleen after a long, dreamless sleep. Pain radiated from a spot on the back of her head, sharp and insistent, making it difficult to open her eyes fully and look around the room. Still, she soon realized she was not in her own bed but rather in one of the beds they had in the main room for patients. She also realized she was not alone. There was a large shape behind her, warm and familiar and soothing.

As soothing as it could be, at least, given the circumstances.

The memories of the previous day came back to her in a rush and her stomach lurched as she thought about her sister, acid rushing to the back of her throat. Faolan had taken her and there was nothing Cathleen could do other than betray the people she had already come to love.

She had been so eager to tell them all the truth, but she couldn't do that anymore. As painful as it would be to keep lying to the Drummonds, to Macauley, she would do it if it meant saving Bonnie from a life of being married to a monster.

I will lose him once he finds out the truth. He will never wish tae even look at me again.

Even so, Cathleen would have her sister and that was all that mattered to her. It was the only family she had left.

When she felt the mattress dip, Cathleen rolled to her side to look at Macauley. He, too, looked as though he had only just woken up, sleep still clouding his gaze, but he quickly leaned in for a soft kiss, his hand laying gently on her cheek.

"Are ye alright, mo ghraidh?" he asked. "Ye gave us all a fright yesterday."

"I'm as well as I can be, considerin'," Cathleen said. "Me head hurts but I'll be fine."

Faolan had made sure of it. No matter how much her head hurt, he had struck her just enough to stun rather than harm her. He needed her for his plan, after all, as there was no one else for him to rely on. Without Cathleen, he would never manage to get what he wanted.

"Dae ye remember now?" Macauley asked. "Can ye tell me who it was?"

Cathleen shook her head, the lie coming easy to her. "I dinnae ken. But I ken he has Bonnie."

"I've already sent word tae Kian," said Macauley. "He is lookin' fer them both. I promise ye, Cathleen, we'll find Bonnie."

Cathleen nodded, burying her face in Macauley's chest to hide the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She doubted Kian and his men would manage to figure out who had taken Bonnie, though. No one would suspect Faolan. They had no reason to.

Just as she moved closer, though, she noticed the stains on Macauley's shirt. In her panic, she had failed to see that he had been injured, her mind too focused on her sister and the betrayal she was about to commit. But now it was clear to her the blood on Macauley's shirt didn't belong to Faolan but to him, and she pulled back, a stern look on her face.

"Why didnae ye tell me ye're injured?" she asked, shooting up off the bed to gather some cloth and salves. "Ye spent all night bleedin' like this?"

"It wasnae bleedin'," Macauley assured her, though it was clearly a lie. His shirt was coated in blood and when Cathleen approached the bed once more, she began to tug at it insistently, trying to remove it, much to Macauley's amusement. "If ye wished tae have me nude, lass, ye only had tae ask."

Despite everything, Cathleen couldn't help but smile at that. These were her last moments with Macauley—one of her last chances to be with him, to feel him close, to try and etch everything about him in her memory. Soon, his affections for her would turn into hatred.

Would it be a terrible thing if I had him one last time?

Cathleen went through all the facts she knew: her sister was physically safe, as Faolan wouldn't risk hurting her, and soon, they would be reunited. Macauley wanted her and she wanted him, too. A few more shared moments between them couldn't possibly make him hate her any more than he already would. If anything, they would help Cathleen stop thinking for just a little while, the pleasure banishing everything else from her mind.

Just one more time. He can be mine just fer today.

First, she made him sit on the edge of the bed and carefully cleaned the wound over his chest. Macauley was right; it had long stopped bleeding and it was hardly deep enough to cause concern, so Cathleen was done quickly with her work. Then, she tossed the cloth to the stone floor and straddled him, his arms immediately circling her waist as she settled in his lap.

"Make love tae me," she whispered, her own arms wrapping around his neck. "Please, I need ye."

For a moment, Macauley gazed at her as if he was looking for something in her expression, perhaps an indication that she truly wanted this. But he would find no hesitation in her, Cathleen knew. If this was the last time, they could be together, then she wanted to enjoy it to the fullest.

Nodding slowly, Macauley leaned closer and captured her lips into a gentle kiss, one that soon turned passionate, his tongue licking across them until she parted them, allowing it to slip inside.

It was just what she needed for that unbearable ache in her chest to disappear.