Ye’re a damned fool.Ye shouldnae want her so badly.
Caden could not help it. His wife was simply captivating. He knew he had hurt her, he hated himself for it. But he had lost control. He was fairly sure he’d die if he had not tasted her after he stripped her of his clothes. At first, he had planned to simply tease her, punish her for turning him, the fearsome Masked Laird, into a purple-eared bunny. But apparently he was losing his mind. He sighed. He should not be thinking about this now. This day was about Nathan.
He imagined Finlay shoving him out onto the ice, and he caved in. The skates sailed over the ice, pointed directly toward his heart’s desire.
A small bump of ice caused Nathan to slip and stumble backward, but Caden came up just in time to catch him and steady him on his feet.
“Careful, lad.” He smiled. “I’ve got ye.”
“Yay!” Nathan shouted and, for the first time ever, gave him a hug.
Caden froze, his hands hovering over the boy’s head. Ava gave him a small, encouraging smile, and he hugged Nathan back.
Warmth spread through him. His heart swelled with happiness he had never thought he deserved. Tears welled up in his eyes for the first time since Joanna had died.
He wanted to tell the little lad that he’d always be there to catch him. That he’d never let him go. That he could count on his uncle for anything he might need in life.
He looked up to Ava who was smiling at them. He wanted to tell her that he was sorry for everything. Right at this moment, hugged by tiny arms and enveloped in giggles, he finally let himself dream. He could have that. He could hold his wife and kiss her. They could be a family. A real, happy one.
Before he had mustered up the courage to say all that, an arrow flew across the loch and hit Ava in the shoulder. She cried out in pain, crumbling to the ground. Nathan screamed.
Caden heard hoofbeats approach and saw men coming over the snowy knoll. Ava reached out her hand toward him, her face pinched with pain and desperation.
Anger, hatred, and vengeance took over. “Go to yer maither, Nathan.”
He nudged the boy toward Ava, who pulled him close with her good arm.
“Stay low,” he commanded, then ran to the sleigh to grab his sword.
The thud of hoofbeats grew louder. Caden threw off his skates and ran barefoot in the snow toward the approaching men. Eachhad a sword in hand, raised to strike. Rage overtook him, and he ran toward them with his sword in hand.
Valiantly, he fought from the ground, battle cries echoing across the loch. One man charged at him, and Caden grabbed him by the throat, yanking him off his horse and throwing him to the ground. He slew the screaming man and turned to the one charging behind him.
The second man aimed his sword directly at Caden’s heart. Covered in blood, Caden raised his sword again and swung it to block the blow. The man dismounted the horse and spat on the ground. He drove his sword to Caden’s neck, but Caden was faster. He ducked and blocked. They parried and fought for several minutes, Caden’s muscles straining against the cold.
In a moment of his enemy’s hesitation after stumbling on his mate’s dead body,, Caden grabbed the man’s sword hand and sliced off his arm. A pained cry rent the air, before Caden dispatched him.
An arrow shot out from the trees behind him, barely grazing his cheek. Caden turned around to see an archer. Before the man could unsheathe his sword, Caden had charged and stabbed him in the heart.
“Well, well, well.” Slow applause sounded from behind him.
Caden turned to see Laird McAinsley leaning against his sleigh.
CHAPTER 20
“ Is this nae a lovely surprise?”Gregor Kilmartin sneered. “I came to spy on me enemy, and I found him ready for the taking.” His greying blond hair and icy blue eyes glinted in the sunlight, making him look like part of the frozen landscape.
Caden locked eyes with Ava, who had covered Nathan’s eyes and ears with her cloak and buried his face in her chest. She was singing softly through her pain to distract him. Caden nodded ever so slightly, hoping she would understand his message.
Stay alive. Stay safe. Protect Nathan. Please, stay alive.
“Ah, she seems to be a good one.” Kimartin’s sickly sweet voice carried through the cold wind. “Maybe Ishouldtake her as a wife after all. Me son seems to love her.”
Son?
Caden swore under his breath. He had no intention of letting his enemy steal his wife from him.
“She’s certainly better than the boy’s maither.” Kilmartin barked an evil laugh.
