Chapter 16

"Isabelle," Madden breathed at the end of her tale. "I didnae ken."

"Nae one daes. If anyone kenned the truth, I would be put tae death."

Madden's brow furrowed in concern. "It was an accident. Ye didnae dae anything wrong. Ye didnae kill yer faither. His actions led tae his death, nae yers."

"Ye ken as well as I that nae everyone will see it that way. The only witness tae what transpired that night is me husband and he does nae hesitate tae use it against me."

"He is blackmailing ye."

Isabelle nodded. "Aye, he is. It didnae take long after we were married fer the abuse tae begin."

Madden pulled her into his arms and kissed her tenderly. "Ye should leave him."

Isabelle shook her head. "I cannae. He will tell Arran what happened if I dae. The only reason that I was allowed tae return home was because the Clan Sutherland is in need of money. Bain has threatened tae tell me braither the truth many times since we have arrived. If Arran does nae give him the money that he seeks, he has said he will tell everyone the truth about what happened with me parents. If he daes that, I will nae live tae see another dawn."

"Yer braither will understand. It was nae yer fault. He will see that. Ye need nae fear Arran's wrath. Had he been there, he would have done the same or worse."

"Me faither's friends will nae see it that way. Even if Arran were tae forgive me, the rest of the clan would nae."

Madden held her close. "Run away with me. I will protect ye. Nae man will ever lay a hand on ye again."

Isabelle shook her head. "I cannae run away with ye. We barely ken one another. I will nae be responsible fer ruining yer life. I am a married woman, Madden. Bain would find us and kill us both."

Madden shook his head. "I wouldnae let him."

Isabelle shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks. "Why would ye run away with me?"

"Because I have fallen in love with ye, lass, and I would dae anything tae make certain that ye were safe, cared fer, and loved all the days of yer life." Madden met her eyes with sincerity.

"Ye love me?" She whispered in question.

"Aye, lass, I dae. I love ye so much that it hurts."

"I love ye, tae, Madden," Isabelle breathed, turning her face up to him.

Smiling, he claimed her lips in a passionate kiss. Isabelle wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer to her. The feel of his muscular arms wrapped around her slender body made her feel safe and protected. Madden pulled Isabelle into his lap, wrapping her legs around his torso so that she was straddling him. He kissed his way down to her breasts, his hand slipping beneath her skirt to run his fingers through the slickness between her legs.

"Dae ye want me as much as I want ye?" he breathed against her skin.

"Aye," she whispered. "I dae." Her body longed for him with everything that she had.

Not caring that they could be seen at any moment, their minds clouded by their need for each other, Madden untied the laces of his trews unleashing his hardened member to rest between her legs. "I love ye, lass," he breathed, as he slid his full length inside of her.

Isabelle gasped in pleasure. Madden grabbed each of her buttocks in his hands, as his mouth explored her breasts. Isabelle began to move on top of him, setting a rhythm that caused a myriad of sensations to course through her body. She threw her head back, clutching him to her as she slid up and down the hardened length of him.

"Gods, woman, what have ye done tae me?" Madden groaned in pleasure, his manhood jerking in response to her movements.

Smiling, feeling powerful, she began to move up and down faster, plunging him deeper and deeper inside of her. Madden wrapped his arms around her, drawing her breasts in close to his face. Taking each nipple into his mouth, he lavished them with his tongue, then nibbled on them and sucked them. Isabelle continued to move, increasing the friction of their bodies. She rubbed her pink pearl against him as his manhood moved in and out of her. Her entire body came alive under the friction and her movements became more deliberate as the feelings inside of her grew. Closing her eyes, she focused all of her attention on the feel of him against her and inside of her, blocking out the rest of the world around them.

Her movements became more frenzied as she bounced up and down on his lap.

"Madden," she cried out his name as the sensations within her built with such an intensity that she feared she might shatter into a million pieces. "Madden!"

"Isabelle!" he cried out in return, on the edge, trying not to lose control so he could wait for her.

They moved in unison and then fell over the cliff of desire into the transcendent bliss of oblivion, together as one. She called out his mane once more as he exploded inside of her, spilling his seed. Then they sat there joined together, Isabelle still straddling Madden, gazing silently into each other's eyes. There were no words that had not already been said with their bodies.

When Isabelle was finally able to move, she pulled herself up off of his lap and stood, letting her dress fall back down around her. Madden stood as well, lacing back up his trews. They stood there for a moment, dazed, neither wishing to break the spell of what they had just shared but knowing that they had no other choice. "I love ye," he whispered, reaching up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "And I always will." He held her eyes for a moment longer, then nodded to her in reassurance.

Taking a deep breath, Isabelle turned and reentered the castle.

The moment that they stepped back into the hall, Keelin met them by the door. "Where have the two of ye been?" She demanded to know. "Bain is looking fer ye Isabelle. I lied and told him that ye were with yer braither. He is headed tae yer braither's room as we talk. If ye run up the back stairs, ye can still beat him tae Arran's bedside."

"If he discovers the truth, he will kill us all," Isabelle breathed, then took off running as fast as her legs would carry her.

"What were ye thinking, Madden?" Keelin hissed. "I can smell her on ye. Ye can be certain that Bain will be able tae smell ye on her if he gets close enough. Ye are risking both of yer lives."

"I love her," Madden admitted.

"Yer love will get ye both killed." Keelin sighed, her anger losing its intensity with his admission. She shook her head. "What are ye going tae dae?"

"I asked her tae run away with me, but she does nae believe that she can. If me suspicions are correct, she may nae have a choice."

"Suspicions?" Keelin asked, her brows raised in question.

"Bain and Athol." Madden quickly filled her in on what he had seen on the battlefield and the way that they had behaved afterwards.

"Ye suspect that they had something tae dae with the attack? I dinnae like the man, but what reason would he have tae attack his own wife's people, her own braither?"

"He came tae beg Arran fer money. Arran has nae given him what he wants."

"That does nae mean that he will nae help him."

"Aye, but dae ye see the Laird Sutherland as a man of patience?"

Keelin shook her head. "I dinnae."

"Is he a man that would settle fer less than what he came fer?"

Once again, Keelin shook her head. "He is nae."

Madden raised his brows in suggestion.

"Dae ye have proof?" Keelin asked.

Madden shook his head. "I dinnae."

"Then we need tae find proof. If what ye say is true, then more than money is at stake here. If what ye say is true, Arran, Isabelle, and anyone else who stands in his way is in danger."

Isabelle raced up the back stairs and burst into Arran's room startling Cara. "Isabelle, has there been another attack?"

"Nae," Isabelle gasped. "Bain is on his way here. If he asks, I have been here with ye fer some time."

Cara's forehead crinkled in question, but she nodded. "Aye, I will say this, but ye owe me an explanation."

"I will give it tae ye, but it must be later," she promised. Isabelle's eyes begged Cara to understand.

Cara nodded. "Aye, I can wait."

"I thank ye," Isabelle sighed in relief.

A hard knock sounded on the door. Isabelle straightened herself, leveled out her breathing, then walked over to the door to answer it. "Bain," she greeted her husband more calmly than she felt. "Arran is asleep and is nae receiving visitors at this time."

Bain grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out into the hallway. His eyes fell on the necklace around her neck. "Ye said that ye lost that."

"I was mistaken. I found it in our bedchamber."

Bain grabbed ahold of the necklace as if he were about to rip it from her neck. Without thinking, Isabelle lashed out and slapped him across the face. Bain was so surprised that he dropped the necklace and took a step back. Fury filled his eyes, and he raised his hand to strike her back, when Cara opened the door, saving Isabelle from a bloody beating.

"Arran is awake now," she announced. "He would like tae speak with ye, Isabelle."

Isabelle nodded and slipped back into the bedchamber. Cara closed the door leaving Bain standing outside in the corridor.

Madden is right. I cannae remain with Bain. If I stay, he will kill me someday. It may be slower than the death he would bring if he caught me running away, but it is a death, nevertheless.