“Nay?”
“Ye know how I feel.”
“And what will ye do to stop me, Adam?”
Years of suppressed anger—silence in the face of his sire’s violence—blind obedience, collided in his chest and propelled Adam forward as he ripped a knife from his weapon belt and flung himself across his sire’s table. Manuscripts and empty glasses tumbled to the floor, and anything else that collided with the bulk of Adam’s body. He didn’t care about anything except ending this nightmare once and for all. The blade came to rest against his father’s throat. “Mother’ssgian-dubhwould effectively silence ye, Father.”
The old man swallowed hard, knowing he had been beaten at his own game. “Ye would murder yer own father?” He didn’t move or try to wrest the blade from his son, only stared up at Adam, waiting.
“If forced to choose between good and evil, I will always choose what is right in the eyes of God.”
Laird MacKay took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, visibly shaken. “I willna condemn her in public. But she will stand before me in this solar and account for her transgression.”
Neither man moved for what seemed a long time. But eventually, Adam lowered the blade. He could not reject this fair offer. Not when Adam knew he should be the one publicly whipped into submission for seeking the lass out and seducing her because he couldn’t control the incessant need to be with her. “I will personally find her and bring her here.”
He returned the knife to his weapon belt and walked to the other side of the table, facing his sire. Their gazes locked, no love lost between them.
“I accept yer offer, Adam. But ’tis only one part of a solution between us. Find her quickly, for I am not a patient man.”
…
Jenna slept on Kali’s lap, a doll hanging from the girl’s hand. The other children had hiked up the mountain to gather fresh berries, leaving Kali and Raini alone to talk. So much had happened between Adam and her, she didn’t know what to think. Nor did she believe anyone was safe with her in the Highlands.
“I told ye,” the seer said in a gentle tone, “ye are never leaving this place.”
Kali shook her head, refusing to believe her friend. “I know ye wish me to stay and take care of the children. I would if I dinna have me own worries.”
“There is more than one way to achieve yer goals, lass.” The old woman gazed at her. “Adam is soon to be laird. As his wife…”
“There can be no talk about that. He hasn’t made any promises, and I willna demand anything from him.”
Rainatskedat her. “I know I tease about Adam’s antics as a lad. But he is an honorable man. He wouldna touch ye unless he cared deeply, unless he intended to take ye as wife. As the mistress of Clan MacKay, yer sire’s influence over ye would end. He couldna touch ye here. And as for yer sisters, the MacKay warriors could steal them away and bring them here.”
Kali rocked the child on her lap, perhaps herself finding comfort in the motion. Her body burned for Adam. And her mind whirled with all sorts of thoughts about what she needed to do. Adam had sent her here with Sam to seek refuge with Raini. How had Adam and Sam known where the cave was located? Raini had assured her Adam had no knowledge of its existence. A serious concern to raise. “How did Adam and Sam know where to find ye?”
Raini shrugged. “Perhaps this isn’t such a secret place after all. Maybe one of the children told Adam after he gifted them with food or clothes. Adam has always been a silent force in these children’s lives. Turning a blind eye to anyone who helps them, safeguarding us.”
Sam had safely delivered her, then rode away like a man possessed. This is what her life would be like if she stayed in the Highlands. Always worried—always looking over her shoulder for the first sign of danger. It would never do, and how could Kali expect anyone else to want to live that way? Even if Adam were laird, her father would find a way to get to her. Perhaps by using English soldiers or spies. Or he might hurt her sisters, God forbid.
Even so, a future without her sisters could never happen. Kali had made promises to her mother and God. Life wasn’t about what she wanted for herself. It never would be.
Yet she held out hope for Raini and the children. The cave offered all the protection of a true home, but it was still a cave on top of a lonely hill. She didn’t want to live that way, and she surely frowned upon the idea of Raini and the children staying here too long. “Let me return to the keep and plead my case before the laird. I will make whatever promises necessary to guarantee yer acceptance back into the clan along with the wee ones.”
Raini shook her head. “A noble offer. But if ye agree to marry Lord Nelson, yer days will be cut short.”
“What do ye mean?” She leaned forward, intrigued once again by the woman’s predictions.
“Ye willna go to the man’s bed voluntarily, so he will resort to brute force. Eventually, he will resent ye so deeply, he will kill ye. And no court in the land will condemn him for ridding himself of an unruly, coldhearted wife who willna fulfill her marital duties.”
“I’d rather die than get with his child. I’d rather die if it means me sisters and all of ye are safe.”
Raini rose from the cushioned stool and paced the cavernous space. “So quick to be a sacrificial lamb. Too blinded by virtue to understand ye’d be inflicting more damage on the ones who love ye by killing yerself. For that’s what it will be if ye take vows with that man.”
“Me father sent me here to teach me a lesson, not to offer me in marriage to Adam or any other MacKay.”
“Such an alliance would improve yer father’s position in Scotland.”
“Me sire has his eyes on England, not Scotland.”
