Bane gave Kali another violent shake, and Adam could take no more. He propelled himself through the guards and came face-to-face with Bane, knowing the bastard still had a grasp on his beloved. One wrong move could provoke the unstable man.
The English guards shuffled forward, threatening Adam, swords aimed at his body. But Adam didn’t care, he had eyes only for Kali.
“We are at an impasse,” Bane said. “Ye have no legal recourse here, Adam MacKay. The contracts have been signed. Kali marries Lord Nelson and the Bane lands are returned to me!”
Adam’s jaw tightened as he stared at the selfish piece of shite—noting that several of his guards had stealthily moved into place behind the high table, ready for his signal to act.
No one would leave here alive if Kali was hurt.
“Ye sold yer daughter to the English for land and titles—yet she is of an age to protest. Did ye sign a contract, Kali?” Adam asked, meeting her watery blue gaze. How those hypnotic eyes drew him in and held him captive.
“Nay. This man is no’ the one I choose as me husband.”
“Who do ye choose?” Adam asked.
“Ye, Adam MacKay…”
Bane’s blade moved swiftly but Adam was ready. His mother’ssgian-dubhflew straight and true, impaling Bane’s throat. The bastard dropped his knife, his hands automatically going to his neck while he gasped for breath, stumbling back.
Kali covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide with terror. That’s when Adam gave the signal, and the English guards and his sire were taken into custody without violence.
The crowd dispersed, women and children fleeing in fear, some of the men moving to join Adam, some attempting to defend the old laird.
Sam had been tasked with taking Kali and her sister to a safe place, away from the great hall. Adam watched with deep satisfaction as his right hand fulfilled his duty, Kali gazing at him with the same longing in her eyes as Adam felt in his heart.
As the noise and chaos started to settle down and the English soldiers and Lord Nelson were disarmed and cornered, and Adam’s father was forced to sit at the captain’s table, Adam climbed the dais and raised his hands to silence the crowd.
“Today ends the tyranny of me father and the English influence over our clan. Today I promise ye a future of peace and prosperity, fairness and justice…” He eyed the body of Thomas Bane, which had been left on the floor to bleed out. “Today I take control of Clan MacKay and have appointed new officers who will lead by example, ending the greed and corruption of the old captains. May the Almighty bless us with long life and peace.”
Goblets were raised in celebration, and even Adam’s three brothers and sister nodded in agreement. ’Twas the dawn of a new time for their clan, but the most important part of his heart was missing…Kali Bane.
Chapter Twenty-One
Adam had sent word that the great hall had been cleared of the English and Thomas Bane’s body. He’d also requested the presence of his chosen bride within the hour, for the priest’s heart had started to fail him after the violence, and the man wanted to flee to the next clan’s keep.
Adam had written her a letter, delivered by Sam to Yvaine’s chambers. If his bride agreed to join him, Adam promised her a life of love and respect.Will ye accept me, Kali Bane?Love me?Trust me? Be my friend and lover, the mother of me children? Pick me up when I stumble, rule Clan MacKay at me side?
Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. After years of fighting to survive, with endless fear and doubt in herself—finally, Kali could rest—could believe that she and her sisters would live freely. Kali did not mourn the loss of her father. Instead, she wanted to celebrate the first day of her new life by accepting Adam MacKay as her husband.
“I’m afraid yer face will shatter if that smile gets any bigger,” Raini said as she took a second turn around Kali, nodding her approval of the purple silk dress chosen for her wedding gown. Her hair had been combed to a high luster and left free to fall down her back. A crown of heather and pearls that had been quickly sewn onto it were her only adornment except for the bracelet she wore on her right wrist—the most precious gift Kali had ever received.
Then Sam and two other guards escorted her, Raini, Ariana, Yvaine, and Heather down to the great hall where a crowd of happy onlookers, including the nine orphans Kali loved as her own, were waiting for her. Adam had shaved and changed into a fresh linen shirt and plaid, the laird’s gold pin shining brightly from his shoulder, holding his tartan in place.
The MacKay guards, standing at attention, formed two lines and smiled as their future mistress walked between them, approaching the man she loved.
“Kali,” Adam whispered as she finally joined him in front of the priest.
She held her hand up and gazed at Adam. “I will have ye promise me something here in front of these good people before we wed.”
He swallowed hard and gave her a weak smile. “Ask anything of me.”
“Promise ye will never treat me as me sire or any of those other terrible men did. I want to be yer partner, Adam. Yer friend and closest advisor, not just yer wife.”
Adam searched the crowd as silence descended over them, then faced Kali. “Let everyone hear me, I take this woman as me equal—as me friend and partner. Honor her as ye do me.”
The crowd erupted in cheering, and Kali hugged Adam.
“My dearest love,” she purred, the smile never leaving her face.
