Chapter 19

Kira certainly did not want to die. But now, with her vision growing dark and unable to pull air into her lungs, she silently began to pray. She wanted to tell Alec how much she loved him and that he should let Shaw kill her and not give the man a penny. The Mackintoshes should fight him to the last, never mind about her. But as her vision blurred, she could no longer see him, and she could not make so much as squeak because her windpipe was slowly being crushed.

So, she was mightily confused when Shaw suddenly gave a strange cough, and fat drops of hot liquid began to fall on her from above. Drip, drip, drip they fell, one after the other, with increasing speed, falling on her head and running down her face. Rain? No, it was warm… blood. Blood?!

Was Shaw’s grip around her neck loosening? Suddenly, his arms seemed to unravel from around her body as if being drawn back on wires, like a marionette’s. The hard, unmoving bastion she had been crushed against for what seemed like hours fell away, and she quickly realized with a sense of wonder that the bulk that had crashed down behind her was Shaw’s body. Disoriented, suddenly free of all constraint, she felt dizzy and almost lost her footing.

A huge hand attached to a massive arm covered with blue ink came out of nowhere, took her arm in a gentle grip, and steadied her.

“Thank ye,” she murmured, looking up at her savior. And she kept looking up, until her astonished eyes took in the enormous, frightful, blood-spattered warrior standing over her. He was not quite as tall as Alec or Bran, but the sheer breadth and bulk of his muscular body made him seem bigger.

He had the same green eyes and face shape as Alec, and every bit of bare skin except for his face was blue with a thousand different pictures covering him like a map. His hair was long, wild, and golden, worn upon his head in a knot, his fearsome visage a fine fretwork of old, silvery battle scars.

“Evander!” she heard Bran cry out, and then the two men were embracing, slapping each other on the back, both clearly ecstatic.

“Looks like we got here just in time,” Evander replied in a deep, gravelly voice that made Kira feel warm inside.

But she did not have much time to think about anything before she saw Alec in front of her and felt him wrap his arms around her tightly. He rocked her from side to side as if he would never let her go. She hugged him back equally tightly, the laughter of relief falling from her lips.

“I love ye, Alec,” she murmured into his chest.

“I love ye too. Ye were so brave,” he told her, his voice breaking with pent-up emotion.

When they pulled apart, she glanced over at Shaw’s body and noticed for the first time that his soldiers were gathering what weapons they could from their dead comrades and disappearing. It was impossible not to notice what had happened to their leader. The handle of a dagger was protruding from his back.

“He got what he deserved,” Evander observed, going over to the body. He rested his boot against Shaw’s back and used it as leverage in retrieving his dirk. He wiped the blade free of blood on Shaw’s coat before sheathing it at his waist.

Then, he turned and grinned at Alec before the pair met in a bear hug that lasted at least a minute. Kira watched, smiling, warmed by the display of brotherly affection. She noticed another young warrior, well-built and intimidating, waiting nearby.

He smiled at her, but all she could do for the moment was stare at him, amazed by his extraordinary looks. His hair was cut short, and it was so blond it was almost white, like Catreena’s. His eyes were the same icy blue as hers. It came to Kira that he must be Dunn, Catreena’s twin, the youngest of the Mackintosh boys.

His strange, boyish beauty, however, was marred by the unmissable and most intimidating thing about him: the long scar that ran at a slight diagonal across both eyes, evidence of a slashing blade that, by some miracle, had missed blinding those startling eyes. At the sight of that scar, Kira immediately felt a kinship with Dunn and smiled back at him warmly.

“Kira, I want tae introduce ye properly tae the two missing Mackintosh braithers,” Alec said, his arm around her shoulder. “This big lummox here is Evander.”

The fearsome warrior approached Kira, who felt like an elf next to him. He gave an extravagant bow and took her hand, kissing the back of her glove before straightening up and looking at her with frank curiosity. His face broke into a huge grin that Kira could not help but return. The kindness and warmth in his eyes were unmistakable.

“’Tis good tae meet ye at last, little sister,” Evander said in his deep voice. “I’m sorry we missed the weddin’. I’m sure it went off without a hitch.”

Something in his tone made her think he had heard about her trying to run away, and the joke was on Alec.

“Och, it was smooth as silk,” she told him with a cheeky smile. “I’ve nae doubt yer braither will tell ye all about it.” More seriously, she added, “Thank ye fer savin’ me. I thought I was a goner then.”

“It was me pleasure.” Evander’s eyes sparkled as he moved aside, and Dunn came forward after he had also embraced Alec.

“’Tis wonderful tae meet ye at last, Kira. I’m only sorry it took us so long tae get here,” he told her, his blue eyes piercing, but also dancing with welcoming mirth. Kira fingered her scar as they looked at each other curiously.

“I see we have something in common,” Dunn said, his fingers lightly brushing his own scar.

“Aye, so we dae,” she agreed with a nod, wondering how hard it must be for such a handsome young man to be disfigured in such a way. But she felt no pity for him. She only admired him, for the good humor that danced across his face eclipsed the repelling effects of the nasty scar.

“Come on, all of ye, let’s get back tae the castle and celebrate the return of the wanderers, eh?” Alec suggested with enthusiasm, clapping Evander and Dunn on the back while hugging Kira to his side.

“Aye, I could kill fer a pint of ale,” Evander said as they all started back towards the castle.

“I’m starvin’,” Dunn put in. “All we’ve had fer weeks are hard rations. I could eat a whole boar if ye put it in front of me.”

“Will ye be eatin’ that raw or shall we have it roasted fer ye?” Alec asked, eliciting general laughter.

When they came to the bodies of the slain, the brave defenders of the castle walked in respectful silence. Kira saw the other soldiers begin clearing up the aftermath of the battle, some carrying the injured to the healer, some carrying away their fallen comrades who would never return.

When they got back to the castle, Kira witnessed touching scenes that almost brought tears to her eyes as Catreena and Ilyssa were reunited with Evander and Dunn. The strong bond between them all was something she now felt a part of, but she was unprepared for what happened next.

“I’ve waited until now that we’re all together, tae dae somethin’ very important,” Alec suddenly announced, silencing everyone.

Kira looked at him, mystified. He looked down at her and smiled into her eyes.

“Kira, the last time we fought, I won?—”

“Ye cheated.”

The others, all paying close attention, laughed.

“That’s a moot point, but never mind. The important thing is, I still have me wish tae claim.”

“Och, that again!”

“Aye, that again. I told ye I’d think about it, and I have.”

“Come on, then, what is it that ye want?” she asked rolling her eyes.

“I want… a weddin’!”

Kira did a double take. “A what? But we’re already married, Alec.”

“Aye, but that was tae stop a feud, tae seal a political alliance with our bitterest enemies, which neither of us wanted at the time. It was nae a real weddin’. I want a weddin’ tae celebrate me marryin’ the woman I love and have chosen as me wife. Kira Fraser Mackintosh, will ye marry me. Again?”

Through the joyous laughter bubbling up from inside her, Kira managed to throw her arms around him and burst out, “Aye, aye, I’ll marry ye again, Alec, fer love this time, and with all me heart!”

“And d’ye promise nae tae try tae run away this time?” he asked, causing hilarity all around. Evander and Dunn were practically crying.

“Och, all right. I promise.”

“And d’ye promise nae tae bite me again?”

She huffed and thought about it. “Aye, I promise nae tae bite ye.”