“Yes, my lady. I would never deny you that right.” Dominic squeezed Emelie’s thigh before wrapping his arm around her shoulders. It was an unconventional wedding evening, but nothing about their relationship had been traditional. It suited them both, and they were excited to have married finally, even with a threat looming over them. They shared one dance before Emelie begged off. No one questioned the pregnant woman, and many pushed Dominic to follow her, reminding him that a husband had a duty to care for his wife. A few bawdy comments floated above the cheers, but Emelie and Dominic didn’t care. They retired to their chamber, passing the next three hours ensuring no one would doubt they’d made their marriage binding.
An hour after the Great Hall grew quiet, Dominic and Emelie met Brodie and Laurel in the upstairs solar. Keeping their voices low, the laird and lady wished the newlyweds well a second time over. Then Dominic and Emelie made their way through the postern gate and down the path to the bay where they boarded a birlinn. Nothing stirred, not even the night air. The eeriness made a shiver zip along Emelie’s spine, and when she chanced a glance at Dominic, she knew he felt the same. Once they pushed them away from the coast, the breeze filled the sails. When Kilchurn was out of sight, the men dipped their oars into the water and propelled them southwest toward their hideout.
Seventeen
Dominic hoisted Emelie onto his horse before he climbed on behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and encouraged her to lean back. She didn’t hesitate and was soon asleep again. She’d fallen fast asleep as she sat beside Dominic in the boat's hull. Her plaid covered her hair, which shone in the moonlight. Petite as she was, no one outside the boat could see her, but she was a target now that she rode with Dominic. He looked down frequently to ensure she was warm enough and that her hair remained covered. There would be no confusing her for anyone other than her sisters, and they were nowhere near Campbell territory.
The wind picked up an hour after the party mounted their steeds. It gusted around them and made it difficult for the horses to plod along the path. They wouldn’t have been able to move faster than a walk if they wanted. But the wind also disguised the surrounding sounds, and that set Dominic’s nerves on edge. He struggled to hear any of nature's sounds beyond the whistle of the wind. He tried to discern if there were any manmade noises coming from someone who wasn’t part of their group. The more he strained, the less he seemed to hear. However, his senses told him something was amiss.
“We pull off the road,” Dominic ordered. He roused Emelie with a gentle shake. “Sparrow, we’re going to stop for a moment. Stay mounted.”
“What’s wrong?” Emelie murmured.
“I don’t know. Probably naught, but I want the men in the rear to check. I just have an unsettled feeling. The moon and stars are keeping the path visible, but the wind is making it hard to tell what surrounds us.” Dominic climbed down but kept a hold of the horse’s bridle. He gave his orders and watched as three men backtracked, while the others spread out to surround him and Emelie. It relieved him that he’d told the men sailing the birlinn back to remain with the party until they reached the cabin. Now he had men to scout and men to protect Emelie.
It was only a matter of minutes before a tree crashed to the ground ahead of them. The noise made his horse shift, but Dominic had trained the beast for battle, so little spooked him. Dominic’s head whipped in the tree's direction as men appeared. He knew before he saw them that it was no accident. Their unknown assailants felled the tree to block their way. He moved to mount, when his three scouts raced back toward them with mounted warriors chasing them. The strangers launched their attack without hesitation, the two groups closing in on the Campbells.
“Em, can ye ride alone?” Dominic asked Emelie.
“Yes. But where do I go?” Emelie wondered.
“Through the trees until ye can get past them. Dinna stop until ye reach the end of the woods. Veer to the left, and ye’ll find a rock formation. Hide among the standing stones,” Dominic explained. “Go.”
“What aboot you? There’s too many,” Emelie worried.
“Dinna fash, sparrow. I’ll be there right behind ye,” Dominic encouraged. Emelie didn’t believe him. It terrified her that this might be the last time she would see her husband alive. “Ye have the extra dirks I gave ye. Dinna hesitate to use them like yer father showed ye. If in doubt and ye canna get away, fight first, ask questions later.”
“I love you, wolf.”
“Nearly as much as I love ye, sparrow. Now go.” Dominic slapped his horse’s rump when he was certain Emelie had a firm hold of the reins. He trusted his steed as much as he did any man in his clan’s army. The beast had kept him alive countless times, and he prayed the destrier would do the same for Emelie. He angled himself to combat an attack from his left as he watched Emelie disappear into the trees to his right.
Emelie clung to the reins and leaned forward, protecting her belly from the branches that tried to pull her plaid from her shoulders. She tucked her arms in as best she could, hoping to make a smaller target and to keep anyone from aiming at her babe. As desperately as she wanted to, she didn’t look back for Dominic. She remained focused, weaving through the trees. She moved further into the woods as she approached the opposing force that cut down the tree to block their way. When she was certain she was past them, she moved closer to the road. It was nearly pitch black in most parts of the woods, and it was virtually impossible to see. She trusted Dominic’s horse had superior night vision to hers.
When Emelie feared testing her theory any longer, she moved to the side of the road. She peeked over her shoulder, but saw no one. She steered the horse back onto the road but regretted it the moment she did so. Without the surrounding trees to buffer the sound, she realized she was much closer to the fight than she thought. She tugged the right rein to guide the horse back into the trees, but the animal screamed and stomped. Emelie looked down and found an arrow protruding from its hindquarter. Before she could think what to do, two men raced toward her on foot. Their swords raised toward her, Emelie tried to turn Dominic’s horse. But the battle-trained animal reared, ready to attack the approaching men with his hooves.
Emelie didn’t expect the horse to bring its front hooves up and paw the air. Her center of gravity wasn’t what she was used to now that she was pregnant. She felt herself flying backwards as she gripped the horse’s flanks with her thighs and clung to the reins. Tugging back on them only made the horse rear more. With another scream, she tumbled from the horse. She landed hard on her back, and a searing pain burned through her side and lower back. She tried to suck in air, but her lungs wouldn’t cooperate. As she lay on the ground gasping, she felt her kirtle grow wet.
“No,” Emelie whimpered as air finally filled her lungs. “No.” She wrapped her arms around her belly and tried to roll to her side, but the pain stole the little breath she’d caught.
“Emelie!” Dominic roared. She couldn’t move to see how close he was. Pain ripped through her belly, making her want to curl into a ball. But she still couldn’t move to her side without being in even more agony.
“Dom,” Emelie cried, but little sound left her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut as something leaped over her and crashed to the ground. She peeked out of one eye and found Dominic near her feet. He’d jumped over her and launched himself at a man drawing close to her. She clenched her eyes closed once more, but not before she saw Dominic drive what appeared like a small boulder into the man’s head. He pushed himself to his feet in time to swing his sword and cut down the second man who’d attempted to attack Emelie. The man fell onto his back with Dominic’s sword still buried in him.
“Emelie!” Dominic fell to his knees beside her. “Where are ye hurt?”
“Everywhere,” Emelie sobbed. “I’m going to lose the bairn. My gown is all wet, and it’s too soon. Dom.” The last word was wrenched from the depths of her soul.
Dominic lifted Emelie into his arms, feeling where her gown was soaked in the back. He looked down, but he could see little in the dark. His men fought with a tenacity he hadn’t seen before as they worked together to defeat the men who attacked from behind before they pushed their way through the forward attackers. He’d heard Emelie’s screams. He’d prepared to find her dead. Rage unlike anything he’d dreamed a human could possess overcame him. He launched himself at the first man within reach, crushing his head with a rock in one swing. He ran the other man through, turning toward Emelie before he even fully withdrew his sword.
“Hold on, Em.” Dominic didn’t know what to do. He understood Emelie was right, that it was too soon for the bairn to be born and survive, so he doubted he could do anything for their child. But he would do everything he could to keep Emelie alive. His mind raced as he tried to decide what would be better: take her to the cabin, which was closer than Kilchurn, or risk the journey back to Kilchurn, knowing Nora would tend to Emelie. He could only accept the choice that gave Emelie the greatest chance of surviving.
“Your horse,” Emelie whispered. Dominic looked down at his wife, but her eyes were closed. He glanced at his steed and spotted the arrow shaft sticking out of its rump. It wasn’t the first time someone had shot the animal. Dominic felt guilty knowing it likely wasn’t the last. But he wasn’t sure he could ride the beast, and he was certain he and Emelie couldn’t ride the mount together. Emelie was far lighter than him, but he feared she’d topple from the horse if he didn’t hold her.
“Cut two poles from the tree,” Dominic ordered as he jutted his chin toward the trunk that laid across the road. “Sturdy enough to bear Lady Emelie’s weight. I need yer spare plaids.”
The Campbells understood Dominic’s intentions and set to work cutting the wood needed to create a stretcher with their battle axes. The men worked efficiently and placed the plaids in overlapping layers between the two poles. Dominic eased Emelie onto the makeshift stretcher and tied the plaids around her. He had to take his chances with his own horse, since it would only slow them down further if he shared a mount with another warrior. All the horses were sturdy, but so were the men. It would be a hefty burden for any mount. He ordered Alec to bear the opposite end of the stretcher across his horse’s back. They tied it to their saddles and to their waists with the rope they always traveled with. His father taught Brodie and him to always have rope when they went into the mountains. The brothers had adopted the habit of always having lengths with them and demanded their men do the same. The habit had come in handy countless times, just as it did now.
“Dom?” Emelie gasped. Dominic brushed hair from her face and neck as they began a slow trek back to the birlinn. “It hurts, but naught is happening. I don’t know what to do.”
