There had been a time when she’d relished that sound, when those rasping breaths had been from pleasure, not from injury.The moment she had given into her need for him had been the best night of her life.But she could never give herself fully to a man.Not then… and mayhap not even now.Had Logan not proved even the best of men could not be trusted?Logan had once deserved so much more than her.Now, she was not so sure.The hatred in him seemed too deep and raw.A woman like her had little power against such emotions.
They were moving again, her feet slipping on the mud.Her skirts tangled around her ankles and she nearly tumbled several times, but the painful hold on her arm kept her upright.Logan led her past the stables and to the rear door out of the keep.There, in the shadows, he released her arm and pushed her away.
She blinked at him, flexing her arm to relieve the ache.
“Go,” he hissed.
“What?”She scanned their surroundings and saw no guards, no one ready to grab her and take her back to her chambers or lock her in the donjon again.
“Go.”
She eyed the door and then the man in front of her.In the dark shadows and faint torchlight, his gaze glittered and the furrows on his brow increased.She stepped forward and paused.“Logan—”
“Leave, Lorna, before the men return.”
Emotion threatened to drown her.She’d said farewell to Logan once before, in this same spot.And he’d nearly been killed.Her throat throbbed painfully.“Logan, pray—”
“Go,” he barked.
Her eyes grew hot.Her heart reached out to her child.Being apart from him tore her in two, the notion of being forever separated from him ate into her soul, yet if she left, would she be condemning his father to death?
“Come with me, Logan,” she begged.“Leave this place, forget all that has happened.”
He shook his head.“I cannae.I dinnae belong with ye and ye know that as well as I do.This is where I belong.”
“But what will ye do?”Lorna closed the gap and gripped his arm.“Will Gillean no’ harm ye for releasing me?”
His lips quirked.“Ye are a canny lass.He knows that much.‘Twill be no stretch of the imagination to believe ye escaped on yer own.Now, leave.”He drew away her hand and turned.
“And then what?”
Logan smirked.“Do what ye do best, Lorna.Yer a leader.Raise an army.Dinnae let Gillean break through the walls at Glencolum.Protect yer son.”
“And what shall ye do?”
“What I have always done.”He offered her a tilted smile.“Survive.”
Lorna stared at his back as he disappeared into the shadows.Her feet twitched with the need to run after him.What did he intend to do?Whose side was he on?He planned to stay on this side of the war.And from what she had heard, it left her in no doubt war would be upon them soon and few Scots would be left untouched by it.
Footsteps on the wall above made her heart bound.She turned and raced to the door.The heavy joist that stretched across it creaked as she lifted it from its iron mounts but determination gave her more strength than she knew she had.Lorna dropped it to the ground, pulled open the door and stepped out.
She was free.
***
The next morning, Logan found the castle in an uproar.Servants hurried about, avoiding the laird at all costs and the men-at-arms made a fine attempt at appearing as busy as possible.When Logan came down for the morning meal, he found the laird indulging heavily in wine.
“Where is she?”he asked through gritted teeth as Logan approached.
Nonchalantly, Logan plucked a chunk of bread from the table and chewed on it.“Who?”
“Ye know very well who.Lorna.”
Logan straightened.“She is gone?”
“Aye, during the night.No one knows how.”
Turning away to mask the lie, Logan cursed aloud.“She was a canny lass.”
