Page 38 of It’s in his Highland Kiss

Lynton stepped closer to Eiric, crouching down in front of him. For a moment, the two men simply stared at each other, silent, Eiric wondering what it was that Lynton was doing.

Surely, he isna tryin’ to intimidate me with his stare.

The answer came soon. Lynton cracked the knuckles of his right hand and then proceeded to ball it up in a fist, which then connected with Eiric’s cheek.

Pain shot through Eiric’s head once more, and it was almost unbearable. It wouldn’t have surprised him if he had passed out, but somehow his body persevered, keeping him awake.

“There is much more where that came from,” Lynton said. “So, do you see just how convincing I can be? This is what I’ll do to you over and over, until you either give me what I want or you die.”

“Then I die.”

Lynton didn’t seem to like that answer. Eiric watched as the other man stood, and for a moment, he thought that he would walk away and perhaps send one of the soldiers to deal with him instead.

That was not the case.

With a grunt, Lynton kicked his boot into Eiric’s stomach, making him double over as much as his bound hands would allow him, groaning in pain.

He wouldn’t scream, though; he wouldn’t give Lynton the satisfaction.

Ye’ve felt worse pain, lad. Remember when ye fell off that tree? This is nay thing compared to that.

“Are you sure you’re not changing your mind?” Lynton asked. “You see, I don’t have all day. Well, I suppose I do, but we like quick results. And everything would be so much easier for you if you just told us the battle plans.”

Eiric laughed, a hollow, bitter sound. “If ye think that I’ll give ye our plans, then ye’re sorely mistaken, Captain. I told ye, I willna tell ye anythin’. Ye can ask me as many times as ye want, but this is all ye’ll get.”

Eiric could tell that Lynton was furious with him, and it showed in the vicious way that he began to beat him. Eiric tried to stay quiet, biting back his grunts and his groans, and thinking about Marion; Marion and that kiss that they had shared.

He wanted to kiss her again, he realised, and he would do so if he ever made it out of that tent. He didn’t care what his father might say. He didn’t care what anyone would say. He just wanted Marion for himself.

While Lynton was beating him, dealing punch after punch, kick after kick, Eiric held onto the memory of Marion’s lips on his own and tried to bear it.

He loved her. There was no other explanation for it. He loved her, and she was the only thing keeping him alive.

Chapter Seventeen

When Marion woke up that day, the first thing that came to mind was Eiric. She couldn’t help but feel as though they had left things on a sour note, and that he had left too abruptly, before she could even explain herself.

She didn’t want to have another argument with him, and she certainly didn’t want to spend days without talking to him once more, and so she decided to look for him and speak to him first. She just hoped that he would want to listen to what she had to say to him.

After she dressed and made her way out of her chambers, though, Eiric was nowhere to be found. It was still early in the morning, and at first, she considered the possibility that perhaps he hadn’t woken up yet, but the more she asked the servants about his whereabouts, the more she began to worry.

Her heart almost leapt out of her chest when she found Edan, and she ran up to him, placing herself in his path.

“Edan!” she exclaimed. “Where’s Eiric?”

Edan seemed to be startled by Marion’s sudden presence. He jumped back, a hand coming up to clutch at his chest, and for a moment, he could only stare at her with wide eyes.

“Ach, lass, ye gave me a fright,” he said. “He’s gone. Didna ye ken? He went to talk to Laird MacAuley about the war.”

“What?”

Eiric had told her nothing about that. She would have thought that he would have at least told her he would leave for several days, but he had kept it a secret; or perhaps he simply didn’t think it was important enough to tell her that he would be gone.

“He’ll be back soon,” Edan assured her. “The laird will listen to reason.”

“Do you know when he’ll be back?” Marion asked.

“Weel . . . it’s a few days’ trip to the MacAuley clan, and then he’s bound to stay there a few days . . . and then some more days to come back.”