Her words hung in the air. But she was right; it was a truth he couldn't deny. He nodded slowly, letting her words seep into him. "Aye, tis why me clan fears me. That, and the fact I killed me own faither."
In the corner of his eyes, Killian noticed Leah's expression shift. Her eyebrows crowded the bridge of her nose as she hugged the bedpost.
"What are ye thinkin' about over there?" Killian asked as he watched in utter fascination as Leah chewed on her lower lip.
"I was just thinkin' how the men that attacked us, mentioned there was a price on yer head," Leah said. Killian couldn't help but smirk at the thought of Leah trying to claim the reward. The thought skipped out of his mind just as quickly as it had jumped into it.
"Aye? And ye think ye could be the one to claim it?" Killian teased.
"What if someone from yer clan put a mark on ye?" Leah asked. "Those men seemed certain ye'd be an easy target with me."
"And they were sorely mistaken, were they nae?"
"Aye, they were, but it doesnae change the fact that the village was on edge when they saw ye first thin', do ye remember how wary everyone was?"
"They were a bit uneasy," Killian admitted, still shocked that Leah didn't seem at all affected by his outburst and killing of her attackers.
"Until ye started to drink. I bet they thought ye'd be too tipsy to fight back. Which gave them the courage to?—"
"Kidnap ye," Killian answered, his voice cracking at the thought of what they could have done to her.
"Hush," Leah whispered as she rose to her feet and cleared the distance between them swiftly. Her presence soothed him more than he could express. Leah batted her eyes as she moved closer to him and pressed a finger to his lips to silence him.
She leaned forward, capturing his mouth in a kiss that was both fierce and tender. The storm within him calmed, her touch a balm to his troubled soul. And as she eased back from him, her eyes held a warmth that banished the shadows lingering in his heart.
"Killian…"
"Leah, please, daenae," he whimpered as her kisses taunted his deepest desires for her. "Me soul is blacker than charred logs in the fire, and I cannae be redeemed."
"Daenae say such things," she whispered against his lips, her faith in him a lit a spark within the darkest pits of his soul.
"
"How can ye say such things? Ye saw what I did to those men, I killed them without a second thought. And I'd do it again if it meant savin' ye."
Leah leaned back as Killian straightened his shoulders and cleared his throat. "I've got to get those men out of the street and take Marcus to the jailer. Ye'll be safe in here so long as ye steer clear of the window and daenae answer the door."
"Ye're leavin'?" Leah asked as Killian started for the door.
"Aye, ye daenae need me here. Get some sleep, we'll make for the castle first thin' in the mornin'." With that, Killian pulled open the door and left Leah in the solitude of the room.
20
"Ye need to get up. Leah, do ye hear me? The mornin' has come and we need to get back to the castle."
Brilliant orange light blinded Leah as her eyes fluttered open. Her head pounded with each pulse of her heart as she slowly propped herself up on her elbow.
"What time is it?" she mumbled as she pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to remember if or even when Killian had returned. All she could remember was pacing the room until her legs ached. The sleep overtook everything the second her head hit the pillow. But by Killian's rude awakening, it was clear he was still angry. The only problem was Leah didn't know the source of Killian's ire.
"Does it matter? I've got to get Marcus to the dungeons where I can interrogate him properly."
"Are ye goin' to kill him?" Leah asked. The very thought of taking another's life so casually disturbed her. But more so in seeing how nonchalant Killian seemed about the matter. He turned his attention to her, gazing deep into her eyes. The emotion and connection Leah had felt only a few hours ago was gone. It was as if she were looking into the soul of a stranger.
"Would that bother ye?" Killian asked as his eyes narrowed.
"I daenae understand how ye do it," Leah said as she slipped out of bed only to find her dress laid out at the foot of the bed. It didn't go unnoticed by Leah how Killian rose a bit too eager to put space between them. It was as if she carried some sort of rare disease that he dared not pick up.
"What is that?" he asked as he circled to the door.
