Cannae say the same about the others.
The fellow nodded mutely.
Aiden pursed his lips, ignoring the stinging pain. “Then get out of me castle, and daenae raise arms against me again. I am yer Laird, and I’d thank ye to remember it.”
Somebody cleared their throat behind him, a pointed and distinctive sound.
Aiden sighed. “Got something to say, Theodore?”
Footsteps pattered down the steps, and he glanced briefly over his shoulder to see the man in question standing in the courtyard, eyeing the crowd warily. Hannah stood beside him, pale and shivering. Her torn sleeve flopped miserably, and her hair had come loose from its braid.
His heart ached.
Just a wee bit longer, lass. Then ye can have all the hot baths and good meals ye want.
“Aye, I do,” Theodore sniffed. “Ye cannae simply let them walk away. They are traitors, and they all need to be executed for treason.”
The men shifted, whispering frantically to each other.
The fellow who’d surrendered swallowed thickly. “Please, me Laird, I have a wife and three daughters. I support me sister, and?—”
“Oh, is that so?” Aiden snapped. “And did ye think of yer family when ye watched those men attack that innocent lass there, eh?”
The fellow said nothing, hanging his head.
Aiden breathed in, fighting down the rising tide of fury. He wanted to lift his sword, race forward, and slice off every treacherous hand that had laid upon Hannah. He wanted to make them suffer, to feel the fear she had felt in that instant.
Then he heard her let out a slow, shaky breath.
Glancing over his shoulder again, their eyes met. To his amazement, there was a clear plea in her eyes.
Daenae.
He gave her the tiniest of nods and turned to Theodore. “These men here willnae lift a hand against me again,” he said crisply.
“Nay, me Laird, we willnae,” the fellow spoke up eagerly, eyes wide and hopeful. “We willnae make this mistake again.”
“Nay, ye willnae. Leave here and spread the word that this Laird MacBain is here to stay. I’ll make yer lives better, if ye will let me. I’ll help ye, if ye will accept it. But turn against me, and I will be forced to take action.”
He nodded fervently.
Other men in the crowd, bloodied and beaten, nodded too, backing away.
Aiden stood where he was, watching them scurry through the gates like rats. The other men who’d waited outside were long gone.
At long last, he let himself relax. He exhaled slowly, shoulders dropping, and closed his eyes briefly.
The silence was broken by a thin gurgle. Opening his eyes, he glanced over at the wall.
The mob leader lay there, blood still pouring from his stump but more sluggishly this time. His skin was gray. Maybe there’d never been a real chance for him to live, but he was certainly going to die now. He had minutes, perhaps less. He didn’t seem to be in pain, but his eyes kept opening and closing, jaw flexing as though he were trying to speak.
“Somebody should put him out of his misery,” Hannah murmured, ducking her head.
“That’s magnanimous of ye,” Aiden noted, arching his eyebrows. “He wanted to tear ye apart. Ye should want him to suffer. He wantedyeto suffer.”
“Aye, but I am nae like him,” she responded, meeting his eyes squarely.
“I’ll put him out of his misery,” Theodore offered briskly, stepping forward and drawing his sword.
