Chapter 31

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

A va pushed hard into Laird Grant’s chest. In the shock of her father’s entry, he released her, allowing her to back up fast. She kept on walking backward, not knowing where she was going when she felt a pair of hands catch her.

“Shh,” the sound was ordered in her ear.

She looked up to see it was Laird Domhnall. He had crept in through the vestry entrance and he was not alone. Behind him, there were five other MacLeod soldiers.

Peters stood in the way of Finley, intending to defend his master.

“Out of the way, boy,” Finley declared. “I have come tae kill him. Ye apologize fer what ye have done, and ye will get away from this church with yer life.”

Yet Peters had made his decision. He stepped forward.

“Now!” Finley ordered.

At once, there was uproar.

Ava was pushed to the side, thrown out of harm’s way by Laird Domhnall as they all jumped into the fray.

Finley and two other soldiers approached Peters as a third moved straight to Kai, cutting his hands free and giving him a sword.

Laird Domhnall and his men moved to the others, battling with the guards as they tried to reach Laird Grant. The priest backed away, falling over the altar in his haste to escape.

“Ye think ye could get away with this!” Finley roared, stepping around the battling guards and where Kai was now bearing down over Peters, winning their fight. “Ye think ye could take me daughter, bind her tae ye with force, without any comeuppance?”

He ran forward, heading straight for Laird Grant.

Ava sprinted forward away from the wall. She had to help. She waved a hand at Laird Domhnall, insisting her give her a weapon.

“Step back,” he insisted, pushing her out of harm’s way.

“Ye are nae the only ones who can fight in this church. Now give me a weapon!” she demanded.

He kept his sword but passed her a basilard, just in time. One of the guards struck out at Laird Domhnall and she blocked it from hitting him.

“Yer pretty looks were nearly lost,” she murmured.

He laughed then pushed her under his arm and behind his back.

“Kai will kill me if anything happens tae ye now,” he urged, making her back up as she strained to look around him, keeping her father and Laird Grant in sight.

Laird Grant approached her father fast. He was younger, stronger and taller. Surely there would be little contest in a fight between them?

Terrified, Ava could only watch, her body frozen in fear as they lunged toward one another.

It would have been easy to think they weren’t fighting with heavy broadswords but light foils from how quickly they moved them, cutting the air fast. Repeatedly, they came within a hair’s breadth of cutting one another. Laird Grant blocked a blow to his chest, as Finley avoided a strike to his face.

Across the church, Kai now had Peters in a strangle hold, the sword blade in front of Peters eyes. Peters dropped his own weapon, surrendering, allowing Kai to shove him down so two other soldiers could run forward to tie Peters’ hands together.

“Nay,” Laird Domhnall whispered hoarsely, just as he failed to see a blow coming from the opponent in front of them. Seeing his attention was elsewhere, Ava blocked the strike with the basilard, protecting them both and kicking the man in the stomach, winding him.

She flicked her head around, wondering what had distracted Laird Domhnall, when she heard her father cry out.

Laird Grant had knocked the sword from her father’s grasp. It rolled away, landing somewhere between the pews, just as Laird Grant advanced forward, his blade outstretched. Frantically, Finley reached behind him. He dragged a pew between them, making Laird Grant stumble, giving him just a few seconds’ advantage.

“MacKinnon!” Kai barked, throwing something through the air. It was a sword. It landed on the ground by her father’s feet. He raced to pick it up and whirled around, just as Laird Grant raised his own blade with gritted teeth, about to deliver a fatal strike.

Finley acted first. He drove the sword into the middle of Laird Grant’s chest.

A horrid gasp escaped Ava’s mouth, one full of relief as she saw Laird Grant quaver.

His own sword shook, then fell, dropping from over his head onto the floor. Finley withdrew his blade, watching as blood poured from the wound.

Ava looked away, unable to bear the sight. Battle was one thing to bear with, but she never took pleasure in bloodshed or death.

It’s a necessity though, she told herself. Fer us tae survive.

She heard Laird Grant’s final cries of pain, though she did not look at him. She heard the thud as he landed on his knees.

“It’s over, Ava,” Laird Domhnall said assuredly nearby. “It’s over.” He took the shoulder of their opponent who had given up, having seen his master defeated. The guards who hadn’t yet given out in battle now did, the man they were fighting for gone.

Ava walked across the church where both her father and Kai stood at the far end.

She ran to her father first, who staggered away from the lanky body that was now on the floor between the pews. He dropped his weapon and embraced Ava as she flung herself at him.

“Thank ye,” she whispered in his ear. “Ye came.”

“Yer sister couldnae sleep. She saw from a window as ye and Kai were taken. She raised the alarm. Me men and I went straight tae Laird Domhnall and together, we approached the castle.” Finley released her. “Are ye all right? Are ye hurt?”

“Bruised, but fine.” She rubbed the back of her head. It was still sore from where she had been struck the night before. “He…” She didn’t have the words to tell her father that there had been a rushed ceremony, that the priest had indeed announced them husband and wife. “He…”

“It wasnae legal,” Finley said with finality. “Whatever was said in this church wasnae legal without yer vow. Neither does it matter now.” He nodded down at Laird Grant’s body, but she still refused to look at it.

It would almost feel like a victory for Laird Grant if she looked at him now. She didn’t want him to have a hold over her ever again.

“Thank ye,” she whispered once more as Finley took her shoulder.

“Dinnae thank me. I am the one who should be apologizing. Ava, if I had had any idea he was this sort of man, that he would dae this –”

“None of us kenned. Dinnae be sorry. There was nay way we could have kenned.”

He nodded slowly, but it was plainly not enough to relieve all the guilt he felt. It was there on his face, painted in the heavy lines of his expression.

They looked around the church. Laird Domhnall was now giving his orders to the MacLeod and MacKinnon soldiers, ordering a cleanup. One of the soldiers was talking to the priest, who was shaking his head and gushingly revealing what an awful thing had happened in that church.

“Bloodshed, in the house of God.” He shook his head. “That man, he brought it on us all!” He thrust a finger down at Laird Grant.

Finley stepped aside, so that another fell into Ava’s view.

Kai stood a short distance away. He was breathing heavily, the blood from his own earlier head wound now dried against his temple and cheek.

“Ye took that trying tae save me daughter?” Finley asked, pointing at the wound.

“Aye.” Kai nodded then winced, still in pain because of it.

Ava walked around her father and headed straight to him, the better to examine his wound. He brushed off her concern though and embraced her tightly.

Overawed to be back in Kai’s arm again, she held him tight. The possibility of letting him go was ridiculous to her now. She couldn’t contemplate it, not when seconds before she had been certain that he would be lost for good.

She feared that Kai had been right when he talked about death. At the end of the ceremony, Laird Grant would have probably turned and killed Kai then.

“Prepared tae die fer me daughter, Kai?”

“Always,” Kai said softly, his head buried in her shoulder as she cradled herself into his chest.

“Then I cannae object tae yer courtship, can I?” The words were so sudden, they both looked up sharply, turning to face him with their hands upon one another. Slowly, Finley stepped toward them. “After I left ye two last night, I went tae see Lyla. She doesnae often give me her opinion, but she most definitely did last night.”

Ava smiled, wondering if Lyla had revealed the same fiery spirit she had shown Ava that day in front of the fire.

“She made me see clearly that I had become fixated on one outcome, convinced that that was the only way to save her and see ye both happy. She was right.” Finley smiled rather sadly at Ava. “When ye two were young, it felt like I could make the woes of the world go away by being there fer ye, telling ye what tae dae, but those days are long past. Ye make yer own choices now.” He smiled fully as he looked at Kai. “Keep her safe, Kai.”

“Ye have me word, me laird.”

Finley nodded then turned away, walking toward Laird Domhnall, who was still talking to the other soldiers.

Left alone for a minute, Ava embraced Kai once again.

“It’s over,” he whispered in her ear. “It’s all over now, Ava. We can be married.”

“Oh, Kai.” She held tightly onto his shoulders, turning to examine his head wound again. “None of this was supposed tae happen. Ye were never supposed tae get hurt.”

“Me? Ye were just bound in marriage tae a man ye hated, and ye’re worried about me?”

“I’m always worrying about ye.”

“Aye, aye, as I worry about ye. I cannae tell ye how much ye have been worrying me since the day ye found me in that inn and asked me tae give ye lessons.”

“That feels like a long time ago,” she murmured in thought. If she had known then what a path they would be led down, how asking for seduction lessons would make her fall in love with Kai, she would have probably turned up at that inn much sooner.

“I did well though, didnae I?” Kai said, taking her hand in his and escorting her gently out of the church.

“Well? Look at ye! Ye’re covered in blood and I dinnae recognize meself.” She threw off the ring that Laird Grant had forced on her finger, then took the coif and hood off too, leaving them on the church steps as they left.

“I mean I did well with me seduction lessons,” he whispered, trying to lighten the mood. “Ye have utterly and completely seduced me, Ava.”

“Ha! That is the best thing tae come from this awful affair.”

“Ye in me arms, Ava. That is the best thing tae come of it.” Gently, ever so softly, plainly sensing there had been enough rough touches and grabs that day, he turned her hand over and kissed the inside of her palm.

This is why I love him so much.