Chapter 26

26

"Skye!"

Once outside, Skye had taken off, running ahead as she dropped Lana's hand.

"I like the brown one," she said, turning to Lana as she stood on the bottom rung of the stall door. She leaned over the top, trying to get as close to the animals as she could.

"Ye cannae run away like that!" Lana chided, finally catching up to her. "It could be dangerous."

She heard panic in her voice and saw Skye's surprised look at her harsh words. Lana had never raised her voice to the child before, and she felt a stab of guilt when the girl's face fell.

She took a deep breath and stepped closer to her. "It's alright," she said softly. "Now show me which one ye like."

She put a hand between Skye's shoulder blades, rubbing gently.

Skye smiled and turned back to the animals. The mother cow was suspiciously eyeing them, wondering if a little girl was about to tumble into the hay beside her babies.

"The fluffy one," Skye clarified.

One of the babies had long hair that blocked his eyes, his ears sticking out at right angles.

"I like that one too," Lana agreed, her heart still pounding in her chest.

As Skye began to babble away about the baby cows and their personalities, Lana's thoughts drifted to Daniel. What would he have said if Skye ran off again? Lana could imagine his scowling, panicked face looking down at her with disappointment.

"They're so cute!" Skye cried, drawing Lana's attention back to the cows.

A deep, slurry voice spoke from the shadows, "Ye're right, lass. Very cute, indeed."

"He is home," Seamus said. He nodded at the guard who had just appeared in the doorway, thanking him for his message. He walked back to the table and took his place with the other council members.

"MacDougal?" Angus asked.

Seamus gave a single nod. "Our men followed MacDougal's entourage from the moment they left the wedding. They've traveled straight home, barely stopping to rest. If they continued on their path, they should be back in MacDougal lands by now."

"And ye're sure?" Cameron pressed. He glanced at Daniel, who had been uncharacteristically quiet for the last half hour.

Daniel watched Seamus cautiously, tentatively hopeful that Laird MacDougal was no longer a threat.

"Of course, there is some delay," Seamus said. "The messenger set out this morning. But they heard the men speaking of going back home. There was nay talk of staying in our land."

"So, nay talk of kidnappings?" Angus asked.

Daniel detected the mocking tone in the man's voice. He had a feeling Angus thought he was overreacting to the threat of Laird MacDougal.

"That doesnae mean we should let down our defenses," Daniel reasoned, feeling the need to push back against Angus and his dismissive nature.

"The man ye are worried about is gone," Angus said. "Perhaps we can at least send the villagers home to their families? We daenae need to be prepared for war."

"This is good news," Cameron interjected before Daniel could snap at Angus. "Lana and Skye are safe. And in a few days, ye will visit MacDougal and show him that ye want his friendship. Ye can mend what is broken."

The council seemed satisfied. Daniel heard Seamus call for a guard so they could tell the extra soldiers to stand down. They no longer needed the additional force Daniel had set up around the castle.

But as his councilmen moved forward, Daniel couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in his belly. They all stood up, ready to end the lengthy meeting.

Cameron crossed to him to clap him on the back. "Dinnae look so serious." He laughed. "All is well."

"Aye," Daniel muttered. "But I cannae shake the feeling that something is wrong."

"That's because it is." Cameron laughed. "But it isnae with our clan. Now that matters of state are settled, it is time for ye to mend things with yer wife."

Daniel scowled at Cameron, but his brother pressed on.

"She is special, Daniel. Daenae let yer past get in the way of yer happiness."

"Who are ye?" Skye asked as the man emerged from the shadows.

Lana pulled the child to her side as she watched Laird Cullen step toward them.

"I hear ye had a wedding," he slurred, the cadence of his voice rising and falling in a sing-song manner.

Lana watched the man step toward them and noticed how unsteady he seemed on his feet. Though she was no expert in the subject, she had to assume he was drunk.

"Aye," she said carefully, trying to speak confidently so she wouldn't scare Skye. "I am sorry ye couldnae join us."

"But, Me Lady," he snarled, "I wasnae invited."

"Lana?" Skye whispered. "Who is that?"

Lana gave Skye's arm a comforting squeeze, but she kept her eyes fixed on Laird Cullen. They were in a corner of the barn, some distance from the doors, and Lana couldn't see any stable boys around them. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her arms began to tremble with fear.

"If that is the case, Me Laird, it was a mistake. We dinnae mean to exclude ye."

"Ye lie!"

The cry was loud and abrupt, and Lana felt Skye jump at the man's outburst. Laird Cullen stepped toward her again, and she stepped back, desperate to keep some distance between them.

"Ye humiliated me once," he hissed, pointing an accusing, long finger in her face. "And now ye humiliate me again."

"I promise, Me Laird," Lana said, swallowing hard to keep her voice steady. "We dinnae mean to insult ye."

"Ye made a laughingstock out of me at Gunn Castle. And ye keep laughing at me now."

"I am nae laughing, Me Laird."

Lana looked around her, searching for anything she could use to protect herself. If it came to it, she would do whatever it took to keep Skye safe. There was a bucket in the corner and a grooming brush, but neither looked promising.

"Let me take ye inside, Me Laird," she offered, changing tactics. If the man was feeling slighted, perhaps an audience with her husband would appease him. "Ye can speak to me husband. I'm sure he will tell ye that it was simply a mistake."

"I ken what yer husband will do." Laird Cullen spat on the ground, and she suppressed a shiver of revulsion. "He will take what isnae his. He will steal me wife right from under me nose."

The thought of being Laird Cullen's wife was even more horrifying now that Lana could see him for who he really was. She would never have agreed to marry him, and she knew Alexander would never have approved. One dinner with the man and everyone would have seen his true colors. But she couldn't say that to him. She knew it would only make him more furious.

"I ken that whoever catches yer fancy next will be the lucky one," Lana said. Skye's hand slip into hers as the girl pressed herself against Lana's skirts. "It is me who missed out, Me Laird."

Something softened in the man's eyes, and he stopped his slow approach.

"Ye arenae happy?" he asked. "Ye regret yer choice?"

"Aye," Lana lied, forcing sadness into her voice. "Clan Cullen is a worthy home for any woman. I am envious of the one who will claim ye."

"It is good of ye to say," he mumbled.

Lana began to walk forward, hoping her momentum would coax the drunken man to move with her. She tugged on Skye's hand a bit too hard, and slowly, all three of them began to walk out of the barn.

"Perhaps ye would like some water, Me Laird," Lana suggested, but she caught the scowl on his face. "Or some whiskey. I would be happy to fetch ye some."

She breathed easier as she guided Laird Cullen out the barn door. She felt less trapped, and her thoughts came more clearly now that she was outside. She caught sight of a stable boy in the distance and wondered if she should call out to him.

"Skye," Lana asked as she squinted her eyes against the harsh sunlight, "would ye run inside? Ye can tell yer faither we have a guest."

"Nay!" Laird Cullen cried, and he stepped closer, making her jump back. "Nay one is going anywhere."

"Me Laird," Lana said, her whole body beginning to shake, "if we could just step inside?—"

"Nay!" he screamed. "Ye arenae going to yer husband. Ye, lass, are coming with me."

Suddenly, Laird Cullen lunged forward, and his hand wrapped around her upper arm. Lana tried to pull away, but his grip was vice-like, his fingers painfully digging into her skin.

"Skye! Run!" She shoved the girl with her other hand, hoping the child would understand.

She watched Skye take off as Laird Cullen looked over with a sinister smile. He seemed remarkably unconcerned about the child's escape, but Lana soon understood why.

When Skye was a few feet ahead, a figure emerged from the woods.

"Did I forget to tell ye?" Laird Cullen sneered. "I brought a friend."