“Why didhe call ye that anyways?” she asked trying not to pay any heed to how warm he was pressed against her. There was a hint of pine that lingered on his skin, almost as if he bathed in it. To some, the scent would have been strong and repulsing, but she found comfort in it. There was something about the smell that made her think of a cabin in the woods.
She waitedfor his reply only to be met with silence.
“Well?”she asked after some time.
“That’s a story for another time,”he answered as his eyes shifted to meet hers for a moment. For a moment, she could have sworn she spotted compassion and concern in his gaze. But that was impossible. He was a hunter. He’d paid Lewis to come for her. It was a reality she had to come to terms with. It was the only explanation for why he had rounded her up the way he did. And why he killed to have her. It was all part of the experience Lewis and his buddies planned for only the elites.
Swallowing hard,Madison dropped her head and sat in silence. She jumped through the list of things she was grateful for as he carried her in silence through the dead of night.
“We have all night,”she managed to say after some time. “The hunt ends at the sound of the horn at dawn. Until then, we’ll be a target.”
“There willnae be a horn blast,”he said. “The hunt is over. Do ye nae see? Ye are free.”
“There’s nay such thing,”she mumbled. “Why daenae ye understand that? We are all slaves to someone. It all depends on who has the heavier purse. That’s the one fate sides with.”
“I daenae kenhow long ye’ve been a part of this horror, but I swear, yer nightmare is over.”
His words seepedinto her and pricked at her heart like little needles to a piece of fabric. How she wanted to believe, but with each step bringing her back to Lewis’s keep only told her a different story. She knew the rules of the hunt, and what was at stake. Refusing to hold back her ire any longer she let her words come out like poison. “Tell me again, what was it he called ye? Oh, right, Mad Dog. Say again why ye have that name.”
4
Theodore didn’t say a word as he carried her back to the keep. The sky looked as if diamonds had scattered across it’s silky surface. He couldn’t help but admire the beauty of them and compare their light to the one the burned to boldly within his captive.
“Do ye have nothin’to say to me?” she hissed. He shook his head. If there was one lesson he had learned young in life it was never to argue with a woman. It was the very last piece of advice his father had given to him and saved him many arguments.
“Where are ye takin’me by the way? Or are ye just goin' to steal me away just like the other laird would have done to me?”
“I told ye,”he finally answered in a calm demeanor. Theodore had made the resolution to remain neutral no matter what venom she spewed at him. “I have nay intention of hurtin’ ye. Nor will anyone do so while ye’re under me care.”
“And just howlong might that be?” she asked. There was no hiding the quaking of her voice. He didn’t have to ask her whether she believed him or not. Her demeanor spoke volumes.
Theodore hatedthe way she recoiled from him, how each glance at him only held ire and anger. And as much as he wanted to understand and show her nothing but compassion, he couldn’t help but feel responsible for her. She needed to be protected, and he was certain he would be the one to do it.
He glanced at her.She stared at him with a bewildered expression of expectancy mixed with terror. Arching an eyebrow, he wondered how to respond. It was clear nothing he said to her would make any sense. He would have to take her to the others, maybe then when she was with the other girls from the hunt, it would dawn on her he wasn’t the enemy.
“How long doye want it to be? I have the room to keep ye for as long as ye’d like. I might even be able to find ye a decent husband so that ye can settle and find yer happiness again.”
“And why wouldye do such a thing? What do ye get out of such an arrangement?” she snapped. Her pain was evident, and he wished more and more that there was something he could do or say to show her he wasn’t the man she thought him to be.
“Ye’re a skeptical lass,I can see it in yer eyes, but there are some of us out there that would rather save the world, than watch it burn. And whether or nae ye believe anythin’ that comes from me mouth, is on ye. I’ll nae keep anyone against their will.I ken ye daenae believe a word I say,” he said as the keep came into view. “But I promise, yer nightmare is over.”
“Theo, come quickly,”Ryan said with a shout as he waved from the top of the gate. “We’ve got five others in here and the keep is secure.”
“What’s this?”she asked as the shock rattled her tone.
“I told ye,”Theodore answered as they passed under the arch of the gate. “Ye’re safe. Ye’ve nothin’ left to fear. Yer enemies have all been slain. Even this keep will be nothin’ but rubble come next week.”
“Well now daenae be so hasty,”Ryan said as he scrambled down the steps of the wall. Ryan glanced at the lass in Theodore’s arms. “This is a rather nice property. ‘Tis well placed for routin’ and such. I think it may even back up to the river.”
“This isnaethe first ye’ve seen like this,” Theo said noticing Ryan’s intense gaze on his captive. Ryan shook his head.
“We’ve gotfive others here. Skeletons the lot of them,” Ryan answered as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I think we’ve got Ernie in the kitchen. Although I daenae ken what he’ll fix, I’m certain it’ll be more than what these lasses have had in some time.”
“What of the healer?Have we one in the keep? Or is he still in the field?” Theodore asked as he noticed his captive looking rather hopeful.
“He’sinside the keep I believe. I think I spotted him comin’ up nae too long ago,” Ryan answered as Theodore paused.
“Go backto the wall and keep watch. I want this whole place torn down. Nay brick is to remain stacked, is that clear?”
