Page 67 of Highland Prince of Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Six

The bell rang out at the end of the funeral. In keeping with the tradition, May and Iain both had their turn of ringing the bell as a sign of respect. May’s hands were shaking as she pulled at the rope, she felt tears building up in her eyes as she said a final goodbye to her father. He was buried in the chapel near the castle, the same place where they had been married only a couple of weeks beforehand.

May could feel the heaviness in her heart building up once more as she turned to be embraced by Iain. She had never felt such a myriad of conflicting emotions before and hated the way that it was tearing at her. On the one hand, she wanted to show that she was strong and relieved that Athol Cummings was in custody, and she wanted to present herself as a good leader of the clan. But on the other hand, she was completely broken inside. May was struggling to find a way to carry on with her life as she moved between her chambers, the great hall, and the healer’s chambers.

It had only been a couple of days since her rescue, but May was still in a lot of pain from her injuries. She also felt rather uncomfortable knowing that her captor was still within the same building as her, even though he was now the prisoner.

May shuddered as she thought about him finding a way to escape and get to her and Iain. It was a fear that gripped her in the middle of the night and made it impossible for her to feel well-rested in the morning.

The days started to blur as she continued with her recovery. Her life now felt as though she was categorizing the events between before and after her rescue day. May wished that she wouldn’t do that, but she knew that it had changed the dynamics in the clan a lot and would have many implications that were still to come. She had to make sure that the clan did not think of her as weak.

“How are ye feeling, love?” Iain asked as he walked into their chambers that morning.

“Better,” May lied in a feeble tone. She was tired of having to answer that question, but she knew that many people were concerned for her in the wake of the funeral.

“I dinnae believe ye still,” Iain sighed and managed a light chuckle.

“I ken,” May nodded. She had no intention of coming up with an excuse and simply hung her head.

“Come here,” Iain sighed as he pulled her in for a tight embrace, “It’s going to be all right.”

“I just hate that he’s still in the castle,” May cried into his chest.

“I ken, but he’s in the dungeons, he cannae get to ye,” Iain reassured her.

“I want him gone,” May whispered.

“I dinnae want to risk transferring him to another dungeon, it would be the perfect time for him to escape.”

She knew that Iain was right, but it was still difficult for her to accept that Athol was in the dungeons below them.

“Have ye gone to see him yet?”

“Nay,” Iain shook his head. “I will be soon though, ye can guarantee that.”

“What will ye say?” May asked. She could feel his fingers running tenderly through her hair and relaxed a little.

“I dinnae ken yet, I’m still trying to find the words to say how I feel.”

May thought about what she would say if she came face to face with the man who had killed her father while trying to kill her. He had also tried to rape her, which she would never forgive him for. She shuddered at the thought of his hands on her ever again.

“Do ye think that ye’ll be ready to address the people soon?” Iain questioned.

“Nay, I still need more time,” she said and kissed his cheek.

“Aye, I completely understand,” he nodded, “The councilors have been advising that I encourage ye to get back to yer duties soon, but I told them it would take as long as ye needed.”

“Thank ye,” May sighed. “I promise that I will get back to things soon, I just… I’m trying to process everything and—”

“Ye dinnae need to explain yerself to me love, ye ken that.”

May managed a smile that was rather weak, but she still wanted to show Iain that she was very appreciative of everything he’d been doing for her.

“How are ye doing today?” May asked.

“I’m better,” Iain nodded.

“That’s a lie too, isn’t it?” She looked up at him as she let her hand rest on the back of his neck gently.