CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE
Elsy
Elsy groaned. Her throat felt so dry. She was parched, thirsty, needing something, anything to take away the dryness in her mouth. Her head ached as she blinked her eyes open. Darkness met her vision. She couldn’t see anything, only shadows in the corners. She pressed her feet into the ground, hearing the creaking of wood. Her head swayed from side to side as she tried to rid herself of the ache in her head and neck. Her gaze caught on the window to her left, covered by dark curtains. No light seeped into the room.
Has night fallen?she wondered. Her fingers wiggled and she gasped, feeling something sharp and tight biting into her skin. She cried out in pain, but her words were muffled by something in her mouth. Her teeth sank into it, and she felt something smooth press against her tongue. It tasted of salt and sweat. She gagged, lurching where she sat, feeling the tug of rope once more bury itself into her skin. The chair she sat in creaked with her weight. Her eyes widened as they adjusted to the darkness, finding two men standing in the corner, watching her with wild eyes.
Their faces were no longer masked. She could see the stubble along one man’s jaw, a scar going down the length of his cheek. He held a pint in his hand, nearly empty by the way he lifted it. She gagged as he licked the remnants from his lips. The other prowled toward her, a predatory edge in his gaze. She noticed a limp on one side as he approached, his hand rubbing his side. Pain was etched in his brow. Elsy’s gaze dipped to her feet. They weren’t bound to the chair. She had only one chance. If she timed it right, she could kick him, possibly escape. Her head turned from side to side, her heart slamming in her chest as she thought worriedly,Where is Scotty?
“Awake, are ye?” the man with the limp said lowly.
Elsy wiggled, ignoring the pain piercing through her as the rope rubbed against her skin. She cried out as the two men approached. They chuckled cruelly while circling around her.
“What should we do with her?” slurred the drunk man, slamming his pint down.
Elsy jumped, her body unable to stop trembling as the one with the limp leaned toward her, stroking the side of her face. “Ah, what a bonnie little thing,” he whispered into her ear. He grabbed her chin and turned her toward him. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared up at him. She couldn’t hurt him now. His injured side was angled away from her. “I knew Connell would send ye away.” He chuckled at Elsy’s widening eyes.How does he know Connell?she wondered as she watched the man straighten away from her, a cruel smile on his lips.
“Connell,” the other man spat while circling around her. “Foolish man knows naething.”
The one with the limp chuckled while leaning against the window, his arms crossing in front of him. “Tell me, Lady McCormick,” he said tauntingly. “How did ye seduce the great Connell?” His gaze lowered to her bosom, his nostrils flaring as that gaze wandered down to her legs. “I have known Connell for nearly three years and his eye has never turned for a lass before.” His head tilted. “I wonder, do ye taste so differently from any other bonnie lass?”
The other man grabbed her shoulders, and Elsy shivered as she closed her eyes. A whimper escaped her as she felt his tongue sliding up the side of her cheek. “She tastes like any other, Glenton.”
Elsy’s eyes opened at the name. She recognized it from somewhere, but she did not know from where. As she stared at the man before her, Glenton, she realized she knew that face. She had seen him coming in and out of McCormick Castle before her husband was found dead.Did he kill Alan?she wondered.
“Perhaps,” the other man slurred as he moved in front of her. She scowled as he leered at her, his foot kicking her legs apart. “We should see what’s between her thighs.” He laughed cruelly while edging toward her.
Elsy bit the cloth in her mouth, her eyes narrowing into a scowl. She saw her chance and she took it, slamming her leg upward and kicking the disgusting man in the groin. His eyes widened, nearly bugging out of his head. He cried out as he grabbed at himself, his knees hitting the ground. Glenton rushed toward her, but she kicked her feet out, slamming them into his stomach. He stumbled backward while she toppled out of her chair. The wood slammed into her back. Her head ached. Pain made it difficult for her to stand, but she did. She ran toward the door, ignoring the two groaning men behind her. Her hands wiggled in their confines as she lowered herself, trying to push the handle of the door down so she could open it. The rope binding her wrists loosened, but not enough to release her. She shoved her shoulder against the handle, yet it wasn’t enough to open the door.
“Come on,” she whispered desperately, hearing the creaking of floorboards behind her as the brigands began to rise.
The handle moved and hope seized her heart as the door flew open. Light flooded her eyes, making her see pastel spots for a brief moment. A man loomed above her. His golden hair glimmered in the light while his brown eyes met hers. Her heart stopped and she took a step back. Dizziness overtook her. She shook her head, trying to make sense of the man stepping toward her. Her feet tripped and she fell, landing hard on her bottom. Her eyes widened on the man as he closed the distance between them. His lips tilted into a cruel smirk.
“Elisabeth,” he said, his tone smooth, sending shivers down her spine. Memories surfaced of the walls of McCormick Castle, of the darkness of those corridors and the feeling of being trapped. She flinched, her eyes clamping closed as the man reached for her, plucking the cloth from her mouth. “Tis good to see ye after so long.”
Elsy shivered and she wrenched herself away from the man, hating his very touch, hating the way his voice sounded against her ears. She felt as if spiders were crawling all over her body, fear making it difficult for her to think of a way to escape.
“H-how?” she breathed, shaking her head. She couldn’t stop trembling. Her heart was thudding hard in her chest. She swallowed the bile beginning to rise. Slowly, she opened her eyes and turned toward him, finding it difficult to see this man alive and well. “How are ye here, Alan?”
Alan McCormick chuckled, craning his head toward her. He took her arm and gently tugged her up, but Elsy knew better. There was no tenderness in the way Alan regarded her. His skin felt cool to the touch, as if he had truly risen from the grave not long ago.
“She kicked me,” one of the men groaned, still gripping himself as he stumbled toward them. “Foolish lass needs--”
“Out with ye, Logan,” Alan said simply, casting a dark look over Elsy toward the man.
“But--”
“I said out!” Alan shouted and Elsy jumped, biting back a gasp.
With a grunt and one final dark glare in Elsy’s direction, Logan trudged out of the door, slamming it shut behind him. Alan guided her to the chair, righting it before pushing her onto its seat. She looked between Glenton and Alan, wondering what they would do to her now.
“Apologies, my laird,” Glenton said while bowing his head. “I did not know--”
Alan raised a hand, halting whatever Glenton was about to say. “Tis good ye left when ye did, Elisabeth,” Alan said with a bitter smile. “Glenton was concerned he would have to kill Connell when he returned. I suppose this makes everything much tidier.” He smiled, his fingers lacing together in front of him.
Elsy gaped at him. Too many questions came flooding to her all at once. She did not even know where to begin. Why would his man kill Connell? Why did Alan want her to begin with? “How are ye alive?” she asked, the question blurting from her lips. “Ye were dead. I saw yer body. I saw--”
Alan’s chuckle halted her words, yet there was no amusement in his tone. “Foolish lass. Ye truly believed that corpse ye found was I?” He clucked his tongue and shook his head. “Nae. That was a peasant from a village within my lands. Hardly looked like me, but I knew ye would look nae further once ye took note of my horse and my clan’s ring on his finger.” His smile widened. “Ye were so keen to be rid of me, Elisabeth. Some days I wondered when I would finally break ye.”
