Page 50 of Highland Prince of Darkness

Chapter Nineteen

Iain’s shoulder was healing well and continued to do so over the next couple of days as he was ordered to remain in bed. He knew that it didn’t look good for the recently married couple to be spending so much time apart, but he didn’t care for the opinions of others in that regard.

Bruce’s words were constantly whirling around in his mind, but May didn’t come to visit him again. If she did, she was only going to see him while he slept, and so he couldn’t be sure.

Of course, she was in his dreams, she was always there, but he was struggling to distinguish between those dreams and reality.

He spent two days alone, aside from a couple of visits from Bruce and the healer. Iain was so caught up in his own thoughts that by the time that the third night arrived, he decided that he couldn’t stay in the sickbed for any longer.

Iain was tired of being stuck in that room, and he was fed up with not being able to go outside. He felt like a caged animal, even though he knew that he was resting for his own good.

The night was quiet and the draft that wrestled through the thin windows was only enticing him further to get out of the bed. Iain winced as he pushed upwards, causing himself to sit up for the first time properly in a couple of days. He gritted his teeth and pushed past the dull pain that was throbbing in his shoulder as he put weight on it.

“Damnit,” Iain grunted under his breath, as he finally managed to sit up properly. He missed the evenings where he could easily roam through the castle without it causing him so much pain. He felt as though he needed to be able to move around to properly order his clogged thoughts. Iain ignored the pain as he gingerly put a shirt over his injured arm and started to dress so that he could venture outside. His heart fluttered at the thought of the wind on his face. Even though it had only been a few days, he felt as though a small eternity had passed since he had last seen the outside world.

His feet moved quickly as he moved through the castle corridors with his head down. Iain was breathing heavily as he ignored how tired his body was. Ye’ve been resting for days, this is nae the time to be tired, Iain scolded himself in his mind.

He stopped for a moment to glance outside of the window and made the quick decision that he was going to head towards the courtyard at the rear of the castle. It was near the gardens and also out of sight from most. He didn’t like the idea of the servants seeing him out of bed for the first time as he imagined that he still didn’t look particularly healthy.

His mind was already drifting to thoughts of Athol and wondering whether or not it had been him that was behind the attack on him. Iain grimaced at the idea of the man that he had once been so close with finally catching up with him. If Bruce was right and he was to let go of all of his past, it would mean having to relax about Athol too.

The men who had attacked them could have been nothing more than lone travelers looking for trouble. There didn’t have to be a more malicious meaning behind everything, Iain reminded himself.

But if it were Athol, then he realized that he was in a lot more trouble than he had previously anticipated. Athol already knew where he was, and he knew that Iain was going to be on high alert after the attack. He realized that he was going to have to consult with Bruce and some of his best fighting men if he was going to heighten the security of the castle and the surrounding town.

Iain turned a corner and stopped as he felt as though he had seen something out of the corner of his eye. It had felt as though it was someone following him, a shadow that had moved when he had not. But the castle was always alive with shadows, and Iain couldn’t be sure that it was just his tired mind playing tricks on him. He waited a second longer before continuing on, as there was no more movement from behind him.

He stalked through the castle like a cat, quite on his feet and brooding as the animals always appeared to be. Iain liked the fact that the corridors were empty, it made him feel as though he could relax and focus on the issues that pressed in his mind.

Finally, he made it to the open courtyard and closed his eyes as he stood in the doorway. He let the outside air breathe him in and wash its breath back over him. The wind rustled in his already messy hair, but it was a relief to feel a cool breeze for once. Iain had grown almost accustomed to the hot and stuffy room where the healer worked, but it had always felt far too warm in there for it to be pleasant.

He let a heavy sigh escape his body as he stepped out into the cool evening, feeling hints of rain beginning to hit his skin. Iain wasn’t sure if the moon was out, but he couldn’t tell either way as the clouds were hung so low that he thought they may skim the top of the castle.

Iain stood on the edge of the courtyard and looked around at the sloping hills that moved away from their clan land. He wondered if Athol was close. He looked for any signs of light in the darkness that stretched on for as far as he could see. The idea of him being out there, waiting for Iain to venture out again so that he could send another ambush sent a chill running through him.

The last thing that he wanted was for anyone else in the castle to feel as unsafe as he did at that moment. Even being stood in the courtyard made him feel incredibly insecure and vulnerable. Iain knew that if he were attacked again at that moment, he wouldn’t be able to make it out of the situation alive. His shoulder was still hurting, but he felt as though the fresh air was definitely doing his body some good.

The sudden sound of a stick snapping behind him caused him to turn around sharply in shock. In the darkness, May was still recognizable from her long hair that flowed and danced in the wind. Iain’s hand had instinctively reached down to where his sword should have been sheathed at his side, but he had wandered through the castle unarmed. In hindsight, he realized how foolish that decision had been, especially when he was supposed to be on high alert for Athol.

“I’m sorry, I didnae mean to follow ye like this,” May bowed her head and stepped away from him.

Iain was about to say something cutting towards her, but he remembered Bruce’s words and realized just how sick he was of fighting with her.

“Nay, I should be the one apologizing,” Iain said with a sigh, as he let his shoulders sag.

Even in the half light, Iain could see how shocked May was by his words. Her eyes were wide and she was hugging her arms close to her chest as she peered at him, clearly unsure of what she had just heard him say.

“What?”

“I’m sorry for the way that I’ve reacted when I woke up in the healer’s quarters, it’s nay way that a man should speak to his wife. I’m glad that ye were there for me while I was injured, it was very kind of ye to be at my side.”

“It’s what a wife should do,” May tried to brush it off, but Iain shook his head.

“Nay, it’s nae always. It’s what a loyal person would do, and I can see now that ye’re loyal to me. I ken what I’ve said in the past about ye betraying me and that ye have damaged what we had, but the truth is that I understand now, I understand why ye had to do it. In light of that, I’m sorry for the way that I’ve behaved with ye up to this point, it’s nay way that I should have and I’m surprised ye’re still willing to talk to me.”

May had moved closer to him now. Her breath fanned over his face as he looked down into her watery eyes. She bit her lip and looked up at him with a mixture of relief and something else that he couldn’t quite read.

“I’m still sorry though, I should have never left ye, I should have never done it,” May’s voice was weak and was in danger of cracking under the weight of emotion.