Ramsay stepped forward. “She’s with me, Kincaid. I’ll see tae me own daughter’s safety.”
Baird’s gaze cut to him. “Yer name daes nae carry the keys tae this castle, Fletcher. Mine daes. If they came fer Malcolm, they may come fer her next. I’ll nae argue it.”
Davina’s voice shook, though she tried to steady it. “Ye think they would… hurt me?”
“They’ll dae worse if they mean tae break me clan,” Baird said. “We move now.”
Davina’s pulse thundered in her ears. She hesitated only a moment before nodding. “Very well. Lead the way.”
Baird took her hand, guiding her down the side aisle. His grip was warm and his movements swift.
“Stay close,” he said. “Dinnae speak unless I tell ye.”
Her mother called after her. “Davina!”
Davina turned long enough to meet her mother’s frightened eyes. “I’ll be safe,” she promised, though she scarcely believed it herself.
They slipped through a narrow door behind the altar, into a corridor lit by torches. The air there was cooler and quieter, but the alarm bells echoed even through the stone. Baird’s pace was relentless.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Tae the upper rooms, they’ll be guarded.”
“And me maither and faither?”
“He will keep them both safe,” Baird assured her without looking back. “Ye’re the one they’d use as leverage.”
His words made her stomach twist. “Why me?”
“Because ye were meant tae unite us,” he said grimly. “And naething weakens a pact faster than fear.”
They turned a corner. Behind them, shouts grew louder.
Davina gripped her skirts, breathless. “Me laird?—”
“Quiet.” He slowed, glancing back toward the chapel doors. “They’re coming this way.”
The corridor stretched before them, long and dim. The sound of running feet echoed through it, not from behind this time, but ahead.
Baird’s hand tightened on her arm. “Stay behind me,” he ordered and there was steel in every syllable. “Whatever happens, dae nae run unless I tell ye tae.”
Somewhere ahead, a shout split the air. “Stop him!”
Baird turned sharply. “There!”
A figure burst from the shadows at the far end of the corridor. Whoever it was, he was masked, cloaked and running for his life in a blur of dark motion. Guards gave chase behind him, with their swords drawn, but the intruder was desperate, which provided him with the edge of speed and surprise.
“Back!” Baird ordered, shoving Davina behind him.
She pressed against the cold wall, while her heart was hammering. The intruder’s steps pounded closer, echoing off thestone. His cloak snapped behind him as he darted past a torch and for an instant, Davina saw the flash of a blade. The man was coming straight for them.
Baird drew his sword in one swift motion. “Stop, in the name of Clan Kincaid!”
But the intruder did not slow. The guards were too far behind, shouting warnings that came too late.
“Watch out!” Davina cried, but before she could take another breath, the masked man lunged.
Baird swung, steel ringing against stone as the intruder ducked beneath his strike. In the next heartbeat, Davina felt a rough hand seize her arm. She gasped, feeling the world tilt as she was pulled sharply back.
