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Ainsly watched Ian leave the hall and was flustered. She rocked back and forth on her heels, stunned by the depth of the kiss he had just given her. In truth, she had not yet recovered from the previous night, and was still trying to understand everything her body had been through. Her heart fluttered when he was near her, and yet she knew it was wrong to feel that way about the man who had invaded her home and captured her. She hated the way she was betraying herself, but it was so exhausting to fight back every second of every day, especially when she had no weapons but her wits.

When she had awoken that morning, she had been shocked to see him looking at her with such adoration. She was still getting used to the tender side of him, and she had wanted to cover herself even though the previous night, he had seen every inch of her feminine body. Flickers of that night still burst through her mind—flashes and echoes of the pleasure they had shared. It meant that throughout the meeting, her focus had drifted back and forth, so she wasn’t fully aware of what had happened, although she was surprised at how detailed Ian had been with the way the clan worked. Up until this point, she thought he was only interested in fighting and feasting.

Calan and James had left as well as Ian, so she and Calum were left in the hall. She walked up to the throne and rested her hand on the arm. It was the farthest point from the door, and she spoke low so that nobody but Calum could hear her.

“Forgive me for saying sae my lady, but hae ye lost yer mind? What are ye playing at, rebuking me in front of him? How could ye let him order me about like that?”

Ainsly didn’t take her eyes off the throne. The stone chair was cold, unlike Ian’s body, which had thrummed with heat and power, and his heart and burned with passion. She shook away the thoughts.

“He is our laird, and we must dae as he commands, at least for now.”

Calum barked out a laugh. “Hae ye fallen under his spell already?”

Ainsly shook her head and looked at him sharply. “Choose yer words carefully. We hae known each other a long time, and ye hae been like a da tae me these past few years, but dinnae overstep yer bounds. Ye get tae grumble and grimace all the while I hae tae share my bed with him, or would ye perhaps like tae switch roles? Perhaps taenight Ian should find ye in his bed? Dinnae doubt my resolve,” she said sharply.

Calum stiffened and nodded, falling back in line. “My apologies. It is just that it haes been a stressful time, and thinking about all the men we lost weighs heavily on me. I hate tae take orders from him. I hate tae surrender.”

“Me tae, but we must dae all we can tae ensure the clan survives. If we make a wrong move, then we may end up hurting others. We must be careful. But there is something I need tae tell ye. Before the wedding, I was in the woods. Some of our men survived, including Seamus.”

“Seamus is alive?” Ainsly glared at him, and then at the door, trying to remind him that he needed to remain quiet. Calum nodded and pressed his lips together, but the anguish had vanished from his eyes and was replaced by hope. “How did this happen? How many are there?”

“He was separated from the rest of the army. When he saw us retreating taewards the keep, he took the opportunity tae gather as many men as he could and hide in the woods. I dinnae ken how many men he haes, but he seems tae hae enough that he thinks he can fight back. But he needs time tae recover. Many of them are wounded. I hae tae keep Ian distracted. I cannae visit him as much as I would like, sae I want ye tae make sure tae work with him. We need tae fight back in the keep while he fights back outside,” she said in a hurried whisper.

“I knew the fight wasnae over.” Calum clenched his fist, and a smile spread across his face, though it faded quickly and was replaced by concern. “I just wish ye didnae hae tae spend yer time with him. Yer da never wanted anything like this for ye. Ye should be marrying someone of yer own choosing.”

“I must dae what I can for the clan,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I appreciate yer concern for me, but I can take care of myself. Besides,” she added, “Ian is nae exactly what I expected. He seemed genuinely interested in running the clan.”

“I wouldnae trust anything he does,” Calum said, and his gaze came up to linger on Ainsly. “And I would be cautious tae Ainsly. Ye may be working tae distract him, but make sure that he doesnae distract ye. I wouldnae be surprised if he had some plan he was working on.”

“Perhaps,” Ainsly said. “I must gae now. I dinnae want tae keep him waiting. Keep what I said in mind, but dinnae let people know. We cannae afford tae let this secret out. Dae yer duty. I know it wilnae be easy, but work with Calan and act as though everything is normal,” she said.

Calum nodded. “It’ll be easier now that I know something is being planned. I can endure his company as long as I think about skewering him with my sword when we rebel.” His eyes gleamed, but while he was filled with anticipation, Ainsly felt uneasy. The thought of more fighting wasn’t one that especially appealed to her as it only meant that more blood was going to be spilled, and more lives were going to be lost. But she squeezed Calum’s arm and nodded towards him as she left the hall, and her throne, behind.

The meeting had not gone the way she had anticipated. Ian had surprised her with how thoughtful and dutiful he had been when it came to the clan. He seemed to have a genuine interest in ruling it and making things better. It was a different side to him than she had seen before, and she wondered what other layers he had hidden inside him. She thought of his scars, of those wounds that spoke to other stories of a life of pain and trauma. Was it any wonder that he should have turned into a man of war, given how he had endured so much? Her greatest fear was that he would have tried to tear her clan apart, but he seemed to want to do the opposite, and she was actually filled with misgivings about this whole plan to oust him. He had taken the keep by force, but would fighting back only welcome more bloodshed? Then there was the fact that sharing his bed hadn’t been entirely abhorrent…oh, how she wished her heart was not so conflicted! It had been easy when he had first taken the keep. Then she could hate him, but now…now things were different.

She thought back and wondered what her father would have done were he still alive. Would he have sued for peace and surrendered to save his people, or would he have fought until his last breath to maintain his independence?

He had always told her that what made a clan was the people, not the land or the keep, and that it was always more fulfilling to have people come to you because they felt welcome rather than because the clan conquered anyone. Ian clearly hadn’t learned that particular lesson, but it was one that Ainsly still held dear. She just wished more than anything that she could ask her father for his advice. He always had kind words for her and helped her through her troubles. Now she felt so lost. The future of the clan weighed upon her shoulders. Fighting against Ian meant more death. But giving up…did that mean she would lose a part of her soul? It was not an easy question to answer.