Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

K aden fidgeted with the sling on his arm as he moved through the castle.

The clean-up job was a heavy one for the MacNaughton clan, and he wanted little part of it, but when he saw Cassian standing waiting for him outside of the council room, he knew he had no choice.

"Aye, aye, let's get this over with," he said restlessly to Cassian, who nodded, gesturing for them to walk into the council room together. "How's the back?"

"Like warm soothing water," Cassian said wryly. "How's the shoulder?"

"Cannae even feel it anymore."

They exchanged humored smiles then fell silent when they entered the council room.

"Oh," Kaden muttered in surprise. "Are there nae more of ye? Are we still waiting for men tae arrive?"

Two men stood from the table, exchanging uneasy looks.

"Me name is Allan, me lairds. This is Crispin. We are the only two council members the laird and lady chose tae keep when they took over."

"Ye mean tae say," Cassian stepped forward, "they let the rest go."

"Aye, they did." Crispin, the elder of the two, who walked with a stick, sat down again as he spoke. "They didnae want tae hear others' opinions on how this clan should be ran."

Kaden exchanged another uneasy glance with Cassian.

Without a full council, the ability of the MacNaughtons to recover would be even harder.

"I am sorry it has come tae this," Kaden began slowly.

"Dinnae be," Crispin shook his head madly. "Tae say we are relieved nay longer tae have a warmonger for a laird is an understatement." Beside him, Allan nodded eagerly, his long fair hair bouncing around his face.

"Aye, very well." Cassian didn't take a seat but moved to the side of the table. "Here is what we recommend fer rebuilding the MacNaughtons. We have tae report tae the king what has happened here, but if ye have a nominee fer laird, we can recommend them tae the king fer the appointment, under condition we will all be allies from now on. Dae we have yer agreement?"

Kaden had expected some resistance, but he was wrong. At once, both council members nodded.

"Good." Kaden nodded. "Then we shall leave ye tae the care of the clan. I recommend calling back the other council members. Ye will need the help."

"Aye, we will."

"Who will ye recommend fer yer leader?" Cassian asked, looking between the pair of council members.

"Lady Annabella had a distant cousin. Her name is Henrietta. Aye, we shall appeal to her. We understand she has a good husband, an honorable soldier. He may be the best fit fer us," Crispin muttered quietly, though Allan hardly looked convinced and shifted in his seat.

"We'll leave ye tae it then. Good day." Cassian offered them a bow of his head, as did Kaden.

As they left the room, the moment the door closed, they were whispering between them.

"We dinnae want tae be here when the king's men get here," Cassian rushed to say.

"Aye, I ken. Telling them that ye and yer family were kidnapped is one thing, but making them believe it is another, especially if any of the MacNaughton clansmen deny such a thing. The guards may say anything tae save their own skins."

"Agreed." Cassian led the way toward the entrance hall and into the yard of the castle. Horses had been prepared for their departure already.

Kaden first looked to the soldiers and various injured men. With relief, he saw the Lamonts and the Stuarts weren't keeping their distance from each other, but were helping one another to their horses. Kaden tapped Cassian on the shoulder and nodded in the men's direction.

"Look." He waited for Cassian to take in the sight. "I dinnae want this alliance tae fall by the wayside."

"Neither dae we need a marriage tae cement it." Cassian shook his head, shifting to face Kaden again. He stepped in the way a little, halting Kaden from walking down to meet Elara as she waited for him by their horses. "Kaden, I nae only owe ye me own life, but me sisters' lives too. And me men's lives." Cassian frowned, showing just how uneasy this made him. "I am indebted tae ye."

"Nay, ye're nae."

"What?" Cassian spluttered in surprise. "Any man can see that I am in yer debt."

"I dinnae ask ye tae be." Kaden spoke with firmness. "Ye believed I killed yer parents for years. Ye believed I killed me own too." A sudden lump formed in his throat. Kaden tried to thrust it away, though he needed a few seconds of peace to manage it. He could feel the tattoo emblazoned across his kin, as if it was burning him alive. "I hope now I have proved tae ye that I am nae that man. That I choose life." He paused, hammering this thought home. "Nae death."

Cassian smiled. It was the first time Kaden had seen him truly smile in his company and it was a rushing relief.

"Believe me, I ken." He offered his hand to Kaden to shake. "And just because ye didnae ask fer it, asking fer me trust instead, ye have me blessing."

Kaden gripped Cassian's hand hard.

"Ye trying tae break me hand now?" he laughed.

"Nay, nay, I just want tae make sure I understand ye. Ye said… I have yer blessing? Elara and I have yer blessing?"

"Well, shall we include her in the conversation? I am nae just saying that tae get ye off me hand, though it is a powerful persuasion." Cassian laughed again and steered Kaden down the steps toward the horses. "Elara?"

Elara moved away from the conversation she was having with Lydia, coming to meet them in the middle of the yard.

"What is happening?" she asked, looking between them. "Are we leaving?"

"Aye, and I suggest we leave fast," Cassian gestured back in the direction of the castle. "Once news gets out about Laird and Lady MacNaughton's deaths, it willnae be long before the king sends men tae investigate what is happening. They will want tae ken, and we should be having that conversation from afar, in the strength and security of our own clans, nae here." He looked warily around the horses. "Who kens who here will want tae avenge the deaths of their masters."

"Arenae we going tae talk tae Elara about –" Kaden began, though he halted when he saw Cassian's look.

"When we're riding away from here." Cassian moved toward his horse.

"What is happening?" Elara whispered as Kaden took her hand, drawing her toward their horse. "Something I should ken?"

"Aye, something." Kaden nodded. He helped Elara up and was about to climb up on the same horse when Cassian looked over his shoulder and offered a warning glare. "He's the best guard dog ye could have asked fer, Elara," Kaden whispered to her, tapping her thigh surreptitiously. Her hand reached over his, their fingers trailing together momentarily. It was an intimate touch, one he longed to maintain, but knew he had to release it before Cassian got a glimpse. "Soon," he promised Elara under his breath. "Soon, when we're far away from here."

He moved to his own horse and pulled himself up into the saddle, steering it alongside Elara's as they left the castle.

Beneath the portcullis, Kaden glanced back at the castle. There had been a time in his life when he had thought this castle would play a huge part of his existence, but now, he was very glad indeed to be turning his back on it. He prayed with all his might that he would never have to see the place again. It brought back too many bad memories.

As a group, they rode away from the castle. The curious villagers watching on crept back, all wary of the foreign soldiers bearing uniforms from different clans wandering through their land. As they escaped the village, heading up to the nearest mountain path, they all fell into formation.

Kaden's and Cassian's men flanked one another, some taking up scouting posts to watch for an ambush, as others closed in tightly around the main group. Kaden was careful to stay close to Elara, as Cassian rode ahead, leading the way. Behind them, Marcus stayed close to Lydia.

"Remember when I used tae hate ye that much?" Elara whispered. Kaden laughed and turned back to face her, steering his horse closer to hers, so that their legs bumped together as they rode.

"Aye, I dae. Yet ye still kissed me that first night, remember? Did ye ever really hate me after ye met me?" he asked, being careful to keep his voice so low that he couldn't be heard by Cassian. Elara now turned a pleasant shade of pink. It contrasted her blonde hair in the most beautiful way. It reminded Kaden of the way they had last made love, how he had admired that blush in the amber light of the taper, watching as she moaned his name in pleasure.

Soon. We will have each other again, soon.

"I could have sworn ye liked me a little."

"I didnae want tae like ye," she said with sudden spirit.

"Aye, aye, sure ye didnae, Fire," he chuckled.

"I didnae! Ye were arrogant from the start, and I couldnae stand that. Nae tae mention I thought ye were a killer."

"I ken ye did." He shook his head, still dismayed by the thought.

"I didnae want tae like ye, but aye, I kissed ye back. It…" She struggled for the right word, making him watch her carefully as they neared the top of the hill. "It was hard nae tae kiss ye back."

He laughed once again, wishing they were alone so he could pull her into his arms and tell her just how much he loved her, perhaps show her exactly what she meant to him.

"I'm glad though," she said eventually.

"About what?"

"That I did kiss ye that night." She looked at him with victory in her eyes. "Had I nae kissed ye, I might nae have let me guard down at all."

"Ha! Is that all I have tae recommend me then? Me kisses?"

"Well, ye're a rather good kisser."

"Thank God fer that, but dae I nae have anything else tae recommend me? Any kindness, any nobility?" He shook his head, baffled by her. "Or is it all attraction, Elara?"

"Nay." She reached out, her hand curving against the side of his thigh. He shuddered pleasantly at that touch, longing for it again.

"It's so much more than that. Ye convinced me every step of the way on this journey of one thing, one thing that endeared me tae ye more than any kiss could dae, nay matter how good those kisses are."

"And that is?" he asked, rather enjoying this taunting conversation.

"That ye are a good man." She lifted her chin, smiling up at him, those large eyes of hers rather dazzling in the sunshine. "A rare thing, ye ken, a truly good man."

Kaden braved Cassian's displeasure. He reached out and took hold of her hand, lifting it as they rode so he could kiss the back of it. He held that kiss, staring her in the eye, marking the way she panted a little, her lips parting. He could tell that just like him, she was thinking of the last time they had shared a proper kiss, tangled together in his bed.

"All right, I cannae stand ye two doing this behind me anymore," Cassian called from up ahead.

"Doing what?" Elara said with innocence, snapping her hand back.

"Enough of the innocent act." Cassian shifted, looking at her over his shoulder. "Ye have me blessing."

"We dae?" Elara looked ready to fall out of her saddle. "Ye'll let us marry?"

"Aye, aye, I will," Cassian said with a laugh. "If a man is willing tae give up his whole clan, his whole fortune, even his life fer ye, Elara, then as much as it pains me tae admit it, aye, ye have found a good man after all."

Elara tried to scramble out of her saddle to get to Kaden. He laughed and caught her, just as the horse's reins were caught by a soldier beside them. Elara kissed him fully on the mouth before saying with delight, "When's the wedding?"