She glanced at him, at the young face set with determination despite the terror she knew he felt. He was trying so hard to be brave. To be the man he thought she needed him to be.
“Away from here,” she said. “Somewhere Ragnall cannae reach us.”
“But where?” he pressed. “We cannae just ride forever. We need… we need a plan.”
He was right, of course. They couldn’t simply flee into the wilderness and hope for the best. They needed safety. Protection. Somewhere Ragnall wouldn’t dare follow.
As they rode, Leona’s mind flashed unbidden to Murdock Lyall. She could still see him in her mind’s eye, standing in that courtyard soaked with blood, his sword dripping, his expression empty of everything except cold efficiency.
He’d saved her life. Whether he’d meant to or not, whether he’d done it out of protectiveness or simple opportunity, he’d killed Keith. Had freed her from that nightmare.
More than that, he’d given her something without meaning to. A destination. A direction when she had none.
She looked at Rufus again, at the way he sat astride his horse with growing confidence, his spine straight despite his fear. He deserved better than running forever. Better than hiding in the wilderness while Ragnall claimed what was rightfully his.
“We’re going to Ainsley Castle,” she announced.
Rufus’s eyes widened. “Ainsley? But that’s… Leona, that’s where the Beast?—”
“Murdock Lyall,” she corrected firmly. “His name is Murdock Lyall. And he owes me.”
“Owes ye what?”
“A debt.” She urged her horse faster, the wind whipping her hair back from her face. “I freed him from the dungeons. Gave him back his weapons. Helped him escape. He promised I wouldnae have to marry Keith.”
“But Keith’s dead now,” Rufus pointed out. “The promise is kept.”
“Aye. But another Gilmore is demandin' I marry him. Another monster who wants to use me for his own ambition.” Leona’s jaw set with determination. “Murdock Lyall said I wouldnae have to marry Keith. He didnae say anything about his brother.”
They rode through the night, putting miles between themselves and Kerr Castle. Behind them, somewhere in the darkness, Ragnall was organizing a pursuit. Ahead of them lay the unknown, the dangerous, the uncertain.
But Leona had made her choice. She’d chosen freedom in the dungeons when she’d unlocked Murdock’s cell. She’d chosen survival when she’d run from Ragnall.
Now she was choosing to fight back.
They were going to Ainsley Castle. And this time, she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
5
Two days of hard riding had left them exhausted, saddle-sore, and covered in the dust of the Highland roads. Leona’s thighs ached with every shift in the saddle, her back screamed in protest, and her hands were blistered beneath her gloves from gripping the reins.
They’d slept rough, curled together for warmth under a thin blanket, while Nyx kept watch with her unsettling yellow eyes. They’d eaten cold provisions that tasted like ash in her mouth, and jumped at every shadow, expecting Ragnall’s men to materialize from the mist at any moment.
But finally, as the afternoon sun broke through the clouds, they crested a ridge and saw it.
Ainsley Castle.
It rose proud and formidable against the sky, more fortress than a home, its gray stone walls thick enough to withstand any siege. Even from this distance, Leona could see guards patrolling the battlements, their figures small but vigilant. The castle sat atop a rise, commanding the landscape around it like a predator surveying its territory.
The courtyard below bustled with activity. People moving, working, living. A functioning clan, healthy and strong. Everything her own home had once been before Keith had poisoned it with his ambition.
For a moment, doubt assailed her.
What was she doing, arriving uninvited at the home of a man who’d made it clear he wanted nothing to do with her? A man who’d walked away without looking back, leaving her standing in a courtyard soaked with blood?
This is where we part, lass.
His words echoed in her mind, flat and final. He’d kept his promise. She didn’t have to marry Keith. Their debt was settled.
