Page 52 of The Laird’s Sinful Secret

“Dinnae apologize fer trying tae protect me clan. Just...” He stopped, turning to face her fully. They stood perhaps fifty yards from the side gate, close enough to hear the castle waking but far enough for privacy. “Just trust that I ken what I’m daeing. That I wouldn’t keep ye here if I thought the cost was too high.”

“How can ye be certain?” Her green eyes searched his face. “How dae ye ken the cost willnae keep rising until it’s more than ye can bear?”

“I ken me limits,” he said simply. “And I havenae reached them.”

Her expression flickered with something he couldn’t quite read—doubt mixing with hope, fear tangling with want. Then she looked past him toward the castle, and her face went carefully neutral.

“Someone’s coming.”

Euan turned to see Niall jogging toward them, his weathered face creased with concern that melted into relief when he spotted them both standing upright and relatively intact.

“Found her then.” Niall’s gaze swept over Moyra, checking for injuries with a warrior’s efficiency before landing on the blood staining Euan’s sword. “Trouble?”

“MacKenzie scouts. Three of them.” Euan kept his voice level, professional. “Two dead. One fled back toward their camp.”

“Good.” Niall’s expression turned grim. “Give Keith something tae think about besides sending more men tae die on our soil.” His attention shifted to Moyra, and his tone softened slightly. “Ye all right, lass?”

“Aye.” Her voice came out steadier than Euan had expected. “Thanks tae yer laird’s timing.”

“His timing and the fact that Catriona has more sense than tae let ye wander off without telling someone.” Niall jerked his chin toward the castle. “Speaking of which, she’s been pacing the courtyard like a caged wolf. Might want tae let her see ye’re alive before she convinces herself otherwise.”

Moyra nodded, then glanced at Euan with an expression that held too many emotions to name. “Thank ye. Fer coming after me. Fer nae letting them⁠—”

“Always.” The word came out rougher than he intended, weighted with promises he had no business making. “I’ll always come fer ye.”

Something flickered in her eyes—understanding, maybe, or recognition of what he wasn’t quite saying. Then she turned and headed toward the gate, her stride steadier than it had been moments ago but still carrying the remnants of shock.

Euan watched her go, every instinct screaming at him to follow, to not let her out of his sight until he was certain she wouldn’t try something like that again.

“Ye’re in deep trouble there.” Niall’s observation came quiet, lacking his usual teasing edge.

“I ken that.”

“Dae ye?” His friend moved closer, voice dropping. “Because from where I was standing, watching ye tear through those trees like a man possessed, it looked like more than just protecting a political asset.”

“She’s nae an asset.”

“Nay.” Niall’s hand gripped his shoulder. “She’s nae. Which is why ye need tae be very careful about what comes next. Keith’s nae going tae stop. If anything, he’ll escalate now that he knows she tried tae run and ye brought her back.”

“Let him.” Euan’s jaw set. “I’m done playing his games. Done pretending his threats dictate me choices.”

“And the Council? They’ll want answers. Want tae ken why ye’re protecting a woman whose very presence keeps making us a target.”

“Then I’ll give them answers.” He turned toward the castle, exhaustion and determination warring in his chest. “Starting with the truth—that Moyra MacKenzie stays because I say she stays. And anyone who has a problem with that can take it up with me personally.”

Niall was quiet for a long moment. Then: “This is going tae get complicated.”

“It already is.” Euan started walking, his friend falling into step beside him. “But I’d rather face complicated with her here than simple with her gone.”

They crossed the threshold back into Dunvegan’s walls. Through the courtyard, Euan could see Moyra embracing Catriona, the maid’s relief palpable even from this distance.

Some things were worth fighting for.

And Moyra MacKenzie, with her copper hair and stubborn courage and ability to make him forget every reason he should maintain distance, had somehow become the thing he couldn’t afford to lose.

Even if keeping her cost him everything else.