“They werenae,” she confirmed, a sound that might have been a laugh in any other circumstance slipping past her lips. “I was sure they were goin’ to kill me right there in front of Elizabeth. The way he spoke…”
“But they dinnae,” Lucas said firmly, not allowing her to finish the thought. It was pure luck that they hadn’t, pure luck that he’d been alerted to the abduction. “But ye made our job easier. If it werenae for that, I daenae ken if we would have been informed of what happened to ye until it was too late. At least one of the guards survived. He made it back to the castle.”
“Ryan?” she asked hesitantly, as if she were afraid of what the answer might be.
“Nay, it was James,” he replied, dropping his hand from her cheek. “I daenae ken if Ryan survived. We dinnae stop to check any of the bodies for survivors. Our focus was findin’ ye and Elizabeth. I will send men to check for survivors as soon as I am sure ye’re safe.”
Flora nodded, staring at the dirt, worrying her bottom lip. After a beat, she said, “If it werenae for ye, I wouldnae have been able to defend Elizabeth and myself. It wasnae enough to keep them from takin’ us, but?—”
“There were too many of them,” Lucas said, catching her eye to ensure she understood. He waited until he had her full attention to continue. “They overwhelmed yer guards. The fact that ye were able to stop even one of them is a miracle. And if it was because I taught ye how to use a knife, then that means I did mejob. I’m proud of ye, Flora. I told ye that ye were a fighter, and ye proved that today. Ye saved yerself and Elizabeth.”
And he meant it with a certainty that was staggering. With a force stronger than a physical blow, Lucas realized that he was in love with her. Somewhere between rescuing her from the hunt and stopping a second abduction, she’d wormed her way into a place that he didn’t think another person would ever inhabit.
Flora held onto Elizabeth, stroking the girl’s back as they waited for Matthew to return with the horses. Lucas stood over the only man out of the ten captors still left alive. Matthew would bring men to haul him away, promising the girls that he’d be thrown in the dungeon and unable to hurt another person ever again.
“Ye’re nae hurt are ye?” Flora asked Elizabeth, looking over her shaking form. “There’s nay injuries ye’re hidin’.”
“I daenae think so,” Elizabeth answered as her arms tightened around Flora. “But I cannae tell. I daenae feel like I’m in me body.”
Flora’s heart ached. She knew the feeling all too well, and she hated that someone so young was experiencing it. The sting dug in so much deeper, knowing that this wasn’t the first time Elizabeth had felt the terror of being kidnapped. She’d been through far too much for her age, and there was nothing that Flora nor anyone else could do to remedy it.
As she continued to rub the girl’s back, providing as much comfort as she could, Flora’s attention shifted to Lucas. He was standing a few meters behind the man. He scanned the forest, his sharp gaze searching for any stragglers or opportunistic bandits. His hand rested near the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it if any other danger presented itself.
She’d seen him in action before, but this felt so different than when he rescued her the first time. The way he’d killed two men in front of her, nearly killing a third before she’d spoken up, was tinged with more than just the actions of a man dedicated to protecting any woman. It was personal, running deeper than just the slight against Elizabeth.
And I think I like that possessiveness.
The sound of horses stomping through the underbrush made Elizabeth flinch. Flora tightened her arms around her, muttering, “It’s just yer faither and the men who are goin’ to help us. We’ll be goin’ back to the castle shortly. Nay need to be frightened, Elizabeth.”
“Aye,” Elizabeth said, finally pulling back from her hiding place and looking over her shoulder. Her body relaxed when she spotted her father. “Ye were right.”
“I ken,” Flora said, giving her a shaky smile as she untangled herself from her arms. “I’ll see ye when I get back to the castle, aye?”
Elizabeth was too focused on throwing herself into Matthew’s arms again to respond, but that didn’t bother Flora. As she folded her arms around her body protectively, she watched Lucas give the guard orders. Despite the earlier uncontrolled rage she witnessed, he was collected, every bit the confident, analytical leader she’d come to learn he was.
Eventually, the guards gathered the man and started on their slog back to the castle. Then, Lucas turned his attention to Flora. The fire in his eyes was still there, though it was tempered by a concern so deep it made her shudder.
“We must get ye back to the castle,” he said, kneeling in front of her, careful not to crowd her. “Ye need to be seen by the healer. That cut on yer face looks nasty, and I daenae ken if ye’re hidin’ anythin’ under that gown.”
“I’m nae,” Flora answered, though she felt much the same as Elizabeth. It was as if she weren’t in her body. Despite knowing that she had suffered injuries to her face, there was only a dull pang that reminded her of the trauma. “They dinnae do anythin’ but slap me.”
“Ye’re still bein’ thoroughly examined,” he declared before pushing himself to his feet. He glanced at Matthew, who was loading Elizabeth onto his horse, giving him a nod to signal he could go ahead first. “And ye’re nae leavin’ the castle without me ever again. I’m nae riskin’ somethin’ like this happenin’ for a third time. Ye matter far too much to me. Next time, I willnae be responsible for the way that I handle savages like these men.”
The way he said it, the conviction and possessiveness in his tone, made her feel desired. Not only that, but worthy of being desired. No longer did she think that situations like this ruined her. He’d more than proven that the actions of others, the actions of monsters, did not reflect on her.
“There willnae be a next time,” Flora said, taking his hand and letting him assist her to an upright position. “I daenae think anyone will try to mess with ye and the people ye care about when they hear about what ye did today.”
Lucas smiled, tired and warm. “I’m still nae takin’ any chances with ye,” he informed her, not letting go of her hand as he walked her to his waiting steed. “I meant what I said when I told ye that ye were mine. I daenae let anyone hurt what belongs to me.”
“I ken,” Flora said as he lifted her onto the saddle. She didn’t say that she was glad to be his, to be under his protection. It didn’t need to be voiced; she knew that Lucas would understand.
And I’m so grateful for it.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Well, Elizabeth,” the healer was saying as Flora stepped into the room, Lucas close behind, “I’m happy to give ye a clean bill of health. There’s nae anythin’ wrong with ye except for this bruise on yer arm.”
“I told ye I wasnae hurt,” Elizabeth replied, sounding much more like herself now that they were safely within the walls of Castle McGowan. There was still a heavy edge of exhaustion to her words, though. “It’s because of Flora. Those men were scared of her.”
