Page 24 of A Kilted Marriage of Convenience

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Ciara let out a piercing scream and fell backward, dragging Lillie with her.

“Ciara?!” Lillie gasped. Hannah peered through the tall grass. “What’s the matter? Are ye feeling ill?”

Ciara scurried to a stand and ran over to Hannah, holding Lillie’s hand for dear life. “Run!” she hissed. “We must run!”

Their baskets tipped over as she dragged the befuddled girls along with her. With her scream, the guards who had been standing a few feet away sprang into action.

The men who had been hiding emerged from the bushes at that precise moment. They were wearing cloaks, so Ciara couldn't see much of their faces. One of the men, the leader most likely, had a noticeable scar down his cheek.

Ciara's breath caught. It was a scar she recognized from one of her father's castle guards. As the men drew their swords, her heart began to race.

Immediately, the MacDonald guards swiftly drew out their swords, ready to fight.

The cloaked men attacked first. “Take care of these guards and grab the girls!” the scarred man cried. “Any one of them will dae!”

Aidan's guards repelled the attacks with swift blows of their swords. When one was pushed back, another would take his place, keeping them busy.

When the girls realized they were the targets, they screamed in terror and fled. Ciara grabbed Hannah and Lillie's hands, dragging them along with her. Behind her, the sound of metal striking metal rang out. But there were more enemy attackers than guards, and a couple of them had gotten away and started chasing after the girls.

The girls ran as fast as they could, and finally they began to see the sun peering through the tree line up ahead. Suddenly, Lillie tripped and fell to the ground with a cry, causing Ciara to make a sharp stop and turn around.

“Lillie!”

The sounds of heavy footsteps sounded behind them, getting closer and closer by the second. Instinctively, Ciara rushed to Lillie and stretched out a hand.

“Grab my hand! Just trust me! We will make it home!”

But Lillie remained on the ground, a shocked expression on her face. Ciara knew there was no time to waste and yanked her off the ground.

The three of them managed to make it out of the forest, and they continued in the direction of the castle. Ciara shot a look back and realized that the cloaked men hovered at the edge of the forest as if not wanting to step out of the darkness. As if they could not reveal themselves.

Thank goodness!

“We can stop now. I think we can stop,” Hannah panted.

The men who had been lurking behind the trees retreated into the greenery.

They must nae be here to capture me today.

Ciara breathed a deep sigh of relief and bent over, trying desperately to gather herself and catch her breath. The girls beside her seemed to be doing the same, though Lillie still appeared to be lost in a daze.

Ciara scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. Just then, from the corner of her eye, she spotted the guards that had been accompanying them make their way out of the forest. Some were injured, and they supported each other, heading toward the front of the keep.

Ciara turned to Lillie. “Lillie!” she cried, seeing that the other girl was distant. “That was so dangerous! Why did ye nae take my hand? If they had caught us, we would have been taken! What has happened to ye?”

“I ken ye…” Lillie said slowly, looking up at her. Ciara raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“What are ye talking about? Of course, ye ken me! We have been together all day!”

Lillie stepped forward and snatched Ciara’s hand. Confused, Ciara just let her, watching as the girl studied her palm and wrist before holding it up in front of Ciara, making her look at her own fingers.

“Ye have a mole on yer wrist,” Lillie murmured.

Ciara looked at the spot. Indeed, there was a black spot on her wrist.

“Aye. I dae,” she said, wondering what Lillie was going on about. It had never stood out to her before. “What of it?”