Page 53 of The Cursed Highland Bride

Turning around, she saw Alistair Morgan. Before finding the time to utter a response, he punched her in the head with the hilt of his sword.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Dunn tried to follow after Katarina, but he could not move fast enough. By the time that Esmerelda helped him down the stairs and he was able to alert Tor of the situation, she was long gone. They searched the castle and its grounds but did not find her anywhere. Tor sent teams of men to scour the island, but they also came back with nothing.

“Too much time has passed. She could be anywhere.” Dunn ran a worried hand through his hair.

“Would she be so foolish as tae return tae Morgan lands without the men we promised her?” Tor asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

“Aye, she would,” Ewan answered, coming to stand with them in the great hall. He had just returned with one of the search parties. He looked rough, given that he had not taken time to rest from his first journey home before setting out to look for her. “I had tae threaten her with physical violence before I could get her tae agree tae come back with me.”

Dunn laid a reassuring hand on his clansman’s shoulder. “Ye did what ye had tae do tae get her here. Her leaving is nae yer fault. It is mine alone.”

“And mine,” Esmerelda admitted, her dark eyes filled with concern. “I insisted on a kiss tae break the curse.”

Adamina’s eyes widened. “She saw ye kissing?”

Dunn nodded soberly. “She did.”

“And that was enough tae make her run?” Tor asked, his brow furrowing deeper.

“She loves him,” Esmerelda answered, her eyes turning to Dunn’s face. “A woman does nae always think with clarity where love is concerned. I can understand that.”

Dunn met her eyes for a moment before addressing the group, “We need tae go after her.”

“Ye are in nae condition tae be going anywhere,” Adamina chastised. She gestured toward his wound that had broken open and was seeping blood. He had been pacing in worry for hours. “Sit down and let me tend tae yer wound,” she instructed, leading him over to the chair by the hearth.

“I dinnae wish tae add more worry, but Morgan is nae the only enemy who could harm her,” Esmerelda reminded them. “August Raymond is nearly as formidable.”

“The lass is right,” Ewan nodded in agreement. “His men fought well.”

Dunn sighed and ran his hand over his face in frustration. “I have tae go after her. Every moment that we spend sitting here talking is another moment that she is in needless danger.”

“Ye should have thought o’ that before ye kissed her.” Adamina gave Esmerelda a disapproving look.

“I asked ye nae tae let anyone enter my bedchamber,” Dunn reminded her.

Adamina snorted in reproach. “Dinnae lay the blame on us. Ye are the one who wronged her.”

Adamina was angry with him, and he could not blame her. He had allowed his feelings about his parents’ deaths to cloud his judgment when it came to women. He had used them as a means to an end, to sate his own lust and theirs, but had not allowed himself to feel anything for any of them. Katarina had pierced his armor to such an extent that were he to lose her, he would be destroyed. It was the very fate that he had spent a lifetime trying to avoid.

“I must go after her.” He leveraged himself up out of the chair.

“Ye cannae go without risking yer own life.” Adamina tried to push him back down into the chair.

“I must. It does nae matter what happens tae me.”

“It matters. Ye matter,” Tor reminded him. “Let me go after her. I will bring her back tae ye.”

Dunn shook his head. “It must be me. I need tae show her that I care about her enough tae sacrifice myself for her. She will never trust me until I show her that she is my heart.”

“How is getting yerself killed and leaving the clan vulnerable going tae benefit anyone?” Adamina asked, arching a brow in consternation.

“Tor can lead the clan if I am gone.”

Tor shook his head. “I dinnae want it. Please, let me go after her.”

“I cannae,” Dunn pushed himself away from the chair and moved toward the door. His wound pained him terribly, but he was not about to let it defeat him.” He staggered a moment but regained his footing.