Page 85 of The Laird’s Sinful Secret

CHAPTER THIRTY

The world tilted sideways.

Moyra’s fingers tightened on the bookshelf, her body still humming from Euan’s touch while her mind struggled to process those words. MacKenzie ships. Her father’s forces, close enough to see from shore.

Euan transformed in a heartbeat—the passionate man who’d just made her come undone vanished, replaced by the warrior laird his clan needed. He stepped away, his jaw hardening to granite.

“How many ships?”

“One spotted so far.” Niall’s gaze flicked between them, taking in their disheveled state with uncomfortable perception. “But if Keith’s sending scouts by sea, there’ll be more. He’s testing our coastal defenses.”

“Or planning another raid.” Euan’s scarred hand clenched. “After the villages, after everything—the bastard’s relentless.”

“Aye. And we’re stretched thin.” Niall moved closer, lowering his voice though Moyra could still hear. “The refugees, the patrols, multiple fronts—we cannae hold against a sustained assault. Nae without support.”

“The Covenant braithers are here,” Euan said, doubt coloring his tone.

“That’s nae enough and ye ken it.” Niall’s bluntness cut through the room like a blade. “Three men against Keith’s full forces? We need their clans behind us. Official support.”

“Which they’ve offered⁠—”

“In theory.” Niall’s jaw tightened. “But committing full military strength tae a conflict over a woman? That requires justification. Something more than Euan MacLeod’s personal entanglements.”

The words settled over Moyra’s shoulders, heavy as stone. Personal entanglements. A complication that was tying Euan’s hands while her father closed in.

“What about the Crown?” Euan asked.

“Same problem. The king’s nae going tae intervene in what looks like a clan dispute over a hostage. Nae without a compelling reason.”

“So we’re on our own.”

“Unless...” Niall trailed off, his gaze sliding to Moyra before snapping back to Euan.

“Unless what?” The question burst from her.

“Moyra—” Euan started.

“Nay. Dinnae dismiss me like some child.” She pushed away from the bookshelf. “If this concerns me, then I deserve tae ken what idea ye’re dancing around.”

Niall looked at Euan, silently asking permission. At the laird’s tight nod, he turned to face her.

“Unless the situation changes. Unless what Keith’s daeing stops being a clan dispute and becomes something else. Something the crown and the Covenant cannae ignore.”

“I still dinnae understand⁠—”

“Marriage.” Euan’s voice cut through her confusion. “He means marriage, Moyra. Between us.”

The word landed like a stone in still water. Marriage. The proposal she’d refused because it felt like another cage.

Except now it wasn’t just about her freedom. It was about villages burning and children crying and good people dying.

“If ye married,” Niall continued, “Keith’s attacks would nay longer be about retrieving his daughter. They’d be acts of war against the MacLeods—and by extension, any allied clan. The Covenant braithers could justify full military support. The Crown would have grounds tae intervene.”

“It would legitimize everything,” Euan added quietly. “Give us the backing we need tae stop Keith afore he destroys more lives.”

Marriage to Euan would mean safety—for her, for his clan, for innocents caught between her father’s ambitions and their resistance. It would also mean binding herself to a man who made her forget her own name when he touched her. Whose grey eyes watched her now with an intensity that made her skin burn.

“Leave it, Niall.” Euan’s jaw clenched. “This isnae the time.”