"And as ye pointed out just a few minutes ago, I'm nae dead. Now open the door."
The guard scratched his head before pulling the key from his sporran. "I daenae think I should be doin' this. Alan will nae like this."
"Ye daenae work for Alan, or are ye nae a Dailey? Yer family draws their roots from these lands, and I ken ye well. Even if ye daenae ken me."
"But they say ye’re the mad laird," the guard said, recoiling the keys from Killian before Killian could grab them.
"And I'm supposed to be dead," Killian snapped. "But I grow weary of this. Give me the keys, now."
"I—" was all Killian allowed the guard to say before he drew his arm back and let his fist fly. His knuckles crashed against the man's face, sending him crashing into the wall behind him.
"Did I nae warn ye? I believe I did. I do that, and yet nay one believes me. And they call me mad…" Killian grumbled as he shoved the key into the lock and turned the key.
So help me, if anyone has hurt her, there will be hell to pay.
32
Leah huddled in the corner of the damp cell, surrounded by old straw and muck. She felt as if she had been brought to a stall for livestock. She didn't dare breathe too deeply; the stench in the air singed her nose and made her stomach twist.
"What's the matter? Nae likin' yer new accommodation? Have nay fear, we'll be out of here a lot sooner than ye think."
"Nay one is comin' Mason, nay one," Leah said as she felt the despair of the situation weigh her down.
"I wouldnae say that," a husky voice proclaimed the moment the cell door swung open. Leah's heart pounded in her chest, and she was at a loss for words.
"Killian? Is that… but I saw ye," Leah whimpered as her voice broke with emotion. "Ye were dead. The hole, I saw it."
"Hush," Killian answered as he slammed into the stone wall with a thud. Leah gasped as she watched him struggle to stay upright.
"Ye daenae look well," Leah whispered as Killian inched closer to her cell with the key in hand. "Ye shouldnae have come. I would have been fine in here until ye were fully recovered."
"And ye think I could allow that to happen? Ye think I could rest at ease kennin' ye were down here? Nay, what sort of man do ye take me for?" Killian asked as he turned the key to her cell and threw open the door. Leah rushed to his side, throwing her arms around him. She still couldn't believe he was standing there before her, alive and well.
"Let's get ye back upstairs and in bed. Ye shouldnae be on yer feet at all," Leah said as she tried to guide Killian away from Mason's cell.
"I come to rescue ye and ye're worried about me?" Killian asked, his face riddled with shock as he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. Leah felt the sting of her tears in the corner of her eyes. There was no doubt she was dirty and smelly, yet Killian hadn't recoiled from her. It was as if he wasn't even bothered by her repulsiveness at all.
"I'm nae the one limpin'," Leah answered as Mason rattled the bars to his cell.
"Ye cannae leave me down here," Mason snapped as he rocked like a trapped wild animal. "I'm yer brother."
"And it is because ye are me brother, ye're still alive. Daenae test me patience with ye," Killian warned. Leah pursed her lips as Killian pulled her up the steps. She was grateful he had come for her and more so that he was alive to prove her innocence, but there was something Mason said that hadn't settled well with her.
"Are ye all right?" Killian asked. "Nay one hurt ye while ye were down there, did they?"
Leah's heart swelled with the love she harbored for Killian as he led her through the dark tunnels and secret passages. She shook her head. "I daenae think Fraser would let any of them. It would seem I've grown on him."
"Aye, he once thought ye to an enemy."
"Is that so?"
"Do ye remember when I tried to feed ye before the ceilidh?" Killian asked as he pulled back the tapestry to reveal his bed chamber.
"Aye?" Leah answered as a warm comfort washed over her.
"That was a test Fraser wanted me to do," Killian confessed. "He wanted to see how far ye'd go and how serious ye were to the role."
"Did I pass?" Leah asked as Killian guided her to the plush chair beside the fire and sat her down.
