Page 32 of Highland Prince of Darkness

“Nae, I think it will be too public. He’s more likely to catch us when we least expect it. And an event like a wedding is far too obvious of a choice for him.”

“Well, I think that we should still be prepared. Just in case he’s trying to undermine ye in some way. I’ll make sure that we double the guards at all of the entrances to the castle,” Bruce said.

“Aye, that would be wise.”

Instantly, Iain wished that the old faces from the past would stop resurfacing. He was a different man now, but he didn’t wish to reunite with so many people that he had thought he would never see again.

“I assume that ye’ll want to keep this threat a hushed conversation?”

“It would be best, dae ye nae think? I dinnae want all of the clan knowing about this, especially May, it’s just one more thing for her to worry about.”

“Aye, because at the moment all she has to worry about is what kind of mood her husband is going to be in each day,” Bruce commented with a light chuckle. However, Iain narrowed his eyes and cocked an eyebrow at the remark. He wasn’t in the mood to talk about it with his guardian, but he certainly wasn’t expecting him to be so careless with his words.

“She has nothing to worry about; I want to keep it that way.”

“Are ye really that clueless that ye dinnae see how much she’s worried about ye?” Bruce’s tone had changed as he asked the question out of genuine concern. “She’s scared to ken which Iain she’ll be talking to with each conversation that the two of ye have. I think that ye should at least try to talk and reassure her that things will be fine between the two of ye.”

“I dinnae want to talk about things like that right now, not when there are bigger things to plan for,” Iain shook his head and made for the door.

“Bigger things than yer wedding, lad?”

“There’s the chance that an old threat will resurface and ruin everything, I’m nae goin’ to sit around and be idle while Cumming potentially gets closer to us,” Iain countered from the doorway. He left his guardian to sit by himself as he stormed down the corridor and made for the closest exit out of the castle. He needed space and he needed fresh air.

The sudden and very real threat of such a violent man was causing Iain to think about the woman that he was soon to be married to. Deep down there was something pulling him toward May that was so strong he wasn’t sure that he was even able to define what it was. He wanted her body more than ever, and his thoughts wouldn’t let him think of anything else ever since the kiss, even when he really tried.

Iain wanted to simply get the ceremony over and done with, but he was constantly pulled back by the thought of their wedding night. He swallowed thickly even just thinking about how it would be to touch her properly again, to be so close to her was something that felt so surreal to him.

He had been watching her more and more as of late; just small moments when she didn’t realize that he was looking at her, and he knew that she was watching him in the gardens from her window above. It had made him smile to himself when he had caught her looking down at him, he wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but he liked to know that they were both unable to sleep due to their thoughts.

Iain had been incredibly tired for the last few days, and he knew that his patience was running thin with waiting for the wedding preparations to be finished so that they could get the event over with. He wanted the risk to subside that Athol was going to make an appearance in his life. The letter had come from a trusted source of his, he had people in the main ports that were always looking out for any trace of his former friend. Iain made sure that they were paid well for their services, but he was always secretly hoping that nothing would come of those sources, since he didn’t want to have to deal with Athol.

He turned a corner once the cool highland breeze met his face and his boots splashed through the freshly watery mud. Iain stopped in his tracks at the scene he saw in front of him. May had been out riding with the man who she called a friend; Archie. He could feel his anger burning inside of him, and the sight of the fair haired man in front of him was like oil spilling onto a naked flame.

He clenched his fists into tight balls until his knuckles had turned a dangerous shade of white and were beginning to pulse. But Iain didn’t care, he wanted nothing more than to fight with any man that was looking at May in a way that he didn’t like.

Iain wasn’t sure when it was that he had become so possessive. He never used to be like that, but in the years that had hardened him, it was something that he had come to accept as part of him. Now that he had someone in his life that he would swear in front of the lord above to protect, he wasn’t going to let her near any of the men that looked at her like she was a meal.

“Iain,” May nodded to him as he approached. There was a small glimmer of hope in her eyes that quickly dwindled as she caught on to what kind of mood he was in.

“My laird,” Archie bowed his head as Iain stood between him and May.

“We’ve just come back from a nice ride,” May explained, as she started to fiddle with the bridle of her horse. Archie nodded quickly along with May’s strategic comment that made it sound as though they were being innocent in their intentions. Iain didn’t doubt that she was telling the truth, but he was already so angry that he couldn’t back down from his stance at that point.

“I’d like to have a word with ye?” Iain asked her, turning away from Archie and using his large upper body to block him out of the conversation.

“Of course, let me just take the horse to the stable and say goodbye to Archie,” May said, but Iain didn’t move. “We were just in the middle of a conversation,” she added, as though to reiterate that she meant to spend more time with the other man.

Iain tried to keep his anger at bay as he scoffed and shook his head.

“Is that nae why ye have so many servants in this castle? I hardly think that it’s fitting for the lady of the clan to be caring for her horse after a ride. Why not get a man like Archie to go for ye?”

May rolled her eyes blatantly at him, which was only fueling his anger toward her.

“I ken, but I was just going to finish what I was saying with Archie and—”

“It’s fine, really, my lady,” Archie interjected with another bow of his head, “I will take yer horse to the stable.”

He held out his hand and took hold of the reins that May had been holding onto. The look on Archie’s face was one of muted annoyance, but he was silenced by his position in the situation and had no place to complain. He sighed and took the two horses off toward the stables.