When Lily emerged from the river, she looked around her, spotted dry land on the other end of the river, then began swimming towards it.
Did they really think they could take me down so easily?
She had injured only one of the three men who had captured her, but if anyone else came at her again, she would teach them all a lesson.
Especially the one with the green eyes.
Lily had almost reached the shore when she suddenly felt a tight grip on her right ankle. The weight pulled her back into the water and under it.
She fought hard to get back up, and saw him right there under the water, pulling her back towards him till he could grab her by the waist.
“Let me go—” she coughed and yelled when he pushed them back up to the surface. “Let me go this instant!”
Her screams and kicks meant little as he pulled her out of the water, pinned her to the ground, and began tying her wrists again.
She hit him with her head, loving the gruff sound of his groan, and tried to get up to run, but he recovered quickly and dragged her down again.
“You are insane!” Lily growled, her entire body burning with rage. She was going to say more, but he took out a piece of cloth from his kilt and stuffed it into her mouth.
“There, that should keep ye quiet for the rest of our trip. We have much ground to cover.”
Lily kept on speaking even though her words were muffled, and he kept tugging at her to follow him. His hands were large as they wrapped around the bare skin of her arm. His touch warmed that spot up, but since the rest of her was cold from her recent dive into the river, she could easily focus on the chill coursing through her than the sudden warmth his touch created.
They reached another clearing, where his horses and men were waiting, and even as she tried not to move any further, he pulled her forwards.
“M’laird,” one of his men greeted. “Do ye need us to take her?”
“Nay. This one is a fighter. I’ll handle her myself.”
Lily stopped in her tracks when they reached his black-haired mare. She noticed her captor’s own black, sleek, long hair and how it fell close to his shoulders.
A sudden tingle zapped through her as she noticed the way his hair brushed against his collar, and his perky nose. That tingle was instantly replaced by heat once she stared at his lips.
He had a huge frame, and his body could envelop all of hers in one try. His jawline was taught and well-defined, and his skin was fair, almost a pale white.
She hadn’t noticed it before now, but as he stood close to her, she saw the steady rise and fall of his chest and watched his lips as he spoke, “Get on the saddle.”
Lily’s eyes narrowed, and she stared him right in the eye without blinking. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen.
It’s a shame I will have to kill him eventually.
He sighed, picked her up from the ground with ease, and dumped her on the saddle before moving on. His body pinned hers in place once he climbed in behind her, and his nearness made her freeze.
For reasons she couldn’t understand, all fight seemed to leave her body the moment she felt his hot breath on the back of her neck as he sat behind her on the saddle. Her back stiffened in response, and a knot formed in the pit of her stomach.
What in the heavens are these sensations?
He began their ride without another word to her, and they had made it far before he took another path and continued. All Lily could see were the trees and shrubs covering the wide expanse of land as they rode past.
She had no clue where she was, or who this man was. Her fate was in his hands now… except, of course, if she found another way to kill him and escape.
Resolved in her heart to make a move when the right opportunity presented itself, she let her nerves stay charged up while her mind spun with possible scenarios of escape.
Lily knew she would enjoy killing him once she had the chance, even though every other woman in Scotland would miss such a handsome man.
2
Killian took the dangerous route back to MacColl Castle so he could avoid the McLennan men he knew would be searching everywhere for him and Laird McLennan’s sister. He had planned this out for months and mapped out every corner of his route, so he had known of the river and considered the possible chances of his captive trying to flee and jump.
