“And the lass?” one of them asked.
Lachlan’s expression darkened.
“She will be taken,” he spoke each word measuredly. “Quietly, efficiently and before Grant even realizes she is gone.”
His fingers curled slightly against the edge of the table.
“She was promised tae me first,” he continued, and every word he spoke was edged now with something far more possessive than mere political ambition. “And I dinnae relinquish what is mine.”
There was no room for doubt in the statement.
“Shewillbe brought tae me,” he ordered. “Alive.”
A pause followed.
“And if any man, Grant or otherwise, stands in the way…” His gaze hardened, cold as steel. “They will be removed.”
No one questioned him. No one dared.
Lachlan looked once more to the map, his mind already moving several steps ahead, shaping the outcome as though it were merely a matter of time.
The first attempt had failed, but the second would not.
It would be cleaner, quieter.
Final.
The morning had not yet fully broken when Elaina made her way to the stables.
A pale grey light lingered over the grounds, while the air was still speckled with the remnants of night. The world felt quieter at this hour, as though the castle itself had not yet woken to its duties, and for the first time since the evening before, Elaina found she could breathe without the weight of too many thoughts pressing in at once.
The familiar scent of hay and leather greeted her as she stepped inside. Horses shifted softly in their stalls. She felt their presence steady and grounding. She moved among them with ease, her hand brushing along a warm neck here, smoothing a mane there, finding comfort in their quiet acceptance.
It had always been that way, even at home…especiallyat home.
She had just closed her eyes, allowing the stillness to settle around her, when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. She did not need to turn to know who it was.
“I thought I might find ye here,” Duncan spoke, and his voice momentarily awakened her every sense.
Elaina turned then, allowing a small flicker of surprise to cross her features despite herself. “And how did ye ken ye’d find me here?”
A faint smile touched his lips as he stepped closer. “Ye told me,” he replied simply. “The day we rode intae the forest. Ye said the stables were the only place ye ever found any peace.”
Elaina regarded him for a moment. “I am impressed, me laird,” she commented playfully. “Ye remember a great deal.”
Duncan’s expression did not waver, though there was a quiet intensity in it now that had not been there before.
“I remember everything ye have told me,” he revealed without hesitation. “Since the moment we met.”
Elaina stilled. She watched him take another step closer.
“So much so,” he continued and somehow, his voice had gotten deeper, carrying within itself that rumble that made her skin erupt in gooseflesh, “that I followed ye when ye left the tavern that night.”
Her brows lifted, genuine surprise now evident. “Is that so?”
“Aye.”
There was no apology in it and no attempt to soften the admission. That alone was enough to make her heart skip a beat, in addition to the fact that they were alone and he was standing dangerously close to her.
