“Ye will either be with me, Michael, or a guard when we arenae within the castle walls. Even at the castle, ye would be wise nae to wander off alone, as ye seem wont to do.” His tone was unwavering.
She will heed me words, or I am goin’ to put her spritely, little arse right over me lap and spank it until she obeys.
The thought was supposed to be threatening, but it ended up being slightly distracting, which irritated him even more. He was suddenly picturing her bent over his lap, fully naked.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.
“I have had enemies all me life! Me faither has been at war with this clan and then that clan for as long as I can remember! What makes yer faither’s any different?”
Almost as if they had summoned ghosts from a graveyard, three men emerged from the trees around them, each one road-worn and armed. Helena turned to face them, slowly stepping back toward Alexander, who reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her behind him.
It was only then that he noticed he was unarmed. He cursed as he realized that he left his claymore on his saddle when he rushed after her.
“Ye should listen to him, lass. He may ken what he is talkin’ about, after all,” the red-bearded man she assumed was the leader of this merry, little group said as the other two flanked him.
“Laird MacAllister has plenty of enemies, ‘tis true. Though, I thought yer kin to be among them until a little birdy told me that he had married ye. Of course, I had to come and see for meself. I am surprised to see that the rumors are true. A pretty thing ye are—nay wonder yer faither and braither kept ye hidden away in that castle all this time.”
Alexander grumbled something inaudible. In fact, the noise sounded almost like a growl.
“Ye better watch yer tongue,” he warned, glancing between the three men as they circled them, utilizing the Sycamore tree to block any escape. “Before I cut it out of yer head.”
“Ye’re outnumbered here, Alexander. Nae very good odds,” the blond-haired man to their left taunted. “And ye’re nae even armed. Big words for an unarmed man, I think.”
Helena fidgeted nervously behind Alexander, looking this way and that for an escape route. He looked over his shoulder at her briefly, then looked up at the tree.
“Here’s the plan, lass. I want ye to climb that tree trunk. I’ll push ye so that ye can grab the bottom branch and climb up there. I need ye safe so I can deal with this lot. Ye understand?” he whispered.
Helena didn’t argue, just nodded silently.
She was no more eager to be at the mercy of those three bandits than she was to poke her eye out. She had to trust that Alexander could get them out of this—preferably in one piece and alive.
“Go,” he hissed.
She did exactly as he instructed, running as fast as she could toward the tree trunk and climbing it.
He clasped his hands beneath her boots as if he were helping her mount some great-sized horse and pushed her further up the tree. With the extra boost, she was able to reach the bottom branch. Still, she struggled to climb atop it.
Once she was safe and stable on the branch, she looked down at the scene unfolding below in horror. All three men rushed toward Alexander simultaneously. She gasped, fearful he’d be killed outright.
Please dinnae get hurt. I dinnae want to have to tell Alice that ye died because of me stupidity. I’d never forgive meself.
The colors of the garments the men wore suddenly registered. Questions filled her mind in an instant.
These are Faither’s men. Why would they be this far in MacAllister lands? Why are they attackin’ Alexander when Faither kens that we got married?
The blond-haired man lunged for Alexander, the axe in his hand raised high over his head. Alexander ducked and slammed his elbow into the man’s ribs, knocking the wind out of him.
Helena couldn’t help but worry, her anxiety rising as she continued to watch the men below. Covering her mouth with her hands, she nearly cried out when Alexander took a blow to the head. The vengeful look that flickered in his eyes immediately terrified her.
The third man, who had remained silent this whole time, pounced on him, dagger in hand. Alexander raised his arm to shield his face, receiving a deep cut on his forearm as he parried the blow.
The red-bearded man charged at him, driving his shoulder into his waist. The two men fell to the ground, rolling over several times. Alexander landed a sickening blow to the man’s head, finally knocking him out.
He stood to face the other two, ready and waiting for their next attack. Helena watched as the two men took one look at their fallen leader, exchanged unsure glances, and took off running into the tree line.
“It’s alright, lass. Ye can come down now,” Alexander said, before he reached up to help her down from the tree with a light chuckle. “Those dogs willnae return, with their master down.”
“How do ye ken he’s the one in charge?” she asked.
