“Me Laird!” Myles shouted.
“Daenae come close,” William barked, refusing to back away despite the pain in his arm. It would take far more than that to bring him down.
He moved away from Keegan and dodged Fergus’s next swing. And then, in one brutal motion, he spun back and drove his sword up.
Fergus’s eyes widened in shock as William’s blade sliced across his throat, blood gushing out instantly. He dropped to his knees, choking. His hands uselessly clamped around the wound, blood spilling fast between his fingers. Eventually, he collapsed, the life leaving his eyes.
Gregor screamed.
Keegan roared, lunging at William.
William met him head-on. He sidestepped and drove his fist into Keegan’s jaw with bone-crushing force. Before the man could recover, William ran him through, straight through the heart.
Keegan gasped once, disbelief flashing across his features. Then he crumpled into a heap on the floor.
Silence ensued.
William loosened his grip on his sword. It slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor. He remained standing, his chest heaving with harsh breaths.
That was it. Years of planning. Years of restraint. It was done.
Gregor continued to sob in the distance, while Myles stared at him. William barely noticed any of it.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded in the corridor. Someone was running wildly, and they soon burst through the doors, breathless.
William turned around.
Poppy.
She fell to her knees before him, her face pale, her eyes wide with terror.
“I made a terrible mistake,” she cried, her tears spilling over. “I couldnae look after her, me Laird.”
The words struck him like a blade.
“What happened?” he asked.
Poppy trembled violently. “She—she has been taken,” she sobbed. “I couldnae find her.”
William felt the world screech to a halt. His greatest fear had become reality.
Before he could even draw another breath, Poppy revealed something else that blew him completely.
“Avery and Rhea… they saw it. Caelan abducted her.”
33
The first thing Sorcha heard was the hoot of an owl.
The low, hollow sound felt like a warning meant only for her. It roused her from a deep sleep.
Her lashes fluttered, the world spinning as though she had been hit in the head. Perhaps it did happen, because the last thing she remembered was a blow before a complete blackout.
Her breath caught, her gaze darting around.
She was inside a carriage.
Confusion washed over her immediately. She pushed herself up, her palms pressing against the cushioned seat. The light from lanterns spilled inside, illuminating the polished wood.
