Loki snorted. “Somehow, ‘tis not a surprise that he hides in the back.”
“How should we handle this?” Torrian asked. Loki was well-known for his scheming and trickery while Jake had the most experience in battle since his sire was the infamous Alexander Grant. They would surely know better than he did.
“Your lead. ‘Tis your wife,” Loki said. “Trust me, when you see her in his hands, your fury will take over. I know.”
Torrian recognized the truth in his statement. “We’ll take the four guards out first. What’s your choice of weapons?”
“Put Kenzie and me in the trees,” Loki said. “We’ll play with them a bit first. They won’t even know what hit them before ‘tis too late.”
Kenzie giggled. “Aye, my sire taught me how to be really good with my sling, just like he was.” He patted Loki’s arm.
Jake nodded. “You hide in the trees, and Torrian and I will wait in the bushes until you get rid of two of them. Then we can take out the other two.”
A slow smile crept across Loki’s face. “Then whoever has your wife is all yours, cousin.”
“Just do not be too slow with this. I do not want him touching her.”
“Haste will get a knife in your belly, cousin. Be wise,” Jake added.
When they got close, they tied up their horses and crept toward the hut. The four guards were outside just as they expected. Jake found a spot to hide and pointed to a place where Torrian could take cover closer to the hut. Loki lifted Kenzie into a tree the perfect distance to shoot from, then found his own tree to climb.
He winked at Torrian just before he climbed his tree. “Do not worry, cuz. We’ll get her back.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Loki and Kenzie at their best.
Torrian watched as Loki wove his own special brand of magic, but this time with a co-conspirator, Kenzie. He heard voices from inside the cottage, but no words were audible. Oh, how he longed to see her.
The door opened and Dugald stepped out, addressing one of his guards before heading back inside. He dropped the bar in place loud enough to echo across the area.
Torrian ran his hand down his face. Somehow, seeing Dugald in front of him made it worse. He’d kill the whoreson with his bare hands. The only thing that kept him from running inside that very moment was the knowledge that Heather was in that bastard’s hands. He could do nothing that would endanger her.
“Ow!” Torrian heard the guard on the opposite side of the field slap his face. “Ian, what the hell did you throw at me? That hurt.”
The guard closest to Torrian turned to face the fool. “I did not throw aught. Stop your crying and pay attention.”
They settled again at their posts, their eyes fixed on the surrounding area. Another loud bellow sounded from a different guard. “Hell. What in blazes was that, Ian? Are you throwing stones or something? You hit me in my forehead. I’ll beat the shite out of you if you do it again.”
“What?” Ian said, sounding both defensive and confused. “I did not throw aught.”
Another shout followed. “Ow.” The fourth guard’s hand went to the back of his head. “Ian, you son of a bitch. Do that again and I’ll kill you.”
Torrian held his laughter in check. Loki and Kenzie were having their fun. Still, he was fast losing his patience, and he wished they would speed things up. His wee wife was inside that cottage with an addled fool.
As if they’d heard his thoughts, several stones launched at the same time, hitting all four guards enough for them to start hurling insults at Ian. All three charged the beleaguered guard.
Loki jumped out of the tree and landed on one of the guards, cutting his throat in an instant. Kenzie threw another rock that hit the second guard in the temple, knocking him out. Now the numbers were in their favor. Torrian lunged for Ian, the closest to him, dodging two of his thrusts before delivering a jarringblow to the man’s midsection, enough to fell him so Loki could finish it.
Jake took care of the fourth guard as a lass’s screams rent the air.
Heather.
Torrian raced to the door and did his best to kick it open, but it was well barred. Loki joined him and between the two of them, they broke the door down. Once inside, Torrian’s eyes immediately shot to Heather—she had crumpled to the floor, and her bodice was ripped in two.
Dugald turned to him, his eyes in a fury.
“Back, Loki,” Torrian growled.
